ʻO MacArthur's Grim Reapers Stormtroopers - Lae iā Rabaul
ʻO MacArthur Stormtroopers "Grim Reapers"
Ma hope o ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ke Kaua ma ka Pākīpika i Dekemaba 1941, ua pio ka hapa nui o nā pūʻali ea US i hoʻonoho ʻia ma laila i nā kaua no ka Philippines a me Java. I kēlā manawa, ua lawe koke ʻia nā ʻāpana hou mai ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa e hoʻōki i ka hoʻonui ʻana o Iapana i Australia. ʻO kekahi o lākou ʻo ka 3rd Assault Group, i loaʻa i ka inoa i kapa ʻia ʻo "Grim Reapers."
ʻO ka moʻomeheu o ka hoʻokumu ʻana i ka hui hoʻouka ʻekolu mai ka makahiki 3. No ka hapa nui o ka wā interwar ua kapa ʻia ʻo ia ʻo ka Third Shock Group, a ʻoiai ua kapa hou ʻia ʻo ia he "hui pūʻulu" i ka makahiki 1918, ma ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻana ua mau ia he pūʻulu hoʻouka. ʻEkolu mau pūʻali koa o ka pūʻulu (1939th, 13th a me 89th BS) i aʻo ʻia ma ka mokulele A-90 Havoc, a ʻo ka hā (20th BS) i aʻo ʻia ma ka A-8 Banshee, kahi pūʻali koa o ka US Navy SBD Dauntless dive bomber. mokulele.
I loko o ka haunaele o nā pule mua o ke kaua, ua hoʻoholo ʻia e hoʻouna i ka 3rd Assault Group i ke kaua ma ka Pākīpika, akā me ka ʻole o ka hapa nui o nā mokulele (ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā A-20 āpau ma ka ʻāina, kahi i manaʻo ʻia e kiaʻi. ke kapakai e imi ana i na moku luina enemi) a me na luna kiekie ole, na luna (e hoohana ia ana no ke kukulu ana i hui hou). No laila, i ka hōʻea ʻana mai o nā Grim Reapers i Australia i ka hopena o Pepeluali 1942, lawe pū lākou me lākou he ʻumi mau A-24 wale nō, a ʻo ka luna kiʻekiʻe loa he lutena. Ma ia wahi, ua alakaʻi ʻia ko lākou mau mokulele e Konela John Davis, ka luna hoʻomalu o ka 27th Bombardment Group i luku ʻia, i nalowale i kāna mau A-24 i nā kaua no Java. Ma hope koke iho, ua lawe ʻo Davis i ka 3rd Assault Group holoʻokoʻa, a ua lawe kona mau luna i nā kūlana alakaʻi i ʻekolu (o nā ʻāpana ʻehā) o ka pūʻulu.
ʻO ka nūhou maikaʻi loa mai New Guinea mai. I Malaki, ua hoʻopaʻa nā Iapana i nā kahua ma Lae a me Salamaua. ʻO nā mauna Stanley Owen wale nō i hoʻokaʻawale iā lākou mai Port Moresby, ka hope hope loa o nā Allied outpost ma ka ʻākau o Australia. Ua hui pū ʻo Konela Davis i nā A-24 a pau i hoʻokahi pūʻali koa (8th BS) a hoʻouna iā lākou i ke kaua no New Guinea. Ua hana ka 3rd Attack Group i kāna huakaʻi kaua mua ma ʻApelila 1, 1942, e lele ana i ʻeono mau A-24, e hoʻolei ana i ʻelima mau pōkā ma ke kahua o Iapana ma Salamaua.
Ma ia lā hoʻokahi, ua loaʻa iā Colonel Davis (e like me kekahi ʻano o nā hanana, i koho ʻia) nā Mitchell B-25C hou i manaʻo ʻia no ka mokulele ʻo Dutch, a ua hoʻolako ʻo ia i ʻelua squadrons (13th a me 90th BS). I kekahi mau lā ma hope mai, i ka lā 6 o ʻApelila, 1942, ua alakaʻi ʻo ia i ʻeono mau mokulele i kahi hoʻouka kaua ma ke kahua mokulele ʻo Gasmata ma ke kahakai hema o New Britain. ʻO kēia, ʻo ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, ʻo ka misionari kaua mua ma ka mōʻaukala o ka B-25. No ka mea, he 800 mile (kokoke 1300 km) ka mamao o ka mamao mai Port Moresby a hiki i ka pahu hopu, ua lawe na mokulele i eha ekolu haneri paona poma wale no, aka, ua hiki no nae ke luku aku i 30 mau mokukaua Iapana ma ka honua.
I ka wā o ka Java Campaign (Pepeluali 1942), ua hālāwai ʻo Davis me kahi kanaka i kapa ʻia ʻo Paul Gunn, he kanaka kaʻao. He 42 mau makahiki o ka mechanic US Navy mua, pilote a me ke kumu aʻo lele i ka wā i loaʻa ai ʻo ia i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ke Kaua Pākīpika ma Philippines, kahi āna i hana ai ma ke ʻano he pailaka mokulele pilikino. Ua hao koke aku ka pūʻali koa ʻAmelika i nā C-45 Beechcrafts ʻekolu āna i lele ai a hoʻokomo iā ia i loko o kona kūlana he kāpena. I nā pule e hiki mai ana, ua hana ʻo Gunn, i kapa ʻia ʻo Pappy ma muli o kona mau makahiki, i nā huakaʻi wiwo ʻole ma kahi Beechcraft i hoʻokuʻu ʻole ʻia e haʻalele i nā pūʻali koa mai Philippines. I ka wā i pana ʻia ai ʻo ia e kekahi Kepani hakakā ma Mindanao, ua hōʻea ʻo ia i Del Monte Airfield kahi, me ke kōkua ʻana o kahi pūʻulu mechanics, ua hoʻoponopono ʻo ia i ka pahu pahu B-17 poino āna i hoʻohana ai no ka hoʻokuʻu ʻana iā lākou i Australia.
hoopakele mai ka noho pio ana.
I ka wā i lilo ai ʻo Davis i alakaʻi no ka 3rd Attack Group, ua hoʻāʻo ʻo Gunn e hoʻonui i ka mana kaua o ka mokulele A-20 Havoc, kahi i hoʻolako hou ʻia ai ka pūʻali ʻehā o kēia pūʻulu, ka 89th BS. Ua hoʻomanaʻo ʻo Donald Hall, ke alakaʻi o ka pūʻali koa i kēlā manawa: “Ua hoʻolako ʻia kā mākou mokulele me nā pū mīkini pololei ʻehā 0,3-inihi [7,62 mm], no laila, ʻaʻole i liʻiliʻi ka mana ahi. Eia naʻe, ʻo ka palena koʻikoʻi loa i kēia manawa ʻo ia ka pōkole lele o ka A-20. Ua loli nui ke kūlana i ka wā i hoʻokomo ʻia ai kahi pahu wahie 450-galani ma ke alo o ke kai poma. No ka uku ʻana i ka ukana hoʻemi o ka pahu wahie ma muli o ka lawe ʻana o ka pahu wahie i wahi no lākou, ua hoʻololi ʻo "Pappy" Gunn i ka A-20 i mokulele hoʻouka ʻoiaʻiʻo, me ka hoʻohui ʻana i ʻehā mau pū mikini hapaha [12,7 mm] ma ka ihu. mokulele, ma kahi i noho mau ai ka mea hoopahu. ʻO kēia ke ʻano o ka hana ʻana i ka strafe mua, ʻoiai ua kapa ʻia kēia ʻano mokulele ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekania (mai ka huaʻōlelo strafe - to shoot). I ka wā mua, ua hoʻomaikaʻi ʻo Gunn i nā A-1 i hoʻololi ʻia me nā pu raifela i lawe ʻia mai nā mea kaua P-20 kahiko.
Ma mua o ka hele ʻana o nā A-20 i ke kaua, ua komo ʻo "Pappy" Gunn i ka 12th and 13th BC Expeditions to the Philippines ma ʻApelila 1942-13, 90. Ma ka hana ʻana mai Mindanao, he ʻumi Mitchells mai nā pūʻali ʻelua i pana aku i nā moku ukana Iapana ma ke awa ʻo Cebu no ʻelua mau lā (hoʻomoe ʻelua) ma mua o ka koi ʻia ʻana e haʻalele. ʻO ka hopena, ua mahalo ʻo General George Kenney—ke alakaʻi hou o ka US Air Force's 5th Air Force—i nā hoʻololi a Gunn i hana ai i ka mokulele Attack Group 3, ua hoʻonoho iā ia i kāna limahana.
I kēia manawa, ʻo ka Mitchelle 13th a me 90th BS, ma hope o ka hoʻi ʻana mai ka Philippines i Charters Towers ma ka ʻākau o Australia, ua hoʻouka i nā kahua kahua Iapana ma New Guinea i nā mahina e hiki mai ana (e hoʻopiha i ka pahu ma Port Moresby ma ke ala). Ua kaumaha nā pūʻali ʻelua - ʻo ka mua ma ʻApelila 24. Ma keia la, ua haalele aku he ekolu ohua o ka 90th BS no Port Moresby, mai kahi i manaoia e hahau ia Lae i kekahi la ae. I ka hōʻea ʻana i kahakai o New Guinea, ua lilo lākou i mea ʻino. I ka pō, i ka pau ʻana o ka wahie, ua hoʻolei lākou i nā pōkā i loko o ke kai a hoʻokuʻu iā Mariawate. Ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia kekahi mau pōkā i loko o ke kai poma o ka Nitemare Tojo, i hoʻokele ʻia e 3rd Lt. Ua pahū koke ʻo William Barker a me ka mokulele i ka wā i pā ai i ka wai. Ua hoʻi ka poʻe holo o nā kaʻa ʻelua ʻelua ("Chattanooga Choo Choo" a me "Salvo Sadie") i Chartres Towers i ka mahina aʻe ma hope o nā hanana he nui. Ma hope mai, ua nalowale kekahi mau mokulele o ka pūʻulu hoʻouka XNUMX a me kā lākou mau pūʻali i ka wā o nā huakaʻi hoʻokele hoʻokahi ma kēlā ʻaoʻao o nā mauna ʻo Stanley Owen, e hāʻule ana i loko o ka ululāʻau ma muli o ke ʻano koʻikoʻi o ka wā a i ʻole ka lilo ʻana i mau pōʻino o nā ʻenemi.
