VF 2 claims :battle of Coal Sea

[Stig Jarlevik]

Originally Posted by twocee

No bother, Stig---I'm sure that you know a lot more about air-to-air claims than me.

However, I took a look at VF-2's report for the 7th and this is what it said about Baker: "It is believed that Baker collided with an enemy Zero fighter during retirement from his attack and both crashed in flames on the water".

Not really George....

I suppose have a certain interest in claims vs losses.....

Interestingly Frank does mention one claim by Baker in the evening fight, but reading Lundstrom page
211 it does not seem to be the aircraft he later is supposed to have collided with.
At least Frank never gave Baker a second claim (victory) that day, as implied by Lundstrom.
I know too little about how the USN awarded victories in 1942 to know if this is a "glitch" in the system,
or if collisions did not work as a final claim....
Perhaps the evidence was considered to be too vague since not even Lundstrom gives Baker
a final second victory that day in his summary on page 218

Cheers
Stig