Over the Jungles of New Guinea
One of the most distinguished fighter units, which saw combat over Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines, was the 49th Fighter Group. It comprised the 7th, 8th, and 9th Fighter Squadrons. Its pilots were credited with a total of 664 confirmed victories, and among their ranks stood the most successful American fighter ace, Richard Bong, who achieved forty aerial kills.
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One of the most distinguished fighter units,
which saw combat over Australia, New Guinea,
and the Philippines, was the 49th Fighter
Group. It comprised the 7th, 8th, and 9th Fighter
Squadrons. Its pilots were credited with a total of
664 confirmed victories, and among their ranks
stood the most successful American fighter ace,
Richard Bong, who achieved forty aerial kills.
As the 49th FG began transfer to New Guinea
in late 1942, its pilots, then flying Curtiss P-40E
aircraft, hoped to transition to the P-38 Lightning.
At the beginning of the year, only the 9th FS
re-equipped with the new type. Men of 7th and 8th
FS instead received P-40K aircraft from late 1942
then transitioned to the P-40N version in August
1943. Nor did the 9th FS always operate the
aircraft they preferred. At the end of 1943, they
were forced to exchange their P-38s for P-47s,
regaining the P-38 only in April 1944.
From the second half of 1942 onward, American
and Australian ground forces fought their way
along the coast of New Guinea for nearly three
years, advancing either overland or through
amphibious landings. These operations would
not have been possible without the air support
provided by the air forces of both Allied nations.
Over New Guinea, American pilots faced
predominantly aviators of the Imperial Japanese
Army Air Force. Fighter units were equipped with
single-engine Ki-43 and Ki-61 aircraft, while twin-
engine Ki-45s were also deployed in the area.
Japanese units operated under severe constraints,
including inadequate infrastructure of undersized
airfields, irregular supply, and both technical and
numerical Allied superiority in the air.
Between August 1943 and February 1944, the
IJAAF in New Guinea lost 225 aircraft in aerial
combat, 373 were destroyed on the ground, and
112 were damaged in accidents or from other
causes. In the same period, USAAF pilots claimed
over 600 confirmed victories over New Guinea.
One of the 49th FG fighter pilots who took
part in this climactic phase of the campaign was
1st Lt. David R. Winternitz of the 8th FS. His P-40N
is depicted in Gareth Hector’s box art while
covering a damaged “gunship” from the 345th BG,
the “Air Apaches.” Winternitz first appeared in
unit records on July 30, 1943, when he damaged
a P-40E (41-35951) while taxiing at Horanda
airfield.
He achieved his only aerial victory on February
14, 1944, during a raid on Dagua airfield on the
northern coast of New Guinea. A-20 bombers
destroyed twenty Japanese aircraft on the ground,
while escort was provided by P-40s of the 49th
FG and P-47s of the 35th FG. One P-47 was lost
on the return flight due to mechanical failure. Its
pilot, 2nd Lt. John H. Hartsfield, managed to glide
nearly twenty miles, but was killed during the
attempted emergency landing.
Seven fighter pilots from the 7th and 8th Fighter
Squadrons each claimed a single-engine fighter
destroyed. In one case, the aircraft was identified
as a “Tony,” while in the remaining cases the
Japanese Army Ki-43s were reported as “Oscar”
or “Zeke.” One such aircraft was credited to
1st Lt. Winternitz.
Although the above mentioned comparison
of Japanese losses and American victory claims
over the seven-month period suggests that U.S.
pilots understandably overclaimed in the heat
of combat, this was not the case on February 14,
1944. Japanese fighter units lost seven aircraft
and pilots in combat between Dagua and Wewak.
The 59th Hikō Sentai lost three Ki-43s, while the
63rd Hikō Sentai lost two more. The 68th and
78th Hikō Sentai each lost one Ki-61 following
the engagement.
Winternitz’s colleague, 1st Lt. Nelson DeCoursey
Flack, Jr., shot down a Ki-61 in a head-on pass,
the enemy aircraft crashing into the sea. However,
the Japanese pilot managed to damage Flack’s
aircraft, striking its cooling system.
Flack made an emergency landing
approximately sixty miles north of Gusap. The
pilot of an L-5 liaison aircraft sent to retrieve him
unfortunately crashed in tall grass. After supplies
were dropped, an Australian member of the 2/7th
Commando Company parachuted (in his first jump
ever) on February 16 to assist the stranded airmen
by clearing an improvised landing strip in the
grass. A second rescue attempt on February 21
ended in another L-5 crash. Although a third pilot
managed to land safely, he discovered that takeoff
from the soft grassy surface was only possible if
he flew alone. The four stranded men therefore
set out on foot toward friendly lines. They were
eventually rescued by an Australian patrol
on March 10, 1944. The fortunate quartet was
severely emaciated and suffering from malaria.
Nelson Flack later transitioned from the Warhawk
to the Lightning in September 1944 with the
8th FS, and with five confirmed kills and one
probable victory, he achieved ace status.
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Gareth Hector
Over the Jungles of New Guinea
INFO Eduard32
April 2026