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Combat Perspectives of Combat:
Excerpt from "New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force" (Vol II) by Wing Commander H.L. Thompson "At approximately 20,000 feet several enemy aircraft approached from 6 o’clock slightly above. As a squadron we climbed into them. After manoeuvring for position, I picked out four menacing F.W. 190’s above and climbed after them. One after another flicked away downwards attempting to lure us, obviously under instructions from their leader. I continued to climb up, however, and the F.W. 190 leading found himself alone and then, realising his predicament nosed over and dived vertically down. I gave chase with Pilot Officer Tucker (my No. 2) still right with me. A long chase resulted with extensive low flying. The F.W. 190 tried every trick he knew from flying under high tension cables to going round church steeples but could not shake us off. My cannons both had stoppages and, although I observed strikes with the machine guns and slight smoking I decided that Tucker, who had stayed with me magnificently, could finish him off. So I flew formation with the F.W. 190 and had the pleasure of watching Tucker blast him into the ground with a short burst."
Excerpt from "Typhoon Pilot" by Desmond Scott "There was no need to search for the target. A great wall of intense and heavy flak began to climb skywards long before we were in striking distance - the enemy had obviously correctly predicted our height, speed and direction. Weaving under such conditions is quite useless, so I approached the target by varying 20 degrees to port for 20 seconds and then 40 degrees to starboard, at the same time varying height. But there was still the unavoidable run over the top. Just as we were about to position ourselves, I flicked on my transmitter and was saying ’Now boys, you have seen plenty of this stuff before’, when a shell exploded under my port wing and almost tipped me upside down. My message ended abruptly in a four-letter word, and knowing the effect this sudden outburst would have on some of my less experienced followers, I tried to talk calmly to them as I began to peel off down to the target. But I felt my heart pounding in my throat and my whole body was beginning to shake. As I plunged down through the blazing sky, I actually closed my eyes for a moment as the target came up towards me - something I had never done before. We somehow managed to scramble through this curtain of fire, but many of our aircraft were pock-marked by shrapnel. As we flew on to the east side of the peninsula and into the bay, I could see Flying Officer McCaw weaving to the starboard of me, and I managed to blurt out: ’OK Mack, you can relax now’. I received no acknowledgement, so I guess he was much like the rest of us and too occupied with his immediate future to worry about his past."
Excerpt from "Royal New Zealand Air Force" by Squadron Leader J.M.S. Ross "I was flying No. 2 to S/Ldr Quill. Tracer passing my wing and a cannon shell in the wing root were the first warning I had of the atttack. As S/Ldr Quill took no immediate action, and was apparently unaware of the attack, I stayed with him as long as I could and then crossed my controls to the right, doing a quarter roll. On climbing into a fight above me, I found no Warhawks remaining, and was alone among about 40 Zekes. I fired at one from full beam, one from rear quarter and was then simultaneously attacked from astern and starboard. I used the same evasive action as before. I then saw upward of 10 aircraft apparently in combat. I climbed to their level, about 9,000ft and attacked them out of the sun. All were Zekes. I fired a burst at one from the rear quarter, and at two directly astern. I concentrated on the nearer of these and put a good burst into him. I could see smoke from the incendiaries coming from him, but he flew away and I did not see him again, being myself attacked by six aircraft from the starboard quarter, and by others from astern. I again took the same evasive action. I left these aircraft milling round by themselves and I saw two Zekes in close formation ahead of me. I overtook them and put a long burst dead astern, into the leader. As I was firing, at about 150 yards, I was attacked by a number of Zekes from beam and astern, and my aircraft was hit by a cannon shell in the port wing, and by sundry bullets. White petrol vapour trails came from the fuselage or wing root of the Zeke I had attacked. He rolled on his back, and pulled out under and to starboard of me. The white smoke turned into heavy black smoke. I was busy evading his mates by a violent downward skid to the right. I was then at 6,000 to 7,000 feet. As I came out of this manoeuvre, I saw a circular white patch of foam on the water below me some 4-5,000ft. There was also oil round the splash area. There was no further sign of this enemy aircraft, which I claim as destroyed. Six enemy aircraft, which had followed me down, were joined by possibly another 10. They came in from astern, above and both sides, entirely boxing me in, except from below. I could see tracer going past me. I turned toward the nearest aircraft and fired at them. I passed very close, about one foot from the nearest Zeke. My aircraft was faster at this level, and I broke out, but they followed me and I turned back into them to find that about three were supporting one Zeke, which made a head-on attack. Others were higher. I fired at the attacker, and broke away down to avoid a head-on collision. This aircraft, I consider, tried to ram. The Zekes then appeared to give up the fight, as they merely sat up above me and did not attack. After another encounter with other Zekes I saw further aircraft which I thought might be Allied aircraft, so I went to join them, but found they were all Zekes. I attacked the nearest and put a good burst into him from the quarter until finally only one gun of my aircraft was firing. I then broke away and dived to sea level, and came home at about 5,000ft with my aircraft damaged .......... I learned later that I was the last N.Z. pilot to break off the action. Had I known this at the time, I would have broken off earlier if possible and returned. I consider the enemy pilots I met on this occasion to be superior to those I had encountered previously. They maintained some type of formation at all times, never breaking to less than pairs. Their evasive action was excellent, and pilots made full use of their manoevrable aircraft. There was no "fancy" flying, such as rolls, which I had seen enemy aircraft do in the other action in this area in which I had taken part. Their evasive action comprised mainly violent skids and steep turns, and occasionally half-rolls. It appeared to me, however, that determined action upset the Japanese. A determined effort to break through was successful, if pressed home. On the other hand, they did not press home their attacks very firmly, particularly if any retaliation was attempted. A more or less casual burst at an attacking enemy aircraft, even if this burst was poorly aimed, was usually enough to upset the attack, the Japanese sheering off." | |||||||||
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