"Looking for unusual scenarios" Topic

OK I for sure missed this one!! LOL. Robert

"The strangest aerial engagement I heard of is the one Raymond Baxter relates that took place at the end of the war when he was leading a flight of Spitfires on a ground strafing mission. Whilst attacking the ground targets, the unmistakeable shape of a V2 rocket rose from the center of a copse and one member of his squadron was able to turn on to it and fire. Fortunately for the Spitfires, without any effect. It's probably the only occasion on which a fighter has engaged an enemy ballistic missile in the air. I've seen him relate this story on TV, but I couldn't find the footage on YouTube."

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Fw200 Condor was shot-down by a Lockheed Hudson on convoy escort duty over the Atlantic. Robert

"On 10 March, shortly after this reorganization, the Marine fighter squadrons got their first opportunity against enemy aircraft. Radar contact was made that morning at 1030 on what developed to be a Japanese four-engined "Mavis" (Kawanishi 97, probably from Wake) approximately 45 miles west of Midway (which in the argot of its fighter-director officers, was code-named "Alcatraz"). Twelve fighters under Capt. Robert M. Haynes, were vectored out, of which a four-plane division commanded by Captain James L. Neefus made contact with the enemy flying boat at 10,000 feet. Following this, in the words of the Squadron's historian:

Captain Neefus made the first pass, drew smoke from one engine, and the target dove for a cloud bank at 3,000 feet. Lieutenants McCarthy and Somers made modified overhead passes (one each) before the patrol bomber reached the cloud bank. Marine Gunner Dickey made a tail approach and received a wound in his left shoulder and seven bullet holes in his plane. * * * Captain Neefus was able to return and make a second pass. Dropping below the clouds, scattered, burning debris was observed on the surface of the water. This was the first enemy plane to be shot down by Group 22. The officers that participated in the fight received a bottle of bourbon and congratulations from Lieutenant Colonel Wallace and his staff.[13] "
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Speaking of the "Mavis" I remember a number of years ago seeing a color print depicting the duel between one of these IJNAF flying boats and a B-24. The B-24 IIRC won the encounter.

In the CBI Theater, the Chinese Air Force operated a real hodge-podge of aircraft types before the AVG showed up, including the Dewoitine D510, the Fiat CR32, the Curtiss Hawk BF2C1 and Hawk III biplanes, the Breda 26 monoplane fighter (an Italian take on the P-26 "Peashooter"), and Russian-built Polikarpov I-15, I-15bis, and I-16 fighters.

The Royal Thai Air Force meanwhile had Curtiss Hawk IIIs, BF2Cs, and Hawk 75O export fighters with fixed landing gear which they employed against the French colonial forces in Indochine who were in turn equipped with a handful of Morane-Saulnier MS 406s and assorted floatplanes, flying boats, and IIRC old Potez 25 two-seater biplanes.

God, how I love the odd duck fights for generating scenarios!

Leland R. Erickson

Ya mean the BA.27 right? They had 11 of those and oddly enough 11 P-26s IIRC. Robert

'During the East African Campaign the RAF's Vickers Wellesley, when fighter escort was not available, proved vulnerable to the Italian biplane fighter FIAT CR.42. The Wellesley of this photo, K7715, KU-H, of No. 47 Squadron RAF Detachment based at Agordat, Eritrea, just occupied by the Commonwealth's forces, was attacked and damaged by two Italian CR.42s during a bombing sortie over Keren on 25 March 1941. In the photo the KU-U's pilot inspects the damage to his plane after the return at Agordat with the air gunner mortally wounded. Note the geodetic structure of the wing used by Vickers also for the Wellington."
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Robert

"Ya mean the BA.27 right? They had 11 of those and oddly enough 11 P-26s IIRC. Robert"

That's the one! Thank you for catching that! I do recall the P-26s in Phillipine Air Force service, and I suspect you're right about a batch in KMT service, as it seems the Chinese were more than eager to procure anything that might be thrown at the IJAAF:

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I suspect you've seen this site:

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All sorts of fodder for unusual scenarios…

Leland R. Erickson

Robert,

a search for images of the Northrop 2E yielded this find:

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Good fodder for adding some unusual aircraft to the CBI collection…

Leland R. Erickson

Now this unit could provide some interesting encounters. Z.G. 1. Geschwader Bongart and its attached elements operated a great variety of aircraft in France especially with attacks against the Resistance in 1944 with Re 2002s, Ju 88s, FW 190s, He 111s, Bf 110s, Go 145s, He 46s, FW 58s, and SM 200s. I would think there might have been some encounters with Allied aircraft though I haven't found any accounts yet. Robert

Arado-196 Vs Liberator?

Looks like Oblt. Heinz Wurm at least shot down a Liberator on 30 May 1943.

"30.05.43 Oblt. Heinz Wurm Jagdkdo West Liberator 􀂅 15 West/9076 20.54 Reference: AA MSS f. 4"

Pg. 31
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Looks like according to the records he also shot down a Beaufort. Robert

Just a little outside the timeframe of the OP. Robert

17 May 1950 A Royal Air Force Shorts Sunderland was forced to land at Lod airport in Israel after being intercepted by Spitfires of the 105 Squadron of the Israel Air Force over Ramat David air base. The RAF crew had been issued maps that didn't show Israel and were unaware that they were flying over a sovereign state, as Great Britain had yet to recognize the state of Israel.
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"Their work started in earnest on the 19th of November, 1940 when the two flights of Gladiators were attacked by the Italians and officially started the Squadron's fight in the Western Desert, thus resuming combat for the first time in 22 years (the Squadron's last bullet of WW1 had been fired at an enemy aircraft by a (now long-obsolete) RE8 on the 10th of November, 1918.) This time, however, the enemy took the form of nine Italian Fiat CR42s, who attacked a flight of Gladiators carrying out a tactical reconnaissance mission.

Italian CR42 biplane. This example was captured by 3 Squadron in the first Libyan advance, with the intent of shipping it back to the
AWM in Canberra, but it was lost when Rommel counter-attacked.

At the same time, their escort flight of Gladiators was attacked by another nine CR42s. No.3 Squadron lost its first WW2 air-combat casualty (Squadron Leader Peter Heath) during the dog-fight that followed, but claimed three enemy aircraft destroyed and another three probably downed. [Although in fact the Italians suffered no aircraft losses, only some damage. The Italians also over-claimed six Gladiators shot down and two probables!]

This first encounter showed that these young 3 Squadron pilots flying Gladiators could hold their own against a more experienced enemy flying faster aircraft.

Gladiators were the last and the best of the British biplane fighters; they were descendants of Sopwith Pups, Camels and SE5As, all of which had been developed to perform so effectively during the closing years of the Great War. The little, single-seat, all-metal biplane was robust and highly manoeuvrable and therefore ideal for aerobatics – which meant, in war time, that it was good at dodging the enemy in a dog-fight. "

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Does Lod have a handy lake? How else did the Sunderland land without wheels? Or was it indeed forced to crash-land?

Aha, from talking to my Sunderland-expert friend, the aircraft did indeed land on water adjacent to the airport. The rest of the story is a bit of silly myth – the RAF was fully aware that Israel existed and there were agreed air corridors that could be used, with permission, by RAF flights. The Israelis claimed that the Sunderland was flying outside the agreed corridor and was also flying without permission. The RAF agreed that a navigational error had taken place, but vehemently disagreed that they lacked the necessary permissions.

So they could have agreed to disagree? LOL Was the Sunderland given back? Robert

I'll have to ask him!

Yes, the Sunderland and its crew was released. There's a link here: link

Thanks for the link . So both were released. Robert

A Hawker Hart was caught over Old Sarum by an Me110 in July 1940. according to "Fleet Air Arm Losses". Robert

A South African Spitfire IX shot down a Croatian MS.406 flown by Captain Cvitan Galic. The Croatian Air Force's most successful pilot on 6 Apr 1944. Robert

There is a nice artist's rendering of the shoot down in plate # II in the 1992 Hungarian book "HORRIDO". Robert

Interesting. The Artwork shows the Spitfire and MS.406 in Flight while according to Wiki it states "He was killed by Spitfires of the South African Air Force on April 6, 1944 at Zalužani airfield near Banja Luka when a bomb hit his Morane-Saulnier M.S.406.[4] He had just moments earlier landed after completing a patrol and was in the act of leaving the cockpit when the attack occurred [5]" From Savic, D. and Ciglic, B. Croatian Aces of World War II Osprey Aircraft of the Aces -49, Oxford, 2002.

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And

"As far as I know, Cpt. Cvitan Galic was killed on ground at Zaluzani airfield by strafing South-African Spitfire IXs on April 6, 1944.*

Cvitan Galic had 12 victories while on service in Croatia, however, it is unclear what number of these are US, British and Soviet planes.

The source is: Bernбd, D.; Mujzer, P. & Hangya, J.: "Horrido. Aerial Battles over the Eastern Front" :o) published by OMIKK, Budapest, in two editions, the first one in 1992, the second in 1993 (both editions were sold out long ago).

*New information came from Croatia regarding Galic's death, namely he apparently wasn't shot while taking off aboard a Morane-Saulnier M.S. 406 (No. 2345) – as mentioned in the text and also the way it is depicted in a colour painting at the end of the book – but a few minutes earlier, before he could actually climb aboard his aircraft.

According to "Air Force of NDH 1941-45" Zagreb, 1998.

2. SAAF Sqd (Spitfires) made an attack on Zaluzani and 200 kg bomb fell on his aircraft as he was preparing to take off. 6 April 1944 in a MS-406"

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Robert

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"A Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Kondor sinking in the Atlantic Ocean west of Ireland, after being shot down by a Lockheed Hudson Mark V of No. 233 Squadron RAF based at Aldergrove, County Antrim, while trying to attack a convoy. This oblique aerial photograph was taken from the victorious Hudson (AM536) and shows the crew of the Kondor swimming for their liferaft which is inflating to the right of the tailplane."

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20 Nov 1948.Israeli Air Force P-51 vs RAF Mosquito.
spyflight.co.uk/iafvraf.htm

Robert

Slovak Insurgent Air Force B.534 vs Hungarian JU-52. Robert

"As a result, the two Lysanders were thrown into the early part of the Palestine War. One of these, or perhaps the third surviving Lysander, was soon involved in an extraordinary aerial combat with an Israeli Avia C210 (Czech-built Messerschmitt Bf 109) on June 9, 1948. Air Commodore Muhammad Abd al-Munaim Miqaati, one of Egypt's first three military pilots, and now Deputy Director General of the REAF, was due to fly from al-Arish to Cairo-Almaza, but had been expecting trouble. This would, in fact, be fhte first day of the so-called Ten Day War, which followed the collapse of the first UN Truce. As Miqaati recalled: ‘It was Condition Red. I had been advised to keep the radio on, but I was still nervous as I set across the Mediterranean. Fortunately my gunner – I don't remember his name – was a keen-sighted man and he spotted an Israeli Messerschmitt as it maneuvered into position to attack. Of course, my Lysander was a very old kind of airplane, but I'd flown these for a long time. Still, we were at a big disadvantage and you'd expect such a contest could only end one way… The pilot of the Israeli aircraft came up behind us. I told my gunner to fire just as the Messerschmitt came into range and I went down to about 100 feet. Then the gunner fired and I throttled right back. You know the Lysander can drop like a stone to land in a field, like they did when the RAF took spies in and out of France. The Israeli must have been concentrating on keeping me in his sights because he dropped his nose to follow. He overshot and went right in, almost level with me. I honestly felt sick in my stomach and, I don't know why, I saluted him. Then we flew straight back to Cairo.'

The Israeli pilot was Bob Vickman, and his loss remained unexplained for the Israelis until Miqaati's account was published. According to an unofficial report obtained by the British Air Attaché in Cairo in October 1948, No. 3 Sqn no longer had any Lysanders, but one was still listed as serviceable at Almaza in January 1950. Air Commodore Miqaati said that a Lysander was among many different types kept there in the early 1950s, intended for an air museum which was never built because of the 1952 Revolution. Most of these historic aircraft were destroyed by British bombing during the 1956 Suez War. One way or another, Egypt's Lysanders went out with a bang rather than a whimper, and they were surely the last to see combat."
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"The second phase of the Palestine War, called the Ten Day Conflict, began on July 8 with an all-out Israeli effort to conquer the UN-designated Arab areas of northern and central Palestine. Particular attention was paid to Syrian forces defending eastern Galilee. In the north of Palestine, the Syrians, Lebanese and local Palestinian forces appeared to have been taken by surprise and it was not until two days after the fighting re-erupted that SAF Texans returned to the battle—at dawn on July 10—in support of their ground troops. Some of these missions were flown from the Syrians' as-yet secret grass airstrip at Istabl in southern Lebanon. One of the pilots who took part was Lt Faisal Nadif, on his first combat mission. Nevertheless, the missions proved so effective that the Israeli Northern Front HQ demanded air cover from the Israeli Air Force.

Two Avias were promptly sent up from Herzliya, the IAF's fighter base north of Tel Aviv. These soon encountered two Syrian Texans patrolling at about 6,000ft (1,830m) above Mishmar Ha'Yarden. Since the rear or observer position of SAF Texans had been fitted with guns, the two Israeli Avias attacked from below.

Maurice Mann, a former RAF pilot now serving as a mercenary in the IAF, claimed to have shot one Texan which reportedly crashed in Arab territory near Mishmar Ha'Yarden, its crew supposedly being killed. Evidence from the Syrian side, however, suggests that this Texan did not crash and that its crew were unhurt. The second Texan (serial number 206), flown by Sergeant al-Abed with First Mechanic Muhi al-Din Wadi as his observer/gunner, retreated across the Syrian frontier pursued by an Avia flown by another mercenary pilot, Lionel Bloch from South Africa. The final confrontation came near Qunaytra, the regional capital of the Golan region of Syria. Here Bloch came in to finish off the Texan whose gunner/observer had apparently been wounded. But the T-6's gunner, Muhi al-Din Wadi, returned fire and hit the Israeli fighter which crashed outside Qunaytra, killing Bloch."

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SAF Texan Vs IAF Auster

"The first reported combat action by Syrian Texans took place on the second day of the war, May 16, 1948, in support of Syrian ground forces which were moving into Palestine in the direction of fortified Israeli settlements in the Masada-Sha'ar Ha'Golan area. SAF Texans also bombed Israeli patrol boats in Tiberius Harbor on the Sea of Galilee during the morning of May 17 and intercepted an Israeli Auster nearby. They claimed to have shot it down, though in fact the Auster escaped. On may 19, again over the Galilee front, an SAF Texan intercepted an Israeli Auster but instead of trying to shoot it down, the Syrian pilot followed the Israeli back to his base at Yavneel before himself returning home. This was a sensible piece of reconnaissance work which enabled a section of Syrian Texans to attack Yavneel later that day."
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Robert

"Early on the morning of May 22, 1948, the REAF attacked the RAF detachment at Ramat David airfield, where it was covering the British withdrawal, probably mistaking the airfield for one occupied by the IAF. The early morning raid caught the pilots of 208 Sqn recovering from the after-effects of an exuberant Dining-In Night, during which it had been decided to destroy the Officers' Mess to prevent it falling intact into the hands of the Israelis.
204 Sqn Dakota KP275 after the 2nd attack – Ramat David – photo by Roy Bowie

The first attack destroyed two Spitfires of 32 Sqn and damaged a number of others, but without loss of life; a second attack shot up a Douglas Dakota as it was landing, killing two of the crew, as well as destroying a hangar and killing two airmen, whilst a third attack did little damage. However, by the second attack the RAF had mounted a standing patrol over the airfield and by the end of the third attack, a total of five REAF Spitfires had been shot down, one by ground fire from two RAF Regiment Bren gunners, Sgt Atkinson and AC Waind. Fg Off Cooper and Fg Off Bowie both shot down one REAF Spitfire each and Fg Off McElhaw accounted for the two others – Cooper & McElhaw would later be involved in another incident on 7 January 1949.
32 Sqn Spits – Ramat David – photo by Roy Bowie

The Egyptians later claimed that their aircraft had indeed mistaken Ramat David for the IAF base at Megiddo and even had the cheek to complain that their aircraft in the 2nd and 3rd raids had been shot down – understandably this incident did little to foster good relations or the exchange of information between the REAF and the RAF. On May 23, 1948, as the final elements of the RAF left Ramat David and moved to the relative safety of Cyprus and the Canal Zone, the fighting between Israel and the surrounding Arab states increased in intensity."

spyflight.co.uk/iafvraf.htm

This second B-17F was captured in 1943 but little is known of it except that it was lost to an R.A.F. Mosquito night fighter near Frankfurt after making a drop to the German troops encircled at Brest in the fall of 1944. It is seen here being inspected by Luftwaffe officials at Orly airport near Paris shortly after it's capture.

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"One of the most unusual tales regarding the air war in the Far East during World War II concerns the operational use of Curtiss P-40 Warhawks by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF)! According to research by noted Japanese military aviation historian Osamu TAGAYA;

"In total, the Japanese appear to have had as many as ten flyable P-40Es. For a brief period, during 1943, a few of them were actually used operationally by the 50th Hiko Sentai in the defense of Rangoon. Testimony to this fact is given by Yasuhiko Kuroe (64th Hiko Sentai) in his memoirs, in which he says one Japanese Warhawk shot down a friendly 'Sally' over Rangoon by mistake!"

However, Hawk victories over No.12 Hiko Sentai (FR) Mitsubishi Ki-21 Sally bombers in the skies above Rangoon, Burma began on 25 December 1941. On that date, twenty-seven Sally bombers attached to No.12 FR departed their home base at Don Muang Airfield, Bangkok Thailand (Siam) for a mission to bomb Rangoon and the nearby airfield at Mingaladon. Accompanying No.12 FR were thirty-six Sallys of No.60 FR along with an escort of twenty-five Nakajima Ki-43 Oscars belonging to No.64 FR.

After forming over Don Muang, the formation proceeded to Moulmein, Burma, changed course and approached Rangoon at an altitude of 6000 meters. With Rangoon in sight, the lead Sally of the No.12 FR under the command of Capt. KUSAKARI, suddenly turned away. A message from Capt. KUSAKARI indicated that his aircraft had some mechanical difficulty and the No.1 Hiko Chutaicho for No.12 FR, Capt. OURA, was to take the lead position. As the formation reorganized and proceeded to the primary target, the electric power facility at Rangoon, they were attacked by the defending force, British Brewster Buffaloes and Curtiss P-40Bs belonging to the 3rd Pursuit Squadron ("Hell's Angels") of the American Volunteer Group, "Flying Tigers."

At least three of the No.12 FR Sallys were lost. The first being that of Lt. Seizo HAYASHI. Two other Sallys made forced landings.

One crash-landed at Don Muang and the other, flown by Lt. Koichi MIYAWAKI, crashed in the mountains of Siam. Major Tateo KATO, leading the escort fighters of the No.64 Hiko Sentai, lost at least two of his pilots, Lt. Horoshi OKUMURA and Sgt. Shigekatsu WAKAYAMA.

-Jim Lansdale

Sources:
"Japanese Army Heavy Bomber Units," by Dr. Yasuho IZAWA
"Japanese Fighter Units and Aces," by Dr. Yasuho IZAWA
Translation by Shuichiro Watabiki
Credits: Lithograph © AAFA and Roy Grinnell; Photo, NASM via Dan Ford "

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Report of the action by the Senior Intelligence Officer RAF Station Nutts Corner.

From: – S.I.O. RAF Station, Nutts Corner.
To: – Headquarters, Coastal Command. MOST SECRET
Headquarters, No.15 Group.
Date: – 26th.October 1941.
Ref: – Forms 'Blue'. DAY______________
1 Liberator V 2 FW Condors.
COMBAT WITH CONDORS BY F/120 ON 22/10/41.
1. First Engagement with Condor.

At1310 hrs.on 22/10 while F was carrying out patrol round Convoy SL89 the SNO sent a visual signal 'Condor bearing 250°.' F turned to search in that direction and when flying at 700 to 800 feet observed the Condor about 1500 yards to 1 mile away on the port bow flying at about 1000 feet, about 200 feet below cloud level; distance 10 miles astern of C/V. F immediately turned and climbed by the quickest route to engage the Condor before it could take cover in cloud. At 500 yards F fired a burst of 15-20 rounds from each of the front four cannons. These were low. The nose was pulled further up and at about 300 yards range ^ fired a second burst of about 25-30 rounds. These included tracer and hits were definitely scored on the Condor in the fore part of its belly beneath the wings. The front cannon gun of the Condor returned fire at a very high angle of depression. Jo hits were felt by the crew of F though on return an explosive shell was found to have damaged the propeller of the starboard inner engine. A third burst was fired by F exhausting the magazines, which before the burst was fired, due to a practice burst early in the flight, contained only about 10 shells each. The result of this burst was not observed for at this time the aircraft had got dangerously near to stalling, and the pilot pulled the nose down enabling the rear gunner to fire a burst for about two seconds of about 30 machine gun bullets from each of his Browning; the results of this burst were not observed. The Condor had been climbing during the engagement for just as F began its dive the Condor passed about 200 feet immediately overhead. It was seen at about this time to fire from behind the wing, probably from the rear belly gun, but possibly from the starboard cabin. So hits were felt, though on inspection at base a machine gun bullet was discovered to have hit the outer starboard engine. The rear gunner only saw the Condor for about 4 seconds for it entered cloud just after passing overhead. The cannon magazines were changed, but the Condor was not found again.
2. Second Combat.
F was flying at 500 feet when a Condor was again seen ahead about 1 mile away flying at about 1000 feet with cloud 200 feet above. F again climbed straight to the Condor for a head on engagement. J-'his Condor took more violent evasive action, turning sharply and climbing steeply into cloud. Nevertheless, F got in a burst of about 20 shells from each front cannon gun at about 400 yards. No results were observed as the Condor disappeared immediately in cloud. It emerged 20 seconds later for a few seconds to disappear finally in more cloud.

Particulars of Condor.

The main novel feature observed was the array of masts along the top of the Condor.

These were only seen by one member of the crew, but he was the only one in a position to see, and he was quite definite and certain that there was an array of masts. He was not sure whether there were five or six, but there were certainly more than on a Liberator. He did not see any other aerials, but it must be noted that in all three encounters the view of the Condor other than underneath head on was possible only for a few seconds.
No other peculiar feature was observed; the Condors conformed to past diagrams and photographs. They were painted very dark; most members of the crew said black, one or two dark brown. A swastika on the tail was the only marking.
In all three encounters with the Condors they appeared to be more manoeuvrable than Liberators, having probably faster rate of turn and climb. It was not possible to state their relative speed.
The Condors tactics appear to be to shadow the convoys from below cloud level if that is at a convenient height, and to use cloud as a haven to which to escape. The front cannon gun has a large angle of depression which makes it useful against aircraft which are often likely to attack from below.
Senior Intelligence Officer, Nutts Corner RAF Station.
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Just came across this. Does anyone know any more about this or if it is even true? Robert

"Years ago I read an article About one of these captured aircraft causing problems for the bombers. They would fly up to and join the American formations and call in the fighters. One of the groups had enough and modified one of their B-17's with additional armor and additional armament including some 20mm cannons. They recruited a German speaking radio operator for the mission. They flew in formation until they spotted the captured B-17 joining the formation. They dropped back with engine issues coming along the the captured fort. When the German radio operator called in the fighters on them, the American crew in German claimed to be the captured aircraft. The fighters attacked the wrong bomber and along with the guns of the modified B-17 shot down the captured bomber."

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Another use for RN Martlets. This time in the Desert against the Italians and Germans. Robert

"In October 1940, Greece was attacked by the Italian Army. Though the Greeks repulsed the first Italian attack, the situation was difficult because Hitler was ready to reinforce his ally. A Greek Purchasing Commission came to the United States in November, where they were able to secure the agreement of the U.S. Navy to release the first 30 F4F-3A Wildcats. These aircraft differed from the standard F4F-3 in that they were powered by an R-1830-90 Twin Wasp with a single-stage, two-speed supercharger, as opposed to the two-stage supercharger in the original model aircraft. The thirty F4F-3As were crated and shipped to Greece in April, 1941.

By the time the aircraft arrived at Gibraltar in early May, 1941, Greece had fallen to Hitler's attack, and the airplanes were homeless. The aircraft were taken on charge by the Fleet Air Arm as Martlet IIIs, and sent on to Egypt.

In Egypt, the Martlet IIIs equipped 805 Squadron beginning in June 1941, replacing Sea Gladiators. With two other Sea Hurricane units, 805 Squadron and the Martlets became part of the Royal Navy Fighter Squadron which flew under RAF control from Dekheila along the Egyptian-Libyan border. On September 28, 1941, Sub-Lieutenant W.M. Walsh recorded the Martlet's second aerial victory of the war when he shot down an Italian G.50 in the opening of Operation Crusader, the British advance into Libya.

On December 28, 1941, Sub-Lieutenant A.R. Griffin – who had been unable to take off with his original patrol flight – was alone over a convoy when four S.M.79 Sparviero torpedo bombers were spotted. Griffin forced two of the bombers to jettison their loads when he intercepted them, and shot a third S.M.79 into the water. Diving to attack the fourth Italian bomber, he was shot down just as the S.M.79 dropped its torpedo, which failed to get a hit. Observers saw the Martlet explode on impact with the water.

The Martlet IIIs were in action in North Africa until August 1942, shooting down a Ju-88 in February and two more S.M.79s in July.

In late August, 805 and its Martlets were transferred to Abyssinia for coastal patrols, and eventually wound up in northern Kenya in 1943, where they were able to maintain a high in-commission rate despite conditions so primitive that the pilots frequently found lions in the back yard of their mess. The aircraft were removed from operations in 1944."

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One of only 2 Floatplane Aces of the war,

"japanese navy ace Kiyomi Katsuki, his first combat was in january 1942 piloting a F1M2 ‘Pete' biplane scout fighter he shot down a Dutch PBY, On 4 October 1942, while flying combat air patrol over the fleet in his ‘Pete', he spotted four enemy fighters and five B-17s. In order to prevent the bombers from hitting the seaplane carrier Nisshin, Katsuki dove on the leading B-17 (B-17E of the 72nd BS, flown by Lieutenant David C. Everitt Jr.) and commenced his attack. After completing his pass, he rammed the aircraft from below, tearing the right main wing and the vertical stabiliser off the bomber and damaging his own right wing. Together with his observer he baled out of his stricken aircraft and both were rescued by the destroyer Akisuki. The crew of the B-17 all perished. Katsuki later returned to Japan and began conversion training on seaplane fighters (Nakajima A6M2-N ‘Rufe') at Yokusuka Air Base. in 1943 in the aleutians he shot down a B-25 piloting a A6M2-N ‘Rufe' sea plane, in januray 1944 he shot down two B-24s with a N1K1 seaplane, He returned to Japan in February 1945 and was based at Omura airfield, where he flew Mitsubishi J2M Raidens (‘Jack') on home defence sorties until the surrender. Katsuki ended the war with 16 kills (seven of the scored in seaplanes). "
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There is also Keizo Yamazaki of the JNAF with 3 kills all w/A6M2-N floatplane. Robert

"A G3M of the Mihoro Air Group was involved in a dogfight with a Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat of No. 205 Squadron RAF near the Anambas Islands on 25 December 1941, in which the Catalina was shot down."

Robert

"On August 8, 1942, north of Guadalcanal a three-seat Aichi E13A1 "Jake" reconnaissance floatplane launched from Kako was shot down by an SBD Dauntless of VS-72 from the USS Wasp."

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A few more night encounters with the P-61. Robert

"P-61s arrived in the Pacific Theater at about the same time as the European Black Widows. For years, the Japanese had operated lone bombers over Allied targets at night and now U. S. fighters could locate and attack them. However, on June 30, 1944, a Mitsubishi BETTY (see NASM collection) became the first P-61 kill in the Pacific. Soon, Black Widows controlled the night skies. On the night of August 14-15, a P-61 named "Lady in the Dark" by her crew encountered an intruding Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) OSCAR (see NASM collection) and eventually forced it into the sea without firing a shot. Although the war was officially over, no one was sure that all of the Japanese had heard the message and stopped fighting. The American night fighters flew again the next night and "Lady in the Dark" again found a target. It was a Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (Demon) TOJO and the fighters maneuvered wildly as they attempted to gain an advantage. The P-61 crew lost and reacquired the Ki-44 several times then finally lost it for good and returned to base. The next day ground troops found the wrecked TOJO. In the darkness, Lady in the Dark's crew had forced the Japanese pilot to fly into the ground, again without firing a shot."

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"At around 08:35 when the fighters were flying towards Tunis, Sottotenente Carminati was suddenly taken ill and collided with Sergente Fiorani, both pilots crashed from 6000 metres. The 386a Squadriglia's formation became totally uncoordinated with Dalla Pasqua, Tomasi and Gulla returning to Pantelleria after searching for wreckage after their comrades' aircraft while Garretto went on, lost contact with the bombers and flew alone over Tunis at 6000 metres, finally returning at 09:50.
Over the target, the 36o Stormo pilots reported being attacked by French fighters tentatively identified as Curtiss that were immediately attacked and dispersed by the escorting CR.42s. Only the SM 79 of Tenente Poggi of the 259a Squadriglia was slightly damaged in the tail and in a fuel tank.
Two Moranes was damaged and one of them as seen to dive away trailing smoke. Sergente Martinoli, Sottotenente Caneppele and Maggiore Nobili each fired their guns at an enemy fighter. Sergente Martinoli claimed a French twin-engined aircraft over Tunis during this mission (it seems that the claim was only made in his personal logbook) while the 385a Squadriglia's fighters returned with nothing to report so it seems that only the 384a Squadriglia's made contact with the French interceptors.
The 36o Stormo attacked Ksar-Said and Menzel-Temime airstrips with 50 and 100 kilos bombs while the 30o Stormo hit El Aouina from 4000 metres with 120 50 kilos and 40 100 kilos bombs. Colonnello Serra's SM 79 was hit and damaged by AA.
All bombers were back at around 10:00 but on landing at Sciacca the Savoia of Tenente Mazzotti (‘194 – 5') run into a grove of olive trees and was written off.
The French fighters were almost surely Morane Saulnier MS.406s and Potez 630s (perhaps the twin-engined aircraft engaged by Martinoli) from 2ème escadrille GC I/9 but no other detail regarding this combat is known from French sources (and no losses or claims were recorded). It is also possible that first Escadrille of GC III/5 took part in the action."

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A6M2-Ns Rufes of the 934 Kokutai at Taberfane in the Aru Islands flying against RAAF Hudsons and Beaufighters. Robert

"At Wakde, the 421st NFS got its first kill on July 7, 1944, after seven months of fruitless night patrols with P-70s and P-38s, and then scored five more kills on Owi Island, four of them on the night of November 28 alone. It was on Owi that the �Mad Rabbiteers� of the 421st claimed the most unusual night kill of the war. Pilot Lt. David T. Corts, hard on the tail of a Japanese bomber, put his P-61 into a sharp turn when R/O Lt. Alexander Berg and gunner SSgt. Millard Braxton warned him of an enemy fighter on their own tail. Just as Corts pulled away, the fighter opened fire and shot down the enemy bomber; Corts and his crew did not receive official credit for the kill"

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And another interesting tactic. Japanese Air to Air Bombing.

TMP link
Robert

Has anyone gamed a Air to Air bombing attack either German or Japanese? Robert

There is also encounters of the German Fw-189 modified to be a night fighter on the Eastern Front. Im not sure what kills were made against Soviet night intruders. Robert

Me-109s vs L-4. Robert

"On Nov. 3, 1944, shortly after we had moved operations to southern France, we were on a mission near the front lines around the town of St. Die, flying just under the base of an overcast at 2500 feet. I glanced down and saw two camouflaged fighter-type airplanes under us flying about 1000 feet above the terrain. I instantly recalled Grandy's statement and identified the fighters as Messerschmitt Me 109s.

I immediately pointed the nose of my L-4 at the two-plane flight and dived directly toward them.

TWO ME-109s PURSUE LITTLE L-4
The L-4 was red-lined at about 140 mph, and I think I saw 165 on the airspeed indicator. As we descended, they pulled up to make a firing pass. I saw flashes of cannon and machine-gun fire from both 109s, but saw no tracers. By the time the two had made a turn back for another pass, I was down below the ridges of a small valley over a dirt road. I was so low that they could not, at their rate of speed, get low enough to bring their guns to bear.

They circled to try to catch me by coming down the valley, but I maneuvered into a side ravine of the valley 90 degrees to their intended attack route and still lower than the ridge line. They made a third pass coming down the ravine, but by this time I was back into the main valley again and their speed precluded their getting a bead on me. The fourth time, they started a pass down the side ravine and I looked down and saw a U.S. Army 2 1/2-ton truck on the valley road. It had a ring-mounted .50 caliber machine gun over the passenger side of the front seat and some GI was making his presence known to the Me's by the tracers. This made the proper impression on the enemy and they departed the scene post-haste.

Upon inspecting the L-4 after landing, we found one bullet hole in the right-hand wing about 10 feet from the fuselage and a second hole in the vertical stabilizer. I still have the holed pieces of fabric that were cutout prior to the application of patches. "

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A close call again here,
"Late in the afternoon of April 2, while flying from our new strip at Hardheim, I saw my first jet-propelled airplane, as a Me 262 flew past my L-4 at a low altitude. From knowledge gained later, the pilot was high-tailing it for base due to low fuel state and a measly little L-4 was of very little consequence considering the urgency to find a suitable airfield. "
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Robert

"Bulgaria bought 78 B-534s in 1939, well after the partition. The last batch of these aircraft arrived in March 1942. On 1 August 1943, seven of these aircraft were able to make two passes at American Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers returning from the raid on Ploieşti. Hits were scored but no B-24s were shot down and some of the B-534s that received damage in the combat, cracked up on landing."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia_B-534

Robert

AIR TO AIR BOMBING
By: DALE HOWIESON 823RD

This article decribes the Japanese attempts to use white phosphorous bombs in air to air combat.

On a flight out of Nadzab on a strike at the Wewak airdrome. we made a run over the target in flights of three and were starting to join up as a Group.

Enemy aircraft were sighted at 12 o'clock high. Our gunners were firing at a plane ((I believe it was a "Val") and something fell off as the plane pulled up. I thought the gunners had knocked a wheel loose but as I watched it falling, it suddenly exploded in a large white burst with at least a dozen tenticles formed by particles dropping from the object. It resembled a giant octupus – a really colorful display.

Later during examinations of the planes, it was noted some of them had holes burnt through the wings. Intelligence concluded it a phosphorus or some other flamable metal bomb. Later I witnessed one more such incident but at a greater distance. Apparently it did not work very well since no casualties were reported and I never saw another one after the second sighting of this air to air bombing."

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