Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Olynyk
Brian,
The 347th FG was flying P-38s, not Wildcats. The claims were at Tonolei Harbor, which is on Bougainville, east of Buin and Kahili. I kind of doubt that SOCs would be operating anywhere near there.
The claimants were 1st Lt Emmett L Norris, 68th FS, 1 FBP prob; 1st Lt Besby F Holmes, 339th FS, 1 FBP dest plus 2 FBP prob; Capt John W Mitchell, 339th FS, 1 Float Zero dest; Capt Robert B Hubbell, 68th FS, 1 FBP dest.
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Just to round out that combat, the Japanese reported a combat with 5 B-17's escorted by 7 P-38. They were intercepted by 6 (land plane) Zeroes of the 202nd Air Group, 2 Type 2 Float Fighters (aka 'float Zero') of 802nd AG and an uncertain number of Type 0 Observation Seaplanes (later called 'Pete') perhaps from ships, since 3 'Petes' of the 958th Air Group apparently sighted the US formation but reported no results. The 202nd claimed 1 P-38 and 2 probables for no loss or damage; the 802nd claimed 2 P-38's, one shared with the 'Petes', and 1 probable for the loss of 1 Type 2 Float Fighter, PO1C Shinkichi Ohshima bailed out; 2 Type 0 Obs. Seaplanes crashlanded. (sources: original records of the named units found at JACAR site; Japanese web source about the 'Petes').
http://www2.cty-net.ne.jp/~purejwp/zakki/suisen.htm
2 P-38's were actually lost, 1Lts Ronald Hilken and Walter Dinn MIA/KIA (source: "13th Fighter Command in WW II" by William Wolf).
Joe