Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

As the 75th Anniversary of the battle approaches, I've wondered who the top scoring fighter pilots were, both US and Japanese.

So, who were they?

Cheers,

Bruce

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

US
John Leppla=5 (VS-2)
John Liska =3 (VS-2)
Noel Gayler=3 (VF-2)
William Hall=3 (VS-2)
Stanley Vejtasa=3 (VS-5)

Michel

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Leppla had only four claims in the Coral Sea. His fifth claim was on October 26, 1942 at Santa Cruz. Jimmy Flatley is credited with two, and five assists (NC citation). It appears that assists may have been counted as half shares at this time, since otherwise I cannot account for his score of 6.5. It also appears at this time that shared victories received full credit for each pilot (as per World War 1).

Enjoy!

Frank.

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Oups! sorry for Leppla:my finger slipped on the wrong key!
Michel

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Perhaps interesting to note that at the time of the Coral Sea battles, John Leppla was a Dauntless scout/dive-bomber pilot in VS-2 and John Liska was his gunner. Stanley Vejtasa was also a Dauntless pilot with VS-5.

...geoff

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Thanks for your contributions. Can someone please provide a breakdown of Gayler's claims? And also Flatley?

Any clues as to who the most successful IJN pilots were?

Bruce

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Noel A.M. Gayler
20/2/42=3 "Bettys(2 shared) 4°Kokutai
08/5/42=2 "Scout Bombers"
08/5/42=1 "Zeke"(no known Japanese loss)

IJN
Shokaku
Ichiro Yamamoto=4

Michel

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Thanks Michel

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Bill Leonard, VF-42, was credited with 3. Two F1Ms near Tulagi on 4 May and 1 D3A on 8 May.

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Thanks for that extra information.

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Actually, for the period 4 May 1942 through 8 May 1942 in the actions in and around the Coral Sea, the following USN personnel were credited with the noted number of enemy aircraft shot down. This does not include claims for damaged or probables.

LTJG William Edward Hall, VB-2: 4
ENS John Arthur Leppla, VS-2: 4
ENS Walter Albert Haas, VF-42: 3.833
LTJG Paul Gerald Baker, VF-2: 3
LTJG William Nicholas Leonard, VF-42: 3
ARM3c John Liska, VS-2: 3 (gunner)
LCDR Paul Hubert Ramsey, VF-2: 3
ENS Edward R Sellstrom Jr, VF-2: 3
LT Stanley Winfield Vejtasa, VS-5: 3
LTJG Richard Gunter Crommelin, VF-42: 2.5
LTJG William Stone Woollen, VF-42: 2.5
LTJG Arthur James Brassfield, VF-42: 2.333
ENS Edgar Rees Bassett, VF-42: 2
LCDR James Henry Flatley Jr, VF-42: 2
LT Noel Arthur Meredyth Gayler, VF-2: 2
LT Albert Ogden Vorse Jr, VF-2: 2
LT Vincent Francis McCormack, VF-42: 1.833
ENS John Burton Bain, VF-2: 1
ENS LaVell Meldrum Bigelow, VB-5: 1
ENS Leslie Lockhart Bruce, VF-42: 1
LTJG Robert B Buchan, VB-2: 1
ENS John M Clarke, VB-2: 1
ENS Willard Ernest Eder, VF-2: 1
LTJG Brainard Tucker Macomber, VF-42: 1
LTJG Elbert Scott McCuskey, VF-42: 1
LTJG Robert James Morgan, VF-2: 1
ENS Richard F Neely, VS-2: 1
LT John L Nielsen, VB-5: 1
CDR Walter Gabriel Schindler, TF-17 Staff: 1 (gunner)
ENS William Wolfe Wileman, VF-2: 1
ENS John Paul Adams, VF-42: 0.5
ENS Richard Lee Wright, VF-42: 0.5

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

To notice:
on 04/05/42 (Tulagi)
No confirmation (Japanese side) of the three "Pete" (Kamikawa Maru) claimed by William Leonard (two) and Edgar Bassett (one).

on 07/05/42 (over "SHOHO")
Overclaiming: nine ZEKE claimed(only one lost+ two CLAUDE):John Leppla (one),John Liska (two),Walter Haas (one "CLAUDE").

Michel

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Which, of course, is why I wrote "credited" and did not write "confirmed." After all, Paul Ramsey claimed victories over Me-109's at Coral Sea and Noel Gayler specifically mentions seeing same in the course of battle.

Re: Battle of Coral Sea: top scorers
 

Japanese air victories and losses during the Battle of Coral Sea

Zuikaku fighter squadron
8 May 1942
Zuikaku’s kôdôchôsho(roughly translated “preliminary combat reports”) says fighter unit’s total victories, but not individual pilot’s victories.
19 Zekes participated in combat, they shot down 48 enemy aircraft and three probables. Damages: 8 aircraft were hit bullets. 1 aircraft emergency landing on the sea, the pilot rescued, the aircraft lost.

Zuikaku dive bomber squadron
7 May 1942
23 Vals participated in combat, two Vals were shot down by enemy fighters.
8 May 1942
14 Vals participated in combat and shot down four F4Fs. Two Vals were shot down.

Zuikaku torpedo bomber squadron
7 May 1942
9 Kates participated in combat and shot down three enemy fighters. Five Kates were shot down.
8 May 1942
8 Kates participated in combat, three Kates were shoot down, and one emergency landing on the sea.

Source: “Zuikaku Hikôkitai Sentô Kôdôchôsho (The aircraft carrier Zuikaku Flying Group preliminary combat reports)”, Japan Center for Historical Records < https://www.jacar.archives.go.jp/aj/meta/reference-en >, reference code: C08051577600, 34th – 50th images; C08051577700, 1st - 2nd images.

Shôkaku fighter squadron
8 May 1942
18 Zekes participated in combat.
PO2 Kenji OKABE: shot down 5(F4F×2, SBD×3), probable 3(F4F×2, SBD×1)
LT Shigehisa YAMAMOTO: shot down 5(F4F×4, SBD×1)
WO Yukio HANZAWA: shot down 4(F4F×4)
PO1 Jirô MATSUDA: shot down 3.5(F4F×3, SBD×0.5)
PO2 Masao SASAKIBARA: shot down 3.5(F4F×2.5, SBD×1)
PO2 Ichirô YAMAMOTO: shot down 3.5(F4F×0.5, SBD×3)
PO3 Yoshizô TANAKA: shot down 3(SBD×2, TBD×1)
Seaman 1C Kôichi IMAMURA: shot down 2.5(F4F×1.5, SBD×1)
LT Tsutomu HOASHI: shot down 2.33(F4F×2.33)
PO1 Korenobu NISHIDE: shot down 2.33(F4F×2.33)
PO3 Shunji HORIGUCHI: shot down 2.33(F4F×2.33)
PO3 Sadamu KOMACHI: shot down 2(F4F×1, SBD×1), probable 0.5(F4F×0.5)
PO1 Yoshimi MINAMI: shot down 2(F4F×2)
PO1 Takeo MIYAZAWA: shot down 2(TBD×2)
Seaman 3C Shigeru KAWANO: shot down 2(F4F×2)
ENS Yasujirô ABE: shot down 1(F4F×1)
PO1 Jinichirô KAWANISHI: shot down 1(SBD×1)

Losses: shot down 2, emergency landing 3

Shôkaku dive bomber squadron
7 May 1942
19 Vals participated missions, not encountered enemy aircraft carriers. All returned to Shôkaku.

8 May 1942
19 Vals participated in combat and shot down 7 F4Fs. Seven Vals were shot down.

Shôkaku torpedo bomber squadron
7 May 1942
25 Kates participated missions. 3 Kates were shot down.
8 May 1942
14 Kates participated missions. 6 Kates were shot down.

Source: “Shôkaku Hikôkitai Sentô Kôdôchôsho (The aircraft carrier Shôkaku Flying Group preliminary combat reports)”, Japan Center for Historical Records, reference code: C08051577100, 30th – 47th images

Shôhô’s kôdôchôsho concerning battle of Coral Sea is not remained.