Greg Boeser
1st Sergeant
Mediums mixed it up too.
2 Feb 1943, Cpt. John Sharp, flying a B-26B of the 70th Bomb Squadron, on patrol north of Guadalcanal, encountered a H6K4 and made two passes at it, damaging it and knocking out two engines, before taking a 20mm hit on the leading edge of his wing. He broke off and nursed his damaged plane back to base. The Mavis was later reported down by coastwatchers.
Records of the 851st Kokutai include a report filed on 3 Feb 1943 of the loss of a H6K4, which was attacked twice by a "large aircraft" and subsequently crashed short of its base in the Shortlands, with the loss of 3 of its 7 man crew.
The previous day had seen a 30 minute duel between a Mavis of the same unit and a PBY that ended inconclusively.
After reading Lundstrom's "First Team" series, I would hate to be a Mavis crewman. It seems that the Japanese could identify the location of USN fleets by determining which patrol craft failed to return to base.
2 Feb 1943, Cpt. John Sharp, flying a B-26B of the 70th Bomb Squadron, on patrol north of Guadalcanal, encountered a H6K4 and made two passes at it, damaging it and knocking out two engines, before taking a 20mm hit on the leading edge of his wing. He broke off and nursed his damaged plane back to base. The Mavis was later reported down by coastwatchers.
Records of the 851st Kokutai include a report filed on 3 Feb 1943 of the loss of a H6K4, which was attacked twice by a "large aircraft" and subsequently crashed short of its base in the Shortlands, with the loss of 3 of its 7 man crew.
The previous day had seen a 30 minute duel between a Mavis of the same unit and a PBY that ended inconclusively.
After reading Lundstrom's "First Team" series, I would hate to be a Mavis crewman. It seems that the Japanese could identify the location of USN fleets by determining which patrol craft failed to return to base.
