Seagull mistaken for Pete

[Brian]

Hi guys

Has anyone information concerning the possible shoot down of an SOC Seagull floatplane by a USMC F4F Wildcat from Henderson airfield on 5 January 1943? It is believed that the Wildcat pilot mistook the Seagull for a Japanese Pete floatplane.

Cheers
Brian

[Frank Olynyk]

Brian,
All USMC claims on Jan 5, 1943 are for Vals. See the PM I sent you earlier.

Frank.

[Laurent Rizzotti]

The same day USAAF pilots of 347th FG claimed three Petes.

[Brian]

Ah! Thanks Laurent

Do we know the vicinity of those claims? Where was the 347th based? Who were the claimants?

The plot thickens!

Cheers
Brian

[Frank Olynyk]

Brian,
The 347th FG was flying P-38s, not Wildcats. The claims were at Tonolei Harbor, which is on Bougainville, east of Buin and Kahili. I kind of doubt that SOCs would be operating anywhere near there.

The claimants were 1st Lt Emmett L Norris, 68th FS, 1 FBP prob; 1st Lt Besby F Holmes, 339th FS, 1 FBP dest plus 2 FBP prob; Capt John W Mitchell, 339th FS, 1 Float Zero dest; Capt Robert B Hubbell, 68th FS, 1 FBP dest.

You still need to check the PM I sent you last night,

Enjoy!

Frank.

[Brian]

Thanks Frank

The content of your PM noted. Just following up leads.

Cheers
Brian

[JoeB]

Originally Posted by Frank Olynyk

Brian,
The 347th FG was flying P-38s, not Wildcats. The claims were at Tonolei Harbor, which is on Bougainville, east of Buin and Kahili. I kind of doubt that SOCs would be operating anywhere near there.

The claimants were 1st Lt Emmett L Norris, 68th FS, 1 FBP prob; 1st Lt Besby F Holmes, 339th FS, 1 FBP dest plus 2 FBP prob; Capt John W Mitchell, 339th FS, 1 Float Zero dest; Capt Robert B Hubbell, 68th FS, 1 FBP dest.

Just to round out that combat, the Japanese reported a combat with 5 B-17's escorted by 7 P-38. They were intercepted by 6 (land plane) Zeroes of the 202nd Air Group, 2 Type 2 Float Fighters (aka 'float Zero') of 802nd AG and an uncertain number of Type 0 Observation Seaplanes (later called 'Pete') perhaps from ships, since 3 'Petes' of the 958th Air Group apparently sighted the US formation but reported no results. The 202nd claimed 1 P-38 and 2 probables for no loss or damage; the 802nd claimed 2 P-38's, one shared with the 'Petes', and 1 probable for the loss of 1 Type 2 Float Fighter, PO1C Shinkichi Ohshima bailed out; 2 Type 0 Obs. Seaplanes crashlanded. (sources: original records of the named units found at JACAR site; Japanese web source about the 'Petes').
http://www2.cty-net.ne.jp/~purejwp/zakki/suisen.htm

2 P-38's were actually lost, 1Lts Ronald Hilken and Walter Dinn MIA/KIA (source: "13th Fighter Command in WW II" by William Wolf).

Joe

[Brian]

Many thanks once again Frank, Joe and Richard

OK. So we may not have evidence of an SOC being shot down by friendly fire but the Dauntless was a new for me, anyway. By the way, did the Dauntless not carry a gunner?

I look forward to learning more about this incident in due course.

Cheers
Brian