[Nadia]

On the 30th August 1943, First Lieutenant Kenneth Ambrose Wash USMC
rejoins the action in the air aboard a second F4U for the day, to find himself
all alone against 50 Japanese Zeros. Without hesitation he attacks
and manage to shot down four of them, before damage by canon fire forced him to
land at sea, where he was later rescued...

http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3 ... mbrose.php

Had he had the chance, he would probably had jumped in a third plane !!

:OO

[Fireskull]

Nadia,


I remember this guy. It's amazing.


The Solomon Islands saw a bunch of astonishing fights, probably because the region was critical for both the Japanese and the Allies in the course of the war. I think that it is universally accepted by the experts that the Solomon islands were absolutely necessary to hold in order to advance toward victory.


Thanks for sharing this nice tribute to a brave warrior.





Fireskull

[Nadia]

Nadia,


I remember this guy. It's amazing.
The Solomon Islands saw a bunch of astonishing fights, probably because the region was critical for both the Japanese and the Allies in the course of the war. I think that it is universally accepted by the experts that the Solomon islands were absolutely necessary to hold in order to advance toward victory.
Thanks for sharing this nice tribute to a brave warrior.
Fireskull

Roger that !

The Japanese, to consolidate and protect their conquests as well as to move on further south, had build themselves a fortress at Rabaul. The hole campaign of the Solomon
was a coup by the combine allies to counter attack, surround and totally isolate that fortress. The first phase was Guadalcanal and the last one Bougainville. Prior to invading
Bougainville, the Marines, Navy, USAAF and New Zealanders "build" themselves critical starting points ( an air base, a navy HQ and anchorage, a PT boat base, a main
overall supply base, a div.HQ, and a field hospital .. ) at an "almost" undefended wild Island: Vella Lavella. A place full of Jungle and swamps.
That is what I am currently working on wright now.
( On Bougainville, the 'final' and next target, there were no less then five Japanese airfields, launching strikes against the allied forces at Vella Lavella
to prevent them from establishing themselves there... )
( Also the Japaneses won their last naval battle at Vella Lavella, committing over sized destroyer forces to retrieve 589 land defenders... )

Very exotic place, even today, but not a tourist paradise ! :wink:

[Nadia]

Read about Japan's last surface victory of the war:

http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battl ... avella.htm ( link broken/site shut down: can't handdle the heat I guess ! ).

alternate site as the link above today doesn't work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Batt ... la_Lavella
alternate story of both air battle and sea: http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/V/e/Vella_Lavella.htm

[Nadia]

All about the landings, battle and use of Vella Lavella: http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-W ... 78506.html
A New Zealand's official history, at Victoria university of Wellington.

[Nadia]

Since the main link to the minute by minute account of Vella Lavella's Naval Battle is out and doesn't want to reappear
( somebody has shut down his computer or/and went on vacation ??? )
I will place these comments about the "newer" links versions, versus the "missing account":

-First the Japanese lost one destroyer (Yugumo) that took the brunt of the gunfire upon itself
( some 18 guns at one time...) and most the American torpedoes as well...

- The Americans on the other hand engaged three destroyers and all three were put out of action for good,
by the end of this engagement...

- it is often portrayed by some accounts that the Yugumo charged foolishly into the fray and block the fire resolution of the
other Japanese destroyers...

- The original more detailed version demonstrated that the ships formations severely maneuvered to win advantageous positions
before the engagement began and this went very well for the Americans; so when firing started, there was a staggered line of four
Japanese destroyers of which the Yugumo was the last one but happen to be the closest to the Americans, and at the time
the only one that could fire back !! Correcting this, the Yugumo made a sharp turn towards the Americans, freed the
line of fire of two more Jap destroyers and managed to fire it's own torpedo salvo in the process; unfortunately that
spelled the end of the Yugumo, which was abandoned by the rest of the party moving away from the battle...

-Only the late arrival of Shigure and Samidare passing through restored Japaneese firepower...

- Yugumo now adrift and burning was hit and sunk by some more Americans torpedoes, while it's own slower torpedoes hit
Chevalier which veered into the path of O'Bannon, and voila: two out of action in one go !
Meanwhile Selfridge was hit by another Japanese torpedo, although it is not clear who fired it; but it is said that ultimately
the main body of departing Japanese destroyers did fire a departing salvo of torpedoes at the 'three cripple Americans',
but that none of them found their mark...

- Seems to me it is harsh to say the Yugumo charged the Americans, and obstructed her comrades while actually it almost
won the battle single-handedly in a most heroic of fashion and self sacrifice ...

- In all this, it is the commander in charge that failed ( although the mission was successful... ); he failed to maneuver
advantageously before the battle; also failed to turn toward the Americans and finish them off; he also abandoned the
cover mission and it was only by luck and cunning that the transport party made it successfully. Ijuin was ashamed of his
conduct and returned to Rabaul morally defeated, having feared all along the encounter with American cruisers,
which were in effect never there...

- Shigure and Samidare commanders received 'sabres of honor' and commendations, as they were the only ones firing after
arriving late on the scene, while Ijuin was completely ignored for his so called "victory".

- the other three Americans destroyers did not charge 'into the fight', the fight was over, but arrived as fast as they could
to conduct needed rescue operations... and a search of the scene for any Japanese ships, much of that search been in vain...

- However their approach from 15 to 20 minutes away, was reported to Ijuin by aircraft observers to be that of incoming cruisers !

-The missing post also stated that a cruiser packed 10 times the firepower of a destroyer (!?), and that some American cruisers had
formidable radar fire control that the Japanese had learn to respect !
:roll: