Strana 15
HISTORY
A lineup of 7th Fighter Squadron aircraft in Darwin. Aircraft No. 51, "L'Ace", was piloted by Lt. James Bruce Morehead, who added five more victo-
ries over Australia to the two he had achieved with the 17th PS over Java. He later served in the Mediterranean, flying P-38s with the 1st FG. Capt.
Hennon is seated in the cockpit of P-40 No. 36.
P-40E, Capt. William J. Hennon, 7th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Austrálie, 1942
ple eyewitness confirmations, Archer and his
gunner, Sergeant James Coulston, were re-
warded with six bottles of beer.
Meanwhile, John Landers found himself in
a very different situation. He had bailed out of
his aircraft at approximately 1,000 feet over
the jungle. He wandered through the unk-
nown terrain for three days, eventually coming
across a stream, which led him to a native
village. The village elders provided him with
shelter and food, and the next day, the villagers
escorted him to Pongani Airfield, where he
was evacuated on December 31, 1942, aboard
an A-24 dive bomber bound for Port Moresby.
Although Landers later achieved further
victories flying the long-awaited P-38 Light-
ning, it was not with the 49th Fighter Group. In
the summer of 1944, he joined the 55th Fighter
Group, where he participated in combat over
Europe. Meanwhile, his former colleagues in
the 49th Fighter Group were rearmed with
P-38 fighters, contributing to its reputation as
a legendary aircraft.
Sources:
CLARINGBOULD, Michael J., INGMAN, Peter:
South Pacific Air War, Volume 2
CLARINGBOULD, Michael J.: Pacific Profiles
Volume 1, Japanese Army Fighters, New Guinea
& the Solomons 1942 -1943
CLARINGBOULD, Michael J.: Pacific Adversa-
ries, Volume 1, Japanese Army Air Force vs The
Allies, New Guinea 1942 – 1944
CLARINGBOULD, Michael J., INGMAN, Peter:
South Pacific Air War, Volume 5, Crisis in papua,
September – December 1942
HATA, Ikuhiko, IZAWA, Yasuho, SHORES,
Christopher: Japanese Naval Aces 1932 – 1945
HESS, William N.: 49th Fighter Group, Aces
of the Pacific
ICHIMURA, Hiroshi: Ki-43 Oscar Aces of
World War 2
JACAR: Tactical operational records of 3. Kō-
kūtai
JACAR: Tactical operational records of Takao
Kōkūtai
LEWIS, Tom: The Empire Strikes South, Ja-
pan´s Air War Against Northern Australia 1942
– 1945
McDOWELL, Ernest R.: 49th Fighter Group
MOLESWORTH, Carl: P-40 Warhawk Aces of
the Pacific
OLYNYK, Frank: Stars & Bars, A Tribute to the
American Fighter Ace 1920 - 1973
INFO Eduard
15
March 2025