RAAF Pacific Kills?

[lindsay]

Hi, I'm new to this forum

I am wanting to know how many kills in the WWII Pacific did the RAAF score?

 

[Watanbe]

I'm also keen on knowing more about this and the RAAF's performance in the Pacific, I'll admit its not something I know a vast amount about.

From what I've read it seems to be
-low level bombing runs
-anti-shipping
-ground support

 

[Wildcat]

I have never come across a document which states victory claims for the RAAF. If one does exist, I would love to see it. One thing to remember though, the RAAF won't come anywhere close to what the USAAF achieved. This is because from mid 43 onwards, the RAAF fighter force rarely came into contact with the IJNAF and IJAAF - not in great numbers anyway. US units in the solomons could take the fight to the Japanese at Rabaul, whilst USAAF fighters, particularly the longer range P-38's, could ravage the Japanese forces in the Wewak area. RAAF P-40's had the range for neither of these and subsequently saw more action in the role of fighter bombers.
If anyone has access to RAAF victory claims please post them here!

 

[Watanbe]

I also haven't seen them anywhere. I heard a quick search online and couldn't find anything. I can't think there would of been to many kills.

All I know is that a Wirraway somehow managed to famously shoot down a Zero.

 

[lindsay]

I just brought a book called "Air to Air", claims by the RNZAF, which claimed a total of 106 Japanese kills in the Pacific war. But being from Australia, i am interested in all the victory claims by the RAAF. I think with the RAAF Spitfires up in Darwin, and the RAAF P-40's in New Guinea, as well as the Beaufighters, etc, etc, Should be well over the hundred kills mark!? Like to know exact details though!!

 

[Soundbreaker Welch?]

Aussie's rule!

 

[Yerger]

"Aces High" (3 vols) covers all the Commonwealth aces for making a compilation. The 1st covers aces, 2nd 2 to 4 kills, 3rd a photo album. Anal detailed and accurate (the way I like books to be).

 

[109ROAMING]

I just brought a book called "Air to Air", claims by the RNZAF, which claimed a total of 106 Japanese kills in the Pacific war. But being from Australia, i am interested in all the victory claims by the RAAF. I think with the RAAF Spitfires up in Darwin, and the RAAF P-40's in New Guinea, as well as the Beaufighters, etc, etc, Should be well over the hundred kills mark!? Like to know exact details though!!

Sounds about right -we had a kill to loss ratio of about 5:1 with our P-40's

Our sexy Corsairs came to late to get any air to air kills

Its a dam good book .I've managed to pick up a copy -nice buy ,Enjoy!

Would also be interested in RAAF numbers

 

[Marshall_Stack]

I just brought a book called "Air to Air", claims by the RNZAF, which claimed a total of 106 Japanese kills in the Pacific war. But being from Australia, i am interested in all the victory claims by the RAAF. I think with the RAAF Spitfires up in Darwin, and the RAAF P-40's in New Guinea, as well as the Beaufighters, etc, etc, Should be well over the hundred kills mark!? Like to know exact details though!!

Not to be nit picky, but I thought that the total for the RNZAF was 99. I had read that when they were about to score number 100, a U.S. PT boat shot down the Japanese aircraft before the RNZAF fighter could shoot it down.

Either way it is still an accomplishment for such a small force with outdated aircraft to achieve.

BTW, awhile back I had heard that New Zealand was disbanding its military. Is that true?

 

[Wildcat]

I believe Marshall is right, AFAIK the RNZAF are credited with 99 kills in the pacific. To get an accurate kill tally for the RAAF you would probably have to spend the time collecting the data from the books Yerger mentioned and go through all the ORB's dealing with RAAF PTO squadrons. Then of course you would have to match these claims against actual Japanese losses, a big task indeed! I've started one such list of claims, be is nowhere near complete...

 

[vikingBerserker]

I have to agree with you, I've looked and looked and the nearest I can get is the total of all RAAF Aces with 10 or more kills which was around 298.

 

[lindsay]

I have finally found some statistics from an excellent book i have just bought. It's called "Whispering Death" Australian airmen in the pacific war , by Mark Johnston.
*Victories by RAAF pilots over Japanese aircraft
Aircraft Type Confirmed / Probables
Spitfire 71 / 17
Kittyhawk 56 / 17
Buffalo 30 / 6
Hurricane 25 / 7
Beaufighter 23 / 4
Hudson 13 / 6
Beaufort 5 / 1
*A total of 223 Confirmed Kills. Plus maybe others, Catalina, Wirraway etc

 

[phas3e]

the 106 kills in Air to Air is a revised total, the official score is still 99

 

[lindsay]

Hi, does anybody know how many kills the RAAF Catalinas, B24 Liberators, Vultee Vengance had during the Pacific War? By the way, i know the Wirraway had 1 confirmed, which is quite amazing when you think that it was over a Zero!

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have finally found some statistics from an excellent book i have just bought. It's called "Whispering Death" Australian airmen in the pacific war , by Mark Johnston.
*Victories by RAAF pilots over Japanese aircraft
Aircraft Type Confirmed / Probables
Spitfire 71 / 17
Kittyhawk 56 / 17
Buffalo 30 / 6
Hurricane 25 / 7
Beaufighter 23 / 4
Hudson 13 / 6
Beaufort 5 / 1
*A total of 223 Confirmed Kills. Plus maybe others, Catalina, Wirraway etc

That Spitfire figure seems a tad low.

Spitfire pilots of No 1 Wing over Darwin claimed 69 kills in 1943 - probably downing somewhere between 26 and 36 aircraft (possibly more, Japanese records are both incomplete and conflicting). No 80 Wing, flying Mk VIIIs, claimed at least seven more in 1944/1945 - from what I can find there was one claim from 457 Sqdn, two for 452 and four by 79 Sqdn.

 

[Wildcat]

Hi Jabberwocky, I have the following Spitfire claims for 1944-45:-
12 Jun 44 - 1 Ki-46 destroyed (Lt Katsutoshi Tsutsui Lt Keisuke Shimazaki) – F/O Gamble, F/O O'Loughlin P/O Beaton – 452 Sqn

20 Jul 44 - 1 Ki-46 destroyed (Lt Kyoshi Iizuka Lt Hisao Ito) – F/L Meakin F/L Gossland – 54 Sqn

24 Dec 44 – 1 Nick destroyed – F/O Pretty – 452 Sqn

20 Jun 45 – 1 Ki-46 destroyed – F/L Campbell F/L Scrimgeour – 457 Sqn

24 Jul 45 – 1 Helen destroyed – F/O King – 452 Sqn

AFAIK all of 79 sqn's kills were obtained in 1943, however 80 wing Spitfires did also claim several ground kills late war as well.
Re the Vengeance, only one engagement occurred in Oct 43, when a 12 sqn machine had a brief encounter with a Jake floatplane. The results were inconclusive as the Jake escaped into cloud cover.
RAAF B-24's made several claims in 1945, however most were claimed as damaged or probables. How many that were actually destroyed is anyones guess.

 

[lindsay]

Thanx Wildcat, much appreciated and very interesting! I think the Catalinas made claims too, but not sure how many!

 

[Wildcat]

Hi Lindsey, the only Catalina victory I have is a Zero piloted by NA2/c Isao Hiraishi being shot down by Sgt Keen, who was part of F/L Hutchinson's crew from 11 sqn, on 21 Jan 42. I haven't really looked at Catalina claims so there are probably more, I can't even remember where I got this info from. 11 and 20 sqn's also claimed quite a few aircraft destroyed on the ground at places such as Rabaul, Buka, Ballale, Kahilli and Kavieng. HTH.

 

[lindsay]

Thanx again Wildcat. Your a great source of information. You must have quite a large library of books. I have a growing collection. I'm trying to collect Ventura's Classic Warbirds range. But i can't get my hands on No 6, which has info on RAAF's Green Ghost Beaufighters. Thats why collecting is so much fun i guess, getting the hard to find items! Cheers!!

 

[anzac1915]

Hi, check out my site at Pacific Victory Roll - Home. I have compiled a near complete list of all RAAF kill claims in the Pacifc war. It's as accurate as I can get it and I believe may be the first of its kind. Enjoy!