TtMEOF THE ACES: MARINE PILOTs IN THE SOJDMONS, 1942.-1944 MARINES IN WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATWE SERIES B COMMANDER PETER B. MERSKY U.S. NAVAL RESERVE LI e II ) '1:9 THE SOLOMON ISLANDS 1943 En..ny Ar Bn... ST. MATTHIAS IS. US Air Boiss XEMIRALJ US NannI Ba,., IS. Dated pha. lan., ndcate progress of fh• US adnonc. n the SoIo.,,ons doring 1943) Oo 0 ,.ourpC.L ic(s PACIFIC OCEAN S4SATASAI AMPtILD Isna._ a,n,( BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO GREEN ISLANDS a ONTONG 4AVA IS. çyc V tf SI noo5'. S,4 4pc ,o -. fNPfELL ISLAND Time of the Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons by Commander Peter B. Mersky, U.S. Naval Reserve he morale of the men air as they flew against combat-ex- in the Guadalcanal operation, was of the 1st Marine Divi- perienced Japanese aircrews. But by assigned the mission of supporting sion on Guadalcanal the time of the landings on Guadal- the ground operations of the 1st soared dramatically in canal and when the war was nearly Marine Division as well the air de- the late afternoon of 20 a year old, only a relatively small fense of the island once the landing August 1942. That was when 19 number of Marine pilots had seen had been made. MAG-23 included Grumann F4F Wildcats of Captain combat. A few had shot down sev- VMF-223 and -224, and VMSB-231 John L. Smith's Marine Fighter eral Japanese aircraft, although and -232. The fighter squadrons Squadron (VMF) 223 and 12 Dou- none had scored a fifth kill which flew the F4F-4, the Grumann Wild- glas Dauntless SBDs of Major would entitle him to be designated cat with folding wings and six Richard C. Mangrum's Marine an ace. The leading Marine scorer at wing-mounted .50-caliber machine Scout-Bomber Squadron (VMSB) Midway was Captain Marion Carl, guns. The two VMSBs flew the 232 landed on yet-uncompleted who had downed two Mitsubishi Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive- Henderson Field. Ever since the as- Type "0" Carrier Fighters. The bomber. Another fighter squadron, sault landing on Guadalcanal on 7 Americans would later call them VMF-212, under Major Harold W. August, and subject to unchal- "Zeros" or "Zekes" and would Bauer, was on the island of Efate in lenged Japanese air raids from that shoot them down regularly despite the New Hebrides, while MAG-23 time, the ground troops wondered, the early reputation they received headquarters had yet to sail from "Where are our planes?" Like so for being a highly maneuverable Hawaii by the time Marines hit the many other soldiers in so many and deadly adversary in the air. Be- beaches on 7 August 1942. The first other campaigns, they had little fore he left the Pacific, Captain Carl contingent of MAG-23—VMF-223 knowledge of the progress of the would add considerably to his and VMSB-232—left Hawaii on war elsewhere in the Pacific. score, as would some of the other From the very beginning of board the escort carrier USS Long Is- fighter pilots who landed on land (CVE 1). On 20 August, 200 World War II, with the Japanese at- Guadalcanal with him on the 20th. tack on Wake Island, Marine air- miles from Guadalcanal, the two squadrons launched toward their craft, pilots, and crews became im- Guadalcanal: The Beginning mediately and personally involved new home. VMF-224 (Captain of the Long Road Back in the fighting. On Wake, Marine Robert E. Galer) and VMSB-231 Wildcat pilots of VMF-211 gave a Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) (Major Leo R. Smith) followed in good account of themselves, even 23, the initial air unit participating the aircraft transports USS Kitty after the number of the squadron's flyable planes was reduced to four, The Douglas SBD Dauntless divebomber fought in nearly every theater, flying with the and when those planes were dam- U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the U.S. Army (as the A-24 Banshee). The SBD aged beyond repair, all aviation made its reputation in the Pacific, especially at Midway and Guadalcanal. Author's Collection personnel became riflemen. And in —- the Battle of Midway, Marine pilots for the first time at first hand appre- hended the nature of the war in the On the cover: Using hit-and-run tactics, Capt Joe Foss flames a Japanese Zero over Henderson Field in October 1942. Paint- ing by Ted Wilbur, courtesy of the artist. At left:"Fogerty's Fate—22 Oct 1942." TSgt John Fogerty, an enlisted Marine pilot, was killed this date. Watercolor by Col Al- bert M. Leahy, USMCR (Ret), in the Ma- rine Corps Art Collection. I Hawk (APV 1) and USS Hammonds- the Aircraft Carrier Training Group, port (APV 2), and flew on to the is- which, as part of its training syl- land on 30 August. While en route labus, gave tyro pilots indoctrination toward the launch point for into fighter tactics. Guadalcanal, Captain Smith wisely Beyond Savo, six Zeros came decided to trade eight of his less ex- straight at them from the north, with perienced junior pilots for eight pi- an altitude advantage of 500 feet. lots of VMF-212 who had more Smith recognized the Zeros immedi- flight time and training in the F4F ately, although neither he nor any of than had Smith's fledglings. the other three pilots had ever seen The newly arrived squadrons one before. He turned his flight to- barely had time to get settled before ward them and the Zeros headed to- they were in heavy action. Early on ward the F4Fs. the 21st, the Japanese sent a 900-man It was hard to say just what hap- force to attack Henderson Field, pened next except that the Zero named after Major Lofton R. Hen- Smith was shooting at pulled up derson, a dive-bomber pilot killed at and he shot fairly well into the belly Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 26044 Midway Around mid-day, Captain of the enemy plane as it went by, Capt Henry T. Elrod, a Wildcat pilot with Smith was leading a four-plane pa- only to find that now he had two VMF-211, earned what is chronologically the first Marine Corps—but not the first trol north of Savo Island heading to- Zeros on his tail. Captain Smith actually awarded—Medal of Honor for ward the Russell Islands with Sec- dove toward Henderson Field and World War II. His exploits during the de- ond Lieutenants Noyes McLennan the Japs broke away fense of Wake Island were not known until and Charles H. Kendrick, and Tech- Minutes later, the Zero Captain after the war. After his squadron's aircraft nical Sergeant John Lindley. The two Smith shot became VMF-223's first were all destroyed, Capt Elrod fought on lieutenants had 16 days of opera- kill when it crashed into the water the ground and was finally killed by a tional flight training in F4Fs, and just off Savo Island. Smith's plane Japanese rifleman. Lindley had been through ACTG, had some bullet holes but was flying alright. Two F4Fs joined on him. Members of VMF-224 pose by one of their fighters on Guadalcanal in mid-September They looked back and it appeared 1942. Rear row, left to right: 2dLt George L. Hollowell, SSgt Clifford D. Garrabrant, that the Zeros were in a dogfight 2dLt Robert A Jefferies, Jr., 2dLt Allan M. Johnson, 2dLt Matthew H. Kennedy, 2dLt near Savo. The Marines thought Charles H. Kunz, 2dLt Dean S. Hartley, Jr., MG William R. Fuller. Front row: 2dLt they were ganging up on Sergeant Robert M. DArcy, Capt Stanley S. Nicolay, Maj John F Dobbin, Maj Robert E. Lindley so they went back to help Galer, Maj Kirk Armistead, Capt Dale D. Irwin, 2dLt Howard L. Walter, 2dLt Gor- him, but found that there was no don E. Thompson. All in this picture are pilots except MG Fuller, who was the Engineering Officer. Lt Thompson was reported missing in action on 31 August 1942. F4F, just five Zeros acting like they Photo courtesy of BGen Robert E. Galer were fighting. The three Marines then got into another dogfight and the Zeros shot them up some more. Lindley and Kendrick got back to Henderson and made dead-stick landings. Lindley was burned and blinded by hot oil j4 when his oil tank was shattered and landed wheels up. Kendrick's oil line was shot away and he crash- landed. His airplane never flew again. It took eight days before Smith's plane was patched up enough to fly once again. Repairs on the fourth plane required 10 days. Only 15 of the 19 F4Fs were flyable after their first day of action from Henderson Field. 2 'CUB One' at Guadalcanal O n 8 August 1942, u.s. Marines captured a nearly were quickly put into action over the skies of Guadalcanal completed enemy airstrip on Guadalcanal, which in combat operations against enemy aircraft. wouldprovecriticaltothesuccessoftheislandcam The men of CUB One performed heroics in servicing the paign.Itwasessential that theairstripbecomeoperationalas newly arrived Marine fighters and bombers. Few tools ex quickly as possible, not only to contest enemy aircraftin the isted or had yet arrived to perform many of the aircraft ser skies overGuadalcanal, butalso to ensurethatbadlyneeded vicingjobstowhichCUBOnewasassigned.Itwas necessary supplies could be flown inand wounded Marinesflown out. to fuel the Marine aircraft from 55-gallon drums of gasoline. As it turned out, Henderson Field also proved to be a safe As there werenofuel pumpsonthe island, thedrums had to haven for Navy planes whose carriers had been sunk or be man-handled and tipped into the wing tanks of the SBDs badlydamaged. and the fuselage tanks of the F4F fighters. To do this, CUB A Marine fighter squadron (VMF-223) and a Marine dive One personnel stood precariously on the slippery wings of bomber squadron (VMSB-232) were expected to arrive on the aircraft and sloshed the gasoline from the heavy drums Guadalcanal around 16 August. Unfortunately, Marine avia into the aircraft's gas tanks. The men used a make-shift fun tion ground crews scheduled to accompany the two nelmadefrompalm-loglumber. squadrons to Guadalcanal were still in Hawaii, and would Bomb carts or hoists were also at a premium during the not arrive on the island for nearly two weeks. Aircraft early days of the Guadalcanal campaign, so aircraft bombs ground crews were urgently needed to service the two Ma hadtoberaised byhand totheSBDdropbrackets,as theex rinesquadronsupon theirarrival. hausted, straining men wallowed in the mud beneath the The nearest aircraft ground crews to Guadalcanal were airplanes. notMarines,but450NavypersonnelofaunitknownasCUB Noautomatic beltingmachineswereavailableatthis time One, an advanced base unit consisting of the personnel and as well, so that the .sO-caliber ammunition for the four guns material necessary for the establishment of a medium-sized oneachfighter had to be hand-beltedoneround ata timeby advanced fuel and supply base. CUB One had only recently the men of CUB One. The gunners on the dive bombers arrivedatEspirituSantoin theNewHebrides. loaded theirammunitionbythesamelaboriousmethod. On 13 August, Admiral John S. McCain ordered Marine The dedicated personnel of CUB One performed these MajorCharlesH. "Fog"Hayes,executiveofficerofMarineOb feats for 12 days before Marine squadron ground crews ar servation Squadron 251, to proceed to Guadalcanal with 120 rived with the proper equipment to service the aircraft. The menofCUBOneto assistMarineengineersincompletingthe crucial support provided by CUB One was instrumental to airfield (recentlynamedHendersonFieldinhonorofaMarine thesuccessofthe"CactusAirForce" onGuadalcanal. pilot killed in the Battle of Midway), and to serve as ground Like their Marine counterparts, the personnel of CUB One crews for the Marine fighters and dive bombers scheduled to suffered from malaria, dengue fever, sleepless nights, and the arrivewithina few days. NavyEnsignGeorgeW. Polkwas in ever-present shortage of food, clothing, and supplies. They command of the 120-man unit, and was briefed by Major would remain on Guadalcanal, performing their duties in an Hayes concerning the unit's critical mission. (After the war, exemplary manner, until relieved on 5 February 1943. CUB Polkbecamea noted newsmanfor theColumbiaBroadcasting OnerichlyearnedthePresidentialUnitCitationawardedtothe System, and was murdered by terrorists during the Greek unitforitsgallantparticipationintheGuadalcanalcampaign. CivilWar.Aprestigiousjournalismawardwasestablishedand -ArvilL.JoneswithRobertV. Aquilina namedinhishonor). UtilizingfourdestroyertransportsofWorldWarIvintage, Allied air operations in the Solomons were controlled from the the l20-man contingent from CUB One departed Espiritu "Pagoda," built by the Japanese and rehabilitated by the men of Santo on the evening of 13 August. The total supply carried CUB One. northward by the four transports included400drums ofavi DepartmentofDefensePhoto(USMC)51812 ation gasoline, 32 drums oflubricant, 282 bombs (100 to 500 pounders), belted ammunition, a variety of tools, and criti callyneededspareparts. The echelon arrived at Guadalcanal on the evening of 15 August, unloaded its passengers andsupplies,and beganas sisting Marine engineers the following morning on increas ing the length of Henderson Field. In spite ofdaily raids by Japaneseaircraft, thearduous workcontinued,andon19Au gust, theairstrip wascompleted. CUBOne personnelalsoin stalled and manned an air-raid warning system in the fa mous "Pagoda," theJapanese-builtcontroltower. On20August,19planesofVMF-223and 12divebombers of VMSB-232 were launched from the escort carrier Long Is land and arrivedsafelyatHendersonField.TheMarinepilots 3 Japanese aircraft shot down. How- Smith agreed and on 30 August, the ever, by now, six of VMF-223's orig- Marine and Army fighters—eight inal complement of 19 Wildcats had F4Fs and seven P-400s—launched also been destroyed or put out of for a lengthy combat air patrol. action, The combat had been fast The fighters rendezvoused north and furious since Smith and his of Henderson, maintaining 15,000 squadron had arrived only nine feet because of the P-400s' lack of days before. His young pilots were oxygen. Coastwatchers had identi- learning, but at a price. fied a large formation of Japanese One of the squadrons that shared bombers heading toward Hender- Henderson Field with the Marines son but had lost sight of their was the 67th Fighter Squadron, a quarry in the rapidly building wall somewhat orphaned group of of thunderclouds approaching the Army Air Corps pilots, who had ar- island. The defenders orbited for 40 rived on 22 August, led by Captain minutes, watching for the enemy Photo courtesy of Capt Stanley S. Nicolay Three personalities of the Cactus Air Force Dale Brannon, and their P-400 Aira- bombers and their escorts. pose after receiving the Navy Cross from cobras, an export version of the Bell Suddenly, Captain Smith saw the Adm Nimitz on 30 September 1942. From P-39. Despite its racy looks, the seven Army fighters dive toward the left: Ma] John L. Smith, Ma] Robert E. Airacobra found it difficult to get water, in hot pursuit of Zeros that Galer, and Capt Marion E. Carl. above 15,000 feet, where much of had emerged from the clouds. The Marion Carl, now assigned to the aerial combat was taking place. highly maneuverable Zeros quickly VMF-223, shot down three Japanese The 67th had had a miserable turned the tables on the P-400s, aircraft on 24 August to become the time of it so far because of their however. As the Japanese fighters Marine Corps' first ace. Carl added plane's poor performance, and concentrated on the hapless Bells, two more kills on the 26th. The morale was low. The pilots were be- the Marine Wildcats lined up behind young fighter pilot found himself in ginning to question their value to the Zeros and quickly shot down competition with his squadron com- the overall effort, and their com- four of the dark green Mitsubishis. mander, as John Smith also began mander, desperate for any measure The effect of the F4Fs' heavy ma- accumulating kills with regularity. of success to share with his men, chine guns was devastating. The 30th was a busy day for the asked Captain Smith if he and his Making a second run, Captain Marine fighters on Guadalcanal. squadron could accompany the Smith found himself going head-to- The previous day's action saw eight Marines on their next scramble. head with a Zero, its pilot just as de- A profile of Bell P-39 Airacobra by Larry Lapadura. "Short Stroke" mediocre performance, especially above 15,000 feet. However, the operated from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal from late 1942 to aircraft was well armed and used with success as a ground strafer. early 1943. The aircraft's deceptively streamlined shape belied a Author's Collection p"'r,-. .' —..--.- ..•— _,'• p )•S..• #••1 . '5, ; 4 Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 11984 Maj John L. Smith poses in a Wildcat after returning to the States. A tough, capable combat leader, Smith received the Medal of Honor for his service at Guadalcanal. termined as his Marine opponent. Photo courtesy of capt Stanley S. Nicolay Smith's guns finally blew the Zero lstLt Stanley S. Nicolay beside a Wildcat, probably just before deploying to the Pacific in up just before a collision or before 1942. He eventually shot down three Betty bombers at Guadalcanal. Note the narrow track one of the two fighter pilots would of the Wildcat's main landing gear. have had to turn away. By the end of the engagement, John Smith had Captain Galer's VMF-224 had no the formation," Dobbin wisely said. shot down two more Zeros for a time to acclimate to its new base. "There's nothing we can do." Nico- total of four kills. With nine kills, (The day after its arrival, it was in lay closed up on Dobbin and they Smith was the leading Marine action.) The squadron landed on the continued on. 30th in the midst of an alert, and The two young aviators had Corps ace at the time. Fourteen Japanese fighters—the bombers was quickly directed to its parking problems with their primitive oxy- they were escorting had turned areas on the field. gen systems and lacking sufficient The next two weeks saw several oxygen, they possibly had even back—had been shot down by the of the Marine aviators bail out of passed out in the thin air. Nicolay Marine and Army pilots, although four of the P-400s were also de- their Wildcats after tangling with recalled, stroyed. Two of the pilots returned the enemy Zeros. On 31 August, We never saw Bryans again. First Lieutenant Stanley S. Nicolay It was so senseless. I remem- to Guadalcanal; two did not. The Marine fighter contingent at of VMF-224 was on a flight with ber thinking that after all their Second Lieutenant Richard R. training and effort, neither one Guadalcanal was now down to five Amerine, Second Lieutenant of them ever fired a shot in operational aircraft; it needed rein- Charles E. Bryans, and Captain anger. They had no chance. forcement immediately. Help was John F Dobbin, the squadron execu- The oxygen system was just a on the way, however, for VMF-224 tive officer. It was VMF-224's first tiny, white triangular mask arrived in the afternoon of the 30th, combat mission since its arrival the that fitted over the nose and after John Smith and his tired, but day before. As the Marines strug- mouth. You turned on the bot- elated squadron returned from their gled past 18,000 feet on their way tle, and that was it. No pres- frantic encounter with the Japanese up to 20,000, Lieutenant Nicolay sure system, nothing. fighter force. For their first few mis- noticed two of the wingmen lag- Apparently, the two Marine pi- sions, VMF-224's pilots accompa- nied the now-veteran Rainbow ging farther and farther back. lots had been jumped by roving He called Amerine and Bryans Zeros. Bryans was thought to be Squadron pilots of VMF223.* but got no response. He then called killed almost immediately, while When it was first established on I May Dobbin and said he wanted to drop Amerine was able to bail out. He 1942, VMF-223 was called the "Rainbow" back to check on the wayward parachuted to the relative safety of Squadron. In May 1943, it changed its nick- name to the more Marine-like "Bulldogs." Wildcats. "It's too late to break up the jungle, and as he attempted to 5 return to Henderson Field, he en- countered several Japanese patrols on the way back, killing four enemy soldiers before returning to the Ma- p rine lines. Marion Carl, who had 11 kills, had his own escape-and-evasion ex- perience after he and his wingman, Lieutenant Clayton M. Canfield, were shot down on 9 September. Carl bailed out of his burning Wild- cat and landed in the water where a friendly native scooped him up and hid him from the roving Japanese patrols. (Canfield had been quickly I. rescued by an American destroyer.) ' The native took the ace to a na- -4. tive doctor who spoke English. The doctor gave Carl a small boat with an old motor which needed some work before it functioned properly. National Archives photo 208-PU-14X-1 PNT With the Japanese army all around, A rare photo of an exuberant LtCol Bauer as he demonstrates his technique to two ground crewmen. In tensely competitive, and known as "the Coach," Bauer was one of several Ma- it was important that the American rine Corps aviators who received the Medal of Honor, albeit posthumously, at Guadalcanal. pilot get out as soon as he could. and a fighter, after which he was bombers. He related that: Finally, he and the doctor arrived offshore of Marine positions on shot down by a Zero that tacked One of them fell to my guns, Guadalcanal. Dennis Byrd recalled onto him from behind and riddled and pulling out of the dive, I Carl's return on the afternoon of 14 his Wildcat. Recalling the action in took after a Zero. But I didn't September: a wartime press release, Galer said: pull around fast enough, and his A small motor launch oper- I knew I'd be forced to land, guns knocked out my engine, ated by a very black native but that Zero getting me dead setting it on fire. We were at with a huge head of frizzled to rights made me sore. I about 5,000 feet, but I feared the hair pulled up to the Navy headed into a cloud, and in- swirling mass of Japs more than jetty at Kukum. The tall white stead of coming out below it the fire. . so I laid over on my . man tending the boat's wheez- as he expected, I came out on back and dove headlong for ing engine was VMF-223's top and let him have it.... some clouds below me. Coming Captain Marion Carl. He had Then we both fell, but he through the clouds, I didn't see been listed as missing in action was in flames and done for. I any more Japs, and leveled off since September 9th and was made a forced landing in a at 2,000 feet. I changed my an- presumed dead... .Carl re- field, and before my wheels gle of flight and grade of descent ported that on the day he dis- could stop rolling, Major so I'd land as near as possible to appeared, he'd shot down two Rivers J. Morrell and Lieu- shore. I set down in the drink more Jap bombers. Captain tenant Pond of VMF-223, both some 200 or 300 yards from Carl's score was now 12 and forced their ships on the same shore and swam in, unhurt.* Major Smith's, 14. deck—all within three minutes *Thjs was not the first time Galer had a wa- Now-Major Galer scored his of each other! tery end to a flight. As a first lieutenant with squadron's first kills when he shot VMF-2 in 1940, he had to ride his Grumman clown two Zeros during a noontime Two days after his forced land- F3F biplane fighter in while approaching the raid of 26 bombers and eight Zero ing, Major Galer had to ditch his carrier Sarotoga (CV3). The Grumman sank and stayed on the bottom off San Diego for 40 escorts over Henderson on 5 Sep- aircraft once more after another years. It was discovered by a Navy explo- tember. VMF-224 went up to inter- round with the Japanese. His flight ration team and raised, somewhat the worse for wear. Retired Brigadier General Robert cept them, and the squadron com- was returning from a mission when Galer was at the dock when his old mount mander knocked down a bomber it ran into a group of enemy found dry land once more. 6 The Aircraft in the Conflict T he U.S. Navy and Marine Corps were defi fidence builder for its hard-pressed pilots. The Wildcat nitely at a disadvantage when America en was also a tough little fighter ("built like Grumman tered World War II in December 1941. Besides iron" was a popular catch-phrase of the period), and other areas, their frontline aircraft were well behind had a devastating battery of four (for the F4F-3) or six world standards. .sO-caliber machine guns (for the F4F-4) and a fair de The Japanese did not suffer similarly, however, for greeofmaneuverability. they were busy building up their arsenal as they Both the ImperialJapanese Army and Navy also had sought sources of raw materials they needed and were outstanding aircraft. The Army's primary fighter ofthe prepared to go to war to acquire. Besides possess early war was the Nakajima K.43 Hayabusa (Peregrine ing what was the finest aerial torpedo in the world Falcon), a light, little aircraft, with a slim, tapered fuse the LongLance-theyhad the aircraft to deliver it. And lage and a bubble canopy. they had fighters to protect the bombers. Although the The Navy's fighter came to symbolize the Japanese world initially refused to believe how good Japanese air effort, even for the Japanese, themselves. The Mit aircraftand their pilots were, itwasn'tlong after the at subishi Type "0" Carrier Fighter (its official designa tackonPearlHarbor that realityseeped in. tion) was as much a trend-setting design as was In many respects, the U.S. Army Air Force- it had Britain's Spitfire or the American Corsair. been the U.S. Army Air Corps until 20 June1941-and However, as author Norman Franks wrote, the Al the Navy and Marine Corps had the same problems in lied crews found that "the Japanese airmen were...far the first two years of the war. The Army's top fighters superior to the crude stereotypes so disparaged by the were the Bell P-39 Airacobra and the Curtiss P-40B/E popular press and cartoonists. And in a Zero they were Tomahawk/Kittyhawk. The Navy and Marine Corps' highlydangerous." two frontline fighters were the Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo The hallmark of Japanese fighters had always been and theGrumman F4F-3/4Wildcatduring 1942. superb maneuverability. Early biplanes-which had Ofthese single-seaters, only the Army's P-40 and the been developed from British and French designs-set Navy's F4F achieved any measure of success against the pace. By the mid-1930s, the Army and Navy had the Japanese in 1942. The P-40's main attributes were two world-class fighters, the Nakajima Ki.27 and the its diving speed, which let it disengage from a fight, Mitsubishi A5M series, respectively, both low-wing, and its ability to absorb punishment and still fly, a con- fixed-gear aircraft. The Ki.27 did have a modern en closed cockpit, while the A5M's cockpit was open (ex cept for one variant that experimented with a canopy The first production model ofGrumman's stubby, little Wildcat was the F4F-3, which carried four .50-calibermachineguns in the wings. Its wings did not fold, unlike the -4 which added two more The Wildcat wasarelativelysmallaircraft,as weremostofthe pre machineguns and folding wings. TheseF4F-3s ofVMF-121 carry warfighters throughout the world. The aircraft's narrowgear track prewarexercisemarkings. isshown toadvantageinthisgroundviewofaVMF-l21 F4F-3. Author'sCollection 7 Aut,hor'sCollection Author'sCollection This A6M3 is takingofffrom Rabaulin1943. Brewster's fat littleF2A Buffalo iscreditedwith adismal perfor which was soon discarded in service.) A major and maceinAmericanandBritishservice, althoughtheFinnsracked up a fine score against the Russians. This view of a Marine fatal disadvantage of most Japanese fighters was Brewstershows theaptness ofitspopularname, which actually their light armament-usually a pair of .30-caliber came from theBritish. Its characteristicgreenhouse canopyand machine guns- and lack of armor, as well as their main wheels tucked snugly into its belly are also well shown. great flammability, When the Type "0" first flew in 1939, most Japanese reference to theJapanesecalendar. Thus, since 1940cor pilots were enthusiastic about the new fighter. It was responded to the year 2600 inJapan, the fighter was the fast, had retractable landing gearand anenclosed cock Type "00" fighter, which was shortened to "0." The pit, and carried two 20rnrn cannon besides the two ma western press picked up the designation and the name chine guns, Initial operational evaluation in China in "Zero" wasborn. 1940confirmed theaircraft's potential. The fighter received another name in 1943 which By the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was almost as popular, especially among the Ameri the A6M2 was the Imperial Navy's standard carrier can flight crews. A system of first names referred to fighter, and rapidly replaced the older ASMs still in various enemy aircraft, in much the same way that the service. As the A6M2 proved successful in combat, it postwar NATO system referred to Soviet and Chinese acquired its wartime nickname, "Zero," although the aircraft. The Zero was tagged "Zeke," and the names Japanese rarely referred to it as such. The evocative were used interchangeably by everyone, from flight name carne from the custom of designating aircraft in crews to intelligence officers. (Other examples of the system included "Claude" [ASM], "Betty" [Mitsubishi The Zero's incrediblemaneuverabilitycameatsomeexpensefrom G4M bomber], and "Oscar" [Ki.43].) its top speed. In an effort to increase the speed, the designers As discussed in the main text, the Navy and Marine clipped the folding wingtips from the carrier-based A6M2 and CorpsWildcats weresometimes initiallyhard-pressed to evolved the land-based A6M3, Model 32. The pilots were not defend their ships and fields against the large forces of impressed with the speed increase and the production run was Bettybombers and their Zero escorts, which had ranges short, theA6M3 revertingbackto itsspanas theModel22. The of800milesormore through theuse ofdrop tanks. type was originallycalled"Hap,"afterGen Henry "Hap"Arnold, Chiefofthe ArmyAirForce. Arnoldwassoangryatthe dubi The Brewster Buffalo had little to show for its few ous honor that the name was quickly changed to Hamp. This encounters with the Japanese, which is difficult to un Hamp is shown in the Solomons during the Guadalcanal derstand given the type's early success during the campaign. Author's Collection Russo-Finnish War. The F2A-1, a lighter, earlier model of the -3 which served with the Marines, was the stan dard Finnish fighter plane. In its shortcombatcareer in Americanservice, the Brewsterfailed miserably. Thus, the only fighter capable of meeting the Japan ese on anything approaching equal terms was the F4F, which was fortunate because the Wildcat was really all that was available in those dark days following Pearl Harbor. Retired Brigadier General Robert E. Galer de scribed the Wildcat as "very rugged and very mis treated (atGuadalcanal)." Headded: 8