Although the F4U Corsair subsequently proved to be a better fighter in Pacific operations, its initial use in this theater of operations exposed its flaws
Although the F4U Corsair ultimately proved to be a better fighter in Pacific operations, its early use in battle in this theater exposed its flaws. In fact, the debacle known as the “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre” displayed outstanding Zero-Sen fighter strategies.
The first F4U 1s to arrive at Guadalcanal in the afternoon of February 12, 1943, flew into Fighter 2 airfield, according to Michael John Claringbould’s explanation in the book F4U Corsair versus A6M Zero-sen Rabaul and the Solomons 1943-44. Later that day, another seven Corsairs joined the original 17 Corsairs.
A PBY assigned to retrieve downed US Marine Corps Wildcat pilots Lt Jefferson DeBlanc and SSgt James Feliton was escorted by two Corsairs from this second group just a few hours after they landed. When the first Corsair combat patrol was finished, 11 aircraft from VMF-124 were assigned to escort nine US Navy PB4Y-1 Liberators as they bombed Japanese ships off the southern coast of Bougainville in the Buin-Shortland area the following day. A few Zero Sens in the Buin airport circuit gave them a cursory glance from a distance but kept their distance.
The mission on February 14 was essentially a repetition of the action the day before, except this time it was the first Corsair vs Zero-Sen combat. Again, the F4Us were escorting PB4Y Liberators as they conducted a shipping strike off southern Bougainville. Because of the significant loss of American aircraft, the mission was dubbed the “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre.”
The first to see the approaching American formation was a 252nd Kokutai Zero Sen patrol commanded by FPO2c Tamotsu Okabayashi over southern Bougainville; shortly after, more A6Ms were scrambled from Ballale airfield. The 204th Kokutai’s 13 more Zero aircraft scrambled as the incoming American pilots observed the dust from Buin airfield rise. Lt Zenjiro Miyano led the fighters into the air. The 802nd Kokutai’s 11 A6M2-N “Rufe” floatplane fighters were also scrambled from their base in the Shortland Islands, raising the total number of IJNAF forces to 41.
Once the Liberators dropped their bombs and retreated southeast with their escorts around midday, a ferocious dogfight broke out. The ensuing melee claimed the lives of a PB4Y, three P-38 Lightnings, and two Corsairs flown by 1Lts Gordon Lyon Jr. and Harold Stewart of VMF-124.
During the battle, at a height of roughly 20,000 feet, Stewart rejoined his element leader, 1Lt Lloyd Pearson, with gasoline vapor coming from multiple bullet holes in his wing. Ten minutes later, the Corsair ran out of fuel due to the streaming, at which point Stewart nosed down into the ditch. Minutes after the clean ditch, Following Zero Sens quickly located the downed fighter and dived to strafe Stewart in his yellow dinghy. He vanished without a trace.
Since both Zero Sen units claimed Corsairs in this pivotal combat, it is challenging to compare the belligerents. In response, the PB4Y gunners claimed nine A6Ms, while Lightning pilot Capt. Bill Griffith claimed one Zero Sen. VMF 124 was credited with downing a “Pete” floatplane and three Zero Sens. The 252nd Kokutai pilot FPO2c Yoshio Yoshida, who collided with Lyon’s Corsair during the dogfight, was the lone IJNAF loss, as opposed to 14 American claims. The 252nd Kokutai’s remaining Zero Sen pilots fired a total of 5,126 7.7mm and 1,369 20mm rounds, highlighting the fierceness of the battle. Even though the Liberator crews made generous shipping claims, only the 6,500-ton merchant ship Hitachi Maru was lost.
The Americans performed poorly in this first Corsair vs Zero Sen battle, losing nine of their aircraft, demonstrating the efficacy of Japanese fighter tactics and highlighting the strength of both the Zero Sen and the “Rufe” floatplane fighter. Because of the size of the American losses, additional daytime bombing operations against Bougainville were suspended until fighter escort strategies could be reviewed.
Five fighters should, in theory, cover each bomber, but at this point in the war, the Cactus Air Force (the name by which Allied air power on Guadalcanal was known from August 1942) was unable to provide such a generous ratio, according to the mission’s post-mortem. Instead, lengthy operations with aircraft escort to Bougainville were momentarily postponed. As a result, Corsair pilots only sometimes engaged in aerial combat throughout the months of March and April, and they played a minor role in the opposition to the IJNAF’s Operation I Go strike on Guadalcanal on April 7.
F4U Corsair versus A6M Zero-sen Rabaul and the Solomons 1943-44 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by: U.S. Navy and Kogo Own Work via Wikipedia