Pacific Counterblow - Air Force Historical Studies Office
Pacific Counterblow - Air Force Historical Studies Office
Pacific Counterblow - Air Force Historical Studies Office
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
flying to within 50 miles of Rabaul. Weather permitting, this was<br />
efficient coverage. To hinder such activity, the Japanese brought a<br />
fresh and highly trained fighter unit into the Shortland area. On<br />
occasion, the B-17's went farther afield, on 2 October to Kapingamarangi<br />
(Greenwich) Island, where photos were taken and the area<br />
strafed.<br />
On ii October, Admiral Scott's cruiser force, San Francisco, Salt<br />
Lake City, Helena, and Boise, two heavies and two lights, with attendant<br />
destroyers, cruised off Rennell Island, out of range of Japanese<br />
air search but within 5 hours' steaming of Savo. At 1345,<br />
Henderson reported search planes had discovered two cruisers and<br />
six destroyers southbound down The Slot. Further information on<br />
Japanese naval movement was denied by intensive air raids on Henderson<br />
during the afternoon. Calculating that the enemy should<br />
be off Savo an hour before midnight, Admiral Scott bore north,<br />
expecting to meet only the force reported during the early afternoon.<br />
Although the enemy's armada proved considerably more substantial,<br />
that fact served only to increase Jap losses in the night action which<br />
succeeded. The Battle of Cape Esperance cost the Imperial Navy<br />
two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, five destroyers, and an auxiliary;<br />
"another heavy cruiser and various destroyers were damaged. Our<br />
own losses were 175 killed and a number wounded. The destroyer<br />
Duncan was lost.<br />
Cape Esperance not only failed to stop the Express; it hardly gave<br />
it pause. However, 4,000 U. S. Army troops of Maj. Gen. Alexander<br />
M. Patch's Americal Division were subsequently put ashore in time<br />
to face the Japanese fury, which thenceforth increased in scale and<br />
effectiveness. The enemy was working up to another big push. He<br />
began by virtually knocking out the Guadalcanal airdrome.<br />
At Henderson, the 67 th Fighter Squadron had been continuing its<br />
strafing and bombing. New pilots had arrived; most of the original<br />
group were dead or back in the rear areas. New planes-P-39D-I's<br />
and P- 39K's-were coming in, being assembled, tested, and flown up<br />
to Guadalcanal-just as the old P-4oo's had made the journey in<br />
August.<br />
The 9th of October was a routine day. The field was muddy.<br />
Six P- 4oo's were scheduled for a mission against the Kokumbona area<br />
to the west. Taxiing in the mud, one P- 4oo broke off a nose wheel;<br />
35