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Another bunch of American boys in a remote tropical location |
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7th Fighter Squadron 49th Fighter Group Based at Batchelor Field, Australia's Northern Territory from March to September 1942 The Warhawk pilots in this photo, taken at Batchelor Field in mid-1942, are (standing L to R) Don Sutliff, Oiliver Vodrey, Joseph H. King, Lucious Lacroix, Howard Nelson, and (sitting) Donald Lee. Sutliff's claim to fame occurred on 22nd November 1942 when he bailed out of his P-40E near Kokoda, and it took him 21 days to walk back to Schwimmer Drome where he was greeted like a hero. Lee named his Warhawk 'Bitzahawk', whilst Nelson named his 'Black Boy'. To understand how American pilots like these wound up so far from home we need to turn our attention to one particular enemy unit which seized the attention Australian defence planners only three months after Pearl Harbor. After the first bombing of Darwin by Japanese carrier units on 19th February 1942, there was be a follow-up series of surprise attacks on Australia's north. The unit which perpetrated these was the Takao Kokutai, a crack Japanese Navy bomber unit. Their first confident mission transpired on 16th March 1942. Escorted by A6M2 Zeros, the Takao flyers commenced regular launches from Kupang, on Timor, with no opposition from Allied fighters. Following a long-distance raid on Broome 20th March 1942, again unopposed, the self-confident Takao commander began sending his Betty bombers over Northern Australia unescorted. It was the 49th FG which were despatched to Darwin to interrupt their campaign. OUR HERITAGE SERVICES PRODUCTS HISTORICAL PHOTOS CONTACT US LINKS
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