Over the Jungles of New Guinea
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Gareth Hector
Cat. No. 84210
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.