Battle over Horn Island
When the 49th Pursuit Group, with 1,100 personnel and their aircraft, arrived in Australia aboard ships on February 1, 1942, it became the first unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps to reach a combat zone after Japan’s declaration of war.
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When the 49th Pursuit Group, with 1,100
personnel and their aircraft, arrived in Australia
aboard ships on February 1, 1942, it became the
first unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps to reach
a combat zone after Japan’s declaration of war.
At the beginning of March 1942, Maj. Wurthsmith,
commander of the 49th Pursuit Group, asked
the commander of the 7th Pursuit Squadron,
Lt. Morrissey, if he had enough experienced
pilots to form a detachment that could be sent
to Horn Island, located in the Torres Strait,
Queensland, northern Australia, between the
Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea,
Morrissey assembled a group of twelve airmen
who immediately set out for the island, and nine
of them arrived at their destination without any
ground crew or logistical support.
It was this base that, on March 14, 1942, came
under attack by eight G4M Betty bombers
accompanied by twelve A6M2 Zero Model
21 fighters. All the aircraft belonged to the
4th Kōkūtai. The bombers, commanded by
Lt. Shigeo Yamagata, took off from Rabaul, while
their fighter escort, under the command of
Lt. Shirō Kawai, departed from the recently
captured base at Lae in New Guinea.
Lt. Morrissey received timely warning of the
approaching attackers and managed to get his
men airborne. Morrissey led "A" Flight, which
comprised four aircraft, and "B" Flight was led by
2/Lt. Bill Reddington with five planes. They took off
at fifteen-second intervals. At 10,000 feet south of
Horn Island, they readied their guns, but Morrissey
discovered that his gun switch was dead.
He handed command to Reddington and made
a quick landing, where RAAF ground staff cleared
and recharged his guns. Thirty minutes later,
he was airborne again and rejoined his flight after
another fifteen minutes. Reddington then reported
that his guns had also failed. He was ordered back
to the airfield, and command of "B" Flight was
given to Lt. Johnson. By that time, bombs began
falling on the western end of the airfield, and
several Zeros started strafing ground targets.
The Betty bomber crews, still undisturbed,
dropped their loads accurately from an altitude
of seven kilometers. Ten minutes later, they
were attacked by a single “Hurricane,” which the
gunners claimed as shot down. The pilot of the
American aircraft was likely 2/Lt Harold J. Martin,
who was officially credited with the destruction of
a bomber after the battle.
Hal Martin had become separated from the
others and flew alone before Morrissey’s return
in order to intercept the Japanese attackers.
At maximum range, he opened fire on three
Japanese aircraft on the left side of the formation.
Finally, when he closed to optimal firing distance,
he targeted a large brown and green bomber at
the far left and expended all his ammunition on it.
He then rolled left as the Japanese returned fire
and immediately headed back to Horn Island.
The raid destroyed one twin-engine Hudson,
damaged another, and inflicted damage on
buildings, tents, a water tank, and several
vehicles. On their return flight, the Betty crews
strafed an Allied vessel and landed back at their
base without any loss on their side.
The Japanese fighter escort engaged most of
the Americans and claimed eight victories. Among
the Japanese pilots was the future top-scoring
naval ace, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa. Four American
aircraft were damaged by gunfire of Zero pilots.
However, the only total American loss was
an aircraft whose pilot became disoriented and
bailed out, later being rescued by two young
Aboriginal men. During the engagement, the
Americans claimed four Zeros shot down. One of
the Japanese pilots killed was Ensign Nobuhiro
Iwasaki, whose aircraft was later found, allowing
Allied intelligence to recover valuable information,
especially from the component identification
plates. His likely opponent was Lt. Morrissey, who
hit his target from a distance of 200 yards. One of
Iwasaki’s wingmen was Nishizawa himself.
The second Japanese pilot shot down was
Petty Officer 1st Class Genkichi Ōishi, and in his
case, his opponent is beyond doubt. Lt. A. T. House,
who attacked a Zero that was trying to get behind
Morrissey. When House attempted to fire, his
guns failed to produce a single shot. He therefore
decided to ram the Zero with his right wingtip,
striking the fuselage and killing Ōishi in the
cockpit. The P-40 then went into uncontrollable
and violent maneuvers. House managed to regain
control of his aircraft at 4,000 feet and landed
back at the base at high speed without using
flaps. For this action, he deservedly received the
Distinguished Service Cross. Shortly after this
battle, the 7th PS was withdrawn from Horn Island,
and House soon ended up in the hospital : While
on leave in Sydney, a taxi driver ran over his foot.
Well, as the saying goes, “He who is fated to hang
will never drown.”
Illustration: Gareth Hector
Battle over Horn Island
Text: Jan Bobek
INFO Eduard
37
October 2025