Battle over Horn Island

Text: Jan Bobek

Illustration: Gareth Hector

Cat. No. 84207

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.”