Allied Opinion of IJN vs. IJA Fighter Pilots

[Leo Etgen]

Hi guys

To be honest I have no idea why the USAAF did not attempt as far as is known to me to develop any specific tactics to deal with the known capabilities of the Japanese. It should be pointed out that the development of the Thach Weave was an individual initiative of John Thach and not an official affair. It also should be pointed out that contrary to popular opinion, IJNAF training emphasized teamwork and hit and run tactics rather than dogfighting. They also made use of deflection shooting although problems arose with the fact that the Zeke was an inferior gunnery platform compared to the Wildcat. Visibility over the engine was not as good making full deflection shots difficult and poor aileron control at high speed made aiming in diving attacks difficult. It is true that the IJNAF pilots faced great difficulties in the Guadalcanal campaign but the same can be said for the USN/USMC pilots based on the island. Conditions were primitive in the extreme, sickness was rampant, supplies and spares in very short supply and let us not forget that Henderson Field was routinely bombarded by the IJNAF, the IJN and the IJA, not to mention a number of ground offensives designed to retake the airfield. Anecdotes are interesting but it should be always kept in mind that these are highly subjective personal accounts and may or may not be reflective of the general situation. I have come across comments by Japanese pilots that engaged the enemy over Guadalcanal that make reference to the excellent teamwork and shooting of their opponents so one can find any number of personal accounts that support this or that point of view. Finally, some numbers. According to John Lundstrom, the IJNAF lost 14 Zeke and three Claude fighters while the USN lost 10 Wildcat fighters in aerial combat up through Midway. He states that the IJNAF lost 25 Zeke fighters whereas the USN lost 31 Wildcat fighters in aerial combat over Guadalcanal. According to Richard Frank, the IJNAF lost approximately 70 Zeke fighters versus 70 USMC Wildcat fighters in aerial combat over Guadalcanal. These figures are based on the losses, not claims, of both sides so should give us a quite accurate idea of the state of fighter versus fighter combat between the IJNAF and US/USMC in 1942.

Horrido!

Leo