FM-2s vs. Tonys over Kavieng, 20/3/44

[DavidIsby]

On 20 March 1944, FM-2s of VC-63 off the USS Natoma Bay clashed with Ki-61 Tony fighters over Kavieng.

What IJA unit was this likely to have been?

Is anyone aware of any sources for this action in the form of combat reports, memoirs, or secondary accounts?

Thanks,

David Isby

[Frank Olynyk]

David,
VC-63 ACA report 5 credits Lt. John H Dinneen and Ens. Rufus `P' Kirk with sharing a Tony at 1700 hours, at 02-35S, 151-45E. The report can be found at NARA II (College Park, MD).

Enjoy!

Frank.

[John Beaman]

I hate to be stupid, and display my ignorance of IJAAF deployments, but I was not aware that any Ki-61 units deployed east of New Britain, and mostly west of there. Please correct me.

I wonder if this is an identity issue? Plus, by March '44, weren't most of the IJAAF units pretty well neutralized as McArthur worked his way up the New G. coastline?

[Larry deZeng]

John B. -

Your recollections and my records corolate - Kavieng was JNAF territory and I have no record of any JAAF units operating from there, especially at that late stage of the war. I even checked to see if any of the 12 or so Kōkūtai and carrier air groups that operated from or around Kavieng might have had a few Ki-61s, but there weren't any.

L.

[udf_00]

Judy (the other non-radial in store) ?
http://natomabaycve62.org/logbook/VC63.html

[John Beaman]

Originally Posted by udf_00

Judy (the other non-radial in store) ?
http://natomabaycve62.org/logbook/VC63.html

Thanks for that link It makes more sense. Not only is it an in-line engine, but an IJN machine.

So, Frank, where did the "Tony" come from, I wonder, since this log lists the claim as a Judy?

[Larry deZeng]

There are only 2 or 3 possibilities for Judy-equipped units in that area, and this is the strongest contender. It had a detachment with JUDYs at Kavieng. See highlighted portions.

552 Kōkūtai

(FPO Designation: U-204)


Formed 1 December 1942 at Tateyama NAS on Tōkyō Bay 47 mi SSE of Tōkyō in Chiba Prefecture/E Honshū as an attack air group initially equipped with Aichi D3A Type 99 carrier bombers (VAL). Assigned to 24th Air Flotilla/11th Air Fleet.[1]

25 May 43: transferred from Tateyama NAS to Bihoro NAS/N Hokkaidō; although not yet fully trained, it was ordered north with the rest of 24th Air Flotilla due to U.S./Canadian landings on Attu in the Aleutians and the implied threat to Kiska and the Kuriles. Reassigned to 22d Air Flotilla on 1 July and by mid-July the group had returned to Honshū with station at Kisarazu NAS.[2]
20 Jul 43: began transferring from Kisarazu to Roi on Kwajalein Atoll/Marshalls in the Central Pacific.[3]
Aug 43: moved from Roi to Mili Atoll/Marshalls during the second half of August.[4]
1 Nov 43: now mainly equipped with Yokosuka D4Y1/D4Y5 Suisei Navy carrier bombers (JUDY) and based at Mili Atoll in the Marshalls with 18 planes.[5]
Mid-Nov 43: ordered to Rabaul/New Britain in the Bismarcks/Solomons leaving just 3 D3A2 VALs behind at Mili.[6]
26 Jan 44: ordered to transfer from Rabaul to Truk Atoll in the Eastern Carolines this date.[7]
17 Feb 44: at Truk with 10 serviceable JUDYs - these were probably destroyed in the U.S. carrier strike on Truk this date.[8]
4 Mar 44: ordered disbanded.[9]


Commander:
Capt. Fujirō ŌHASHI (Dec 42 - Mar 43) (appt cancelled?)
Capt. Tomigi MAEHARA (Dec 42 - Mar 44) (per IJN Gazette)


Hikōtai Components [10]

None

Summary of Stations [11]

1 Dec 42 - 1 Jun 43: Tateyama
1-22 Jun 43: Bihoro with elements at:
Tateyama (1-28 Jun)
22 Jun – c 20 Jul 43: Kisarazu
c 20 Jul - 12 Aug 43: Roi/Kwajalein Atoll
12 Aug – c l Sep 43: Mili Atoll/Marshalls with elements at:
Tarawa Atoll/Gilberts (Aug)
Sep - Oct 43: whereabouts unknown
Nov 43 - Jan 44: Rabaul with elements at:
Mili (Nov)
Kavieng/New Ireland (Nov -Dec 43)
Feb 44: Truk Atoll


[1] JM#116; Thorpe-JNAF; Sekigawa:134; JICPOA JNAF OB (Microfiche F-2076):161.

[2] JM#89; JM#116.

[3] JM#116.

[4] JM#116.

[5] USSBS Interrogation/Translation #73.

[6] JM#116.

[7] JM#173.

[8] JM#173.

[9] JM#116.

[10] JM#116.

[11] JM#116.

[Frank Olynyk]

John,
THe VC-63 ACA Report #5 claims a Single Seater Fighter "Tony", and says Tony throughout the report. I do not know the provenance of the VC-63 Log linked by udf_00. It is not a copy of the Natoma Bay's deck log. It may be a copy of the VC-63 History, prepared after the cruise was over (if it was in fact prepared).

Interestingly, in checking the ACA Report #5 I noticed a hand-written, penciled remark at the bottom of the first page, noting that VC-7 had also claimed the Tony. Checking my claims database I found that I did not have any entries for VC-7. So I pulled up my copy of the reports from VC-7 (based on the Manila Bay), and found its ACA Report #10-44, in which they credit Ens. John T Milnes with a Tony, "Smoking around engine & starboard wing". This combat started at 0519 GCT, approx. 75 miles east of Kavieng, and continued with about a ten minute chase. ACA #10-44 states:

quote

Ens. Milnes made three runs on the Jap. On his last run he got on the Jap's tail and at the time he pulled off the Tony was smoking around the engine and starboard wing.

1634: As Ens. Milnes pulled out, a VC-63 plane got on the Jap's tail and fired a long burst into the Jap. The Tony began burning, went over on its back and crashed in the water. The pilot did not get out. The position was 70-mi. due east of the U.S.S. Manila Bay.

end quote

So both units identified the aircraft as a Tony. The "1634" would correspond to 0534 GCT. At this point in the war ACA reports were to be prepared using GCT time. Later in the war they switched to using local time and indicating the time zone involved.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[twocee]

VF18 claimed a Tony off Kavieng on 1 January 1944, but as all the other claims that day were Zekes it may have been misidentified.

George Kernahan

[John Beaman]

Originally Posted by twocee

VF18 claimed a Tony off Kavieng on 1 January 1944, but as all the other claims that day were Zekes it may have been misidentified.

George Kernahan

Thanks George. I assume the Zeke claims were also from VF18?