In the midst of the atolls

Text: Jan Bobek

Illustration: Gareth Hector

Cat. No. R0025

Some fighter units in the Pacific, such as the 15th Fighter Group, had their combat careers interrupted by long periods without engaging the enemy. This unit, then designated the 15th Pursuit Group, was part of the defense of the Hawaiian Islands at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It operated a mix of P-36 and P-40B aircraft and consisted of the 45th, 46th, and 47th Pursuit Squadrons. Pilots from the 46th and 47th PS claimed ten confirmed kills, one probable, and two damaged Japanese aircraft. Among the few pilots from the 45th PS who managed to get airborne was Francis “Gabby” Gabreski, who would later become the most successful U.S. fighter ace in the European Theater. You can learn more about this tragic day in the article by Carl Molesworth in INFO Eduard magazine, 12/2021. 

For a long time, these were the only successes of the unit, which meanwhile was redesignated the 15th FG. In March 1943, the 78th FS joined the unit in Hawaii, along with the 6th NFS, which operated P-70 night fighters based in Port Moresby, New Guinea.

Training and routine patrols around Hawaii for the P-40 pilots of the 45th FS ended in the autumn of 1943. In September, the unit moved to Baker Island, an uninhabited atoll near the equator in the central Pacific, roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia.

At the end of November, they moved to Nanumea Atoll, located south of the Gilbert Islands. In mid-January 1944, the unit relocated again, this time to Makin Atoll, and operated from there until the end of March. Within range of this airfield were IJN air bases in the western Pacific, such as the Mili and Maloelap Atolls.

These and other bases became targets of air raids starting in November 1943, conducted by four-engine B-24 bombers, twin-engine B-25s, and A-24 dive bombers. Fighter cover, primarily for the medium and dive bombers, was provided by P-39 and P-40 aircraft. Japanese bases were also targeted by US Navy aircraft.

One such attack is depicted in the artwork showing a P-40 piloted by 1st Lt. Arthur A. Bridge of the 45th FS. Illustrator Gareth Hector captured the scene during a raid on Mili Atoll, showing the destruction of Zeros from Kōkūtai 281, which participated in the defense of the atoll.

Opportunities for air combat in this area were limited. IJN units were scattered across several bases, which were heavily decimated by repeated raids. For example, Mili Atoll became the target of nearly a hundred air raids between November 1943 and April 1944. A rare opportunity for the 45th FS to engage Japanese pilots occurred on January 26, 1944, during a raid on Maloelap Atoll. The Americans dispatched nine B-25 Mitchell bombers escorted by P-40Ns from the 45th FS.

On the Japanese side, an unexpectedly large group of 25 Zeros from Kōkūtai 252 (formerly the Genzan Kōkūtai fighter unit) was prepared to intercept the attackers. The formation was led by Lt (jg) Sumio Fukuda. Most of his unit already operated in four-plane sections. Fukuda was an experienced veteran with eleven kills. He had served in the fighter unit of the aircraft carrier Junyō during the Guadalcanal campaign, later transferred to Kōkūtai 204 involved in the defense of Rabaul, and even briefly acted as its interim commander. In November 1943, he was transferred to Kōkūtai 252, and under his command during the battles in the Gilbert Islands, his pilots claimed around fifty victories.

During the American raid on Maloelap, the Japanese pilots correctly reported an encounter with nine B-25s and thirteen P-40s, which they attacked at an altitude of 3,000 meters. After the battle, they claimed four P-40s shot down and one B-25 probably destroyed. They lost four Zeroes and their pilots in return.

The American escort was probably led by Maj. Harry M. Thompson, who claimed one Zeke shot down. After a very hectic battle, his colleagues claimed eight more Zekes as definitely shot down and one probably destroyed. They also claimed one confirmed and one probable kill of a Kate bomber. Apparently, the Americans suffered no losses in this engagement.

For a long time, this was the 15th FG’s only success in air combat. In 1944, the unit returned to Hawaii to re-equip with the P-51D Mustang and to train for long-range escort missions. From April 1945, it was deployed on Okinawa for the defense of the island and to participate in raids on Japan. During these, the aforementioned 1st Lt. Arthur A. Bridge was credited with two half-kills of Japanese fighters. In total, during World War II, the 15th FG achieved 128 confirmed victories, 23 probable kills, and damaged 43 Japanese aircraft in combat. Six of its pilots became aces.

Sumio Fukuda was killed on October 24, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf as the commander of Hikōtai 163, part of Kōkūtai 634. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.