Dutch East Indies, #2

All,

Dogfights in the Dutch East Indies, Sortie #2 (565th Fighter Squadron "Chickenhawks")

It's 18 January 1941 and only days before a squadron of US Army Air Force P-40 Warhawks under Captain Brian Jordan was sent to Makassar on the southwest tip of the island of Celebes, to aid in the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) defense of the Dutch East Indies (DEI) from the marauding forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy.  Captain Jordan and his men with their six sleek, Curtiss Warhawks (I'm running small squadrons of six aircraft as to use more pilots would make it too much for me to handle following three different US squadrons) quickly settled into life on the dusty tropical airfield, happy be in the fight and ready to avenge Pearl Harbor!

It wasn't long until Capt Jordan's fighters were being scrambled to meet the Japanese.  Without warning, Japanese bombers arrived over Makassar and bombed ABDA facilities at approximately 1300 local time on 18 January 1942.  As bombs were falling Captain Jordan and three of his pilots dashed to their fighters, already being cranked by their ground crews.  By the time the Americans got into the air the bombing raid was finished, and the young Yanks found themselves right in the middle of a very confusing situation as the Japanese were reforming for their trip back to their air base.

The very confusing situation: the American flight of four P-40s is split into two sections, on in the southwest (bottom left) and one in the southeast (bottom right), while the Japanese have a section of fighters in the north (top center), heading south (bottom), and a section of bombers in the east (right), heading north.

In the southwest we have Captain Jordan (Veteran) and 1st Lieutenant Case (Regular) in Chicken 01 and Chicken 02, speed 4/altitude 3/ammo 5.

In the southeast we have 2nd Lieutenants Gann and Cotton (both Regulars) in Chicken 03 and 04, speed 2/alt 6, plenty of ammo.

The Japanese fighters at speed 6/alt 3/ammo 5, heading south.  Zeke 01 and 02 are Veteran pilots, Zeke 03 is a Regular.

And lastly, in the east, we have three Ki-21 Sallys, looking to get home after having dropped their bombs on ABDA facilities in the Makassar area.

The Japanese bombers head northwest, oblivious to the situation, as Chicken 03 and 04 spot them and begin to climb and pick up speed to chase them down.  The Japanese fighters spot Chicken 03 and 04, but not 01 and 02, and so begin turning into the American fighters in the southeast, while Chicken 01 and 02 spot the Japanese fighters and zoom straight in at them.

Lt Cotton, in Chicken 04, zooms ahead, with Lt Gann trailing him in Chicken 03.  Both the young, inexperienced pilots have their eyes on the Japanese bombers (a base is just visible at top center) and are working out the intercept angle, oblivious to the Japanese fighters directly in front of them.  Zeke 01 is ready to get this party started: he pulls back on the stick and rolls the nimble Zero over into a left-hand turn to go nose to nose with Chicken 04, but right as he was at the top of the turn, rolling the fighter onto target...  Well, last night I think he got some bad pork, and his stomach had been roiling all morning on the flight in.  When he pitched the aircraft over he ended up suspended in mid-air for a moment, hanging in the aircraft's seatbelts, and, well, it was just more than his upset stomach could handle.  He was just about to line up the shot on the amateurish young American when the smell reached up and slapped him in the face; fighting to get his canopy open to let some fresh air in, the Veteran Japanese pilot lost the shot as well as a bit of speed and altitude...

Lt Cotton couldn't believe his eyes when suddenly a Zero appeared, filling his windscreen: "Tally Ho my twelve o'clock!!!"

Captain Jordan (off camera to bottom) couldn't help but giggle a bit and wonder what the hell was going on with the lead Zero (Zeke 01) and was just about to speak into the radio to tell Lt Case (Chicken 02) to ignore Lt Cotton's tally ho, to sit tight as it looked like the Japanese fighters still hadn't seen Chicken 01 and 02, when Lt Case called out "I'm in!!!"  Captain Jordan looked on in shocked anger as Lt Case's P-40 zoomed past, machine guns chattering.  That damn fool has ruined our position, zooming in and taking a terrible deflection shot...

And so Captain Jordan was absolutely amazed when Zeke 03 pitched over and dived straight into the jungle below!!!

Zeke 02 sees his partner pitch over and explode on the ground but can't see where the fire came from.  He was already committed to engaging Chicken 03 and 04 anyway, and assumed they must have made some incredible, long-range shot, so he rolled in and opened fire at long range himself.  Lt Cotton juked Chicken 04 and the enemy rounds sailed by harmlessly.  Lt Gann held his position on Chicken 04's wing, while Capt Jordan pulled Chicken 01 slight right, stealthily angling to get on the tail of Zeke 01 and 02 as they flashed by.

The Japanese bombers keep pushing for their rally point, happy to stay out of the dogfight.  All the P-40s continue into the center, with Chicken 04 ending up nose to nose with Zeke 02 and Captain Jordan (Chicken 01) sliding right in behind Zeke 01, unnoticed.

Lt Case, having downed an enemy fighter already, says hell with the fighters and goes glory hunting as he turns left to go after the bombers.  Lt Cotton, in Chicken 04, displays some incredible stones and acrobatics as, already nose to nose with Zeke 02, he calmly flips a wingover, reversing course IN FRONT OF the Japanese Zero, believing he'll catch the enemy pilot off guard and force him past.  Lt Gann wants to turn Chicken 03 into Zeke 02 and fire him up, but he's thrown off at the crazy-ass move Lt Cotton just pulled AND he spots Zeke 01 cut hard left and open fire on him, so he bungs his maneuver, losing some speed and altitude as the Japanese leader's bullets miss as his aim is thrown off from Lt Gann screwing up the maneuver and not being where the Japanese pilot thought he'd be!

Zeke 02, with Chicken 04 just pulling a wingover right in front of him, Chicken 03 seeming to magically float in place amidst all the chaos, and his own leader sending 20mm and 7.7mm tracers haphazardly into the whole mess, attempts an Immelman, looking to reverse course 180 degrees to come in above and behind Chicken 04, but it's all too much for him and he bungs it, losing speed and altitude.  Meanwhile, still unseen, Captain Jordan hums to himself as he calmly charges his guns, flips the safety off, and coasts right up behind Zeke 01, letting the Japanese fighter fill his sights before nonchalantly depressing the trigger.  Captain Jordan watches the tracers meet the enemy leader's plane, pieces falling off and then the aircraft itself bursting into flame!

Lt Case (Chicken 02) continues to give chase as the Japanese bombers turn west, with Lt Gann (Chicken 03) looking to catch up and help.  Meanwhile, Zeke 02 finds himself all alone with Captain Jordan (Chicken 01) and Lt Cotton (Chicken 04) on his tail.

And now it's a duel between Captain Jordan and Lt Cotton to see who gets the last enemy fighter: Captain Jordan is quicker to the punch and slides in behind the Zero, .50 cals hammering the balswood enemy plane...

Captain Jordan smiles to himself as Zeke 02 explodes in midair and Zeke 01 disappears into the jungle below.  Lt Cotton can't believe his bad luck, but can't help but be happy and proud for his squadron leader.

Meanwhile, in the north, Lt Case rolls in on the enemy bombers.  He stays at long range, dancing with the Japanese machine gunners, lines up, and puts a burst into the nearest Sally, damaging it.

With all the Japanese fighters gone, Lt Cotton flips Chicken 04 around to give chase on the Japanese bombers.  Realizing he'll never get there in time, Captain Jordan (Chicken 01) smiles...

Stuffs a cigar stub into his mouth, and pushes back his canopy to get some fresh air.

Lieutenants Gann and Cotton continue to try and catch up as Lt Case continues his dance with the bombers, dodging defensive fire while pumping .50 cal rounds into the Sallys.  He's pretty good at it, too, as he watches a bomber go down for his second kill of the afternoon!

But then the enemy fire gets the better of him; he's not hit, but it's enough to throw him off the for a moment and he bungs his move to stay on the tail of the enemy bombers.  Which is exactly what Chicken 03 and 04 were hoping for: now they can get in on the action!  Hopefully.

Lt Case gets Chicken 02 straightened up and back in the game, Lt Gann pushes Chicken 03 for his perfect intercept point, and Lt Cotton rolls straight in, braving defensive fire.  His plane shudders as enemy machine gun rounds strike his P-40, but he's rewarded by seeing his own machine guns knocking pieces off the enemy bomber and a stream of dark, black smoke spew from the Sally's left engine.

The stricken bomber begins to drift towards the ground, Lt Cotton following it all the way in, pulling up only at the last moment, his P-40 actually being struck by fragments of the Sally as it struck the ground and blew up.  "Careful buddy!" Lt Gann calls out.  "Sorry, I just really wanted that one!"  The last Sally has disappeared into a cloud bank, so Lieutenants Gann, Case, and Cotton form up to wait for the squadron leader, Captain Jordan, to join them for the triumphant return to base.

The Chickenhawks made out like bandits, performing magnificently in their baptism of fire.  The four Army aviators managed to shoot down three enemy fighters and two enemy bombers, at the cost of only one P-40 damaged!  "Let's head to the barn, fellas, drinks are on me!" crowed Captain Jordan as the four fighters turned and began their landing descent.

I can't believe the Doggies out-performed my beloved Marines.  @#$%ing Wingers, always letting us REAL Marines down ;)

V/R,
Jack