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

[Larry deZeng]

While this discussion seems to be sliding toward the type that is never resolved, I will add one final comment. There is a book that gets about as close as can be to a definitive study of JAAF air operations along the coast of northern New Guinea because of the author’s use of Japanese documents and Sigint intercepts:

McAulay, Lex. MacArthur’s Eagles: The U.S. Air War Over New Guinea 1943-1944. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2005. ISBN 1-59114-479-5. 248p.

The author has 16 pages (pp.160-76) covering the period 16-31 March and says what few serviceable Tonys were left in 68 and 78 Sentais had already been flown to Hollandia by 16 March. By 20 March, nothing was left of Wewak but shattered, smouldering wrecks, landing strips with craters 30-feet deep, broken, felled trees, defoliated surroundings and Japanese dead. Since Hollandia is 700 miles due west of Kavieng, that sort of puts it beyond the range of any Ki-61s based there. Further, McAulay has an Appendix C that lists by Sentai all JAAF in-air fighter losses from August 1943 to April 1944. Neither 68 or 78 Sentai had any between 15 and 31 March.

L.