F4F Wildcat - Chaka Choyamba ku Pacific: September-December 1942 p.2
F4F Wildcat - chaka choyamba ku Pacific. Mbalame zakutchire zidayima m'mphepete mwa msewu wa Fighter 1 pa Guadalcanal.
Kuukira kwa America ku Guadalcanal mu Ogasiti 1942 kudatsegula njira yatsopano ku South Pacific ndikupangitsa kuti pakhale nkhondo yachitatu yomwe idachitikapo kum'mawa kwa Solomons kumapeto kwa mwezi womwewo. Komabe, zolemetsa zomenyera nkhondo ku Guadalcanal zidagwera pa ndege zomwe zimagwira ntchito kuchokera pansi.
Panthawiyo, magulu awiri a asilikali a Marine Wildcats (VMF-223 ndi -224) ndi gulu limodzi la asilikali ankhondo a US Navy (VF-5) anali pachilumbachi, kuteteza zigawenga zazikulu za Japanese Air Force ku Rabaul, New Britain. .
Kufika kwa asilikali a 11 VF-24, adachoka ku USS Saratoga atawononga sitimayo kumapeto kwa August, mphamvu zitatu za Wildcat pachilumbachi pa 5 September. Panthawiyo, magulu oyendetsa ndege a Imperial Navy ku Rabaul, omwe ali m'gulu la 11 Air Fleet, anali ndi ndege zokwana 100, kuphatikizapo 30 Riccos (mabomba a injini ziwiri) ndi omenyana ndi 45 A6M Zero. Komabe, A6M2 Model 21 yokha inali ndi mitundu yokwanira yochotsera Guadalcanal. A6M3 Model 32 yatsopano idagwiritsidwa ntchito kuteteza Rabaul ku ndege za US Air Force zomwe zikugwira ntchito ku New Guinea.
Masana pa September 12, ulendo wa 25 rikko (kuchokera ku Misawa, Kisarazu ndi Chitose Kokutai) unafika. Anatsagana ndi Zero 15 kuchokera ku 2nd ndi 6 Kokutai. Atafika pafupi ndi chilumbachi, oponya mabombawo anasintha n’kuyamba kuwuluka pang’onopang’ono, n’kutsikira pamalo okwera mamita 7500 kuti apeze liwiro. Anthu a ku Japan anadabwa kwambiri. Pafupifupi 20 Wildcats VF-5s ndi 12 kuchokera kumagulu onse a Marine adachoka ku Henderson Field. Oyendetsa ndege a Zero anayesa kuwaletsa, koma sanathe kutsata omenyera 32 aja. Chotsatira chake, a ku Japan anataya Rikko asanu ndi limodzi ndi Zero imodzi yoyendetsedwa ndi cheke Torakiti Okazaki wa 2. Kokutai. Atawomberedwa ndi Lieutenant (Junior) Howard Grimmell wa VF-5, Okazaki anathawira ku Savo Island, kukokera ndege ya mafuta oyendetsa ndege kumbuyo kwake, koma sanawonekenso.
M'bandakucha pa Seputembala 13, onyamula ndege a Hornet ndi Wasp adapereka nyama zakutchire 18 ku Guadalcanal kwa magulu omwe ali pachilumbachi. Pakadali pano, zambiri zidafika ku Rabaul kuti asitikali aku Japan alanda Henderson Field, eyapoti yayikulu pachilumbachi. Kuti atsimikizire zimenezi, a Rikko awiri, limodzi ndi asilikali XNUMX, anapita pachilumbachi. Zero zingapo, powona momwe Amphaka Zamtchire zimawawukira, kugunda pamwamba, kugwetsa imodzi, ndikuthamangitsira ena m'mitambo. Komabe, kumeneko, oyendetsa ndege olimba mtima ndi okonzekera nkhondo a Tainan Kokutai apamwamba adachita nawo moto wautali wautali pansi, ndipo pamene Wildcats ambiri adagwirizana nawo, anaphedwa mmodzimmodzi. Anayi adamwalira, kuphatikiza maekala atatu: Mar. Toraichi Takatsuka, wothandizira wa Kazushi Uto komanso bwenzi la Susumu Matsuki.
Malipoti ochokera kwa magulu awiri a Rikko anali otsutsana, kotero m'mawa wa tsiku lotsatira, September 14, atatu A6M2-N (Rufe) anapita ku Henderson Field kuti adziwe yemwe anali kuyang'anira bwalo la ndege. Anali ndege zapanyanja zomwe zimagwira ntchito kuchokera kumalo a Recata Bay pamphepete mwa nyanja ya Santa Isabel, makilomita 135 okha kuchokera ku Guadalcanal. Anapereka chiwopsezo chenicheni - madzulo a tsiku lapitalo, adawombera Opanda Mantha akuyandikira potera. Nthawiyi imodzi ya A6M2-N idagwa pabwalo la ndege ndikuwononga mayendedwe a R4D omwe anali atangonyamuka kumene ku Henderson Field. Ajapani asanawononge chilichonse, idawomberedwa ndi oyendetsa ndege a VF-5, monganso ma A6M2-N ena awiri. Mmodzi adamenyedwa ndi Lieutenant (Second Lieutenant) James Halford. Pamene woyendetsa ndege wa ku Japan adatuluka, Halford adamuwombera mlengalenga.
Ajapani sanafooke. M'mawa, 11 Zero kuchokera ku 2 Kokutai anatumizidwa kuchokera ku Rabaul kuti "asanze" kumwamba pa Guadalcanal, ndipo kotala la ola pambuyo pawo, Nakajima J1N1-C Gekko ndege yothamanga kwambiri. Mmodzi mwa 5. Kokutai's aces, boatswain Koichi Magara, anaphedwa pa mkangano ndi VF-223 ndi VMF-2 Wildcats oposa makumi awiri. Posakhalitsa, Gekko wozindikira adawonekera ndikuyamba kuyendayenda pa Henderson Field. Oyendetsa ndegewo analibe nthawi yoti afotokoze zomwe zidakhazikitsidwa - atatha kuthamangitsidwa kwanthawi yayitali, adawomberedwa ndi a Second Lieutenants Kenneth Fraser ndi Willis Lees ochokera ku VMF-223.
