The last major air battle of WWII in China was fought on January 14, 1945, over
Hankou.
It was divided into five stages: the first stage, involving P-47s from the 81st Fighter Group; the second stage, with P-40s and P-51s from the US-China 3rd Fighter Group; the third stage, with P-51s from the 51st Fighter Group; the fourth stage, involving P-40s from the US-China 5th Fighter Group; and the fifth stage, with P-51s from the 75th Fighter Squadron.
The Japanese tried to intercept mainly with Nakajima Ki-43 "
Hayabusa" (Oscar) fighters from the 25th and 48th
Sentai.
1Lt Nakajima Kinya, a pilot from the 2nd Chutai, 48th Sentai, wrote an article in "Maru" magazine, Issue 161, October 1960, describing his experience on that day and his thoughts on the "Hayabusa." Here is a translation we prepared.
A big fight with P-38s
In January 1945, the 48th Sentai was based in the Wuhan area, a key strategic point in Central China. In addition to the 48th Sentai, the main force of the Japanese fighter squadrons in China was also based here, and from the end of 1944 to January 1945, this area became the site of aerial battles between the "Hayabusa" and "Hayate" and the "Mustangs" and "Thunderbolts". At times, as many as 100 enemy fighters would take off in formation, and we would usually have 40 or 50 of our own, so the skies over the Wuhan area would be filled with the buzzing of dozens of fighter planes, like a swarm of bees.
On that day, 15th January, as usual, there was a P-38 reconnaissance flight, and in the morning, a formation of B-29s and B-24s came to bomb the city of Hankou. We took off and attacked fiercely, but there were no significant results, so we landed and immediately began refueling.
‘If we don't do it quickly, the "P-koro" will be above us.‘ We conversed while gazing at the clear winter sky, in frustration.
"P-koro" was the nickname we used for P-51s among us pilots. [difficult to translate "koro" but something like "worth less than a rock" wouldn't be far off] Sure enough, the "P-koros" soon arrived in large numbers.
‘Up we go!’ My "Hayabusa", which had just finished refueling, taxied out of the hangar at Wuchang Airfield and took off, trying to beat the others to the start. Unlike other fighter planes, the "Hayabusa" would point its nose skywards at a steep angle immediately after take-off. It was a truly dashing sight, and no matter how many times I saw it, it never failed to impress me. Sgt Hirose's aircraft was following closely behind me on my left.
The air battle had already begun over Hankou and the left bank of the Yangtze River, which was shining dimly. Flashes of light from friends and foes mingled together, and white parachutes drifted slowly through the smoke of the anti-aircraft guns. [P-40s from the US-Chinese 3rd Fighter Group, carrying parachute bombs were raiding Hankow at that time].
The 4-plane hentai, of which I was the leader, flew to the right above the hentai of our sentai commander [Maj Kaburagi Tateo was commander of the 48th at the time], and above my hentai was Lieutenant Kimura's 4-plane hentai [Lt Kimura Masukichi was the commander of the 2nd Chutai of the 48th Sentai]. The altitude was around 4,500 metres.
As we cut through the Yangtze River and plunged into the sky, the enemy and our own planes were intermingled, each one trailing a white wake cloud from its wingtip. There were so many of them that I couldn't tell how many exactly, and in the midst of them, the flashes of machine gun fire and wisps of smoke. The hentai of our sentai commander swooped down on the four P-51s below. Two P-51s came flying towards me, as if to say ‘shoot us now!‘ I pulled a white thread from the tip of the wing and made a sharp left turn, quickly catching up with the P-51s above me. I pulled the control stick back as far as it would go and shot up. Without a moment's delay, the three planes in my formation chased these two planes around.
But this is when it became dangerous. Before we know it, four other "P-koros" have swooped in above us. The Kimura hentai above us has already disappeared, and we couldn't see where they had gone, so unfortunately, without cover, we couldn't finish off these two groggy "P-koros". And now it was our turn to avoid the bullets of the "P-koros" that were attacking us. However, in a situation like this, the nimble combat performance of the "Hayabusa" was out-and-out. If you think you can shoot down a "Hayabusa", give it a try and you’ll see what happens!
While watching the enemy aircraft that were coming in, I circled around, letting the bullets flow behind me, and when the moment came, I turned sharply. The "P-koro" couldn't keep up and quickly broke off. It was truly a chaotic battle. Only my wingman, Sgt Hirose, was able to follow me, but, before I knew it, the other two aircraft in my hentai became separated from us, caught up in the huge vortex of battle. We were shoting at each other and, in return, we were getting shot at.
The "Hayabusa" is a fighter that cannot be shot down, but is not as strong at shooting down other aircraft. The most pathetic thing was that the P-51's dive attack was completely different to the "Hayabusa's". As soon as the P-51 dove in and escaped, the "Hayabusa" wouldn’t be able to follow it. In aerial combat, speeding up/acceleration is more important than maximum speed. If we were at a disadvantage, we couldn't escape, and if we were at an advantage, the enemy could escape easily. Another thing was that we were frustrated by the fact that we were armed with only two 13mm cannons. Unless you get really close and shoot, you can't bring down the sturdy enemy planes.
The "P-koros" know about the weak armament of the "Hayabusa", so they liked to face us head-on and shoot. If you shoot at each other, there's no way you can win, so unfortunately you have to steer the plane full-throttle and slide under the belly of the enemy plane and escape. Damn it! How many times did I grit my teeth in the heat of battle?
Mistaking a kite for an enemy plane The battle must have lasted more than ten minutes. I was thirsty. My eyes were blurry. I was breathing heavily. Suddenly, a thin spark flew across my field of vision. I spun around and made a sharp left turn, but at that moment I felt a sharp tug on the control stick, and it seemed that a bullet had hit the nose of the plane. However, I was not injured. The "P-koro" that had ambushed me flew off. Sgt Hirose chased after it. I returned to level flight, and jet black lubricating oil spewed out from the front of the windscreen. As I watched, it kept coming off and the windscreen became completely black, and I could no longer see anything at all in front of me. The enemy planes were still swarming around, but the oil pressure gauge was trembling as it dropped. Soon the engine would seize up and the propeller would stop. I decided to land, but if the enemy planes attacked at this time, all would be lost. I had been in danger many times, but I wondered whether this time I would be able to make it safely. I crept forward on tiptoe, feeling nervous. I was flying at a very low altitude. The enemy aircraft must have thought I had fallen, or they must not have had the time to chase me, because they were still fighting each other high up in the sky.
I hurriedly moved away from the combat zone, just above the ground and turned my nose towards the relatively distant Wuchang Second Airfield. The oil pressure gauge was already at zero. I approached the runway like a burglar without putting my landing gear down. However, when I looked behind me, my heart froze. An enemy aircraft was closing in on me. I thought, ‘
Ah!’ but when I looked more closely, I saw that it was just a
kite. Even in this critical situation, I still couldn't keep myself completely in control of my nerves.
I removed the parachute harness and prepared to immediately jump out. At the end of the runway, I suddenly extended the landing gear and the flaps. Since I couldn't see anything outside, I stuck my head out of the side of the cockpit, and then violently the wheels touched down on the runway. If the enemy tried to strafe me, I was ready to jump out of the plane while I was still taxing.
And then, they arrived. The P-38s came straight at me. I switched off the engine, jumped out of my beloved plane, which was covered in oil, and ran into a foxhole. At that moment, the “dah, dah, dah, dah, dah” sound of the enemy guns was heard, and my plane on the runway was full of holes.
The "Hayabusa" lives on in my heart
That night, I was kneeling in front of the white coffins of the war dead in the light of the lanterns in the barracks. In the 48th Sentai, 1Lt Kimura [Masukichi] and Sgt Tanno [Shigeru], both veterans of many battles, had been killed in action that day, and Lt Nakano, who had used his parachute to bale out of his plane, had been hospitalized with burns. The casualties, who were increasing one after another, were all elite pilots from the "Hayabusa" fighter squadron. Even though other fighter squadrons were gradually switching to the "Hayate" model, these pilots were not at all envious of them. They were the kind of people who would say, ‘Hey, listen up! The "Hayabusa" will never lose!’ and slap their arms [a Japanese gesture that shows that a person is really skillful].
Of course the "Hayabusa" had various faults, but it had become so much a part of the pilots that they were like their own flesh and blood. It was a plane that would move around completely unconsciously, like your hands would naturally go up when you yawn. Especially after the Model 3 was introduced with a multiple exhaust pipe methanol injection, I was proud that it was second to none in terms of its ability to climb, and when it was outmatched in a fight with a "P-koro", it would just keep climbing and escaping upwards. I wouldn't call it just a "conveyance/vehicle". Throughout my life, I don't think I'll ever find another machine that I can use so well, that it feels like a part of my own body.
Looking at "Hayabusa" photos, which seem so feminine compared to today's jet fighters, I feel a deep sense of nostalgia. And when I think of the faces of my comrades who disappeared one after another into the sky, I can't help but think, ‘What a waste for Japan.’
Håkans has a good report from the US side:
27 B-24s from the 14th AF, supported by 45 P-51s and P-40s, pounded Hankow. Eight enemy aircraft were claimed destroyed.
Seven B-25s from the 14th AF hit targets at and west of Kengtung.
42 P-47s, P-40s, and P-51s from the 14th AF attacked airfields at Wuchang and Hankow. 17 Japanese aircraft were claimed destroyed for the loss of at least three fighters.
At 10:00, the P-51Cs from 74th FS was in combat with Oscars north of Hukow and 1Lt Paul Crews claimed one destroyed (on the north bank of the Yangtze), Cpt Floyd Finberg claimed one probable, 1Lt Heston Cole claimed two damaged and 1Lt Edwin Beethoven claimed one damaged.
The P-47s from 81st FG fought Oscars near Hankow at 11:35-11:40. One was claimed destroyed by 2Lt Earl Roggenbauer (91st FS in P-47 #925), while a second was claimed as a shared between 2Lt Edward Slasienski (92nd FS) and 1Lt Jules Young (92nd FS). 1Lt Young also claimed one probable.
Fighters from the CACW and the 16th FS attacked Hankow between 13:15 and 13:50. The CACW used eleven P-40s carrying parafrag bombs and eleven P-51s with 100-pound demolition bombs. The plan was that the top cover P-51s would drop down and dive-bomb the airfield after Reynolds’ (7th FS (CACW)) P-40s had finished their parafrag attacks, but 1Lt Heyward Paxton’s P-51s ran into an estimated 25 to 30 Japanese fighters and had to jettison the bombs before they could make their attacks. A large combat developed over Hankow airfield.
Flying with Paxton was Cpt Edward Mulholland (P-51C 43-7100), by now the longest-serving U.S. pilot in the 7th FS (CACW). He followed in on the first pass and hit a Ki-43 in the fuselage and wing root with a thirty- to forty-degree deflection shot and the Ki-43 dove straight in (Mulholland's second victory). Next, he got in ninety-degree deflection shots on two more Ki-43s (credited as two damaged), but then his own aircraft was hit badly from behind and he broke off, heading for home. Soon the P-51 became uncontrollable, however, and Mulholland was forced to bale out.
Meanwhile, Paxton had watched Mulholland’s Ki-43 crash, then climbed back up into the fight. He spotted 1Lt Elwood Smith of the 28th FS (CACW), his wingman, with a Ki-43 on his tail, so Paxton gave the Japanese fighter a good burst to chase him off. Smith, who got one Ki-43 shared with 1Lt George Walston of the 16th FS at 13:20 and a second of his own at 13:45, later confirmed seeing Paxton’s Ki-43 crash (Paxton was also credited with a damaged Ki-43). This gave Paxton 6 and 1 shared victories, the most scored by a pilot while serving in the CACW.
Paxton, however, had been hit by a Japanese fighter and he dove out of the fight. Unable to keep his P-51C (42-25221) in the air, he belly-landed it suffering a leg injury in the crash, but he eventually linked up with Mulholland, and the two pilots returned to Laohokow about two weeks later. Because they both had escaped from behind enemy lines, they were taken out of combat. Paxton, because of his injuries, was sent home thereafter while Mulholland was assigned to air-defence duties at Liangshan, and then finally sent home in June.
Totally, the 7th FS (CACW) claimed 2 and 3 damaged Ki-43s over Hankou airfield between 13:15-14:15. These being claimed by Paxton (1 and 1 damaged) and Mulholland (1 and 2 damaged). Reynolds claimed three enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground while Lt J. T. Moore claimed two more.
The 16th FS claimed 2 and 1 shared and 1 probable Ki-43s over Hankow airfield at 13:20. These were claimed by 1Lt George Walston (1 shared Ki-43 or Ki-44 and 1 probable), 1Lt Walter Wyatt (1 destroyed) and 1Lt William Zimpleman (1 destroyed).
29 fighters, including 16 P-51s of the 75th FS, which was then stationed at Chihkiang under 5th FG (CACW) control, escorted B-24s to Hankow. The Japanese attempted to intercept the bombers as they hit their target from 16,000 feet, but the enemy pilots were unable to break through the escorts and attack the Liberators.
About 25 miles southwest of Hankow, Cpt Phil Colman of the 26th FS (CACW), flying an P-40N, spotted two Tojos below the bombers and dove to attack them. He caught up with them at 1,000 feet, and the first Ki-44 turned to the right and came at him head-on. The action took place so fast that neither pilot had a chance to fire at the other. Colman then switched his attention to the other enemy fighter and put a two-second burst into it as the pilot attempted to turn away from him. The Tojo caught fire in its fuselage and wings, then did a half-roll and dove into the Yangtze River below with a splash at 13:50. This was Colman's sixth victory in China, though he is officially credited with only five. He scored four more times as an F-86 pilot during the Korean War. Lt Oliver Strawbridge of 26th FS, 51st FG (P-51) claimed a Ki-44 and Lt Milton Searcy from the same unit a damaged Ki-43 at 13:20 over Hankou airfield.
The 27th FS (CACW) made one claim when 1Lt Yueh Kung-Cheng (P-40N) claimed a Ki-43 over Hankou at 13:50. He reported that he got on the tail of a Ki-43 at 9,000 feet and proceeded to chase it until the Oscar finally crashed into the ground and exploded.
These were the only aircraft destroyed by the 5th FG during the month.
The 25th FS, 51st FG (P-51) claimed one damaged Ki-43. 2Lt Daniel Cardin made this claim at 13:20 over Hankou airfield.
The 28th FS (CACW) claimed 2 and 1 shared over Hankou area when 1Lt Smith claimed a shared Ki-43 or Ki-44 at 13:20 and a Ki-44 at 13:45 while 1Lt Oliver Reynolds claimed a Hamp at 13:45.
Lt Van Moad of the 8th FS (CACW) was killed during this mission.
The P-51s from 75th FS, 23rd FG was back over Hankow in a mission 14:00-15:00 and again meeting (mostly) Oscars. They claimed four destroyed and six damaged; 1Lt Gordon Berven (one destroyed), 1Lt Fleming (one Tojo damaged), Cpt William Griswold (one destroyed and one damaged), 1Lt Curtis Mahannah (one destroyed and two damaged), 1Lt Donald Stanfield (one destroyed and one damaged) and 1Lt Walterman (one damaged).
Reading one more time all the above, can't help but wonder how many US pilots made a claim against Nakajima's plane. I guess, at least one in the air and a bunch on the ground.
For a more detailed account of the fighting over China, focusing on the combat histories of the 25th and the 48th Sentai, the best Japanese publication is entitled "AIR COMBAT OVER CHINA of Ki43 HAYABUSA in 1943-45, 25th & 48th Sentai", written by Umemoto Hiroshi and published by DaiNippon Kaiga in 2007.
Size: 15X22cm
Pages: 130
Photos: 76 b/w
A limited number of copies is available from Arawasi.
Price is 20$US (Postage Not Included)
Email us if interested with your name and the delivery address (to calculate postage): arawasiorder@gmail.com
