CHUCK YEAGER ON FLYING THE P-51 IN COMBAT

THE AVIATION ADVENTURE — PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

SOLE SURVIVORS A PILOT AND HIS

MARINE CORPS
MITCHELL

HEAD TO HEAD

PROP VS. JET

Mustang Ace Takes
on an Me 262
MACCHI VS. P-38
Italian Fighter Pilot Tangles
with His First Lightning
FW 190 BUTCHER BIRD
VS. HELLCAT & CORSAIR
August 2020

GENDA’S ACES OLD RELIABLE CLASSIC KINNER

Inside Japan’s The Army’s Radial Powered
Elite Squadron L-19 Birddog Monoplane
FLIGHTJOURNAL.COM
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A test pilot recalls
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 EDITORIAL
Pacific Survivors
F
or America, WW II
began and ended in
the Pacific. From Pearl
Harbor, the war moved
quickly from island to island,
many of these obscure volcanic
atolls no one ever heard of: Gua-
dalcanal, Rabaul, Emirau, Tarawa,
Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and so many
Captain John Morgan at Midway Beach.
more. These idyllic islands, with
their beautiful coral shores,
palms, and tropical breezes, were
a sharp contrast to the savage
and sinister enemy that occupied
them. They were also home to
some of the most brutal land,
sea, and air battles of the war.
America called on a young gen-
eration of warriors to take on this
enemy and so many answered.
One of them was Captain John
Morgan, and he wanted to fly.
Our feature “Sole Survivors”
4 FlightJournal.com
chronicles the wartime adven-
tures of John, who may be one
of the only surviving PBJ Marine
pilots still with us at 96 years of
age. Doug DeCaster recently had
the opportunity to sit down with
John and get the story directly
from him!
Though not as prolific and
glamorous as Corsairs and
Hellcats, PBJ B-25s and their
crews logged thousands of hours
of critical missions during the
Pacific Campaign. Equally as
rare is the Commemorative Air
Force’s NAA PBJ-1J Mitchell—the
very same variant John flew
during his tour—also featured
in the article, its vintage beauty
captured in the lens of John
Dibbs’s camera.
And in keeping with the
survivor theme, we have a
piece by General Charles
Yeager on flying the P-51
in combat. At 97 years
young, it’s hard to imagine
anyone who has inspired
more generations of young
Americans to take to the skies
and influenced the preservation
of our invaluable warbirds as he
has. He certainly has “The Right
Stuff.”
While mechanical warriors
like the PBJ and Mustang will
continue to be with us in one
way or another, the day is
approaching when the brave
young men who sat at their
controls and risked their lives for
our freedom will be gone. We at
Flight Journal salute and honor
them.
AUGUST 2020 | VOLUME 27, NO. 4
EDITORIAL
Executive Editor Debra Cleghorn
Editors Gerry Yarrish, Matt Boyd
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Alfred Price, Warren Thompson, David Truby,
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 EMAIL
Thanks for the
We welcome your feedback and suggestions across our social Memories
media. Comments may be edited for brevity and clarity. Your editorial “Air War-
riors” from the June
issue made me think of
flight@airage.com facebook.com/ instagram.com/ Flight Journal, Air Age Media
FlightJournal Flight_Journal_magazine a fun experience in my
11 Grumman Hill, Ste. 5,
Wilton, CT 06897 long life. My husband
was stationed at the
Lackland Air Force Base
Hospital in 1960/61. I joined the Lackland AFB
aero club and went into serious training to get a
single engine private pilot license. I ran into a bit
of hostility but not a lot. On my required three-leg
cross country, I called the first station in Austin
to my landing instructions. After closing the mike
it rang quite soon and the tower voice said “is
this a woman”?

FEMA/PHOTO BY KENNETH WILSEY

My instructor was really hard on me, trying to
get me to quit. He bet me I would flunk out the
first written test and maybe the flight check. I
made sure that didn’t happen and when I had my
ticket I took my husband for a ride. So unusual,
the San Antonio TV station sent a photographer
FACEBOOK and showed it on the evening news. My first is-
NYC Flyover sued license had the sex question answered with
On April 28, the US Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels an “M.” I wanted to keep it but my instructor in-
flight demonstration squadrons performed flyovers over and around New sisted I return it for one that said “F.”
York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Philadelphia in a collaborative All that to tell a big headline of my adventure.
salute to the essential employees and emergency workers serving during A man who hung around the airport had a P-51
the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The formation of six USAF that he had converted to have a second seat. He
F-16C/D Fighting Falcons and six US Navy F-18C/D Hornets performed the thought my success deserved something special
flyovers to recognize all the healthcare workers, first responders, military, so he let my instructor take me for a ride. Wow!
and other essential personnel while standing in solidarity with all My instructor called me shortly after to ask if
Americans during this troubling time. I would fly the next night with him to take his
3-year-old daughter to his parents in Odessa.
Wayne Chiuu: Beautiful group formation precision flying by our
His wife was about to have another child, so of
Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, symbols of our strength. Thank You.
course I went. I do love night flying. When we got
WE WILL WIN THIS BATTLE! Two thumbs up, gentlemen.
back to Lackland and were putting the plane to
Norman Sease: Great job men! Wonderfully flown by excellent pilots.
bed in the hangar, I said “Danny, after all the fits
Sal Calvagna: In anticipation of the Long Island portion of the flyover,
you’ve given me, why did you ask me to fly with
I brought my good camera and lens to work with me. Boy, did I ever get
you?” He almost grinned and said, “Special cargo,
a great show! Amazing sight.
I needed a good pilot.” You can’t get a better
thank you than that.
Then a couple of years later when I was the
Favorite Warbirds only woman pilot in the Suffolk County AFB aero
One of our more popular posts was simply a question. “What’s your
club, the Wing Commander (Francis Gabresky)
favorite warbird?”
let a pilot take me for an F-101 ride. Very illegal of
Vernon Van Voorhis: I worked on the Corsair for the first two years of my course, but he was about ready to retire so obvi-
naval career as an aircraft mechanic. It is one of the loves of my life. The ously he didn’t worry. The aero club has a couple
only plane that comes close to looks, sound and performance is the P-51. of T-34s which were fun to fly.
Tim Ramsey: The P-40 Warhawk. The only airplane that looks correct My interest in flying started when I was a
with shark teeth. stewardess with American Airlines in 1957/58. We
Louis Thom: The Bf 109G-10. I would love to see a restoration of this flew close to the end of the era of DC-6s and -7s.
beauty fly some day! Thanks for making me remember.
Dotty Blacker

6 FlightJournal.com
 A Pilot and his
Marine Corps Mitchell

BY CAPT. JOHN MORGAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS (RET.) AS TOLD TO DOUG DECASTER
PHOTO SOCAL WING CAF/JOHN DIBBS gg PLANEPICTURE.COM

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, I was home at the time.

It was a Sunday, and we heard it on the radio like everybody else.
I was living with my parents and working for American Airlines
at LaGuardia Field. We were outfitting planes to go overseas,
converting commercial airplanes for use by the military.
 Jason Somes flies the SoCal Wing,
Commemorative Air Force's majestic
NAA PBJ-1J over the Southern California
Coast, near its base at Camarillo.

August 2020 9
SOLE SURVIVORS
I had never been in an airplane except
commercially, and I had never flown a
light plane. I felt that an aerial line of
duty was what I wanted, because I didn’t
want to end up in a trench somewhere.
It turned out pretty good for me, but my
brother Robert was not as fortunate. An
Army Air Corps B-24 top turret gunner
1/Lt John Morgan 1944. and engineer, he survived two crashes but
(Photo courtesy of Capt.
John Morgan)
was over the Adriatic when his bomber
No Time for Love was attacked by enemy
fighters on March 24, 1944. He never
returned and was listed as MIA. My
brother Al also enlisted in the Army Air
Corps to fly. He served as a navigator in a
B-29 Superfortress and saw heavy action
over Japan.
On November 4, 1942, I enlisted to fly
in the Navy because a good friend of mine
was a Navy pilot, and he talked me into
it. Patriotism was the driving force for my
brothers and me to enlist.
I CHOSE THE MARINES AS THEY HAD THE PLANES I
WANTED TO FLY, AND I WANTED TO FLY THE PBJ.
10 FlightJournal.com
FLIGHT TRAINING
I started the Naval Aviation Cadet
Selection Board in January, 1943. It
took me a long time to get through the
program as it was pretty backed up with
military trainees, and they didn’t have the
capacity required to train so many people
to fly. Some guys had to wait a year before
being called to an active air station.
My training coursework began at
Olean College in Olean, New York and
Union College in Schenectady, New York.
At Olean we flew Piper Cubs. It was so
cold we had to drain the oil out of the
crankcase, heat it, and put it back in!
At Schenectady, I flew an open cockpit
Howard DGA, a damned good airplane!
The DGA was a two-seat trainer, where
the student flew in the forward seat. I
didn’t have much time in those planes
before we moved on to U.S. Navy Pre-
Flight School in Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. We never even flew at Chapel
Hill; it was mostly ground school.
The next move was to the U.S. Naval
Air Station in Bunker Hill, Indiana for
flight training. There we were taught
navigation, radio communication, engine
care and repair, physical fitness, and hand
to hand fighting.
Flight training was serious business.
One time, a routine training flight ended
in tragedy as two aviation cadets collided
in mid-air in the cold night sky, spawning
telegrams from the War Department to
two separate families, each unbeknownst
to the other, informing them of their
loved ones’ demise.
One day I was in an open-cockpit
Stearman doing local flying and I got lost
in the air. It was cold as hell. I landed
on a farm, but I had to shoo the cows
and horses away by flying over before I
landed. I went up to the farmhouse, and a
lady came to the door with a baby in her
arms and said, “If you follow Route 31,
it’ll take you to Bunker Hill.”
My logbook shows that I started flight
training on October 9 and completed
it December 3, 1943. I flew a total of
28 dual hours, 59.5 solo hours, and 6.5
check hours for a total of 94 hours in a
Navy N2S Stearman, a two-seat biplane.
It had the nickname of Yellow Peril due
to its color and tricky ground handling
characteristics.
After that, I moved on to the Naval Air
Training Center in Pensacola, Florida.
As we entered the Training Center on a
bus, Cadets lined up on both sides of the
street, chanting, “You’ll be sorry!” It was
pretty rigorous training.
I flew at an outlying airfield, Whiting
Field, and began flight training in January,
1944 in a Vultee SNV Valiant, which due
to its harmonics and rattling, was referred
to as the “Vultee Vibrator.”
In February I started flying the North Above: 1/Lt John Morgan and his crew in front of their PBJ, Pacific Theater 1945.
American Aviation SNJ4, and on March I (Photo courtesy of Capt. John Morgan)
first flew in an SNB2 twin-engine. When I Below: WAVES (for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), part of the
left Pensacola, I had logged 242.2 hours of Naval Reserve in WW II, ready a PBJ for flight. (Photo courtesy of SoCal Wing CAF)
flight time.

August 2020 11
SOLE SURVIVORS
FLYING A PBY
After I completed the program at
Pensacola, I had to decide whether to
become an Ensign in the Navy or a 2nd
Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. I chose
the Marines as they had the planes I
wanted to fly, and I wanted to fly the
PBJ. I didn’t want to be on a carrier. On
May 25, 1944 I was honorably discharged
12 FlightJournal.com
from the Navy as an Aviation Cadet, V-5, The Camarillo based
PBJ-1J is the world's only
USNR, and the next day I was transferred flying example. Passenger
to the Marines and given my Naval flights are possible via
www.cafsocal.com
Aviator certificate. (Photo by John Dibbs/
My next flight training took place in PlanePicture.com)
Edenton, North Carolina at the Marine
Corps Station Edenton, where the Marine
Operational Training Group 81 trained
pilots, aircrew, and ground crew on
 started out with them before we got our
own planes. The PBJ was a good airplane
and easy to fly. It wasn’t easy to get into;
we had to go up and down a ladder. I
liked the feel in the air and the looks
on the ground. There wasn’t anything I
didn’t like about that plane.
As we neared combat, we were bored
for the most part and all young eager
beavers, so we felt pretty good about it.
When we heard about Victory Europe,
VE Day on May 8, 1945, we were
jubilant, and we all had an extra drink!
Before we shipped out to Long
Beach, California, I had a total of 508.4
flight hours. There, we jumped onto a
destroyer escort to Hawaii, where we
were assigned to various locations. I drew
Emirau Island and VMB 443 Squadron.
We were a part of Marine Air Group
(MAG) 61. Other squadrons were there as
well.

PBJ MISSIONS
Emirau had been occupied by the
Marines and became one of bases
developed to surround and isolate
Rabaul, a major Japanese base to the
south in the Bismark Archipelago.
On June 12, 1945, I flew my first
familiarization mission in a PBJ-1,
and four days later I flew my first
formation mission. My first medium-
altitude bombing mission with three,
1,000-pound bombs was on June 17, on
Tobera. By August 9, my crew and I had
flown eight medium-altitude bombing
missions on the following targets:

June 17: Tobera #31, 3 x 1,000-pound bombs

June 21: Rabaul #47, 12 x 100-pound bombs
June 30: Kavieng Town, 3 x 650-pound bombs
the North American PBJ-1 twin-engine July 8: Kavieng, 12 x 260-pound bombs
medium bomber.
July 12: Rabaul #4, 8 x 250-pound bombs
Before the PBJ, we flew in the SNB2
Beechcraft twin engine. We had quite July 13: Rabaul #5, 12 x 260-pound bombs
a bit of time in those. I first flew a PBJ July 15: Vunkanau #9, 3 x 1,000-pound bombs
in October, 1944. The concept of a
August 9: Rabaul #30, 8 x 250-pound bombs
medium-weight bomber was relatively
new to the Marines. We inherited a
bunch of B-25s from the Army and we

August 2020 13
 We typically flew one mission on any
given day, and generally each mission
lasted about three hours. We normally
flew with six or eight PBJs, and each
crew included the pilot, copilot, tail
gunner, two waist gunners, and navigator
(who was also the bombardier and a
gunner). The .50-caliber nose guns were
controlled by the pilot. We didn’t have
a top turret in our PBJ-1J. Our missions
were often with eight, 250-pound bombs.
We unloaded bombs day and night. We
flew around the clock and neutralized

One of the stops on the During this time we also flew two
way home after the war:
Titcomb Field in Malabang, familiarization flights, one formation
the Philippines.(Photo flight, seven rocket practices, one gunnery
courtesy of Capt. John
Morgan)
flight, one bombing practice, one 2-hour
scar firing instruction, and two weather
hops. In total, we flew 23 missions or
flights.
By the time I arrived at Emirau, PBJ
tactics had changed from low-level
bombing (which had resulted in heavy
casualties) to medium-altitude bombing
(maintaining 10,000-foot altitude). The
casualties went down considerably,
although there were still losses. We

OUR MISSIONS WERE OFTEN WITH EIGHT,

250-POUND BOMBS. WE UNLOADED BOMBS
DAY AND NIGHT. WE FLEW AROUND THE
CLOCK AND NEUTRALIZED THE TARGETS.

played poker in between missions. One

fellow owed me $600 from poker, but he
went missing, and when I was heading
home through Hawaii I saw his name at
the Wall of the Missing at the National
Memorial Cemetery in Honolulu.
Our missions started with a briefing
to point out the targets. Any mention of
weather meant the targets were closed
in. We had to fly around the storms,
or occasionally we had to abort. We
made weather hops to check weather
conditions, which could be very rough.

PHOTO BY JOHN DIBBS/PLANEPICTURE.COM

14 FlightJournal.com
the targets. We didn’t do any strafing or
skip bombing, which would have been
done at low altitude. These were heckling
missions to keep the pressure on the
isolated enemy. We encountered very
little opposition from enemy aircraft and
at 10,000 feet, antiaircraft couldn’t touch
us. After the war, we heard that many
Japanese had gone insane under the
constant pressure of our bombing runs.
On Emirau, we came under attack
from air raids a number of times, mostly
strafing.
THE WAR’S END
Our confidence that we would win the
war against Japan was never very high.
They never told us too much; we just did
what we were told to do. Our job was to
bomb Rabaul and others nearby and that
was it. I don’t recall any discussions about
the bigger picture.
We kept moving closer and closer to
Japan. We were not privy as to why or
when we were moving. We never heard
about an atomic bomb until the day it
was dropped.
The CAF SoCal Wing is
based at Camarillo, Oxnard,
near LA. A host of warbirds roost
there and the Museum is a world
class facility. Flights and educational
tours are available. Flight Journal
thanks the SoCal CAF for the valuable
work they do and for honoring our
veterans. They were instrumental
in helping tell John Morgan's story.
Please check out
www.cafsocal.com
August 2020 15
SOLE SURVIVORS

Above: Many of the PBJ-1J aircraft did not carry numbers despite the regulations
stating that they should carry four black digits on the nose. © 2020 Chris Davey
Below: Devil Dog is a PBJ-1J Marine version of the B-25 with a punch in its nose.
Based at the Georgetown Municipal Airport in Texas, it is owned and operated by
the Commemorative Air Force. (Photo by Paul Bowen Photography Inc.)

THE LEGEND OF MAJ.

PAUL "PAPPY" GUNN
"Pappy" Gunn had served in the U.S. Navy
for twenty years before retiring to start
airlines in Hawaii and the Philippines. When
Pearl Harbor was attacked, he returned to
the service — and received a Distinguished
Flying Cross for flying in medical supplies to
besieged troops on the Bataan Peninsula.
He was evacuated to Australia, and in
the summer of 1942, he began his major
contribution to the war effort.
Gunn started to add M2 .50-caliber machine guns to
the noses of A-20 Havoc light bombers. The planes had
been okay, able to carry a ton of bombs, but bombing
from high altitude often didn't work with ships. So
Gunn began modifying the A-20s, and later the B-25s,
with M2s scavenged from fighters that had brought
back their pilots, but which wouldn't be repaired. He
also developed the tactics these planes would use.
It was a very lethal masterpiece. Word filtered back
to the manufacturers, Douglas and North American,
and soon new versions of the B-25 and A-20 were out,
built and inspired by Gunn's field modifications. One
version of the B-25 would carry 18 forward-firing M2s
— the firepower of three P-51 Mustangs!
These planes would make their mark in the
Southwest Pacific. Japan was trying to reinforce
troops in New Guinea, where the Americans and
Australians were fighting fiercely. Gunn's modifications
would be put to the test in the Battle of the Bismarck
Sea. Japan sent eight transports, escorted by eight
destroyers to deliver nearly 7,000 troops to Lae from
Rabaul.
On March 3, 1943, they began. The Japanese force
was simply unprepared to handle the Allied firepower.
Despite cover from 100 fighters, their convoy was
savaged. The strafing, combined with skip-bombing and
mast-height bombing, tore the transports and half the
destroyers apart. Only 1200 troops and practically no
equipment made it to Lae.
Gunn would serve throughout the war, retiring as a
full colonel. He then went back to re-building the airline
he had started prior to World War II breaking out. In
1957, he was killed when his plane crashed during a
storm. While not well-known, Gunn's legend is one that
does the United States Air Force proud.

16 FlightJournal.com
 When Japan’s surrender was announced
on August 15, 1945, I felt pretty good; it
meant I was going home. I believe to this
day that Harry Truman saved my life by
dropping the atomic bombs.
My logbook shows that in August I flew
from Emirau to Hollandia in New Guinea
(now Jayapura), then to the Biak and
Morotai islands in Indonesia, and then
on to Titcomb Field in Malabang, the
Philippines. At that point, my logbook
totaled 570.6 hours.
The landing at Biak Island was
particularly memorable as the fog was
dense and very low to the ground. The
pilot elected to have me, the copilot, land
as he couldn’t. I really thought we were
going to buy the farm, but we broke out
of the fog at 100 feet and I made a perfect
landing for a standing ovation from the
eight-man crew. My training had paid off
in spades, and I made Captain after that.
On Morotai while I was sleeping, a
native islander tried to sneak into my
tent. A sergeant saw him and shot him in
the leg. I came out and the sergeant had
a gun to the islander’s head. I said, “He’s
about 15; fix him up and turn him loose.”
We departed for Hawaii in our PBJ
on October 22, 1945. We were island-
hopping, and I took photos as if I were
a tourist. Midway had been used as an
early air base, and we saw the Japanese
Commissary and uniforms. At Peleliu
Island, where the Battle of Bloody Nose
Ridge had been fought, we saw dead
Japanese everywhere.
At Ewa Marine Corps Air Station in
Hawaii, we parked the PBJ and never saw
it again. We took a destroyer escort to
Long Beach. When we returned to the
Long Beach Naval Air Station, I went out
to the field and found a C-54 warming
up. It happened to be a nonstop headed
to Brooklyn Naval Air Station—just
where I needed to go. When we arrived,
I called my parents and said, “Pick me
up!” It was the day before Thanksgiving
in 1945. After that, I flew mostly with
SNJs from the Brooklyn Naval Air Station
to maintain my hours. At the end of May
1946, my logged hours totaled 633.8.
I was lucky.
AFTER THE WAR
After serving, I enrolled under the GI Bill
at Fordham College, where I earned a
bachelor’s degree in 1949. I first worked
at my father’s Dodge Plymouth Agency
in Manhasset, Long Island and then was
a district sales manager in New England
for Chrysler Corporation. I decided to go
to graduate school and was admitted to
the Columbia University Business School
in 1950 and graduated with a master’s in
1951.
WE KEPT MOVING CLOSER AND CLOSER
TO JAPAN. WE WERE NOT PRIVY AS TO
WHY OR WHEN WE WERE MOVING. WE
NEVER HEARD ABOUT AN ATOMIC BOMB
UNTIL THE DAY IT WAS DROPPED.
Shortly after graduating from
Columbia, I was recalled to active duty
during the Korean War. I went through
a flight refresher school, was assigned
to an AD dive-bomber squadron, and
drew orders for Korea. Fortunately, a
Colonel friend who I had taught to fly
light planes was so grateful that he had NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
me reassigned to an Air Naval Gunfire I feel particularly honored
Liaison Company unit with the 6th Fleet to have the opportunity
in the Mediterranean. He changed my to know John. I would like
life, and this turned out to be a wonderful to thank him for giving
experience. It wasn’t until 1954 that I me access to his personal
papers and inviting me to
embarked on a career on Wall Street. I
his home to interview him,
worked for several firms before settling
focusing on his time as a
with A.G. Edwards, where I stayed for 30 Naval cadet and Marine
years and retired as a senior vice president aviator. He was more than
and director of the firm. patient and generous
Since retiring, I have lived at my with his time and that is
home in Naples, Florida. Looking back, much appreciated. We
I understand that war was a personal are so fortunate to have
thing viewed from each participant’s own Americans like John who
vantage point. It was a lark, an adventure, have sacrificed so much
or sheer hell, or a combination of them and put themselves in
all.  harm’s way. John and I
sat down on May 8, 2020,
which happened to be the
The authors would like to thank Steve Barber,
75th Anniversary of VE Day
Jason Somes and the whole team at CAF and met several times
SoCal Wing for their assistance in producing through May 13, 2020.
this article. Semper Fi, John.
August 2020 17
A Mustang pilot nails his prey
BY WARREN THOMPSON | ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID AILS

The European theater held more surprises for the Allies than
the Pacific theater did. The Germans were leaders in developing
state-of-the-art weapons, and if the war had lasted into 1946, it
might have held some very lethal surprises for New York City and
Washington, D.C. Using conventional aircraft, the AAF and RAF had
to tangle with the Luftwaffe’s new jet-propelled aircraft, and they
did a superb job of it. Basically, it was the P-51 Mustangs protect-
ing the bombers deep into Germany, as they were pelted with
attacks from the Me 262 and Me 163 Komet. These encounters
were just an inkling of future dogfights in the fast lane.

August 2020 19
DUELING IN THE FAST LANE
First Lt. Stephen C. The first time a Mustang had a chance
Ananian in the cockpit of
his P-51 at Fowlmere in to bag a 262 happened on August 28,
early 1945. Assigned to 1944, when two pilots from the 78th FG
the 505th FS, he finished
his combat tour with one
shared in a kill. To the pilots from the
Me 262 destroyed and various fighter groups who encountered
two damaged. (Photo these jets, it was a fascinating subject to
courtesy of Steve Ananian
via author.) discuss with fellow pilots. The 262s were
instantly nicknamed “blow jobs” because
of the fire that was emitted out of the aft
opening of each engine. Pilots from the
339th FG stated that this scene resembled
a plumber’s blow torch. On the other
hand, the Luftwaffe pilots called their
262s “the Swallow” because of its birdlike
appearance in flight.
At the time of the jet’s operational
appearance over Germany, the Luftwaffe
was experiencing a shortage of aviation
fuel, so the conventional squadrons were
limited in flying time. With gas priorities
going to the Me 262 squadrons, leaders
THE ME 262S WREAKED HAVOC ON THE BOMBERS BY DIVING THROUGH
THEIR FORMATIONS WHILE FIRING THEIR FOUR 20 MM CANNON.
THEY WERE EASILY 100 MPH FASTER THAN THE MUSTANG.
20 FlightJournal.com
such as Walter Nowotny and Adolf
Galland were able to recruit experienced
pilots from Bf 109 and Fw 190 units to fly
the jets.
Dogfights with Swallows
The first pilot in the 339th to shoot down
one of the Swallows was 1st Lt. Stephen
C. Ananian of the 505th FS. He comments
on the chain of events that led up to his
successful encounter:
“Our group was very successful in
going head to head with the Me 262.
Unfortunately, when you rack up good
statistics in aerial combat, there are others
that are tragic. We lost four outstanding
pilots to the German blow jobs when our
guys were bounced from behind. These
pilots didn’t have time to realize what was
happening, let alone have prior warning
to take evasive action. With a top speed
of 560 mph, the 262s came down out of
the sun and made firing passes against the
fighter escorts, with most of their efforts
trained on the bomber formations. We
never lost a pilot in a dogfight with the
Swallow, as it was the fast hit-and-run
tactic that got them. But we nailed 12 of
them while losing four of our own, so the
stats were very much in our favor.
“The Me 262s wreaked havoc on
the bombers by diving through their
formations while firing their four 20 mm
cannon. They were easily 100 mph faster
than the Mustang, which made them
‘king of the hill’ and, using the tactics
they did, they were almost impossible to
stop! The Mustang escorts from various
groups dropped their external tanks and
gave chase, but mostly, the 262s were
too fast to catch. This fell right into the
Luftwaffe’s intended tactics because the
P-51s, having dropped their tanks, were
low on fuel, and most of the time had
to turn back too early, and that left the
bombers open to attack by large numbers
of conventional German fighters such
as the Bf 109s and Fw 190s that waited
closer to the target areas. The Luftwaffe’s
strategies worked by letting the 262s
make the first runs at the bombers, which
reduced the number of escort fighters
when the other fighters attacked.”
The only way to counter this was to
order all the Mustang escorts to stay
with the bombers unless they were
specifically attacked. “I need to point
out that these subsonic jets had some
serious shortcomings, too. They lacked
maneuverability, and in a dogfight,
they weren’t any match for the highly
maneuverable P-51. We figured out that
the 262 was limited to about 40 minutes
of flight time, which put them at a
disadvantage. They had to stick with their
hit-and-run tactic against the bombers to
be effective.”
Lieutenant Ananian’s kill took place
on a mission flown February 9, 1945.
Up until this time, about 25 Me 262s
and Me 163s had been shot down. Their
efforts had been rather sporadic, with
small numbers attacking the bomber An Me 262 passes in front of an escorting P-51 as it dives through a B-17 formation. The
streams, but that was about to change. only tactic the Mustang pilots could use was to anticipate the dive and be in position
when the 262 bottomed out of it. During January-February 1945, nine 262s were shot
On this day, 10 jet interceptors came up down by Mustangs. (Photo courtesy of Bill Hess via author.)
to challenge a massive bomber formation
that included 1,000-plus aircraft and
several hundred fighter escorts. It was

A WEAPON MISUSED
The Messerschmitt Me 262A Schwalbe aka “Swallow” was the
first operational turbojet in the world, and it first flew in July
1942. By the time it was in mass production, if the Allied bombing
efforts hadn’t been persistent, it might have swayed the war in
favor of the Axis. It was first used in combat toward the end of
July 1944, and more than 1,400 were manufactured. Of this total,
only 300 saw combat. After WW II ended, many of the Allied
leaders stated, “Thank God that Hitler made the decisions.” They
were referring to several incidents, but this one stands out, as
Hitler overruled his generals, ordering them to utilize the Me 262
as a bomber instead of a high-altitude interceptor. It was a very
costly mistake for the Reich!

An Me 262 has just made a high-speed dive through the bomber formation and
begins to bank right with a Mustang hot on his tail. The Germans produced more
than 1,400 of these jets, but only a small percentage actually saw combat. (Photo
courtesy of USAF via author.)

August 2020 21
DUELING IN THE FAST LANE
Mustangs from the 505th
FS line up to wait for
their long-range external
tanks to be attached. The
339th FG destroyed the
most German aircraft by a
fighter group in their first
full year of combat (air and
ground) with a total 692.
(Photo courtesy of John
Franz via author.)
22 FlightJournal.com
destined to be a memorable mission for
all of the 339th pilots and especially for
Lieutenant Ananian, who was the first of
the group to bag an Me 262. He recalls
the experience:
“We took off from Fowlmere and
joined up with the B-17s. As predicted,
the weather was good: six- to eight-tenths
cloud cover with tops at 8,000 feet. My
squadron [the 505th] was at 25,000 feet
on the starboard side of the bomber
stream. Our other two squadrons were on
the other flank and flying top cover. As
we came abreast of Frankfurt, I looked for
the airfield, and there it was. I called over
the radio, ‘Jet field at 3 o’clock low.’ From
our altitude, I saw the square grass field
with hangars around the perimeter, and
there, ready to take off, were several 262s.
I counted 10 abreast, and as I watched
them, they all took off quickly and
climbed through the bomber formation
that we were protecting, firing all the way.
“As soon as they cleared the top
element, they nosed back over and came
right back through with guns blazing! I
had witnessed this tactic before, and they
would continue this until they ran out
of ammo or their fuel was critically low.
Rather than chase the bandits, I intended
to dive at the spot where I anticipated
they would be, and when they turned
to start climbing again, I would be
doing about 550 mph. This meant that
I would be flying at their speed with the
advantage of being able to outmaneuver
them. If this didn’t work, I would stay
near their home base, waiting for their
return, and I was sure I could bag one
coming in for a landing.”
Ananian was in the middle of the fight,
and it seemed that jets were everywhere.
His best chance to get a 262 was by
firing at extreme range with the odds
of scoring hits being greatly reduced.
On this mission, he fired at the first one
from about 2,400 feet out and didn’t
observe any hits. Seconds later, he spotted
another one coming in his direction from
180 degrees at about 10 o’clock. Picking
a point at which he thought he should
intercept him and mentally doubling
the distance, he headed to that area. His
judgment wasn’t quite as accurate as
anticipated, for he ended up on the jet’s
tail at that extreme range of 2,400 feet!
Firing a three-second burst of .50-caliber
rounds with little hope of doing any
damage, his bullets had somehow found
their mark!
“I was surprised to notice I was getting
strikes along the 262’s wings and around
one of the engine nacelles. That engine
must have received extensive damage
because when the pilot went to full
throttle to try and get away, his aircraft
veered sharply in a direction opposite of
the one I had hit, so he quickly cut that
 Lt. Harry R. Corey flies formation in his Maurine Ann somewhere
over the English countryside. This was probably a test flight as
there aren’t any of the required drop tanks for missions into
France and Germany. Corey was credited with a Me 262 destroyed
on April 3, 1945. (Photo courtesy of John Franz via author.)

JET KILLERS
The 339th Fighter Group flew P-51
Mustangs out of RAF Fowlmere with
great success. When the war ended and
the final totals were recorded, the group
had destroyed 692 enemy aircraft (air
and ground). But what made them stand
out was the fact that they had been in
position to fight large numbers of Me
262s, and when the dust settled, they
had 12 confirmed kills with several more
probables. This ranked them as the second-
best jet killers in the 8th Air Force. These
jet fighters were flown by some of the
Luftwaffe’s best pilots, and there wasn’t any
way to develop sound tactics against them.
The 339th Group began to fly missions on April 30, 1944, and their first one over German They struck so fast that there was only one
airspace was on May 8. The cold winter weather in 1944 to ’45 is evident here with the way to take them—when they were most
heavier clothing at Fowlmere. Boomerang was assigned to the group. (Photo courtesy
of James Starnes via author.) vulnerable at the bottom of a dive.

Baby Mine, piloted by Lt. Ste-

phen Ananian, and Pepper were
assigned to the 505th FS. These
339th FG pilots did time over
the Normandy beachheads on
June 6, 1944. (Photo courtesy of
Steve Ananian via author.)

August 2020 23
DUELING IN THE FAST LANE
THE LUCKY FIRST BURST HAD SCORED HITS
TO SLOW HIM DOWN, ALLOWING ME TO CLOSE
THE GAP AND MAKE THE KILL
engine off to prevent him from going
into a spin. At this time, my airspeed was
slightly more than 400 mph, and the gap
had significantly narrowed. My target was
still dead center in my sights, so I gave
him another three-second burst that hit
in his canopy area and engine nacelles.
“The action began at 15,000 feet, and
now we had dived to 12,000 feet, and I
was getting in very close at his 6 o’clock.
When the war ended,
bringing back flyable
As I was ready to squeeze off another
examples of the Me 262 burst, I noticed that his left engine was
to the States for testing smoking and his right engine had burst
and evaluation had top
priority. This was taken in into flames. My wingman (Lieutenant
Germany in early summer Howard), saw large pieces fly off as the
1945, as the jet was being
prepared for shipment 262 plummeted out of control into the
back to the States. (Photo ground. The lucky first burst had scored
courtesy of Earl Elliot via
author.) hits to slow him down, allowing me to
24 FlightJournal.com
close the gap and make the kill. At the
time, we were over Fulda, and if he had
been able to start climbing at full power, I
probably would have lost him because of
the speed difference.”
Later in the war, Lieutenant Ananian
found out that he had gone up against a
newly formed “all-weather” fighter unit
called KG (J)-54, which was made up
of former bomber pilots (Ju 88 and He
111) who had extensive experience in
instrument flying but little or no training
in fighter tactics. All 10 Me 262 pilots
who came up to attack the bombers that
day were on their first mission in jet
fighters. It was also learned that Ananian
shot down the squadron commander,
Oberleutnant Volprecht Riedesel Freiherr
zu Eisenbach. For that memorable
mission, Ananian had engaged three 262s
and shot one down. After that day, he had
four more encounters with the German
jets, damaging two. 
During WW II, we in the military were not allowed to save notes,
keep diaries or take pictures, and being a Boy Scout type, I lived by
the rules. Now, decades later, when I’m called to write about some
of my flight experiences, I wish that I had bent the rules a little.

Thank goodness I have a copy of our
Patuxent Naval Air Test Center “Report
of Comparative Combat Evaluation
of the Focke-Wulf 190A-4,” which was
obtained by Corky Meyer from The Air
and Space Museum under the Freedom
of Information Act. Using that report
for specific test data and as a memory
jogger, I will relate some results and
impressions from those tests. Keep in
mind that this was before there was
a test-pilot school in the U.S. We were
long on flying experience and very short
on technical flight-test experience.
Butcher Bird vs.
Hellcat & Corsair A test pilot recalls
BY REAR ADM. C.C. “ANDY” ANDREWS, U.S. NAVY (RET.)
PHOTO BY JOHN DIBBS/PLANEPICTURE.COM

French Collector Christoph Jacquard

new build FW190, wearing the legendary
colours of JG2 'Richtofen'.

August 2020 27
BUTCHER BIRD VS. HELLCAT & CORSAIR
Many Fw 190s were Just back from fleet carrier duty in early
captured and evaluated by
the U.S. and UK, including 1944, I was transferred to the Tactical Test
this A-5 model seen flying Center at Patuxent River in Maryland. The
over Wright Test Field in
1946.
skipper, Cdr. F.L. Palmer, greeted me with
great enthusiasm and saying “I’m glad
to see you! We are loaded with fighter
projects, and our last fighter pilot has just
been transferred. How many hours do
you have in the F6F-3 Hellcat?” I replied,
“None.” “How many hours in the F4U-
1 Corsair?” “None.” With some dismay,
he asked, “What the hell have you been
flying?” I told him that although my
squadron, the Red Rippers, had always
been the first fighter unit to get every
new Navy fighter, we were still flying the
older F4F-4 Wildcat. I sheepishly told him
that I had flown F4F-4s during my Navy
fleet career. He looked out a window at
a row of planes—all different—and told
me to fly them and then come to see
him. He must have been pleased by my
action because in a few days, he sent for
me and told me I was to go to Anacostia,
Maryland, to get a German fighter, and I
could take Jeanie, my new wife, with me.
Having been at sea since our wedding and
now having unlimited access to a row of
planes as if they were my toys, this treat
I DECIDED THAT FOR THE FW 190, “FIGHTER” WAS A MISNOMER.
IN MY OPINION, IT WAS AN INTERCEPTOR—NOT WHAT WE IN THE
NAVY EXPECTED TO FLY ON FIGHTER MISSIONS.
28 FlightJournal.com
was too much. I wryly thought, “War
really is hell, ain’t it?”
On site at Anacostia, just across the
Potomac River from Washington, D.C.,
I tried to conceal my awe and acted
as though I flew a captured foreign
plane every day. There was no pilot’s
handbook—no manuals of any kind. This
was a real credit to the mechanics who
made a flyable airplane out of several
crates of pieces. I was given a German/
English glossary of aviation terms and
spent a few days familiarizing myself with
the Fw 190 while it was being readied
for flight. I convinced myself that if I
pushed the stick forward, the nose would
go down, and if I pulled the stick aft, the
nose would go up. So, what the heck! I
was checked out. Pax sent an escort plane,
and we were off on the flight to the Test
Center, with me at the controls of the Fw
190. I had reviewed my freshman physics
notes so that I’d be able to convert some
of those funny numbers in the Fw 190
cockpit to knots and feet. En route,
having decided that flying in German was
almost like flying in English, I stalled it
a few times. Two things surprised me: it
stalled at what my calculations indicated
was more than twice the stall speed of
the aircraft with which I was accustomed.
At first, I suspected that I had made a
mistake when converting those “funny”
numbers to knots; the second surprise was
the suddenness of the stall—sudden, but
controllable. I got my nerve up to slow-
roll it a couple of times, and we arrived
at Pax. The moment had come to see
whether I’d be able to land that mother.
The landing was uneventful at what I
remember to be 137 knots. This was more
than twice the landing speeds of our
carrier fighters. I had met a truly “hot”
plane.
I decided that for the Fw 190, “fighter”
was a misnomer. In my opinion, it was
an interceptor—not what we in the Navy
expected to fly on fighter missions. I
also questioned the title of the project
assigned to us. It was “Comparative
Combat Evaluation of Focke-Wulf 190A-
4 Airplane.” The comparison was with
F6F-3 and F4U-1D fighters. As we got
into the program, I remember telling
project engineer Bill Holmes, “This plane
is not a fighter.” I said this with a certain
cockiness and meant it as a put-down
of an enemy plane that didn’t stack up
very well in fighter-to-fighter simulated
combat. In our final analysis, the Fw
190 was about what you would expect
for a lightweight plane: reasonably high
powered, it had a high wing loading and
poor stall characteristics.
On what was probably my second
flight, I made a steep dive to see how fast
the plane would go. I don’t remember
the numbers, but I experienced alarming
vibrations. I later learned that I had
foolishly and grossly exceeded the limits
marked on the airspeed indicator. At
that stage, if it wasn’t written in English,
I wasn’t reading it. It was more fun to
spend our time dogfighting and hot-
dogging than doing serious flight tests,
but Bill Holmes got us working seriously
and provided long lists of data to be
collected on each flight, and we did so—
reluctantly but dutifully. Here are some
test results and a few of my impressions:
RATE OF CLIMB
We compared climb rates from 140 knots to 200 knots at
altitudes of 200 feet to 25,000 feet. The Fw 190’s best climb
speed was 165 knots compared with 130 knots for the F6F-3
and 135 knots for the F4U-1. Its faster rate of climb gave it an
important advantage: it could break off an engagement at will
and re-engage head-on, if its pilot chose to.
HORIZONTAL SPEED
This was measured in two-minute, level-flight runs that ranged
in altitude from sea level to 25,000 feet. The Fw 190’s maximum
true airspeeds varied from 290 knots at 200 feet to 356 knots at
25,000 feet. It had a speed advantage over the F6F-3 that varied
from zero at 200 feet to 17 knots at 25,000 feet. Against the F4U-
1, it had a 25-knot disadvantage at 200 feet, and that was reduced
to even at 15,000 feet and increased to a 6-knot advantage at
25,000 feet.
We did our best to calibrate the instruments. Looking back, I
realize that we probably didn’t have a very accurate comparison
when tests were flown individually instead of side by side. When
you test planes side by side, the comparison has a good chance
of being reasonable, even if exact quantitative performance
measurements may be doubted. Horizontal speed differences
measured at a fixed altitude did not indicate much tactical
advantage for any plane, but when the horizontal speed was
combined with best climb speeds, the Fw 190’s 165-knot top climb
speed gave it a considerable advantage when used properly to
avoid a fighter-to-fighter engagement.
HORIZONTAL ACCELERATIONS
These tests were made by flying in line at predetermined initial
speeds from 140 to 200 knots at altitudes of from 200 feet to
25,000 feet and applying full power simultaneously in all three
planes. It was readily apparent that it was much easier to achieve
full power in the Fw 190 with its unilever control; this required
a simple throttle advance to control propeller pitch, manifold
pressure, mixture, magneto timing and throttle setting. This
made a difference during our evaluations, but I never felt that it
meant much tactically because when the pucker factor is tight in
combat, it doesn’t take long for a pilot to firewall everything in the
cockpit.
Relative accelerations from all speeds of more than 160 knots
showed the F4U-1 and the Fw 190 to be slightly superior to the
F6F-3 and showed the F4U-1 to be slightly superior to the Fw 190
up to 15,000 feet, above which the Fw 190 had a slight advantage.
At speeds of less than 160 knots, the Fw 190 and the F6F-3 were
equals. None of these differences offered much of a tactical
advantage or disadvantage.
August 2020 29
BUTCHER BIRD VS. HELLCAT & CORSAIR

MANEUVERABILITY RATE OF ROLL

The F4U-1’s and F6F-3’s turning characteristics were far superior
to the Fw 190’s. From directly behind the Fw 190 holding its
tightest turn, the F6F-3 and the F4U-1 could turn inside it and
be directly behind it again in approximately three circles. This,
of course, was not a tactical maneuver, but it was a good
indication of the planes’ comparative turning abilities. Both
could easily follow the Fw 190 in tight turns at any speed, but
the Fw 190 pilot could not keep his gunsight pipper on either
when they made tight turns. When in a tight turn to the left and
near stalling speed, the Fw 190 exhibited a tendency to reverse
aileron control and then stall without warning. When turning to
the right and nearly at stalling speed, it tended to drop its right
wing and nose and to dive as a result; this frequently put it in
a good position to be attacked. When this happened, the fight
was over. Its pilot would have to recover and would probably
dive to try to break off the engagement. In our dogfighting, if a
pilot escaped and wanted to re-engage, he would try to use his
top climb speed to get away and come back for a one-pass, non-
maneuvering attack. It was never advantageous to the Fw 190
to try to mix it up in close. It couldn’t fly any turning maneuver
that the F4U-1 and the F6F-3 couldn’t follow. It required a much
greater radius in a loop than the F4U-1 or the F6F-3 did and
tended to stall when trying to follow in a loop. Looping was a
very effective defensive maneuver for the F4U-1 and F6F-3 when
the Fw 190 attacked from their rear. The Fw 190 stalled with
very little warning but recovered easily. The F4U-1 and F6F-3
could take advantage of this propensity to stall when close in
and in situations during which the Fw 190 was required to make
tight turns to stay engaged. The difference in maneuverability
was the greatest tactical disadvantage faced by the Fw 190
pilots in one-on-one encounters. In zooms after dives, the three
aircraft were about equal. Close formation flying was extremely
difficult for the Fw 190 because of the lack of fine power
adjustments achievable with its unilever control.
In roll rate, the Fw 190 was slightly superior
to the F6F-3 and about equal to the F4U-
1. It rolled very easily, didn’t require any
excessive stick forces and didn’t show any
tendency to drop its nose; it did, however,
exhibit roll reversal at slow speeds and in
turns. This forced the Fw 190 pilot to keep
his speed up in tight turns, and that limited
his slow-speed maneuvering.
ANGLES OF VISION
Forward vision was obstructed by the cowl
because the cockpit greenhouse was only
six inches above the cowl contour; The F6F-
3 and the F4U-1 allowed superior forward
vision, and this was especially evident
during mock gun-firing operations. In the Fw
190, the pilot sat relatively low with respect
to the wing, but downward side vision was
not excessively restricted because the
wing was relatively small. The one-piece
molded canopy went from the windshield
frame over the pilot’s head and back down
to the fuselage contour, which was level
with the cowl contour in front of the pilot.
This afforded very good visibility aft and was
superior to that enjoyed by F6F-3 and F4U-1
pilots.
The Fw 190 didn’t have a rearview mirror.
I missed it in simulated combat and think it
should have had one. Perhaps that six-inch
rise of the canopy over the cowl would have
been obscured by such a mirror. With our
taller windshields, we had enough latitude
of head movement to look over or below a
mirror.

STABILITY AND CONTROL

In dives in the Fw 190, these features were satisfactory, but at excessively high diving speeds, the vibrations were
alarming. Diving restrictions posted on the Fw 190 airspeed indicator were comparable to the limitations on the
F6F-3 Hellcat and the F4U-1 Corsair: 405 knots at below 10,000 feet; 370 knots from 10,000 feet to 16,500 feet;
313 knots from 16,000 feet to 25,000 feet. I foolishly exceeded them by as much as 50 knots, and although the
vibration was disturbing and uncomfortable, it didn’t apparently damage the plane or me.
The Fw 190’s control forces were generally very light; they increased when speed increased but were never
excessive. Slight trim changes were required with changes in speed, and they needed to be increased when speed
increased but, again, were not excessive. In flight, the only controllable trim was a movable horizontal stabilizer. The
only reversing control force exhibited by the Fw 190 was aileron control in a tight turn.

30 FlightJournal.com
THE F6F-3 AND THE F4U-1 ALLOWED
SUPERIOR FORWARD VISION, AND THIS
WAS ESPECIALLY EVIDENT DURING
MOCK GUN-FIRING OPERATIONS

Stever Barber in the SoCal Wing

of theCAF, flying near its base at
Camarillo. (Photo by John Dibbs/
PlanePicture.com)

August 2020 31
BUTCHER BIRD VS. HELLCAT & CORSAIR
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
IN MOCK COMBAT
The Fw 190 was easy to fly in combat having
been designed for pilot convenience. Its
no-warning stall reduced its effectiveness
in combat against planes that could force
it to fly at near its stalling speed. But, after
all, it was designed as an interceptor to
attack bombers and was at a disadvantage
in combat with a plane designed for
aerial fights. In many situations, its best
defense was to use its ability to climb at
a relatively high speed and to break off
the engagement. The Fw 190’s inferior
maneuvering prevented it from being a
close-in dogfighter.
ARMAMENT
The Fw 190 we tested didn’t have guns,
but in combat, it had rather formidable
firepower: four 20mm cannon and two
.30-caliber guns. The F6F-3 and the F4U-1
had six, .50-caliber machine guns. If an Fw
190 pilot was successful in positioning his
aircraft for a high-speed, one-pass attack,
his formidable firepower could present a
problem to his adversary. The guns were
set to fire through the propeller. Some
contended that having the guns closer
to the aircraft’s centerline gave a bore-
sighting advantage. In theory, this was so,
but although I was never an armament
expert, I always contended that in combat,
bore sighting just a few feet off the line of
sight was not crucial when trying to assess
the best point of convergence of line of
gunsight, bullet trajectory, bullet dispersion
and the proper gunsight lead with less than
perfect directional control of the plane.
I suspect that the Fw 190’s guns fired
through the propeller was more because the
wing thickness could not accommodate the
guns than to improve the bore sighting.
THE F6F-3 AND THE F4U-1 HAD SIX, .50-CALIBER MACHINE GUNS. IF
AN FW 190 PILOT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN POSITIONING HIS AIRCRAFT
FOR A HIGH-SPEED, ONE-PASS ATTACK, HIS FORMIDABLE FIREPOWER
COULD PRESENT A PROBLEM TO HIS ADVERSARY.
32 FlightJournal.com
SALIENT FEATURES
One throttle lever controlled propeller pitch, manifold pressure,
mixture, magneto timing and throttle setting, so their
operation was comparatively simple. Propeller pitch could also
be controlled independently by a button on the throttle lever.
This was probably used to reduce fuel consumption when
returning to base and not when under fighter attack. The air/
fuel mixture automatically varied between lean and rich at
2,100rpm. Most of us would have preferred more control when
we wanted minimum fuel consumption.
Stabilizer trim, flaps and landing gear were controlled
electrically by conveniently positioned pushbuttons. Those
of us who had experienced hydraulic-system damage during
combat always believed that electrical systems would have
had advantages and would probably have been lighter.
The landing gear were set relatively far apart and
contributed to very good directional stability and control
during landing and takeoff. This was particularly appreciated by
an old F4F driver who had spent years gallantly avoiding ground
loops with the F4F’s narrow, mushy landing gear. We now know
that a very high percentage of German Messerschmitt 109s
were lost in landing and takeoff accidents. No doubt, the
improved Fw 190 landing gear was the result of very costly
lessons learned with the 109.
The pilot sat with his legs extended forward and high; this
probably helped to delay pilot blackout by reducing the flow of
blood to the legs during high-G maneuvers. We didn’t test this
quantitatively, but I was much involved in the development
and testing of anti-blackout systems, and I think that having
the legs elevated was probably helpful. The cockpit was rather
cramped in comparison with the F4U-1’s and the F6F-3’s. Apart
from that, its layout was extremely simple and convenient.
The blower changed automatically at 10,000 feet. If you
weren’t expecting it, this could be a little alarming at times, but
it was probably the correct altitude for full-power operations in
both climb and high-speed level flight.
When a pilot ejected, the Fw 190’s molded cockpit cover—one
unobstructed piece from the windshield aft to the low contour
of the fuselage—would have allowed an easy exit.
 The Corsair, backed by its well-
trained pilots, was so successful,
that it soldiered on a decade later
into the jet-age Korean War in
the early 1950s. This aircraft has
the VMF-214 Black Sheep livery,
complete with the "WE" tail code
and squadron insignia on the
nose. (Photo by Ted Carlson/
fotodynamics.com)

August 2020 33
BUTCHER BIRD VS. HELLCAT & CORSAIR
Above left to right: Former
mount of Luftwaffe Maj.
von Komatski, this Fw
190G was captured in St.
Trond, Belgium, after he
bellied it in because of a
prop strike. His misfortune
took place while he was
attacking an Allied airfield
on January 1, 1945. The
404th commander, Col.
Leo C. Moon, had it
painted hotrod red after
the mechanics got it going
and was going to fly it
around, but the command
brass forbade it.
The number-six produc-
tion F6F-3 Hellcat dis-
plays its camouflage paint
job in early 1943. It was
a very plain but effective
scheme that gave the pilot
his greatest protection
from enemy detection
(Grumman History Center
photo).
Even with the raised
tailwheel and cockpit
enclosure, visibility over
the nose was very bad
when the airplane was in
the threepoint landing po-
sition. The airplane’s trim
lines are very apparent
here. It looked fast even
on the ground (Grumman
photo).
34 FlightJournal.com
Pilot opinions of the Fw 190,
F4U-1 and F6F-3
The opinion of the pilots who made the
test comparisons was that the Fw 190 was
extremely easy to fly in combat and that it
was designed for pilot convenience; but it
was not the F4U-1’s and the F6F-3’s equal
in fighter-to-fighter combat.
In contrast with the cockpits of the
F4U-1 and the F6F-3, the simplicity of the
Fw 190’s cockpit was notable; although
the Fw 190 had more automatic features,
pilots had less direct control over variable
settings and less actual control over
engine performance. All the pilots agreed
that they’d prefer to fly the F4U-1 and
F6F-3 in combat.
Tactics to use against the Fw 190
Because the Fw 190 could outrun the F4U-
1 and the F6F-3 in a 165-knot climb (or
faster), their best offense was to get close
to it and take advantage of their superior
maneuverability—as long as they didn’t
sacrifice any initial advantage merely for
the sake of closing. When attacked from
astern, the Fw 190 could be expected to
roll and dive to keep his adversary off
his tail. If attacked by the Fw 190, the
F4U-1 and the F6F-3 would often evade
it by flying a tight loop. If the Fw 190
attempted to follow in a tight loop, it
would probably stall.
In general, whenever the F4U-1 and
the F6F-3 could not use the hit-and-run
technique, it was best for them to close
with the Fw 190 in offense and defense
to prevent it from getting in a position to
make a high-speed, one-pass attack that
would allow its pilot to take advantage of
his fire power.
Extenuating facts to be considered
On three attempts with the Fw 190 to
reach its service ceiling, it abruptly lost
all power at 33,000 feet. At the time, we
didn’t know what caused this, but we now
know that it was probably the result of its
not having a pressured ignition harness.
Our plane developers experienced this
with certain U.S. planes.
The 190 ran roughly on occasion
apparently because of spark plugs that
were fouled when it was run at low rpm. A
good German Luftwaffe mechanic might
have been able to eliminate this problem.
I can’t say that our maintenance of the
Fw 190 adversely affected it, but there is a
possibility that we didn’t get the Fw 190’s
true peak performance because we weren’t
as familiar with it as we were with the
F6F-3 and the F4U-1. This raises a number
of “What ifs?” What if our assignment
had been to make an interceptor
comparison? What if we had tested it with
German pilots who were as well trained in
it as we were in our planes?
Final thoughts
We took delivery of the plane in the
middle of a heated debate about whether
it was better for the pilot to have
individual control of manifold pressure,
propeller pitch, blower, mixture, etc., or
to have a unilever control of the type
used in the Fw 190. We might have had
an inflated estimate of our ability, but we
supported the pilots’ having individual
control. Those who were responsible for
training thousands of new pilots for new
planes favored the unilever control. I
remember its being discussed at a fighter
meet. The pilots all felt that they were
experts and wanted individual control.
Some of the company engineers, who
were being pressured by customers to
make things simple for the pilot, seemed
prepared to overlook our expertise and
pushed for unilever control. Looking back,
we know that the Germans faced many
circumstances that favored the simpler
control. They had reached the bottom of
the barrel for pilot replacements, and they
were so short of fuel that they didn’t have
enough to train pilots adequately. We
now know of German pilots going into
combat against the bombers having only
minimal checkout time in the Fw 190 and
no operational training. They clearly had
every incentive to simplify.
The Fw 190 had an interesting canopy-
ejection system: a “gun-barrel” fastened
to the canopy fore and aft and a breach
with a shotgun-like shell shot the canopy
aft very surely and very fast. On an
earlier captured Fw 190, this resulted
in an interesting event. A desk-bound
explosives expert was sent out to inspect
it for booby traps; his approach was to
move everything that would move. While
in the cockpit, he moved the red handle
that fired the shell. The canopy was
ejected and took the vertical fin with it.
Fortunately, no one was injured, but the
booby-trap expert had to be helped out
of the plane. His pants were sent to the
cleaners and he was sent back to his desk.
There was much about the Fw 190 to
respect, but I ended my test experience
with my confidence in our fighters
reinforced and feeling that if I had to
meet an adversary in a fighter-to-fighter
engagement, I would be able to cope with
an Fw 190. Later, after extensively flying
the Japanese Zero and nearly every WW II
U.S. Army fighter and the RAF’s Spitfire, I
still felt that way. 
August 2020 35
MACCHI 202
vs. P-38L An Italian fighter pilot
tangles with a Lightning
BY GEN. FRANCESCO FAGIOLO, AS TOLD TO AND WRITTEN BY MANLIO PALMIERI

Gen. Francesco Fagiolo, then Sottotenente of the Italian 360a Squadriglia

CT, was the first fighter pilot in his unit to engage the P-38. Stationed in
North Africa in November of 1942, the Italians knew nothing of the soon-
to-be-famous Lockheeds until the 14th FG arrived over their field. From a
series of interviews and the private diaries of Gen. D. A. Francesco Fagiolo.
 Below: A rare modern view of a Macchi C.202
“Folgore” as only a handful still survive worldwide.
It is ironic that Fagiolo’s historic first encoun-
ter with P-38s was “Lightning versus Lighting”
because “Folgore” loosely translates as “lightning
bolt.” The aircraft pictured is usually on inside
display at the Pratica di Mare Italian Air Force Mu-
seum. Only on rare occasions is it moved outside.
(Photo by Aldo Bidini.)

August 2020 37
MACCHI 202 VS. P-38L
1940, Treviso: Serg. Magg. That morning, I had already been on a
Fagiolo in the cockpit
of a brand-new Macchi
low CAP of the field and of the harbor
C.200 while in service of Tunis. In the afternoon I took off for a
with the 369ª Squadriglia high CAP, the operative altitude was 6,000
CT.
meters. I remember that the specialist
helped me to climb up and enter into the
cockpit; all wrapped up in the flight
gear and restrained by the various safety
belts, it was not easy to move and I was
regularly making mistakes by inserting
my foot in the wrong pedal.
In the air, the movement of my head
is continuous: instruments, sky, terrain,
up, down, right, left, behind … every dark
spot in the blue light generates a reaction
and heightens the senses. A thousand
meters, 1,500 meters, and I meet the first
airplane, the low CAP that passes by on
my left; 2,000 meters, 3,000 meters, and
a nod to the pilot of the second plane,
the intermediate CAP; a movement of
the plane and I keep climbing. The usual
annoyances start, the life boat slightly
inflates and, despite the straps, pushes my
head up against the canopy. Breathing in
the mask is difficult, and the fur collar of
the Marus jacket starts to be a nuisance
despite the silk scarf. Speed, climb,
maneuverability: with this constant
balance I arrive at 6,000 meters, and the
radio starts to crackle … something … but
what?
I look around more carefully, and in the
distance, some flashes of light and long
condensation stripes reveal a formation
38 FlightJournal.com
that can only be that of the enemy; they
are much higher than I am and too far
away to intervene. At 6,200 meters, I
nose-dive slightly and I level the nose,
slowing down the engine and checking
the entire instrument panel. Everything
is regular, and relaxed I continue the
surveillance. The engine sings its
marvelous tune and everything around
me is still: only the movements of my
Macchi and the white stripes that grow
bigger, creating long layers of clouds,
animate the quiet.
Every now and then I open the tap
of the oxygen to enliven the flow; the
coastline appears blurred between the
color of the desert and the sea.
Suddenly there’s something to the
north, in the clear sky. I move away my
eyes and bring them back in the same
direction … yes, it is really a small black
dot. I pull the throttle (Ed. note: Italian
throttles work backwards from ours) and
nose up, instinctively. Time is action;
altitude is power. I try to climb. In the
meantime, the black dot has split: now
there are many small black dots. Their
heading, their altitude, their number:
they are the enemy. I have no doubt.
Around 7,000 meters the Macchi
struggles to gain meter after meter; now I
can distinguish them: they are Liberators,
slightly lower than I am and in close
formation.
I keep climbing; I arm my two 12mm
SAFATs and search for a good position
to start the attack. They are approaching
rapidly.
They are quick. I will be able to make
just one pass.
The moment is … now!
I plunge the plane, at full throttle,
down into a nosedive. The engine
screams; the speed increases. They are at
shooting distance.
I see the tall tails, the large fuselages,
the dull markings, the badges, the turrets,
the double machine guns … tracer bullets
coming towards me from every side; it
does not matter. In the gunsight, the last
one of the line is growing bigger … now!
I press the trigger, a long burst; I see the
bullets entering the fuselage, and the sky
is full of bright streaks. It is just a moment
that ends …. I pull up, I pass them by
in the opposite direction; we distance
ourselves.
MC.202 FOLGORE:
Behind me they are passing over the
PRETTY BUT OUTCLASSED
field; I see that they do not drop their
load of bombs and carry on flying; I Italy’s finest WW II fighter was a sleek, good-looking
invert the route and start climbing again. machine with the kind of esthetics expected of an
Reducing throttle, I open the vents to get artistic people who produce world-class racecars.
rid of the pungent smell of cordite; then, But the Darwinism of aerial combat paid little benefit
getting back to the assigned altitude, for appearance, as the MC.202 fared poorly against
I resume the typical zigzag course of a its American competitors in almost every category.
surveillance flight.
The P-51D and P-38L were 40 to 60mph faster at
Enclosed in my Macchi, anger mounts
most altitudes and packed a far more lethal punch.
in me, a sense of impotence: two 12mm
The Macchi’s two 12.7mm machine guns simply could
SAFATs against that wall of machine guns
and bombs, bombs en route toward a not match the American .50-calibers, let alone the
friendly target … a great anger that I need Lightning’s 20mm cannon. The Folgore pilot’s main
to suppress. The song of the engine is advantage was maneuverability—an asset negated
again regular. The hands of the clock tell by intelligent opponents with greater speed on the
me it is almost time for the turn-over with level and in the dive. Furthermore, the Mustang and
the pilot of the following shift. I have Lightning possessed nearly three times the 202’s
been up here for almost an hour. Other range, permitting Allied bomber formations to arrive
little black clouds, but why are they still over Italian bases with powerful fighter escort.
shooting? Maybe they have mistaken
me for an enemy. I incline the wing and
see them low beneath me: that is the
reason of the shooting. There are about
20 aircraft in formation. They are twin-
engine but strange: twin booms that link
the wing to the tail, the cockpit at the
center of the wing between the twin
booms. I’ve never seen anything like that.
Maybe they’re light bombers—but of
which nation?
They turn, and the sun shines on their
wings. I clearly see the large white stars:
they are Americans! Twin-engine aircraft,
light bombers—Americans; I have the
advantage of the altitude. They are easy
game for my Macchi!
I plunge the airplane into a vertical
nosedive on the enemy group. They have
seen me because they swing vigorously
360 degrees, trying to turn behind me.
I come down quickly. I see the field, the
lake, the desert sand; the vibrations of the
Macchi are very strong. I have all
the advantages: altitude, speed,
maneuverability, position. I aim at one in
the gunsight, and I keep it there with a
slight rotation in a vertical corkscrew June 1942, Sicily: S.ten. Fagiolo (on the left) in front of a C.202 on the airfield of Gela,
dive—now! He’s at shooting distance! A during the second tour of duty of his unit over the island of Malta.

August 2020 39
MACCHI 202 VS. P-38L
This shows the two 12.7
machine guns firing
through the propeller. The
lack of armament was one
of the weak points of
this maneuverable and
reliable fighter.
Two Macchi 202s of the
1st Stormo CT “Sagit-
tario” prepare for takeoff
from an unidentified air
base in North Africa on 8
July 1942, ready for battle.
(Photo courtesy of Steve
Pace collection.)
40 FlightJournal.com
direct hit. I see that he tightens the turn,
lowers his nose towards the ground and
leaves behind him a long black stripe.
I knew it, twin-engine aircraft are
vulnerable; they go down easily. I pull up
in order not to lose too much altitude.
I pull the lever gently and level out to
get back into attack position. I search
for them in the sky, but something is
wrong; they are entering behind my tail.
I tightly turn again and start to see black.
Everything gets foggy for some moments,
and when it is over, they are still there; I
have them on my tail. I was the hunter …
now I am the prey.
What the …; don’t I know how to
engage anymore? What’s happening?
They are at six o’clock behind my tail,
nearer and nearer, and immediately
tracing bullets appear. Many flaming
arrows pass by me; I feel some hits. I look
at the wings and see the holes. Now I
have all of them at my tail—all of them.
Now I am such an easy target. They
are twin-engine aircraft; how can they
maneuver like that? I’m a good pilot, I’ve
always had good instincts; how can they
all be there? And there is no doubt: they
are better in engagement.
A bullet enters the fuselage and breaks
the rudder pedals. I feel a stabbing pain to
my left heel. More bursts, many flaming
stripes overtake me and disappear in
front of my nose. All evasive maneuvers
are useless. I make sudden dives,
disconnected and violent; I dash here
and there. I have to make it difficult for
them to aim. I have to get out of this
unbearable situation, but how?
There is a continuous stabbing pain
in my foot. The cockpit is saturated by
the smell of gun powder. I maneuver
convulsively, and the trembling of my
panic gets confused and lost in the
extremely violent vibrations of the
Macchi. I am in a nosedive, falling; the
anemometer is at the bottom of the scale,
where the number 800 appears in small
digits. I am vertical. I center the rudder
pedals and twist my neck: behind me
nobody, just the sky.
I reduce power and gently, slowly but
surely, start to pull up to get back in the
line of flight. I reduce the speed.
The Macchi is responding well: the
instruments are all back within normality,
gaping holes on the wings and damages
in the cockpit, everything is vibrating,
but it’s responding well to commands.
The hit inside the cockpit has
disintegrated the left extremity of the
rudder pedal, the foot strap is not there
anymore. I am at around 2,500 meters
and all has become quiet again. There is
no sign of the Americans. The compass
indicates 270 degrees; the commands are
again gentle and reassuring. The low and
pale coastline passes by parallel to the
fuselage; the air softly touches the wings.
I follow the coastline with an attentive
ear to the vibration. It is definitely not
diminishing. I recognize the places. I am
near Tunis. I glide down to 1,000 meters
and search for my airfield.
The airfield is in view, and I suddenly
realize that I will have to tell my friends,
my companions, how I was defeated in
a duel by light bombers. I slow down
the engine and lower the landing gear.
Instrument lights turn on, good; down
with the flaps, they go out as well. With a
gradual and very long glide I head to the
strip; the windsock is resting still. I touch
gently, and immediately the bumps start
again. I roll over to the revetment, and
the specialist walks towards me and guides
me in with gestures.
I disconnect the connections, put away
the oxygen mask, open the canopy, and a
gust of hot air hits me. I release the straps,
take away the snap-hook of the parachute,
and grasping the handle of the cockpit,
I stand up, stretching and getting rid of
the straps. Many are approaching: they
look at the holes in the wings and the big
gash in the fuselage—for sure a 20mm.
The specialist moves around the C.202
with disbelief and tells me that also the
propeller is pierced, which is the reason
of the vibrations after the first attack on
the Liberator.
I climb down and everyone is around The P-38 played a major
role in the North African
me …. campaign with three
fighter groups. When the
action moved north
I was really embarrassed by having to into Sicily and Italy, they
admit being hit by light bombers; I related were the fighter of choice
to defend the bombers
all phases of the fight and remember well because of their excep-
that I made an effort to let everybody tionally long range. Two of
understand how much I tried to get them the groups flew the P-38
until thefinal months
away from my tail without managing to of the War, when they
do so. transitioned over to
the P-47 Thunderbolts.
They were all puzzled; you know, a (Photo courtesy of Warren
fighter against some twin-engine aircraft Thompson).
… it is difficult to explain that they could
engage better. The Commander asked
me for a written report to forward to the
Command. It was not a nice perspective
to put the defeat in black on white. It was
very difficult for me
I spoke at length with friends in the
flightline. With gestures and drawings I
tried to explain to everybody what sort of
planes we were coping with.
The specialists counted 12 large-caliber
shots on the wings, one in the fuselage
that exploded in the cockpit, and a lower
caliber shot from the front on one of the
August 2020 41
MACCHI 202 VS. P-38L
propeller blades, I think it was from the
Liberators. The Macchi was patched up
there on the field at the SRAM (Servizio
Riparazioni Aerei e Motori).
Doubts came back to me the following
morning. I asked myself if my failure
was due to a psychophysical decline or
to the exceptional performance of those
new aircraft. I could not understand why
nobody had warned us about them.
The following day, I am the only one
fully awake on the truck that is taking us
to the airfield from the villa. I look at
the worn faces of my companions, who,
in spite of the bumps, are stealing some
42 FlightJournal.com
last moments of sleep; with every bump Flying Jack Erickson’s
of the axle of this old Fiat, their bodies Lightening, the late Jeff
Ethell shows us the formi-
answer, lazily stirring. dable .50-caliber/20mm
The driver brakes in front of the punch the airplane
packed. Fagiolo’s little
Operation office, which is nothing more Macchi was lucky to es-
than a simple, small, half-ruined house, cape. (Photo by Budd
Davisson, www.airbum.
where, in a room still intact, I read the com)
flight shifts: I will fly two CAPs of the
field, at 8 a.m. a high CAP, and at 2 p.m. a
low one.
I go on the flightline and exchange
a couple of words with the ground
crewman who prepared the plane.
The procedure is as always and as
usual; bumping and raising a big cloud

of dust, I move to the takeoff line. These
are the worst moments. I know well
that the English and American fighters
are prowling, waiting near our field and
orientating themselves with the clouds of
dust we raise at the takeoff, when we are
practically helpless, when the slow speed
doesn’t allow us to avoid a possible attack.
I wait for the all-clear. I receive it in my
headset. Engine at full, I offset slightly
to the left and take off the ground. The
clouds that were golden before are now
white, quite a compact layer around
2,000 meters. I pass through it, vibrating
a little and maintaining the line of flight,
looking at the turn and bank indicator.
At 5,200, I dip the 202 and then level. I
start swinging here and there. The ground
down there appears between the break in
the clouds, and against the white mantle I
see the other Macchi, clearly standing out
at an altitude of 3,000 meters.
Around me is the blue of the sky—
nothing else.
At 9:30 a.m. I see coming up, in a large
spiral, the Macchi to replace me. Time for
a visit to the Operation office, and I’m on
a reclining chair under the shade of a
palm. I drink a coffee and watch the
German Stukas taking off; they are
continuously bombing the British lines.
They’re so near we can see the clouds
of black smoke hanging still above the
desert. I doze off.
The awakening is sudden, no noise in
particular, but I know that the field is
in alarm. I see the emergency standby
aircraft that streak by and take off, other
pilots and specialists running towards all
the planes that are able to take off, even if
not operative, to get them into the air and
spare them from being destroyed on the
ground.
I run in a trench a few meters from the
Operation office and look at the sky, The
clouds cloak the field. I hear the dark echo
of four-engine aircraft growing in
intensity; the response of the antiaircraft
artillery begins, the 88mm shots explode
well above the cloak of clouds.
High up now also there is the crackling
of weapons. I hear the hammering of our
machine guns and the angry roar of
diving engines mixed with the
monotonous buzzing of the enemy
formation. They are on the vertical of the
field, but we cannot see anything.
We listen, on our feet, out of the
trench; we look at the sky as if doing so
we could help the pilots up there in the
thin air, jousting in deadly duels.
Now the machine guns are silent, the
buzz of the bombers subsides, they are
going away. I search for an opening of sky
that I do not find, and I know that up
there the pilots are feeling the same rage I
felt yesterday after the first attack: two
August 2020 43
MACCHI 202 VS. P-38L
12.7mm against a wall of turrets with
multiple barrels.
I look at the face of my commander,
and he reads mine. We listen to the
rumble of friendly engines, but it does not
last long. Everything becomes animated
again.
Roars of different engines—powerful,
angry, quick; a strong crackling of
weapons starts again. Another deadly
carousel above the clouds above us. We
are still and listening.
The Macchi 202 was
an excellent dogfighter One minute, two … I do not know. A
that was introduced into 202 pierces the low clouds and maneuvers
operational service with
the Italian Air Force in to land. He executes a tight turn to land
1941. When the 82nd on the track and stops immediately. I
Fighter Group moved
into bases in Italy, there
run to meet him and guide him to the
were some Macchi's holding bay. He is not yet completely
that had been left be- still, when another one of ours comes
hind with battle damage
received in dogfights in quickly leaving
with American P-38s. behind him a
This 82nd group
sergeant poses with stripe of white
one of the damaged smoke; he touches
Italian fighters. (Photo
courtesy of Warren down and then
Thompson.)
44 FlightJournal.com
moves laterally to make space for those
following him. Here are the other two
guys who were out; they arrive and land
in a cloud of dust … all four are back,
thanks to God!
No loss.
Around the Macchi, a gathering of
specialists, pilots, armorers—everybody
looking at the signs of battle on the
aircraft, which are all in bad shape.
We listen to the words of our
companions, who, still excited and
agitated, relate the clash, the duels, the
beatings given and those received. We
interrupt them, we storm them with
questions, they look at me: “They were
the same as yours, Checco.”
I feel rehabilitated,
relieved. They now
believed me, and with
this lighter spirit, I
went away to get ready
for the second flight of
the day ….
 GALLERY
GALLERY

It's a Kinner
TEXT AND PHOTOS BY GILLES AULIARD

For the general aviation population, the Kinner name is associated

with a family of low-power radial engines. This may be true, but Kinner
activities were far from being limited to engine production. From 1932 to
1937, Kinner produced a line of monoplanes that became an inspiration for
an entire generation of airplane designers. Some of their features could
be found on other designs years after the company ceased all activity.
Bert Kinner, founder of the Kinner Airplane
and Motors Corp., developed his first
airplane design in 1919, which looked like
a scaled-down version of the Curtiss Jenny.
He later developed the original Sportster
concept. Max Harlow, an aeronautics
graduate fresh out of school and hired for
the job, redesigned it into the Sportster K.
Drafted in 1932, the Sportster was a two-
place, side-by-side, low-wing monoplane.
Construction was conventional for its time,
with a welded steel-tube fuselage and tail
surfaces and wooden frame wings, all fabric-
covered. Its most distinctive feature was
the folding wings. Between 1932 and 1939,
a grand total of 53 Sportsters were built
under various names. Nowadays, 10 are
still registered. The most recent addition to
the flying population is Kinner Sportster B
N14288, S/N 166, owned by Bob McCorkle
of Ridgefield, Connecticut. For the last 25
years, the plane had been in and out of
restoration. It should now be a fixture at fly-
ins around the country.
With more than 100 hours under his
belt flying this plane, McCorkle comments
on the flight characteristic of this very rare
machine: “It is not a climber. Under the best
of circumstances, it climbs at 500 to 600
feet per minute. It isn’t fast either; cruise is
about 80mph on a calm day. It offers great
forward visibility, and in flight, it’s a real
sweetheart. If you get it coordinated, it does
whatever you want. There isn’t any needle
and ball, so you fly it by the seat of your
pants. Your reference is the no. 1 cylinder,
as there isn’t an attitude gyro either.
“Where it bites you is during taxiing.
The plane originally had a full castering
tailwheel. The fuselage is 24 feet long,
which presents a long moment arm; in
a three-point attitude, you don’t have
any rudder control. With all those factors
combined, it ground loops at the slightest
hint of wind.
“Modifications taken up over the winter
of 2005 to make the tailwheel controllable
changed all that.”
No matter the many quirks associated
with antique airplanes, the Kinner has the
good looks of an Art Deco icon. Much can
be forgiven to an old airplane with such
obvious class.

August 2020 47
GALLERY

Above: the instrument panel of the Kinner is pretty simple. Note the
position of the mag switch and carb heat, moved to the right, away
from the pilot. The cabin of the Kinner is fairly tight for two people.

Left: the Kinner Airplane and Motor Corp. produced a very successful
line of low-power radial engines that powered all families of airplanes:
Fleet, Kinner, Meyers, some early WACO models and WW II-era primary
military trainers, such as the Ryan PT-22.

Below: the wing’s outer panels are heavily braced, as shown on this
view. Note the pitot tube is mounted on the interstrut. Even though
most of the Sportsters had a folding wing mechanism,
Bob’s example has fixed wings.

48 FlightJournal.com
 The tripod landing gear of the Kinner is
one of its weakest spots.

The plane’s data plate states that Bob McCorkle’s Kinner

is model Sportster K S/N 166, manufactured on January
7, 1935, under ATC No. 516, and is equipped with the Kin-
ner B-5 engine S/N 738.

The Kinner’s
fin and rudder
have generous
dimensions.
Though very ef-
fective in flight,
the rudder
has very little
influence at low
speed. 

McCorkle shows the luggage compartment situated in the wing stubs. The tripod
landing gear attaches to the wing stub as well, which is integral to the fuselage.

August 2020 49
 Memoirs of a
BY RON WERNETH

The last-ditch efforts of the squadron of aces

Peering out of the Navy Club window, I begin to realize how beautiful Tokyo looks
in springtime. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and the locals are sitting outside,
eating their lunches and enjoying the sunny day. Seated in front of me is a man—old
enough to be my grandfather—who is recalling a tale that happened long ago.

His age seems to melt away as he remembers the
great Pacific air war. As his quick mind reaches
back through the years, in a soft voice he explains
a forgotten page in WW II history. The man’s name
is Ryoichi Yamada—one of the original Japanese
Navy pilots who flew with the “squadron of aces”
(the 343rd Air Group) during the summer of 1945.
It was a time Japanese Navy pilots would never
forget—the sweltering heat, the ever increasing
Allied aerial armadas, airplanes that were poorly
built by unskilled workers and a shortage of vital
supplies. They knew their war was probably lost,
This Zero belonging to the Planes of
Fame Museum is believed to be the only
Japanese airplane still flying anywhere in
the world. This is especially noteworthy
considering it is still using its original en-
gine. Only a very few Georges, as flown
by Ryoichi Yamada, are known to exist in
any condition, much less a flyable
one. (Photo by Budd Davisson.)
but they strove to win their battles, however
small. They were, after all, warriors. After a suc-
cessful island-leaping campaign that included
the capture of vital enemy strongholds Iwo Jima
and Okinawa, the Allies were literally on Japan’s
doorstep and were preparing to exercise the final
knockout blow. They also had an excellent re-
stocking system for vital supplies—something that
Japan could never develop. The Japanese forces
became so desperate that they began to mount
“Divine Wind” suicide attacks, popularly known as
kamikaze.
August 2020 51

The 301st Squadron of the famous 343 Kokutai (Air Group or AG) photographed in January, 1945 at Matsuyama Air Base. Capt. Minoru Genda,
the CO of the unit, is pictured in the middle of the first row. Lt. Naoshi Kanno (48 victories) is second from the left in the first row. Famous ace CPO
Shoichi Sugita (120-plus victories), is third from the right in the second row. Sugita’s wingman, PO 1st Class Tomoichi Kasai (10 victories) is in the last
row, fifth from the left.
A group of pilots from the
343 Kokutai. On April 15,
1945, over Kanoya Airfield,
PO 2nd Class Toyomi
Miyazawa (fourth from left)
and Shoichi Sugita were
shot down and killed by Lt.
Cdr. Robert A. Weatherup
of VF-46. Petty Officer 2nd
Class Tsuneharu Tamura
(second from right) was in
Sugita’s flight but was
forced to abort and
survived.
52 FlightJournal.com
The Japanese Imperial Navy Air Force was
weakened, but not quite defeated. In the
midst of the gloom, one squadron began
to shine brightly—the 343rd Air Group.
This squadron of aces was masterminded
by Capt. Minoru Genda, who was
the man behind the successful attack
on Pearl Harbor. Genda had himself
transferred out of the Naval General Staff
PHOTOS COURTESY OF HENRY SAKAIDA
to command this elite unit. The 343rd
AG was a hand-picked group of Japan’s
experienced pilots and was created to turn
the tide of the air war over Japan. Genda’s
plan for winning was simple: first, he
would use the best airplane available
at that time, the Kawanishi Shiden Kai
(Allied code name, “George”). Second,
he would call on Japan’s most
experienced pilots to fly it. Among the
pilots that flew with the unit were
Lt. Naoshi Kanno (48 kills), Chief
Petty Officer (CPO) Shoichi Sugita
(120-plus kills) and Ensign Kaneyoshi
Muto (35 kills).
Genda also believed in the value
of accurate reconnaissance data; for
this, he relied on the 4th Reconnaissance
Squadron, which flew with a high-speed
carrier observation plane called the
Saiun, or “iridescent cloud.” Genda
theorized that success in the air would be
achieved by the improvement of air-to-air
communications and formation combat,
so he stressed the importance of this to
his men; in fact, the 343rd AG was the
only unit to have fighters with properly
working radios! The Yokosuka AG had ship-building center; the
discovered that the simple modification country’s ultimate battle-
of adding resistors to the spark-plug ship, the Yamato, was built
wires made the Shiden Kai’s Type 3 radio there. Consequently, the
function perfectly. After hearing this, city was a prime Allied
Genda ordered his entire unit to target during the summer of
be retrofitted to improve air-to-air 1945.
communications. Now, more than half
Last, Genda employed a couple of a century later, as he sat
simple, yet efficient, psychological tools sipping his green tea and
to boost the men’s morale. To inspire his savoring the sight of cherry Ryoichi Yamada (left) and
Minoru Genda
men, he posted banners in the front of blossoms, Yamada told his tale:
the 343rd AG barracks. Also, he gave each
squadron a popular name. “On the morning of July 24, 1945, when
The 343rd AG consisted of five the tide of war was unfavorable, about
squadrons: 401st, 301st, 407th, 701st and 500 carrier planes from the enemy task
the 4th Reconnaissance Squadron. The force that approached off Tosa came
301st became the Shinsen-gumi, or “elite northward and were in striking distance
guard”; the 407th was called Tenchugumi of the Kure naval harbor area. Upon
or “heavenly punishment unit”; the 701st receipt of the information, the 343rd AG
Ishin-tai was the “imperial restoration decided to intercept them with all of our
unit”; and the 4th Reconnaissance airworthy Shiden Kais. However, we only
Squadron, the Kiheitai, or “commando had 21 fighters because of heavy fighting
unit.” It is not known whether the 401st and insufficient replenishment.
Squadron, which was a training squadron, “In spite of such unfavorable
had a special name, but it did have the conditions, Commander Genda said this,
Kure Naval Base just
largest number of late-term flight-school ‘The 343rd AG should stop the enemy before the massive Allied
pilots. Veteran pilot Lt. Naoshi Kanno offensive by destroying their planes attack on July 24, 1945.
The primary targets are
commanded the 301st Squadron, which one after another if we find them.’ At circled.
suffered the greatest number of casualties
of all five squadrons. Well-known
Japanese ace Saburo Sakai reportedly said
that Kanno was a bad leader because he
was much too reckless in combat, hence,
his unit had the most losses. Lt. Takashi
Oshibuchi’s squadron, the 701st, suffered
the fewest casualties.
Ryoichi Yamada tells a vivid tale about a
mission that he will never forget: the day
on which his brother-in-law, Squadron
Leader Takashi Oshibuchi, was killed in
combat. June 1945 marked the beginning
of the end for the Japanese aviators; the
War was drawing to a close and the Allied
juggernaut was in high gear. Allied pilots
even began to complain about the lack of
action. U.S. Task Force 38.1 was assigned
to attack the great Japanese naval town of
Kure.
During the War, the city had a
population of more than 400,000 people
and was the greatest Asian military port of
that time. It was also a premier Japanese

August 2020 53
This aircraft (s/n 5341) was on loan from the National Air and Space
Museum. It was restored over a three-year period by the Champlin
Museum and rolled out in November 1994 (photo by Robert Mikesh).
FLYING THE “GEORGE”
By 1944, the tide of the Pacific War had begun to
turn. Instead of advancing, the Japanese were now
on the retreat. Faced with several major defeats and
an increasing number of new, advanced Allied fighters
such as the P-38 Lightning and the Corsair, the
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force needed a new tool
with which to wage war. Its solution was the Kawanishi
N1K1-J Shiden Kai (Violet Lightning). The Allies’ code
name for the aircraft was “George.” The first variant of
the aircraft, the model 21, was fitted with a powerful
Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 radial engine (1,990hp),
automatic combat flaps and pilot armor. Armament
consisted of two fuselage-mounted 7.7mm machine
guns, two wing-mounted 20mm cannons and an
additional two 20mm cannons mounted in underwing
gondolas. In later variants, the armament was
changed to four 20mm cannons; finally, a specialized
bomber version of the fighter was produced with four
underwing bomb-racks.
How did the aircraft fly? Early reports from
flight trials judged that the George had excellent
handling, but the company test pilot complained
of excessive propeller torque during takeoff and
poor visibility during taxiing, which was caused by
a tall undercarriage. Even with these problems,
the fighter was rushed to the front because it was
desperately needed for the defense of the Philippines.
Unfortunately for the Japanese, several of the fighters
were destroyed on the ground by large, prelanding U.S.
Navy fighter sweeps. The Japanese suffered additional
54 FlightJournal.com
losses due to the persistent engine and undercarriage
problems. Lt. Cmdr. Iyozoh Fujita—a seasoned veteran of
several major aerial battles including Midway and Pearl
Harbor—was one of the first pilots to fly the aircraft in
combat. He also was chosen to be one of the first naval
aviators to fly the still new George during the battle for
the Philippines. Fujita had this to say about the fighter:
“The problem with the George was the mechanical
failures. There was a lack of spare parts because the
transports were being sunk. Out of 36 aircraft, maybe
only eight were flyable. The Shiden was not that bad
an aircraft. When everything worked right, it flew very
well. The automatic combat flaps worked well, and the
armament was very powerful, so in that way it was not
a bad airplane.”
Another pilot who flew the fighter during its early
days was Lt. Ryoichi Yamada. During our meeting,
Yamada told me, “The Shiden was the first land-based
fighter that Kawanishi built. One of the characteristics
of the aircraft was that it had a mid-wing and long
landing-gear struts. It had a high-horsepower
engine that should have generated 2,000hp, but the
engine actually produced around 1,800. The design
of the airplane was good, but the machine tooling
that produced the components for the fighter was
not. The materials were poor quality, so the engine
could never produce 2,000hp. It was probably faster
than the Hellcat, but the turning performance and
maneuverability were not very good. If you were rough
with the stick, you would go into what the pilots called
When the Champlin Museum restored the “George,” many of the internal components were missing; if an original part could not be located and rein-
stalled, it was remanufactured (photos by Robert Mikesh).
autorotation. During this movement, the aircraft would
go out of control, or sometimes, it went into a spin.
It turned in a way that the pilot could not predict.
For example, during an aerial melee over Manila with
U.S. fighters, a squadron mate of mine went into
autorotation when our unit engaged them. His aircraft
then went into a spin and crashed into the ground.
In autorotation, you do not know what will happen,
whether you will go into a spin, or flip over. It is totally
unpredictable.”
Yamada also commented on the innovative
automatic combat flaps: “They worked very well;
however, in spite of them, handling the plane was still
a problem. The combat flaps worked well in tight turns,
and they would work smoothly. But, there still were
handling problems with the aircraft. After the war, I
flew advanced American jets such as the F-104 with the
Japan Self Defense Force, but they never had that type
of equipment. The F-104 had combat flaps as well, but
they were not automatic like those on the Shiden. The
design of the automatic combat flaps was a Japanese
invention.”
During a ferry flight, Yamada discovered another
problem with the George—unpredictable brakes. After
landing, Yamada’s aircraft flipped over when the
brakes locked up. He said the brakes would not work
sometimes, and then, all of sudden, they would catch
and lock up. According to him, this problem also caused
many nose-overs. Yamada survived because he held on
to the bottom of the instrument panel. Yamada recalls
that pilots normally did not survive this type of crash.
After learning how he survived the accident, Japanese
authorities decided to make it the emergency
procedure for that type of crash. Incredibly, after this
measure was implemented, no airman was killed during
a nose-over crash in a George.
Back in Japan, Kawanishi engineers were busy
working on solutions to these ongoing troubles. The
N1K2-J Shiden Kai (“Improved Lightning”) was born. Of
the original design, the aircraft retained only the wings
and armament. To solve the undercarriage and visibility
problems, the undercarriage was redesigned with
shorter main-gear struts, and the wings were moved
to the lower part of the fuselage. Furthermore, the tail
surfaces and fuselage were redesigned.
Lt. Cdr. Yoshio Shiga, the official test pilot of the
343AG, was chosen to test-fly the new variant of the
fighter. He later recalled these early crucial flight tests:
“The Shiden Kai was a good airplane. It was heavily
armed and structurally strong—combat-worthy. The
fighter was able to spray lots of cannon shells at the
enemy, and it was much better than the Zero in that
respect. The Shiden Kai could be compared to a lively
downtown girl. Fuel quality was down to 85 octane
when the gas was mixed with oil extracted from
pine-tree roots, which was a volatile oil. Hence, the
performance of the Homare engine was much lower
than catalog. However, even under these conditions,
pilots such as Oshibuchi and Kanno said that the
Shiden Kai was good up to around 30,000 feet. In my
opinion, the Shiden Kai could deal with the F6Fs, but
had a hard time against P-51s.”
The aircraft also had trouble against the B-29s. This
was because the Shiden Kai had a poor climb speed,
and the engine was not powerful at higher altitudes.
Toward the end of the War, engineers were working
on a new prototype of the Shiden Kai, designated
the N1K5-J, that featured an upgraded Homare 44
radial engine with a mechanically driven 3-speed
supercharger. This proposed variant of the venerable
fighter would have been used to intercept high-flying
Superfortresses. Unfortunately for the Japanese,
during a B-29 raid, the prototype N1K5-J was destroyed
prior to completion. Thus ended wartime development
of the aircraft, and another page in the history of the
Japanese aviation industry closed.
August 2020 55
MEMOIRS OF A JAPANESE FIGHTER PILOT

GEORGE is the unlikely Allied nickname for the best Japanese

naval fighter produced in quantity during World War II. The official
Japanese name and designation was Kawanishi N1K2 Shiden (Violet
Lightning). This outstanding land-based fighter sprang directly
from a floatplane fighter design, the N1K1 REX. Many countries
used floatplanes for scouting and reconnaissance duties, and to
hunt submarines and surface ships, but only Japan built and fielded
fighters on floats. The Japanese Imperial Navy intended to use
these specialized aircraft to gain air superiority above a beach-
head to support amphibious landing operations where carrier or
land-based fighters were unavailable. The Kawanishi N1K1 (Allied
codename REX) was the only airplane designed specifically for this
purpose to fly during World War II.

This airplane, from the National Air & Space Museum collection
is on display in the World War II Aviation (UHC) at the Steven F.
Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. (Photo courtesy of National Air
& Space Museum)

56 FlightJournal.com
August 2020 57
MEMOIRS OF A JAPANESE FIGHTER PILOT
9:04 a.m., 21 Shiden Kais from all three
squadrons took off from Omura base
with the head of the 701st Squadron, Lt.
Takashi Oshibuchi, in the lead.
“Lt. Oshibuchi was a member of the
first student class [68th term] when
I entered the Naval Academy. Our
relationship was not a simple one, like
that of a senior and junior, or a squadron
leader and a division leader, but it was
a close relationship, between a 1st class
and a 4th class student. We trusted each
other. He was a rare person in the Navy
Air Corps in the sense that there was no
other officer who was so trusted both by
his seniors and by his men. It was largely
due to his splendid leadership. All of the
pilots in his squadron were determined to
‘die together with our leader.’
“Lt. Oshibuchi was a warrior of gentle
character. Once in a fight, however, he
threw away the gentleness and showed
his persistent fighting spirit. Oshibuchi
went to the forward position during any
combat engagement. His capability to
lead a large formation in the air was also
superb. He was popular among his men,
and they were proud of him. Often,
his men boasted about him to other
members of the 343rd AG. Because of the
atmosphere that he created around us,
strangely we had no fear of 500 enemy
planes attacking our squadron in combat.
“Under the command of Lt. Oshibuchi,
the 21 Shiden Kais waited for the enemy
planes over the Bungo Strait. Suddenly,
the voice of Cmdr. Genda came on the
wireless phone giving us instructions.
Soon, numerous spots appeared before
my eyes, and they looked like scattered
sesame seeds. Luckily, the enemy did not
see us and they kept heading south,
toward their carriers. After finishing their
raids on Kure, formations of about 30
planes each were coming toward us at
short intervals. There was a reported
figure of 500 aircraft, so there would
be flights of 10 and several additional
echelons. Suddenly, my eyes were filled
with half of them—probably 250 aircraft!
It was an overwhelming sight!
“We intended not to attack from the
front of enemy aircraft because even with
58 FlightJournal.com
the strength of 21 Shiden Kais, we would
be tortured to death by the enveloping
attack from succeeding flights. Our
squadron decided to attack the rear of
the formation. It would take some time
for the preceding formations to turn back
to aid the aircraft under attack. In the
meantime, we would destroy the target
formation and retreat like a bolt of
lightning! We wanted to attain the
maximum effect with the least cost.
However, it was difficult to follow these
tactics because of the limited flying time
of our Shiden Kais. Hence, Lt. Oshibuchi
decided to attack a formation that was
flying at a longer interval behind the
preceding formations.
“We made a steady and careful
approach, trying not to be noticed. Our
pilots took a position almost straight
ahead of the enemy formation, and Lt.
Oshibuchi suddenly nosed down. It was
a diving attack from behind and
above at an altitude of 6,000 meters.
Simultaneously, after seeing Lt. Oshibuchi
begin to dive (his signal to attack),
the planes of both the 701st and 407th
Squadrons charged and we were brought
into a swirl of heated fighting. Flying in
line with the lead plane, I also fired my
first burst of the 20mm cannons at an
enemy plane and then climbed to prepare
for a second burst. At the same time, the
enemy formation became disordered,
and the Shiden Kais flying cover began to
attack the succeeding enemy formation
that approached. The battle became a
large melee in an instant!
“During the fight, I was separated
from Oshibuchi’s plane. I glanced
around for him and was relieved to
see Flight CPO Jiro Hatsushima, the
third man of our flight, escorting his
plane tightly. I thought he would be all
right with Hatsushima covering him,
because Hatsushima was an excellent
pilot. During all of the confusion, with
planes crossing back and forth, I caught
a glimpse of our leader’s plane—together
with Hatsushima—dogfighting at a fairly
far distance from me. That would be the
last time that I saw his plane. At the same
time, I was busy gripping the shooting
 Minoru Genda was the innovative
mastermind behind Japan’s attack on
Pearl Harbor. What was “Madman” Genda
really like? He earned that nickname
because of his outspoken views on the
supremacy of aircraft over battleships.
Ryoichi Yamada came to know him during
the closing months of WW II, when Genda
took command of the 343rd AG—Japan’s
“squadron of aces.” Yamada recently gave
his views on Genda:
“Genda was short and probably the
minimum height to become a pilot. He was
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.ORG

a smart, hard worker and hated to lose!

Genda was one of the elite, and serious
about any task he took on. He graduated
from naval college with top grades and
pioneered the use of naval aircraft. In 1941,
when Adm. Yamamoto first envisioned
the Pearl Harbor attack, he called Rear
Adm. Takijiro Onishi. Onishi immediately
requested Genda’s help, and he single-
handedly planned the attack. He was really
an exceptional figure.”
Yamada also spent quite some time
commenting on Genda’s personal ideas:
“Only select, elite members of the naval
college would be allowed to stay in foreign
countries. Genda was in London during
the Battle of Britain, and that was very
beneficial to him for planning tactics. He
also traveled through the United States
and reviewed their armed forces. At that
time, the Germans were really driving
through Europe, and everybody thought
that they would win, but not Genda. He
told other Japanese Navy officers that
Germany would lose. While Genda was
still in the naval college, he reported that
battleships were useless in modern warfare
and that Japan should build more carriers.
This all happened at a time when both the
Japanese and Americans had a firm belief in
the mighty battleship!”
What was it like to be under the
command of Genda? “I knew Genda as the GENDA WOULD NEVER
commanding officer of the 343rd AG. He
did not give out strange orders that got in
GIVE IRRATIONAL
the way of pilots. Genda would never give ORDERS. HE WAS
irrational orders. He was liked by both pilots LIKED BY BOTH
and aircrew—down to the last man. Because PILOTS AND
of his experience in seeing the Battle of AIRCREW—DOWN TO
Britain, he really stressed the importance THE LAST MAN. HE
of good communications and early warning REALLY STRESSED
systems. He even built small plotting boards
to track the aerial movements of the enemy.
THE IMPORTANCE
When Genda became the Commander of the OF GOOD
343rd AG, he initiated the most advanced COMMUNICATIONS
communications and early warning systems
in all of Japan.”
Genda was a true pioneer in the early
days of carrier aviation, and he has earned
a place in the annals of history for being
the man behind the attack that brought
the United States into WW II.

August 2020 59
MEMOIRS OF A JAPANESE FIGHTER PILOT
Leading airman Yoichi knob of my aircraft and thinking, ‘Be
Saiki (407 Squadron) was
killed after shooting down careful; not too far,’ while battling the
a VBF-17 Hellcat on March enemy aircraft.
19, 1945. The white 03 in
the red hinomaru was a
“Awhile later, I stopped fighting
temporary whitewash because of a lack of fuel and ammunition
used for training and and I returned to Omura air base. I waited
maintenance purposes.
The wooden brace on the a long time, but Lt. Oshibuchi and CPO
vertical fin was used to Hatsushima did not return. We destroyed
secure the rudder to
prevent wind damage. 16 enemy planes, which didn’t include
another two or three planes that
were added during later research.
Unfortunately, six pilots were lost,
including Lt. Oshibuchi and CPO
Hatsushima. On the same day, the
343rd AG was given an Emperor’s
commendation for service. However, I
cannot forget the vacancy that was left in
our minds because of the deaths of our
comrades, and celebrating with sake was
not in order that day.”
Officially, the Americans lost 20 aircraft
during their raid on Kure, but the actual
losses were 26. The 343rd AG lost six of its
own men, but it put in claims for 16 U.S.
planes destroyed. According to official
343rd AG records, Oshibuchi made three
firing passes on the enemy aircraft and
was hit in the engine. He then dived,
became separated from his group
during the heavy fighting and was lost.
60 FlightJournal.com
Hatsushima was simply listed as MIA.
Besides the terrible loss of Oshibuchi
and other pilots, the unit also lost ace
Kaneyoshi Muto. Muto—nicknamed
“Kin-Chan,” which means “little gold”—
participated in heavy fighting over the
Solomons, Philippines, New Guinea and
China and later home defense over Japan.
Muto’s death was a great loss to the unit.
American participants from VF-49 also
have vivid memories of their mission on
July 24, 1945. Lt. j.g. Jack Gibson recalls,
“We heard a call from some fighters ahead
that they had been jumped by enemy
PHOTO COURTESY OF HENRY SAKAIDA
planes. We immediately joined up to go
to their aid. As we approached the planes
ahead, I noticed two planes coming
toward us, and I went with my wingman,
Lt. j.g. George M. Williams, to investigate.
Their planes had wing tanks, and as we
approached, they dropped them and
started to dive for the water. By now we
could see that they were 'Georges,' and we
started to close on them. Our section split
and I followed one, while Lt. Williams
closed in on the other. With the addition
of water injection, the F6F-5 had no
trouble at all in closing on the George.
The Japanese pilot tried to turn inside me,
but every time he started a turn, I would
fire a short burst in front of him, and that
would always bring him back to straight
and level. When I got in effective range,
my first burst knocked his wheels down.
I overran him and had to pull up in a
wingover to drop back on his tail. He then
tried skidding turns without success. By
this time, I began to get my bursts into the
cockpit and his plane started to smoke.
He finally fell over on one wing and went
straight into the water, without burning.”
Lt. Williams had this to say about the
skirmish: “Lt. Gibson tally-ho’d two
enemy fighters under us on the water. We
made a 180-degree turn and gave chase,
each taking one. I closed rapidly on my
plane, which I am reasonably sure was a
George. Just as I came into range of his
tail, he executed a very tight turn, which
I attempted to follow but in which I was
not successful. Before I blacked out, I shot
about a three-second burst, and I think
that it killed or wounded the pilot. When
MEMOIRS OF A JAPANESE FIGHTER PILOT

Ryoichi Yamada in 1999
(photo by Ron Werneth).
I came to, I found that he was falling in a
tight spiral trailing a great cloud of smoke.
Just before he struck the water, another
group of U.S. fighters followed him
down and fired into his plane.”
After their fateful mission of July 24,
1945, the 343rd AG did not participate
in any further largescale aerial battles,
mostly owing to a lack of experienced
pilots. With heavy losses to the 343rd AG,
including the veteran pilots Oshibuchi,
Kanno, Muto and Sugita, fighting the vast
Allied air armadas became increasingly
difficult. Nevertheless, the unit earned its
place in the history books. According
to Genda, the unit accounted for about
170 enemy aircraft shot down and lost 74
pilots. This was all done in six months,
with limited supplies and while flying
against a numerically superior adversary.
Yamada continued to serve his country
after the War by flying T-33s, F-86s, F-104s
and F-4s with the Japanese Self Defense
Air Force. He also trained in the United
States and flew several types of high-
performance American jets, including
F-15s and T-38s. In 1981, Yamada retired
from a successful military career with the
rank of general.
As Yamada finished his story, one
could sense relief—as though it had been
hidden in his heart since the War and
only now could his feelings be released.
Unfortunately, many of Japan’s veterans
feel either that they cannot tell their
stories or that no one would be interested
in them. It is my sincere hope that, as
more accounts are published, people
will get a greater understanding of the
Japanese Navy aviators who fought and
died in the Pacific skies. 
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ron Werneth’s books: Fall of
the Japanese Empire: Memories of the Air
War and Beyond Pearl Harbor: The Untold
Stories of Japan’s Naval Airmen, offer first-
hand accounts of pilots who served on both
sides of the conflict.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HENRY SAKAIDA

This “George” was one of the aircraft that was shot down on the mission of July 24, 1945. Research showed that it belonged to the 301st Squadron of
the 343rd Kokutai Air Group. It was recovered from Hido Bay on July 14, 1979. The George was never completely restored. Instead, it was just
repainted, and the original bullet holes were retained. Today, this rare wartime veteran is on display in Nan-Yo recreation park in Uwajima, Japan.

62 FlightJournal.com
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REVIEW RUNWAY
Scooter!: The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Story
Tommy H. Thomason
Specialty Press

A single-seat subsonic the trend toward ever

carrier-capable attack bigger, faster, and more
aircraft developed in the complicated tactical
early 1950s, the Douglas jet airplanes in favor of
A-4 Skyhawk was used simplicity and low cost.
extensively by the US Although originally ABOUT THE AUTHOR
One of the leading
Navy and US Marines. optimized for the delivery authorities on U.S. naval
A relatively lightweight of a nuclear bomb, it aviation, Tommy H.
aircraft the Skyhawk proved to be far more Thomason has worked
as a flight test engineer,
had a top speed of more versatile in service and manager, and executive
than 670mph powered as a consequence the in the aerospace industry
by the Pratt & Whitney A-4 enjoyed a 25-year for almost 40 years,
including two years as a
J52 engine. Twenty-five production run and
flight-test engineer on the
years after the aircraft operation. For several F-4 Phantom. Authoring
first took flight in 1954, years the U.S Navy’s famed several popular aircraft
the last of the 2,960 A-4s Blue Angels aerobatic team histories, he has flown
more than 3,000 hours
were produced (through February 1979). employed it for their air show demonstrations, in 60 different airplanes,
Nicknamed the “Scooter” by its pilots, it also a role for which it was ideally suited given its helicopters, and sailplanes
saw service with the Argentine Air Force and performance and maneuverability.
Brazilian Naval Aviation. Those same characteristics were utilized
Of particular note, the A-4 Skyhawk was the as a challenging adversary in the training
first aircraft to drop ordinance in the Vietnam of fighter pilots for air-to-air combat. A-4s
War occurring on August 5, 1964. In 1967, past flown by both the U.S. Navy and the Israeli Air
US senator John McCain, while serving on the Force shot down faster Soviet-built fighters in
USS Oriskany, was an A-4 pilot when he was combat operations.
shot down over Vietnam and became a POW. Priced at $44.95, this 280-page hardcover
Some sharp-eyed viewers may recall that in book features some 250 black and white
the original motion picture “Top Gun,” flight photos and 100 color photos and is a fully
Douglas A-4F Skyhawks
instructor “Viper” was flying an A-4 Skyhawk revised and updated edition of the definitive aboard USS Hancock
while dogfighting Maverick’s F-14 Tomcat. history of the A-4 first published in 2011.  (CVA-19) on 25 May 1972.

Written by Tommy H. Thomason, Scooter!:

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
Story, is an excellent read
and is now in its second
addition. Few modern
military aircraft can claim
the longevity and success
of the legendary Douglas
A-4 Skyhawk. It achieved
combat fame in the
Falkland and Vietnam wars
and saw service with the
air arms of seven foreign
countries, including Israel
and New Zealand. It is
still in use today in South
America.
Also known as the
Bantam Bomber, the
WIKIMEDIA

A-4 dramatically bucked

64 FlightJournal.com
TAILVIEW

Continued from page 66

that we had full internal fuel,

about four hours. Maj. Hiro
told me to take my flight on a
northeast heading and look for
a B-17 crew that had ditched
their aircraft and were in a
dinghy a couple of hundred
miles out in the Channel. We
were to find the crew and stay
with them until a rescue boat
found them.
An hour later, we found the
dinghy with the entire crew
and buzzed them; they were
quite happy. While circling
the dinghy, I spotted a Ju 188
low on the water northeast of
us, obviously looking for the
B-17 crew to strafe it. I left two
of my wingmen at the dinghy
and headed for the Ju 188. I caught it I flew more than 50 missions and only Readers may be interested
in the above article that
about two miles later on the edge of an saw enemy aircraft on five of them. It was published in the Stars
island. I put his wingspan in the K-14 was a big sky, and the P-51D aircraft ruled & Stripes newspaper in
October 1944.
sight, flipped on the gun switch, closed the sky. The P-51D was the best fighter of
up to about 200 yards and opened fire. It WW II. I know because I got to fly them
was a thing of beauty. That 188 lit up like all after the War.
a Christmas tree and blew into a million There are many P-51s in excellent
pieces. shape flying today. I flew Jack Roush’s
The six .50-caliber guns, firing at 5,000 Glamorous Glen III, Gary Honbarrier’s
rounds per minute, never missed a lick. It Glamorous Glen III and Mark
was my first of many enemy aircraft shot Huffstuttler’s Glamorous Glen III (the
down with the six .50-caliber guns. only remaining one). They are beautiful
When we returned from the mission, I aircraft.
called Maj. Hiro and told him I had shot I have flown with Jack Roush a few
down an airplane. He screamed in the times. He is pretty well self-taught and
phone: “Damn it, Yeager! Can’t you do does an outstanding job with the P-51—
anything right? You are not supposed never “cowboying” or doing stupid
to fly combat. Gen. Eisenhower will things. 
courtmartial us all! Bring your combat
film up to headquarters and fill out
an encounter report. We will use Ed
Simpson’s name on the film, and it When you support our
will make him an ace.” (Simpson was advertisers, you support
later shot down and killed by the
Germans while fighting with the French
underground.)
During the next six months, I shot
down five 109s on one mission with 500
rounds and four Fw 190s with 160 rounds
and an Me 262 jet with 150 rounds.
THANK YOU!
August 2020 65
 TAILVIEW

Flying the P-51 in Combat

BY GEN. CHARLES E. YEAGER, USAF (RET.)

I shot down my first Bf 109 during the first daylight

raid on Berlin by American B-17s on March 4, 1944. I was
flying a P-51B with the birdcage canopy. The weather was
extremely bad, and many of the B-17 groups had aborted,
with the exception of a couple of boxes, as I remember.
I only saw one other Mustang from our 363rd Squadron.
Flying at 32,000 feet above the bombers, I spotted a lone
109 out to the side of the B-17s at 28,000 feet. I peeled off
and told my wingman to give me top cover.

During the dive, I overestimated the
109’s speed and overshot. I pulled up in
a big roll and came back in under the 109
at his speed and opened fire at about
100 yards. Only three of my guns fired in
the beginning, and then only two, but it
was enough to blow him up.
Later I spotted an He 111K down low
at around 12,000 feet. I went into a long
dive and pulled up behind him and
opened fire. Only one gun fired a few
rounds and then quit. I flew near the 17s
back to England, found my base and
landed. It was not uncommon to have
guns fail to fire on P-51B aircraft, or to
have problems with the solenoids that
controlled low or high blower positions,
and the Malcolm canopy sure as heck did
not solve these problems.
The next day, I was shot down in
southern France. After
working with the French
underground for three
months, I made it to Spain.
Later, the U.S. traded
gasoline to Spain for a few
of us fighter pilots, and the
British flew us from Gibraltar
back to England. I was told
I was being sent back to my
squadron to train new pilots,
but no combat.
While advance-training
three new pilots, I was flying
in a new P-51D with a K-14
gunsight, six .50-caliber
guns and wearing a “G” suit,
when I got a call from our
operations officer, Maj. Hiro,
asking if I had hot guns.
As we always flew with hot
guns, I replied that I did and
Continued on page 65

66 FlightJournal.com
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