ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 193102
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 January 1943 |
| Time: | 08:50 |
| Type: |  Bell P-39 Airacobra |
| Owner/operator: | 70th FSqn /347th FGp USAAF |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Solomon Sea, near Wagina Island -
 Solomon Islands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
On 25 January 1943 the Japanese launched the first big daylight raid against Henderson Field since the previous autumn. 18 Bettys of 705 Kokutai took off from Rabaul at midmorning and rendezvoused in the air with their escort, 54 Zeroes, 18 each from 252, 253 and 582 Kokutai. THe bombing mission was actually a feint to mask a fighter sweep and entice Allied fighters into combat. 47 Allied fighters were scrambled against this raid but in the bad weather there were only some skirmishes between opposing fighters. The Allied suffered no loss while two Zeroes were shot down. Seven more Zeroes and one Betty were lost for other reasons, mainly because of the bad weather.
The next day, the flying boats of 851 Kokutai were tasked with locating and rescuing the ditched pilots, and two H6K5 Mavis were dispatched from Shortland Seaplane Base. One H6K5 Mavis took off to search for the one of the downed Zero pilots. They succeeded in finding his ditched Zero, but were unable to find the pilot.
Another H6K5 Mavis took off at 0645 hrs to search for a Zero pilot ditched off eastern Choisel Island. One of the crew members aboard was radio operator, Sachio Hirayama. An escort of Zero fighters of 252 Kokutai took off from Kahili Airfield at 0630 hrs. The six escorts were: 1st Shotai: 1) Izu Isakamoto 2) Yohichi Hanatusa 3) Sonichi Kosaka, 2nd Shotai 1) Tsuzu Kojima 2) Yokiyo Myayohi 3) Sahio Hiyama.
When the flying boat arrived in the area, they spotted the pilot on the beach waving. The Mavis landed and yelled for him to swim to the flying boat, but he refused because of sharks in the water. One of the escorting Zeros swooped down and strafed the sharks with his 20mm cannons. Crew members of the Mavis climbed up onto the wing of their plane and threw a buoy [life ring] towards the shore. The pilot was still nervous about the sharks and fired his Nambu pistol at a few before finally agreeing to grab the buoy. They pulled him towards the plane and got him aboard.
They began to take off when they were suddenly attacked by two P-39s. The guns of the Mavis were stowed and the crew cursed their carelessness for not having the guns ready. Several of them hurried to mount the heavy 20mm cannons. Just as the Mavis began to lift off, the P-39s attacked from very low, hitting the underside of the Mavis and damaging the mount for the rear 20mm cannon. One of the Mavis crew members was severely wounded in the right leg and he later died. Looking out a side window, Hirayama saw the US star insignia on one fighter as it pulled up past them.
The escorting Zeros had not noticed the low approach of the American fighters but dove down to intercepted the Airacobras, claiming one shot down while the other escaped. The Mavis returned to base where it sank upon landing due to damage inflicted by the American fighters, although some gear was salvaged from the flying boat, it was a total loss. The Zero pilot rescued was unharmed.
American Side
In the morning of the 26th two P-40s from 68th FS were dispatched to Choiseul to search for a man in a rubber boat, that was first spotted by a RNZAF Hudson of 3 Squadron two days earlier, on January 24th, near the entrance to Manning Strait, between Choiseul and Santa Ysabel. They turned back due to a rough engine, but not before sighting "signs of life raft."
After escorting B-17s to bomb Ballale Island, two 70th FS P-39s flown by 1st Lt. Lawrence McKulla and 2nd Lt. William F. Fiedler Jr. were dispatched to the same area, reaching it at 0730 hrs. McKulla dropped to five hundred feet to renew the search while Fiedler hovered at 2,500 feet. The Cobra pilots were approaching Rob Roy Island at about 0850 hrs. Fiedler then spotted an enemy four engine flying boat rising over the bay west of the island, at 07°30 S 157°40 E, with a "Mark II Zero" escort.
Upon seeing the Mavis climbing after its takeoff, Fiedler radioed a warning to his element leader, but received no answer. Pulling back on his stick, he coaxed his straining fighter up to four thousand feet just as the Mavis and Hamp emerged from the bay. Fiedler kicked his Cobra over and executed a high-side pass on the Mavis’ right flank, unaware of the five other Zeroes circling above. The Mavis’ waist and tail gunners returend his fire as he let fly at the huge flying boat. Certain he had scored several hits, Fiedler pulled out in time to see McKulla zoom up to make a firing pass from below. As he climbed past the Mavis in his pullout, McKulla was jumped by the escorting Zeroes that dove to the intercept after Fiedler’s initial attack.
Fiedler was making a climbing turn back up to 4,000 feet when he he was startled by the unexpected sight of his leader’s burning P-39 as it flashed by him with a pair of Hamps glued to its tail, followed by three others. Fiedler immediately dove to McKulla’s rescue. Lining up one of the two Japanese fighters for a deflection shot, he sent a number of rounds into its fuselage. The fighter spurted smoke, and Fiedler thought he blew up. He claimed it as one "Zero Mark 2" (Hamp) shot down south off Wagina Island, east of Choiseul. Fiedler was the only American pilot to be credited with a total of five victories in the Airacobra. Actually all Japanese fighters returned to base.
Having recovered with a left turn, Fiedler spotted McKulla’s P-39 in a shallow dive, heading toward the water with its landing gear down. The cockpit doors flew off the doomed Cobra as it plowed in near Wagina Island. Its weels knifed into the surface, flipping the plane over onto its back. The fuselage quickly settled, disappearing beneath the swell. The Zeroes were now converging on Fiedler, so he paused long enough to make a single pass over Wegina. He caught sight of an uninflated dinghy floating near the spot where the P-39 had done under, but there was no sign of the McKulla.
Pulling out, Fiedler glanced over his shoulder at the Hamps closing in. He rammed the throttle wide open and dove for the deck. With the Zeroes singeing his tail feathers, he hedgehopped his way over Santa Ysabel until the Japanese broke off the chase.
McKulla survived and was later rescued from Ringi Island by USS Grouper SS-214 on February 10, 1943.
Sources:
"Operation KE: The Cactus Air Force and the Japanese Withdrawal from Guadalcanal", by Roger Letourneau and Dennis Letourneau. ISBN 1-59114-446-5
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/history/mavis_rescue/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaghena_Island
http://itouchmap.com/?c=bp&UF=-1552846&UN=-2210710&DG=ISL
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jan-2017 18:13 | Laurent Rizzotti | Added |
| 14-Feb-2020 13:49 | Iwosh | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 30-Jan-2021 10:29 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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