Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

HISTORY

A picture taken on November 7, 1942, shows several damaged Rufe seaplanes in Holz Bay, Attu Island.

seaplanes needed to be deployed to protect the

anchorages and bases under construction, as

float-type observation aircraft were not ideal

for this purpose. Moreover, both tenders got

tasks in another part of the Pacific.

In early June a Rufe fighter unit was formed in

Yokosuka under the command of Lt. Kushichirō

Yamada. Six machines were transported to

Kiska by seaplane tender Chiyoda, and the unit

was integrated into Tōkō Kōkūtai. The planes

were usually moored to buoys in shallow water

and transported ashore for maintenance using

bamboo structures. They usually patrolled

in pairs and sometimes engaged with enemy

aircraft several times a day. Very soon they

started using 30kg bombs against heavy

bombers. During anti-submarine patrols they

probably used 60kg bombs. The weather in the

area was often inclement with fog and low cloud.

Therefore, even the four-engined aircraft often

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INFO Eduard

operated at relatively low altitude. Yamada's

pilots first encountered enemy on July 7 and

8, 1942, during a Liberator raid on Kiska. First

victory was achieved ten days later, one B-24

and one B-17 were claimed, but Americans lost

only one Flying Fortress of the 28th Composite

Bombardment Group. It was an old B-17B c/n

38-215 “Old Seventy” from the 36th BS, with

seasoned veteran Major Jack Marks at the

controls. The machine exploded at 2,000 feet

in a dogfight with Rufe pilots near Rat Island.

However, there is another version saying that

the damaged bomber crashed into a mountain

range.

In early August, Yamada's fighter unit was

detached from the Tōkō Kōkūtai and became

the 5th Kōkūtai, whose number of aircraft was

expanded to twelve fighter seaplanes. During

August it was also reinforced with observation

floatplanes.

The fighters of the 5th Kōkūtai scored their

first victory on August 7, 1942. The warships

under the command of Rear Adm. W. W. “Poco”

Smith sailed from Kodiak to Kiska to shell the

Japanese positions. The fog made combat

activity considerably more difficult for both

belligerents. In addition to the heavy cruisers

USS Indianapolis and USS Louisville, the light

cruisers USS Honolulu, USS St. Louis and USS

Nashville and four destroyers were also part of

the fleet.

Despite the fog in the area, the Americans

managed to open fire at 19:55, simultaneously

sending six SOC Seagull observation aircraft

over the target.

The Japanese came into contact with the

observation planes several times but had little

chance to attack them successfully in the bad

weather. The first to fire was Lt. Yamada with

his wingman and they claimed a Seagull shot

April 2023