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Old 9th September 2017, 12:01
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Alter Hase
 
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24/08/42:RAAF 75°and 76°Sq vs Zeros

Hi

Over Buna,that day,during a big fight,five claims(two P-40 and three P-39) by eight Zeke of Tainan Ku.

Five P-39 by seven Zeke of 2°Ku

RAAF 75°Sq=two Zeke damaged
RAAF 76°Sq=four Zeke shot down

Somebody have details of these claims (Japanese and RAAF)? and losses?

Thank's
Michel
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Old 9th September 2017, 17:05
BruceMk11 BruceMk11 is offline
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Re: 24/08/42:RAAF 75°and 76°Sq vs Zeros

Michel,

F/Lts Frank Coker (402226) and John Piper (250828) of 75 Sqn claimed one Zero damaged each; the unit had no losses on this date.

Will get back to you re 76 Sqn.

Bruce
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Old 10th September 2017, 08:32
BruceMk11 BruceMk11 is offline
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Re: 24/08/42:RAAF 75°and 76°Sq vs Zeros

No personnel losses for 76 Sqn on this day and not sure about claims or a/c losses. The squadron history sheets indicate only two victories were claimed for the whole of August.
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Old 10th September 2017, 11:01
Col Bruggy Col Bruggy is online now
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Re: 24/08/42:RAAF 75°and 76°Sq vs Zeros

Hello,

There is a good account of the events at Milne Bay on 24 August 1942 in David Wilson's, The Decisive Factor 75 & 76 Squadrons - Port Moresby and Milne Bay 1942 (pp.130-4). The same author has this to say in his history of 75 Squadron RAAF - Seek and Strike 75 Squadron RAAF 1942- 2002 (p.64).

The Japanese claimed 14 P-39s and one P-40 destroyed and 'not confirmed' one P-40 and five P-39s, as well as a B-17 and a 'Lockheed' destroyed on the ground, all the Zeros returned safely. No P-39s were present at the battle. Fourteen G3M 'Nell' bombers had taken off from Rabaul at 0735 for Milne Bay, but were turned back by bad weather.
These exaggerated figures for Japanese claims of enemy destroyed and probably destroyed were taken at face value by the Japanese staff and have been repeated as fact in post-war Japanese histories of the units concerned. The claims were, and remain laughable, but had a serious result, as Japanese headquarters believed the effectiveness of their pilots and aircraft were many times greater than they were in reality.

Col.
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Old 10th September 2017, 13:08
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Re: 24/08/42:RAAF 75°and 76°Sq vs Zeros

Thank's Bruce and Col.
Sadly,I don't have the possibility to consult the books of Wilson David.

It seems that the four Zeros claimed by RAAF 76°Sq. are a mistake on the part of one of my sources(Luca Ruffato and Michael J.Claringbould)...wich is not corroborated by Andrew Thomas (osprey n°38).

About the japanese claims,according to Tainan "Kokutai Kodochosho",it would be two P-40 and three P-39 shot down plus two P-39 prob.

I have among the 8 pilots involved:
YASUI Kozaburo:2 P-39+1 P-39 prob.
KAKIMOTO Enji:?
YAMASHITA Sadao
YAMASHITA Joji
???
???
???
???
Notably,the two YAMASHITA were killed the same day(27/08/42) during the same fight by RAAF 75°Sq.!!

Even if the claims are largely unfounded (for my archives),does anyone know more about others pilots(I miss the pages,especially the 24/08/42).

Michel
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Old 11th September 2017, 07:56
BruceMk11 BruceMk11 is offline
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Re: 24/08/42:RAAF 75°and 76°Sq vs Zeros

76 Sqn claims on the 24/8/42:

F/Lt Clive Newton Wawn (400163): two fighters probably destroyed

F/Lt Vernon Francis Wilfred Sullivan (2172): one fighter damaged

Sgt Ross Huggins Glassop (403921): ditto

Sgt Robert Alexander Gray (402160): ditto

TOTAL: 0/2/3

From 'The Decisive Factor', p 202

The squadron history sheets differ slightly, crediting Sullivan and Glassop with a shared damaged.

For the trivia buffs, Ross Glassop was the future stepfather of Michael Hutchence (INXS).

Bruce
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Old 19th September 2017, 10:35
Michael Louey Michael Louey is offline
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Re: 24/08/42:RAAF 75°and 76°Sq vs Zeros

Hi Michel,

Your question came at the right time. I'm currently reading a detailed book about the Tainan Air Group "Eagles of the Southern Sky" by Luca Ruffato and Michael Claringbould. It is a full account of the Tainan Group day by day over New Guinea.

The account for 24 Aug 1942 is as follows -
Tainan group reported encountering 28 enemy aircraft and claimed 5 shot down (2 P-40s, 3 P-39's). and 2 probables (2 P-39's). The only Allied casualty reported was F/Sgt Riddell's 75sqdn RAAF P-40 A29-111 with cannon damage to the mainplane and rudder. 75 Sqdn RAAF claimed 2 Zeros damaged and 76 Squadron RAAF claimed 4 Zeros destroyed.

Japanese damage was 2 bullet hits on the Zero of FPO1c Yamashita Sadao.

Cheers

Michael
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