SIGNAL SUCCESS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 December 1943, Page 3

SIGNAL SUCCESS

SCORED BV NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN —. * BATTLE OVER BOUGAINVILLE. HEAVY TOLL TAKEN OF ENEMY FIGHTERS. (Official R.N.Z.A.F. News Service.) NEW GEORGIA, November 22. A highly successful action in which four New Zealand Warhawks encountered about. 40 Japanese Zero fighters and shot down five, damaged at least six and. chased the remainder off, all without loss, was fought over Bougainville this morning. The action brought this particular squadron’s total to 14 confirmed vetories and the fighter wing’s bag to 62. Led by Flight Lieutenant R. H. Balfour, Waimate, the section was patrolling’ the island from Empress Augusta Bay at 24,000 ft. When some five miles east of Mt. Magana, the New Zealanders saw between 35 and 40 Zeros approaching some 2000 ft. below. Balfour manoeuvred his team behind and upsun of the enemy and then dived steeply at well over 300 miles an hour. The leader came up behind the Zeros which comprised a main group and several scattered sub-sections. Two were directly ahead of him and he opened fire at 80 yards. A short burst caused the Japanese to explode in a sheet of flame, through which the New Zealanders flew as they continued the attack. Two of our pilots attacked a second Zero simultaneously at close range. It began to smoke and went down burning. The Warhawks closed on the mam enemy formation and for 10 minutes there was a battle royal. The air was filled with aircraft diving, climbing, skidding and spinning, with the roar of hard-worked engines and with red flecks of. tracers. Keeping their speed high, taking violent evasive action when necessary and working in pairs, the New Zealanders came through this part of the action unscratched and the Japanese took heavy punishment. The leader of the four attacked Zero after Zero. The first two emitted black smoke and then disappeared in the melee. The next Avas hit heavily in the engine, cockpit and wing and rolled on its back and spun down. Detailed results were impossible to observe in the heat of action, though there- was time for a second's humour. The Warhawks’ control base many miles away called Balfour by radio and asked: “Have you made contact?” The reply was brief and to the point and caused amusement to all who heard. Gradually the battling aircraft lost height and the fight drifted over toward Cape Torokina. There a solitary Zero was found below the Warhawks and after several attacks it was destroyed. A determined head-on attack against Balfour was made by one Japanese. The enemy was above and ahead and he dived fast, firing as he approached. Bullets tore into the New Zealander’s motor cowling, and he broke downward just in time to avoid a collision.

Another New Zealander fiying No. 2 to the leader made three attacks in quick succession on one of the few of the newer type Zeros —clipped wing jobs of revised design. It was finished in blue instead of the usual brownishgreen, but proved just as vunerable to an attack well pressed home. Closing to 50 yards, the New Zealander got a good burst into the enemy’s wing root, fuselage and engine. An explosion occurred in the engine and a large piece of metal flew off and smoke and flame followed. An unusual incident occurred when a Warhawk pilot attacked a Zero at 10,000 feet. He attacked from behind, opened- fire at 200 yards and closed to. 50 yards, watching his tracers hit the wing and fuselage and start a fire. The pilot got halfway out-of the cockpit and waved his arms up and .down, giving the impression that he was trying to extinguish' the fire. A sheet of flame then swept back from the engine and the aircraft crashed in the jungle. After sharing a Zero with' Balfour. Flying Officer C. D. A. Highet, Wellington, attacked several qthers before getting his second one confirmed. Though almost out of ammunition the New Zealanders sighted several Zeros high above and began to climb to the attack, but the Zeros, insetad of facing the threat, turned toward Buka and made off .at high speed.