HISTORY

of VMSB-142 escorted by six USAAF P-39s from

the 12th Fighter Squadron and twelve Marine

Wildcats from VMF-121 and VMO-251. This

Wildcat escort was comprised of two divisions

under Capt. Hunter Reinburg and Lt. Herb Long

deployed on the left side of the escort formation.

A third division under Maj. Joe Renner from

VMO-251 was in place on the formation’s right.

Contact with the Japanese occurred just

off the coast of New Georgia, 140 miles from

Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and twenty

miles from Vanguna Island. The Marine Wildcats

were at an altitude of approximately 16,000 feet

when the Japanese Zeros were first spotted

at 0705 by Capt. Francis “Effie” Pierce. Pierce

radioed a warning to his fellow Wildcat pilots.

Capt. Reinburg, to the left and above Pierce,

moved to attack. With the sun to his back,

Reinburg flew head-on towards the lead Zero.

When he opened fire, he observed his “gunfire

converge on the Zero’s engine and kick off

sparks like a grinding wheel does”.6)

The ensuing melee then moved northwards

until combat broke off at 0730. American claims

of fifteen Japanese losses far exceeded the

actual total. Allowing for the fact that some of

the American claims were for Ki-43 Oscars the

204 Kū losses were only three Zeros. The six

surviving 204 Kū Zeros touched down at Munda

at 0815, left Munda at 0835 and finally landed

at Buin at 0925. US losses were three Wildcats,

two P-39s, and two Dauntless dive bombers,

one of which ditched off the mouth of Morovo

Lagoon.7)

Recovery of A6M3 Type 32 Tail Code T2 133 from Hamberi Cove, Kolombangara Island, May 1944.

Question marks and uncertainties

The argument can be made that one of these

three downed Zeros was flown by Lt. (jg)

Tanoue. However, there are some issues that

first need to be resolved. The first is the actual

location of Hamberi Cove. Maps show a Hamberi

Cove (or more commonly Hambere Cove) on

the west coast of Kolombangara Island. But

wartime documents also refer to Hamberi Cove

as an alternative name for Disappointment

Cove, located near Vila on Kolombangara Island

and used as a barge anchorage for the new

Japanese base at Vila. Additionally, a photo

caption in Freeman’s article states that T2 133

was “pulled out of the water off New Georgia,

across from Munda”. It is therefore most likely

that this location near to Vila was where T2 133

was found.8)

While this location is indeed closer to the

action of 15 January than the Hamberi Cove

on the west coast of Kolombangara, one must

still question why the pilot of this presumably

damaged plane tried to ditch in this location

instead of the closer airfield at Munda.

Secondly, the loss of only three Zeros argues

that all of these were lost at the scene of the

air battle. The various American reports claim

September 2023

After its recovery A6M3 Type 32 T2 133 was taken to Munda on New Georgia Island.

INFO Eduard

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