Here's something to read while I try to figure out how to not screw up my Airacobra..........
I never knew of this incident or even the participation of the Airacobra on that stinking hellhole.
http://www.ghspaulding.com/guadalcanal.htm
"At that time the Cactus Air Force numbered more than 60 aircraft of various types, although Japanese shelling had damaged or demolished more than half of them. The Airacobra squadron had been reduced from its original complement of fourteen to only five flyable aircraft. Worse, there was fuel enough for only three.
Thompson describes what happened next. "I shoved that map in my pocket, went back to the flight line and picked a couple of other pilots (Lieutenants B.E. Davis and B.W. Brown). We took off at dawn and made a wide circle around the field to stay out of sight."
"We came in low over the trees, pulled up and saw the Marine positions. It was just daylight. In the clearing were hundreds and hundreds of Japanese, ready to charge. I lowered the nose, pressed the trigger and just mowed right through them. The next two pilots did the same thing."
Thompson continues: "The second plane was hit, lost his coolant and had to land. We came around again and the Japanese were in real confusion. On the second pass, I was also hit in the cooler. The third aircraft made one more run. There was so much confusion, the Japanese broke and retreated in panic back into the jungle. That gave the Marines a chance to regroup."
"Later that day," says Thompson, "General Vandegrift (the Marine general in overall command) told me, 'Captain Thompson, you won't read about this in the newspapers, but you and your flight of P-400s just saved Guadalcanal.' From then on that ridge was called Bloody Ridge."
Whether the beleaguered Marines could have found a way to turn back the Japanese at Bloody Ridge without such timely air support may never be known. Evidently their senior commander didn't think so and certainly the odds were against them. For their part in this decisive battle, Thompson was awarded the Navy Cross and his wingmen, Lieutenants Davis and Brown, received the Silver Star."
tom