Pacific Counterblow - Air Force Historical Studies Office

were already up over Shortland Island. In mid-October, two additional
squadrons of the 5th Group were dispatched to the South
Pacific. For all 'practical purposes, the 5th's squadrons operated as
part of the ixth, an arrangement recognized in December by the establishment
of a joint headquarters for the two groups.
"Eager" was the adjective for the pilots of the ixth, who showed a
reckless tendency to use the big bombers as attack planes. The gunners
were fond of strafing and the pilots obligingly took the B-17's
down over the ground and dock installations at Gizo or over the float
planes and flying boats at Rekata Bay. On i6 September, five separate
strafing attacks were run over Rekata Bay and 3 days later the
docks at Gizo were treated similarly. Such employment of heavy
bombers disturbed General Harmon and he informed headquarters
that he was putting a curb to such activities.
The over-all tactical situation at Guadalcanal determined, that is,
limited, the effectiveness of General Harmon's heavy bombers. Although
a Fort had come in to stay overnight as early as 25 August,
Henderson was never stocked with enough fuel to permit continuous
operations by B-17's. It was not stocked with fuel because the enemy
controlled the waters of the Lower Solomons. The Tokyo Express
ran often, fast, and in considerable strength. One way to hamper
the Express was to hit hard at Tonolei and Buka, but the gas for
these missions had to be picked up at Henderson, and Henderson
ordinarily lacked it, until after the middle of November.
Moreover, the field, shelled almost nightly and bombed almost
daily, was too exposed for heavy bombers and suffered as well from
lack of service personnel. During the first 3 months of the campaign
the Marines cheerfully took on a great part of the burden of servicing
the B-17's which came in from time to time. By October Henderson
had its Marston mat, but General Harmon doubted that the field
could support heavy-bomber operations. Taxiways and hard standings
were lacking, dispersion was poor, and rain was likely to bring
operations to a soggy halt.
Nevertheless, in the first part of October, an attempt was made to
restrict the use of Buka, which the Japanese employed as an advanced
staging point for Rabaul-based bombers. As early as 2 September,
40 bombers and fighters had been reported on the field. On 4 October,
only one B-17 could bore through the weather to drop a score
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