Pacific Counterblow - Air Force Historical Studies Office

to Guadalcanal. Command of the 67 th went to Capt. John A.
Thompson, who had headed the second flight of P-4oo's from New
Caledonia.
In September, General Harmon acquired P- 38's diverted from General
Kenney's command. These were assigned to the 339th. During
October the Lightnings were held in New Caledonia; training was
not yet complete and frequency of naval bombardments of Henderson
too high to risk the new fighters on Guadalcanal. By mid-
November, however, they were ready to move.
On the morning of the 12th, the P-38's had left Tontouta at 0700,
escorted by a B-i7. Upon landing at Espiritu after 3V2 hours' flight,
mechanics discovered that low fuel consumption would have permitted
a non-stop flight to Guadalcanal. The pilots, however, already
showed fatigue. En route to Henderson, radio report of an enemy
attack was received, and the B-i7 carrying the ground personnel
turned back at the southern end of San Cristobal. Consequently,
when the planes landed, the Marines turned to and serviced them.
On the 13th, additional AAF reinforcements arrived: eight more
P- 38's from the Fifth Air Force, flying in nonstop from Milne Bay.
Dawn of Friday the x3th found the Japanese battleship Hiyei
limping northwest of Savo. A casualty of the encounter with Admiral
Callaghan, she became the main preoccupation of the American
planes in the combat area. First blood was drawn by the Enterprise,
which was cruising south of Guadalcanal with a damaged No. i
elevator. The carrier decided to ease operations by sending some of
her planes to Henderson Field. Nine TBF's and six fighters flew off
and at iioo sighted the Hiyei, a light cruiser, and four destroyers
headed for Guadalcanal, perhaps to finish off the Portland, lying off
Lunga Point. The TBF's promptly put three fish into the battleship.
Shortly afterward 17 Forts arrived. These had departed Espiritu
at o5oo and had subsequently been ordered to attack a carrier and a
battleship reported by a search B-17. The indicated targets were out
of range and the bombers proceeded to Guadalcanal, where they found
the Hiyei, circling slowly with her escorts. Despite heavy AAA
fire, one sure hit was obtained and five probables. All day long
Marine and Navy aircraft at Guadalcanal hammered the Hiyei, the
67th providing top cover with four of its planes. By evening, however,
the battleship was still afloat.
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