EXPLOITS OF ALLIED AIRMEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 59, 12 March 1943, Page 1

EXPLOITS OF ALLIED AIRMEN

FIGHTING IN NEW GUINEA. A vivid story of the New Guinea service of No. 75 (Fighter) Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, is contained in the journal of the Australian Army Education Service. It is told by a flight-lieutenant of the squadron and deals with the days when the then minute air forces of the Allies were struggling to beat back the Japanese invaders. The squadron was led by SquadronLeader J. F. Jackson, D.F.C. There were no fighters at Port Moresby until No. 75 arrived, and the writer says "the installations there had been bombed by the Nips without interference, except for the army's admittedly excellent anti-aircraft fire. Only about 20 minutes after we had landed at Port Moresby for the first time, a Japanese reconnaissance plane was reported overhead. It was almost important that he be shot down, because of certain information he had probably picked up. Squadron’s First Success. “Of our four arrivals, two were unserviceable. So Cox and Wackett took up the other two. The Japanese was a twin-engined bomber type. Between them Cox and Wackett disabled and shot it down. The squadron thus had its first kill, 14 days after its formation and one hour after its arrival at its action station.”

On its second day at Port Moresby the squadron attacked Lae. Jackson set three Japanese planes on fire on his first run and decided to try a second attack. Then the squadron's protecting top cover of fighters reported Zeros. The top cover shot down two. Wackett was lost in the sea and another pilot shot down a third Zero. “Wackett crawled out just as his crate submerged. It went in like a shot. There were a lot of big fish around, and one shark got so close to him that he held his pistol to his head in case the fish got a piece of him. He swam five miles to the beach and turned up at Port Moresby three weeks later. Down in the Sea. “Johnny Jackson went out reconnoitring over Finchhafen on the third day. There were three Zeros waiting for him. He was not able to outstrip them and his guns had been blown up and they got his engine, so he came clown in the sea a mile off shore near Lae.

“When he was half-way to land he saw a log in the water and thought he'd like to have a rest on it—until it opened one eye! However, he made the swim, got to Bulolo, where he organised the 'drome a bit and arranged for Johnny Schwab, an American dive-bomber pilot, to pick him up. When he got back over Port Moresby every one of us went mad with excitement.

“Just at that time, however, there -happened to be three Zeros high up over the area. Luckily Schwab saw them and ducked in a hurry. He was lucky to get down, as a dive-bomber isn't much of a match for a Zero. Even so, Johnny Jackson lost the tip of a finger to a chance bullet.” Squadron-leader's Death.

Jackson was killed a few weeks later when he went up to help head off a raid on Port Moresby. He got one Zero, but another fastened on to his tail and his machine was found buried in the ground about three miles away from the station. His job was taken over by his brother. After another few weeks, although it had done much damage to the Japanese, there were few planes left in the squadron, and it was relieved by Americans.

Another squadron-leader was Peter Turnbull, D.F.C., who had seven planes to his credit in the Middle East. He was ground strafing Japanese tanks when he was shot down. Both Jackson and Turnbull had aerodromes named after them in New Guinea, as did a third Australian named Gurney, who was on loan to the Americans. He was shot up over Rabaul and was killed when making a forced landing on a beach. American Dive-Bombers. Of an American dive-bomber squadron with which No. 75 frequently worked, the Australian said: "They wanted to go to Lae every day, and when they did go we acted as their top cover. Most of them got bumped off. over the east coast one bad davOnly one man—Hill—flew back from that show. Another walked back. Hill said: 'I had to fly through the trees to get here.’ He had. There were great bits of tree still on his wings. His gunner was an American Indian and ho died after this trip. His right, hand waj> shot to bits and he could not work the gun, so he blazed awav with a .45 automatic pistol at a Zero which was on Hill's trail. We could watcli this squadron’s work, as we were their top cover, and they really did go right down into it. “But we think those R.A.A.F. Catalina suuadrons have done a greater job in this war than anyone else. At Kavieng, Rabaul. Gasmata, and over in the north-west they've been at it lor months without a break-."