The P-38's First Zero Kill

[MIflyer]

The first 5th Air Force unit to be equipped with the P-38 was the 39th Fighter Squadron. On 26 Nov 1942 four of the 39th's P-38's were sent to attack the Japanese air base at Lae. The P-38 pilots even got on a radio frequency known to be monitored by the Japanese and taunted them, daring them to come up and fight, but saw no response from the Japanese Zeros at Lae.

The P-38's were equipped with two 500lb bombs each so they could attack the airfield if the Japanese declined to rise to meet them. Finally, Bob Faurot decided he would drop his bombs and dove to attack. On the way down he noted that a Zero was indeed taking off and he was determined to shoot it down. But then he realized that fighting a Zero with two 500 lb bomb on board was not the best of ideas, and dropped his bombs.

The bombs overshot the airfield entirely, landing in the water just offshore. Two explosions sent columns of water skyward.

And the Zero flew right into the water fountains and crashed.

The Japanese apparently were quite impressed. They launched no other Zeros.

Bob Faurot asked Gen Kenny if he was going to receive the Air Medal for the first Zero kill, as had been promised. Gen Kenny replied, "Hell no! I want you to shoot them down, not splash water on them!"

And then Faurot got the Air Medal.

Faurot was killed some months later when he and two other P-38's dove to attack Zeros that were strafing B-17 crewmen in their parachutes

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

The first 5th Air Force unit to be equipped with the P-38 was the 39th Fighter Squadron. On 26 Nov 1942 four of the 39th's P-38's were sent to attack the Japanese air base at Lae. The P-38 pilots even got on a radio frequency known to be monitored by the Japanese and taunted them, daring them to come up and fight, but saw no response from the Japanese Zeros at Lae.

The P-38's were equipped with two 500lb bombs each so they could attack the airfield if the Japanese declined to rise to meet them. Finally, Bob Faurot decided he would drop his bombs and dove to attack. On the way down he noted that a Zero was indeed taking off and he was determined to shoot it down. But then he realized that fighting a Zero with two 500 lb bomb on board was not the best of ideas, and dropped his bombs.

The bombs overshot the airfield entirely, landing in the water just offshore. Two explosions sent columns of water skyward.

And the Zero flew right into the water fountains and crashed.

The Japanese apparently were quite impressed. They launched no other Zeros.

Bob Faurot asked Gen Kenny if he was going to receive the Air Medal for the first Zero kill, as had been promised. Gen Kenny replied, "Hell no! I want you to shoot them down, not splash water on them!"

And then Faurot got the Air Medal.

Faurot was killed some months later when he and two other P-38's dove to attack Zeros that were strafing B-17 crewmen in their parachutes

Only that according to South Pacífic Air War vol 5, no Zero was lost in Lae that day

 

[MIflyer]

Only that according to South Pacífic Air War vol 5, no Zero was lost in Lae that day

The book Operation KE points out that discrepancies between Allied claims and Japanese official records are so enormous as to be unbelievable.

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

The book Operation KE points out that discrepancies between Allied claims and Japanese official records are so enormous as to be unbelievable.

Japanese claim are known to be wildly optimistic but with the South Pacífic Air War and the Solomons Air War series the amount of allied overclaiming surprised me.

 

[MIflyer]

Japanese claim are known to be wildly optimistic

Yes, and the Japanese in that area were notorious liars. For example, when they realized they were going to lose the Solomons they told the US prisoners they held there that they were being shipped to Japan, then executed them and listed them as being killed in a US airstrike.

As for the P-38 "kill" that was due to collision with the water, no bullets hit the fighter and neither did the bombs, so it probably was defined as an operational mishap.