Here is a great official press release I got from an old newspaper – from the New Zealand Herald, 9th of December 1943. It is surprisingly detailed and quite rousing.
40 ZEROS OUTFOUGHT
FOUR NEW ZEALANDERS
FIVE ENEMY PLANES DOWN
DAMAGE TO SIX OTHERS
(RNZAF Official News Service)
New Georgia, Nov 22
A highly successful action, in which four New Zealander Warhawks encountered some 40 Japanese Zero fighters, shot down five, damaged at last six and chased the remainder off, all without loss, was fought over Bougainville this morning. It brought that particular squadron’s total to 14 confirmed victories and the fighter wing’s bag to 62.
Led by Flight-Lieutenant R.H. Balfour, of Waimate, the section was ptrolling the island from Empress Augusta Bay at 24,000ft. When about five miles east of Mount Bagana the New Zealanders saw between 35 and 40 Zeroes approaching some 2000ft below. Flight-Lieutenant Balfour manoeuvred his team behind the enemy and, with his team behing them, they dived steeply at well over 300 miles an hour.
The leader came up behind the Zeros which comprised a main group and several scattered sub-sections. Two were directly ahead of him and he opened fire at 80 yards. A short burst caused on of the Japanese planes to explode in a sheet of flame, though which the New Zealanders flew as they continued the attack. Two of our pilots attacked the second Zero simultaneously at close range. It began to smoke and went down burning.
Air Filled With Aircraft
The Warhawks closed on the main enemy formation and for ten minutes there was a battle-royal. The air was filled with aircraft diving, climbing, skidding and spinning, with the roar of hard-worked engines and with red flecks of tracer bullets. Keeping their speed high, taking violent evasive action where necessary and working in pairs, the new Zealanders came through this part of the action unscathed and the Japanese took heavy punishment.
Flight-Lieutenant Balfour attacked Zero after Zero. The first two emitted black smoke and then disappeared in the melee. The next was hit heavily in the engine, cockpit and wing. It roled on its back and spun down.
Time For Humour
Detailed results were impossible to observe in the heat of the action, although there was a time for a second’s humour. The Warhawk’s control base, many miles away, called Balfour by radio and asked, “have you made contact?” The reply was brief to the point, and caused amusement to all who heard it.
Gradually the battling aircraftlost height, and the fight drifted over toward Cape Torokina. There a solitary Zero was found below the Warhawks and, after several attacks, it was destroyed.
A determined head on attack against Flight-Lieutenant Balfour was made by one Japanese. The enemy was above and ahead. He dived fast firing as he approached. The bullets tore into the New Zealander’s motor cowling and he broke downward just in time to avoid collision.
Pilot’s Three Attacks
Another New Zealander, flying No 2 to the leader, made three attacks in quick succession upon one of the few of the newer- type Zeros – clipped wing planes in blue instead of the usual brownish-green, but proved just as vulnerable to attack, which was well pressed home. Closing to 50 yards, the New Zealander got a good burst into the enemy’s wing root, fuselage and engine. An explosion occurred in the engine and a large piece of metal flew off. Smoke and flame followed.
An Unusual Incident
An unusual incident occurred when a Warhawk pilot attacked a Zero at 10,000ft. He attacked from behind, opened fire at 200 yds. and closed to 50 yds., watching his tracers hit the wing and the fuselage, starting a fire. The Japnese pilot got half-way out of the cockpit, and waved his arms up and down, giving the impression that he was trying to extinguish the fire. A sheet of flame then swept back form the engine, and the aircraft crashed in the jungle.
After sharing a Zero with Flight-Lieutenant Balfour, Flying-Officer C.D.A. Highet, of Wellington, attacked several others before getting his second one confirmed. Although almost out of ammunition, the New Zealanders sighted several Zeros high above and began to climb to attack. The Zeros, instead of facing the threat, turned towards Buka and made off at high speed.
The End
Wasn’t that a great report? I want to know, does anyone have more on the blue clipped wing Zeros? I have never heard of blue ones before. Any photos or profiles?
Sadly Flt Lt Clive Dudley Alfred Highet (NZ401273) later went missing and was presumed killed on the 27th of January 1944, when he was last seen along with another pilot of 18 Sqn in their P40N’s being persued by three enemy fighters.
Interestingly in Alex Horn’s book Wings Over The Pacific he relates a similar tale where Flight-Lieutenant Balfour lead 7 other members of 18 Sqn against 50 to 60 Zeros on the 31st of October 1943. They destroyed 7 with a possible 8th. Balfour received the DFC and the US DFC by war’s end.
Another of the Kiwis in this October fight was chased by two Zeros, then shot at by a US destoryer, and eventually shot down by a US Corsair!!! He survived ditching and was very nearly machine-gunned in the water by an Allied barge, which eventually picked him up!
By: Dave Homewood - 24th April 2004 at 08:32
Aha! I have made a great discovery. I found a new book that has just arrived at our uni library called “Air To Air – The Story Behind The Air-To-Air Combat Claims of the RNZAF”, by Chris Rudge, which describes blow by blow every succesful kill made by RNZAF squadrons, even the bombers (only those in the Pacific sadly, not the (NZ) RAF squadrons. Hopefully he’ll write that one next).
Anyway, this book is very detailed and it has all the combat reports from each pilot involved in each engagement.
I looked up the one from the 22nd of November 1943 and discovered the other two pilots in the NZ section were Pilot Officer B.W. Williams and Pilot Officer R.W. Bremner.
Williams is the man who reported the blue aircraft. In fact in the formation of 30-40 Zeros, most were Zekes, but some were identified as Hamps. And yes, this one was a Hamp. He describes it thus:
“I cut the corner, closing into 70 yards, at which stage I identified the Zero as a Hamp. It was painted dark blue and the red roundels were prominent.”
Very interesting this one, a dark blue Zero. Might make a good model.
Rudge has compared the remaining Japanese records against the claims, and in this case he found that at least 2 Japanese pilots were killed on that day from Torokina who belonged to Air Group 204. Does anyone have any references to their aircraft in November 1943?
If anyone else is as interested in this as I am, I could scan the piece in the book about the engagement and post the scans here.
By: Dave Homewood - 21st April 2004 at 11:52
Good point Daz, the article was from Nov 43 and said the blue clipped-wing Zeros were new, so this probably isn’t the same thing as the author referred to. Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn’t picked up on it.
Dave
By: DazDaMan - 21st April 2004 at 11:24
I’m quite fascinated, too, although the Pacific Theatre isn’t my main area of interest.
If you read the small print on the image, though, that Zero dates from 1942…
By: Dave Homewood - 21st April 2004 at 11:07
Mm, that’s an interesting scheme. Thanks Allan. Yes, perhaps this is like what he shot down.
Cheers
Dave
By: Dave Homewood - 21st April 2004 at 06:46
I am bumping this one up because I am fascinated to know about these blue, clipped wing Zeros in the Pacific. Perhaps someone knows more, and may have missed the thread first time round. I cannot find anything about them. Could this Kiwi have turned the tables and shot down an American?
Cheers
Dave
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April 15, 2004 at 2:14 pm