Time of the Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944

44 Pages·16.1 MB·English

by  Marine Corps Historical Center

TtMEOF
THE ACES:
MARINE PILOTs IN THE
SOJDMONS, 1942.-1944
MARINES IN
WORLD WAR II
COMMEMORATWE SERIES
B COMMANDER PETER B. MERSKY
U.S. NAVAL RESERVE
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Time of the Aces:
Marine Pilots in the Solomons
by Commander Peter B. Mersky, U.S. Naval Reserve
he morale of the men air as they flew against combat-ex- in the Guadalcanal operation, was
of the 1st Marine Divi- perienced Japanese aircrews. But by assigned the mission of supporting
sion on Guadalcanal the time of the landings on Guadal- the ground operations of the 1st
soared dramatically in canal and when the war was nearly Marine Division as well the air de-
the late afternoon of 20 a year old, only a relatively small fense of the island once the landing
August 1942. That was when 19 number of Marine pilots had seen had been made. MAG-23 included
Grumann F4F Wildcats of Captain combat. A few had shot down sev- VMF-223 and -224, and VMSB-231
John L. Smith's Marine Fighter eral Japanese aircraft, although and -232. The fighter squadrons
Squadron (VMF) 223 and 12 Dou- none had scored a fifth kill which flew the F4F-4, the Grumann Wild-
glas Dauntless SBDs of Major
would entitle him to be designated cat with folding wings and six
Richard C. Mangrum's Marine
an ace. The leading Marine scorer at wing-mounted .50-caliber machine
Scout-Bomber Squadron (VMSB) Midway was Captain Marion Carl, guns. The two VMSBs flew the
232 landed on yet-uncompleted who had downed two Mitsubishi Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive-
Henderson Field. Ever since the as- Type "0" Carrier Fighters. The
bomber. Another fighter squadron,
sault landing on Guadalcanal on 7 Americans would later call them
VMF-212, under Major Harold W.
August, and subject to unchal-
"Zeros" or "Zekes" and would
Bauer, was on the island of Efate in
lenged Japanese air raids from that shoot them down regularly despite
the New Hebrides, while MAG-23
time, the ground troops wondered, the early reputation they received
headquarters had yet to sail from
"Where are our planes?" Like so
for being a highly maneuverable
Hawaii by the time Marines hit the
many other soldiers in so many
and deadly adversary in the air. Be-
beaches on 7 August 1942. The first
other campaigns, they had little
fore he left the Pacific, Captain Carl
contingent of MAG-23—VMF-223
knowledge of the progress of the
would add considerably to his
and VMSB-232—left Hawaii on
war elsewhere in the Pacific.
score, as would some of the other
From the very beginning of board the escort carrier USS Long Is-
fighter pilots who landed on
land (CVE 1). On 20 August, 200
World War II, with the Japanese at-
Guadalcanal with him on the 20th.
tack on Wake Island, Marine air- miles from Guadalcanal, the two
squadrons launched toward their
craft, pilots, and crews became im- Guadalcanal: The Beginning
mediately and personally involved new home. VMF-224 (Captain
of the Long Road Back
in the fighting. On Wake, Marine Robert E. Galer) and VMSB-231
Wildcat pilots of VMF-211 gave a Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) (Major Leo R. Smith) followed in
good account of themselves, even 23, the initial air unit participating the aircraft transports USS Kitty
after the number of the squadron's
flyable planes was reduced to four, The Douglas SBD Dauntless divebomber fought in nearly every theater, flying with the
and when those planes were dam- U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the U.S. Army (as the A-24 Banshee). The SBD
aged beyond repair, all aviation made its reputation in the Pacific, especially at Midway and Guadalcanal.
Author's Collection
personnel became riflemen. And in —-
the Battle of Midway, Marine pilots
for the first time at first hand appre-
hended the nature of the war in the
On the cover: Using hit-and-run tactics,
Capt Joe Foss flames a Japanese Zero over
Henderson Field in October 1942. Paint-
ing by Ted Wilbur, courtesy of the artist.
At left:"Fogerty's Fate—22 Oct 1942." TSgt
John Fogerty, an enlisted Marine pilot,
was killed this date. Watercolor by Col Al-
bert M. Leahy, USMCR (Ret), in the Ma-
rine Corps Art Collection.
I
Hawk (APV 1) and USS Hammonds- the Aircraft Carrier Training Group,
port (APV 2), and flew on to the is- which, as part of its training syl-
land on 30 August. While en route labus, gave tyro pilots indoctrination
toward the launch point for into fighter tactics.
Guadalcanal, Captain Smith wisely Beyond Savo, six Zeros came
decided to trade eight of his less ex- straight at them from the north, with
perienced junior pilots for eight pi- an altitude advantage of 500 feet.
lots of VMF-212 who had more Smith recognized the Zeros immedi-
flight time and training in the F4F ately, although neither he nor any of
than had Smith's fledglings. the other three pilots had ever seen
The newly arrived squadrons one before. He turned his flight to-
barely had time to get settled before ward them and the Zeros headed to-
they were in heavy action. Early on ward the F4Fs.
the 21st, the Japanese sent a 900-man It was hard to say just what hap-
force to attack Henderson Field, pened next except that the Zero
named after Major Lofton R. Hen- Smith was shooting at pulled up
derson, a dive-bomber pilot killed at and he shot fairly well into the belly
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 26044
Midway Around mid-day, Captain of the enemy plane as it went by,
Capt Henry T. Elrod, a Wildcat pilot with
Smith was leading a four-plane pa- only to find that now he had two
VMF-211, earned what is chronologically
the first Marine Corps—but not the first trol north of Savo Island heading to- Zeros on his tail. Captain Smith
actually awarded—Medal of Honor for ward the Russell Islands with Sec- dove toward Henderson Field and
World War II. His exploits during the de- ond Lieutenants Noyes McLennan the Japs broke away
fense of Wake Island were not known until and Charles H. Kendrick, and Tech- Minutes later, the Zero Captain
after the war. After his squadron's aircraft nical Sergeant John Lindley. The two Smith shot became VMF-223's first
were all destroyed, Capt Elrod fought on lieutenants had 16 days of opera- kill when it crashed into the water
the ground and was finally killed by a tional flight training in F4Fs, and just off Savo Island. Smith's plane
Japanese rifleman. Lindley had been through ACTG, had some bullet holes but was flying
alright. Two F4Fs joined on him.
Members of VMF-224 pose by one of their fighters on Guadalcanal in mid-September
They looked back and it appeared
1942. Rear row, left to right: 2dLt George L. Hollowell, SSgt Clifford D. Garrabrant,
that the Zeros were in a dogfight
2dLt Robert A Jefferies, Jr., 2dLt Allan M. Johnson, 2dLt Matthew H. Kennedy, 2dLt
near Savo. The Marines thought
Charles H. Kunz, 2dLt Dean S. Hartley, Jr., MG William R. Fuller. Front row: 2dLt
they were ganging up on Sergeant
Robert M. DArcy, Capt Stanley S. Nicolay, Maj John F Dobbin, Maj Robert E.
Lindley so they went back to help
Galer, Maj Kirk Armistead, Capt Dale D. Irwin, 2dLt Howard L. Walter, 2dLt Gor-
him, but found that there was no
don E. Thompson. All in this picture are pilots except MG Fuller, who was the
Engineering Officer. Lt Thompson was reported missing in action on 31 August 1942. F4F, just five Zeros acting like they
Photo courtesy of BGen Robert E. Galer were fighting.
The three Marines then got into
another dogfight and the Zeros shot
them up some more. Lindley and
Kendrick got back to Henderson and
made dead-stick landings. Lindley
was burned and blinded by hot oil
j4
when his oil tank was shattered and
landed wheels up. Kendrick's oil
line was shot away and he crash-
landed. His airplane never flew
again. It took eight days before
Smith's plane was patched up
enough to fly once again. Repairs on
the fourth plane required 10 days.
Only 15 of the 19 F4Fs were flyable
after their first day of action from
Henderson Field.
2
'CUB One' at Guadalcanal
O n 8 August 1942, u.s. Marines captured a nearly were quickly put into action over the skies of Guadalcanal
completed enemy airstrip on Guadalcanal, which in combat operations against enemy aircraft.
wouldprovecriticaltothesuccessoftheislandcam The men of CUB One performed heroics in servicing the
paign.Itwasessential that theairstripbecomeoperationalas newly arrived Marine fighters and bombers. Few tools ex
quickly as possible, not only to contest enemy aircraftin the isted or had yet arrived to perform many of the aircraft ser
skies overGuadalcanal, butalso to ensurethatbadlyneeded vicingjobstowhichCUBOnewasassigned.Itwas necessary
supplies could be flown inand wounded Marinesflown out. to fuel the Marine aircraft from 55-gallon drums of gasoline.
As it turned out, Henderson Field also proved to be a safe As there werenofuel pumpsonthe island, thedrums had to
haven for Navy planes whose carriers had been sunk or be man-handled and tipped into the wing tanks of the SBDs
badlydamaged. and the fuselage tanks of the F4F fighters. To do this, CUB
A Marine fighter squadron (VMF-223) and a Marine dive One personnel stood precariously on the slippery wings of
bomber squadron (VMSB-232) were expected to arrive on the aircraft and sloshed the gasoline from the heavy drums
Guadalcanal around 16 August. Unfortunately, Marine avia into the aircraft's gas tanks. The men used a make-shift fun
tion ground crews scheduled to accompany the two nelmadefrompalm-loglumber.
squadrons to Guadalcanal were still in Hawaii, and would Bomb carts or hoists were also at a premium during the
not arrive on the island for nearly two weeks. Aircraft early days of the Guadalcanal campaign, so aircraft bombs
ground crews were urgently needed to service the two Ma hadtoberaised byhand totheSBDdropbrackets,as theex
rinesquadronsupon theirarrival. hausted, straining men wallowed in the mud beneath the
The nearest aircraft ground crews to Guadalcanal were airplanes.
notMarines,but450NavypersonnelofaunitknownasCUB Noautomatic beltingmachineswereavailableatthis time
One, an advanced base unit consisting of the personnel and as well, so that the .sO-caliber ammunition for the four guns
material necessary for the establishment of a medium-sized oneachfighter had to be hand-beltedoneround ata timeby
advanced fuel and supply base. CUB One had only recently the men of CUB One. The gunners on the dive bombers
arrivedatEspirituSantoin theNewHebrides. loaded theirammunitionbythesamelaboriousmethod.
On 13 August, Admiral John S. McCain ordered Marine The dedicated personnel of CUB One performed these
MajorCharlesH. "Fog"Hayes,executiveofficerofMarineOb feats for 12 days before Marine squadron ground crews ar
servation Squadron 251, to proceed to Guadalcanal with 120 rived with the proper equipment to service the aircraft. The
menofCUBOneto assistMarineengineersincompletingthe crucial support provided by CUB One was instrumental to
airfield (recentlynamedHendersonFieldinhonorofaMarine thesuccessofthe"CactusAirForce" onGuadalcanal.
pilot killed in the Battle of Midway), and to serve as ground Like their Marine counterparts, the personnel of CUB One
crews for the Marine fighters and dive bombers scheduled to suffered from malaria, dengue fever, sleepless nights, and the
arrivewithina few days. NavyEnsignGeorgeW. Polkwas in ever-present shortage of food, clothing, and supplies. They
command of the 120-man unit, and was briefed by Major would remain on Guadalcanal, performing their duties in an
Hayes concerning the unit's critical mission. (After the war, exemplary manner, until relieved on 5 February 1943. CUB
Polkbecamea noted newsmanfor theColumbiaBroadcasting OnerichlyearnedthePresidentialUnitCitationawardedtothe
System, and was murdered by terrorists during the Greek unitforitsgallantparticipationintheGuadalcanalcampaign.
CivilWar.Aprestigiousjournalismawardwasestablishedand
-ArvilL.JoneswithRobertV. Aquilina
namedinhishonor).
UtilizingfourdestroyertransportsofWorldWarIvintage,
Allied air operations in the Solomons were controlled from the
the l20-man contingent from CUB One departed Espiritu
"Pagoda," built by the Japanese and rehabilitated by the men of
Santo on the evening of 13 August. The total supply carried
CUB One.
northward by the four transports included400drums ofavi
DepartmentofDefensePhoto(USMC)51812
ation gasoline, 32 drums oflubricant, 282 bombs (100 to 500
pounders), belted ammunition, a variety of tools, and criti
callyneededspareparts.
The echelon arrived at Guadalcanal on the evening of 15
August, unloaded its passengers andsupplies,and beganas
sisting Marine engineers the following morning on increas
ing the length of Henderson Field. In spite ofdaily raids by
Japaneseaircraft, thearduous workcontinued,andon19Au
gust, theairstrip wascompleted. CUBOne personnelalsoin
stalled and manned an air-raid warning system in the fa
mous "Pagoda," theJapanese-builtcontroltower.
On20August,19planesofVMF-223and 12divebombers
of VMSB-232 were launched from the escort carrier Long Is
land and arrivedsafelyatHendersonField.TheMarinepilots
3
Japanese aircraft shot down. How- Smith agreed and on 30 August, the
ever, by now, six of VMF-223's orig- Marine and Army fighters—eight
inal complement of 19 Wildcats had F4Fs and seven P-400s—launched
also been destroyed or put out of for a lengthy combat air patrol.
action, The combat had been fast The fighters rendezvoused north
and furious since Smith and his of Henderson, maintaining 15,000
squadron had arrived only nine feet because of the P-400s' lack of
days before. His young pilots were oxygen. Coastwatchers had identi-
learning, but at a price. fied a large formation of Japanese
One of the squadrons that shared bombers heading toward Hender-
Henderson Field with the Marines son but had lost sight of their
was the 67th Fighter Squadron, a quarry in the rapidly building wall
somewhat orphaned group of of thunderclouds approaching the
Army Air Corps pilots, who had ar- island. The defenders orbited for 40
rived on 22 August, led by Captain minutes, watching for the enemy
Photo courtesy of Capt Stanley S. Nicolay
Three personalities of the Cactus Air Force Dale Brannon, and their P-400 Aira- bombers and their escorts.
pose after receiving the Navy Cross from cobras, an export version of the Bell Suddenly, Captain Smith saw the
Adm Nimitz on 30 September 1942. From P-39. Despite its racy looks, the seven Army fighters dive toward the
left: Ma] John L. Smith, Ma] Robert E.
Airacobra found it difficult to get water, in hot pursuit of Zeros that
Galer, and Capt Marion E. Carl.
above 15,000 feet, where much of had emerged from the clouds. The
Marion Carl, now assigned to the aerial combat was taking place. highly maneuverable Zeros quickly
VMF-223, shot down three Japanese The 67th had had a miserable turned the tables on the P-400s,
aircraft on 24 August to become the time of it so far because of their however. As the Japanese fighters
Marine Corps' first ace. Carl added plane's poor performance, and concentrated on the hapless Bells,
two more kills on the 26th. The morale was low. The pilots were be- the Marine Wildcats lined up behind
young fighter pilot found himself in ginning to question their value to the Zeros and quickly shot down
competition with his squadron com- the overall effort, and their com- four of the dark green Mitsubishis.
mander, as John Smith also began mander, desperate for any measure The effect of the F4Fs' heavy ma-
accumulating kills with regularity. of success to share with his men, chine guns was devastating.
The 30th was a busy day for the asked Captain Smith if he and his Making a second run, Captain
Marine fighters on Guadalcanal. squadron could accompany the Smith found himself going head-to-
The previous day's action saw eight Marines on their next scramble. head with a Zero, its pilot just as de-
A profile of Bell P-39 Airacobra by Larry Lapadura. "Short Stroke" mediocre performance, especially above 15,000 feet. However, the
operated from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal from late 1942 to aircraft was well armed and used with success as a ground strafer.
early 1943. The aircraft's deceptively streamlined shape belied a
Author's Collection
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Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 11984
Maj John L. Smith poses in a Wildcat after
returning to the States. A tough, capable
combat leader, Smith received the Medal of
Honor for his service at Guadalcanal.
termined as his Marine opponent.
Photo courtesy of capt Stanley S. Nicolay
Smith's guns finally blew the Zero lstLt Stanley S. Nicolay beside a Wildcat, probably just before deploying to the Pacific in
up just before a collision or before 1942. He eventually shot down three Betty bombers at Guadalcanal. Note the narrow track
one of the two fighter pilots would of the Wildcat's main landing gear.
have had to turn away. By the end
of the engagement, John Smith had Captain Galer's VMF-224 had no the formation," Dobbin wisely said.
shot down two more Zeros for a time to acclimate to its new base. "There's nothing we can do." Nico-
total of four kills. With nine kills, (The day after its arrival, it was in lay closed up on Dobbin and they
Smith was the leading Marine action.) The squadron landed on the continued on.
30th in the midst of an alert, and The two young aviators had
Corps ace at the time. Fourteen
Japanese fighters—the bombers was quickly directed to its parking problems with their primitive oxy-
they were escorting had turned areas on the field. gen systems and lacking sufficient
The next two weeks saw several oxygen, they possibly had even
back—had been shot down by the
of the Marine aviators bail out of passed out in the thin air. Nicolay
Marine and Army pilots, although
four of the P-400s were also de- their Wildcats after tangling with recalled,
stroyed. Two of the pilots returned the enemy Zeros. On 31 August, We never saw Bryans again.
First Lieutenant Stanley S. Nicolay It was so senseless. I remem-
to Guadalcanal; two did not.
The Marine fighter contingent at of VMF-224 was on a flight with ber thinking that after all their
Second Lieutenant Richard R. training and effort, neither one
Guadalcanal was now down to five
Amerine, Second Lieutenant of them ever fired a shot in
operational aircraft; it needed rein-
Charles E. Bryans, and Captain anger. They had no chance.
forcement immediately. Help was
John F Dobbin, the squadron execu- The oxygen system was just a
on the way, however, for VMF-224
tive officer. It was VMF-224's first tiny, white triangular mask
arrived in the afternoon of the 30th,
combat mission since its arrival the that fitted over the nose and
after John Smith and his tired, but
day before. As the Marines strug- mouth. You turned on the bot-
elated squadron returned from their
gled past 18,000 feet on their way tle, and that was it. No pres-
frantic encounter with the Japanese
up to 20,000, Lieutenant Nicolay sure system, nothing.
fighter force. For their first few mis-
noticed two of the wingmen lag- Apparently, the two Marine pi-
sions, VMF-224's pilots accompa-
nied the now-veteran Rainbow ging farther and farther back. lots had been jumped by roving
He called Amerine and Bryans Zeros. Bryans was thought to be
Squadron pilots of VMF223.*
but got no response. He then called killed almost immediately, while
When it was first established on I May Dobbin and said he wanted to drop Amerine was able to bail out. He
1942, VMF-223 was called the "Rainbow"
back to check on the wayward parachuted to the relative safety of
Squadron. In May 1943, it changed its nick-
name to the more Marine-like "Bulldogs." Wildcats. "It's too late to break up the jungle, and as he attempted to
5
return to Henderson Field, he en-
countered several Japanese patrols
on the way back, killing four enemy
soldiers before returning to the Ma-
p
rine lines.
Marion Carl, who had 11 kills,
had his own escape-and-evasion ex-
perience after he and his wingman,
Lieutenant Clayton M. Canfield,
were shot down on 9 September.
Carl bailed out of his burning Wild-
cat and landed in the water where a
friendly native scooped him up and
hid him from the roving Japanese
patrols. (Canfield had been quickly I.
rescued by an American destroyer.) '
The native took the ace to a na-
-4.
tive doctor who spoke English. The
doctor gave Carl a small boat with
an old motor which needed some
work before it functioned properly. National Archives photo 208-PU-14X-1 PNT
With the Japanese army all around, A rare photo of an exuberant LtCol Bauer as he demonstrates his technique to two ground
crewmen. In tensely competitive, and known as "the Coach," Bauer was one of several Ma-
it was important that the American
rine Corps aviators who received the Medal of Honor, albeit posthumously, at Guadalcanal.
pilot get out as soon as he could.
and a fighter, after which he was bombers. He related that:
Finally, he and the doctor arrived
offshore of Marine positions on shot down by a Zero that tacked One of them fell to my guns,
Guadalcanal. Dennis Byrd recalled onto him from behind and riddled and pulling out of the dive, I
Carl's return on the afternoon of 14 his Wildcat. Recalling the action in took after a Zero. But I didn't
September: a wartime press release, Galer said: pull around fast enough, and his
A small motor launch oper- I knew I'd be forced to land, guns knocked out my engine,
ated by a very black native but that Zero getting me dead setting it on fire. We were at
with a huge head of frizzled to rights made me sore. I about 5,000 feet, but I feared the
hair pulled up to the Navy headed into a cloud, and in- swirling mass of Japs more than
jetty at Kukum. The tall white stead of coming out below it the fire. . so I laid over on my
.
man tending the boat's wheez- as he expected, I came out on back and dove headlong for
ing engine was VMF-223's top and let him have it.... some clouds below me. Coming
Captain Marion Carl. He had Then we both fell, but he through the clouds, I didn't see
been listed as missing in action was in flames and done for. I any more Japs, and leveled off
since September 9th and was made a forced landing in a at 2,000 feet. I changed my an-
presumed dead... .Carl re- field, and before my wheels gle of flight and grade of descent
ported that on the day he dis- could stop rolling, Major so I'd land as near as possible to
appeared, he'd shot down two Rivers J. Morrell and Lieu- shore. I set down in the drink
more Jap bombers. Captain tenant Pond of VMF-223, both some 200 or 300 yards from
Carl's score was now 12 and forced their ships on the same shore and swam in, unhurt.*
Major Smith's, 14. deck—all within three minutes *Thjs was not the first time Galer had a wa-
Now-Major Galer scored his
of each other! tery end to a flight. As a first lieutenant with
squadron's first kills when he shot VMF-2 in 1940, he had to ride his Grumman
clown two Zeros during a noontime Two days after his forced land- F3F biplane fighter in while approaching the
raid of 26 bombers and eight Zero ing, Major Galer had to ditch his carrier Sarotoga (CV3). The Grumman sank
and stayed on the bottom off San Diego for 40
escorts over Henderson on 5 Sep- aircraft once more after another years. It was discovered by a Navy explo-
tember. VMF-224 went up to inter- round with the Japanese. His flight ration team and raised, somewhat the worse
for wear. Retired Brigadier General Robert
cept them, and the squadron com- was returning from a mission when
Galer was at the dock when his old mount
mander knocked down a bomber it ran into a group of enemy found dry land once more.
6
The Aircraft in the Conflict
T he U.S. Navy and Marine Corps were defi fidence builder for its hard-pressed pilots. The Wildcat
nitely at a disadvantage when America en was also a tough little fighter ("built like Grumman
tered World War II in December 1941. Besides iron" was a popular catch-phrase of the period), and
other areas, their frontline aircraft were well behind had a devastating battery of four (for the F4F-3) or six
world standards. .sO-caliber machine guns (for the F4F-4) and a fair de
The Japanese did not suffer similarly, however, for greeofmaneuverability.
they were busy building up their arsenal as they Both the ImperialJapanese Army and Navy also had
sought sources of raw materials they needed and were outstanding aircraft. The Army's primary fighter ofthe
prepared to go to war to acquire. Besides possess early war was the Nakajima K.43 Hayabusa (Peregrine
ing what was the finest aerial torpedo in the world Falcon), a light, little aircraft, with a slim, tapered fuse
the LongLance-theyhad the aircraft to deliver it. And lage and a bubble canopy.
they had fighters to protect the bombers. Although the The Navy's fighter came to symbolize the Japanese
world initially refused to believe how good Japanese air effort, even for the Japanese, themselves. The Mit
aircraftand their pilots were, itwasn'tlong after the at subishi Type "0" Carrier Fighter (its official designa
tackonPearlHarbor that realityseeped in. tion) was as much a trend-setting design as was
In many respects, the U.S. Army Air Force- it had Britain's Spitfire or the American Corsair.
been the U.S. Army Air Corps until 20 June1941-and However, as author Norman Franks wrote, the Al
the Navy and Marine Corps had the same problems in lied crews found that "the Japanese airmen were...far
the first two years of the war. The Army's top fighters superior to the crude stereotypes so disparaged by the
were the Bell P-39 Airacobra and the Curtiss P-40B/E popular press and cartoonists. And in a Zero they were
Tomahawk/Kittyhawk. The Navy and Marine Corps' highlydangerous."
two frontline fighters were the Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo The hallmark of Japanese fighters had always been
and theGrumman F4F-3/4Wildcatduring 1942. superb maneuverability. Early biplanes-which had
Ofthese single-seaters, only the Army's P-40 and the been developed from British and French designs-set
Navy's F4F achieved any measure of success against the pace. By the mid-1930s, the Army and Navy had
the Japanese in 1942. The P-40's main attributes were two world-class fighters, the Nakajima Ki.27 and the
its diving speed, which let it disengage from a fight, Mitsubishi A5M series, respectively, both low-wing,
and its ability to absorb punishment and still fly, a con- fixed-gear aircraft. The Ki.27 did have a modern en
closed cockpit, while the A5M's cockpit was open (ex
cept for one variant that experimented with a canopy
The first production model ofGrumman's stubby, little Wildcat
was the F4F-3, which carried four .50-calibermachineguns in the
wings. Its wings did not fold, unlike the -4 which added two more The Wildcat wasarelativelysmallaircraft,as weremostofthe pre
machineguns and folding wings. TheseF4F-3s ofVMF-121 carry warfighters throughout the world. The aircraft's narrowgear track
prewarexercisemarkings. isshown toadvantageinthisgroundviewofaVMF-l21 F4F-3.
Author'sCollection
7
Aut,hor'sCollection Author'sCollection
This A6M3 is takingofffrom Rabaulin1943. Brewster's fat littleF2A Buffalo iscreditedwith adismal perfor
which was soon discarded in service.) A major and maceinAmericanandBritishservice, althoughtheFinnsracked
up a fine score against the Russians. This view of a Marine
fatal disadvantage of most Japanese fighters was
Brewstershows theaptness ofitspopularname, which actually
their light armament-usually a pair of .30-caliber
came from theBritish. Its characteristicgreenhouse canopyand
machine guns- and lack of armor, as well as their
main wheels tucked snugly into its belly are also well shown.
great flammability,
When the Type "0" first flew in 1939, most Japanese
reference to theJapanesecalendar. Thus, since 1940cor
pilots were enthusiastic about the new fighter. It was
responded to the year 2600 inJapan, the fighter was the
fast, had retractable landing gearand anenclosed cock
Type "00" fighter, which was shortened to "0." The
pit, and carried two 20rnrn cannon besides the two ma
western press picked up the designation and the name
chine guns, Initial operational evaluation in China in
"Zero" wasborn.
1940confirmed theaircraft's potential.
The fighter received another name in 1943 which
By the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
was almost as popular, especially among the Ameri
the A6M2 was the Imperial Navy's standard carrier
can flight crews. A system of first names referred to
fighter, and rapidly replaced the older ASMs still in
various enemy aircraft, in much the same way that the
service. As the A6M2 proved successful in combat, it
postwar NATO system referred to Soviet and Chinese
acquired its wartime nickname, "Zero," although the
aircraft. The Zero was tagged "Zeke," and the names
Japanese rarely referred to it as such. The evocative
were used interchangeably by everyone, from flight
name carne from the custom of designating aircraft in
crews to intelligence officers. (Other examples of the
system included "Claude" [ASM], "Betty" [Mitsubishi
The Zero's incrediblemaneuverabilitycameatsomeexpensefrom
G4M bomber], and "Oscar" [Ki.43].)
its top speed. In an effort to increase the speed, the designers
As discussed in the main text, the Navy and Marine
clipped the folding wingtips from the carrier-based A6M2 and
CorpsWildcats weresometimes initiallyhard-pressed to
evolved the land-based A6M3, Model 32. The pilots were not
defend their ships and fields against the large forces of
impressed with the speed increase and the production run was
Bettybombers and their Zero escorts, which had ranges
short, theA6M3 revertingbackto itsspanas theModel22. The
of800milesormore through theuse ofdrop tanks.
type was originallycalled"Hap,"afterGen Henry "Hap"Arnold,
Chiefofthe ArmyAirForce. Arnoldwassoangryatthe dubi The Brewster Buffalo had little to show for its few
ous honor that the name was quickly changed to Hamp. This encounters with the Japanese, which is difficult to un
Hamp is shown in the Solomons during the Guadalcanal derstand given the type's early success during the
campaign. Author's Collection Russo-Finnish War. The F2A-1, a lighter, earlier model
of the -3 which served with the Marines, was the stan
dard Finnish fighter plane. In its shortcombatcareer in
Americanservice, the Brewsterfailed miserably.
Thus, the only fighter capable of meeting the Japan
ese on anything approaching equal terms was the F4F,
which was fortunate because the Wildcat was really all
that was available in those dark days following Pearl
Harbor. Retired Brigadier General Robert E. Galer de
scribed the Wildcat as "very rugged and very mis
treated (atGuadalcanal)." Headded:
8