FP_2015_05_

May 2015 May 2015 May 2015 FLYPAST 73

SPOT FACT The initial production model

 ew in June 1941

Men Behind

the Lightning

Japanese aircraft were destroyed by Lightnings

1,8001,800

Above

P-38s of the 419th FS

at Bougainville, 1943.

CHARLES VAN BIBBER

Left

Lt Dick Suehr standing

by his 39th FS Lightning

at a base in New Guinea.

DICK SUEHR

Right Place, Right Time

D

ick

Suehr

was a first lieutenant

with the P-38 Lightning-

equipped 39th Fighter Squadron,

based in Papua New Guinea in early

1943. On April 12 that year, Allied
      intelligence reports suggested the
      Japanese would be attacking the
      airfield at Milne Bay. Located at the
      end of the peninsula east of Port
      Moresby, it was a tempting target
      for the Japanese. But forewarned is
      forearmed and the Lightnings of the
      39th were waiting for the attackers.
      Dick recalls: “Once we had the
      info, most of our fighters took off at
      06:05 hours to assist in the defence
      at Milne Bay, while six of us stayed

behind to defend our base at Port

Moresby. All six of our P-38s were on

alert at ‘Fourteen-Mile Strip’ when

we were ordered to scramble because

what was thought to be a Japanese

reconnaissance plane was getting

near Port Moresby. We took off and

climbed to 25,000ft, using maximum

power, when we were advised that a

large number of enemy aircraft were

coming in at 27,000ft, so we climbed

to 30,000ft.

“On the way toward the

formation we were told we would

be intercepting the main bomber

fleet! They had not gone to Milne

Bay after all and it must have been a

ploy to lure all of our fighters out of

the way from their main target [Port

Moresby]. By this time we had our

eyes on the enemy formation and

were proceeding on our own.

“There were 100 or so aircraft in

the ‘Jap’ formation – an estimated

45 twin-engined Betty [Mitsubishi

G4M] bombers; the rest were

‘Zero’ [Mitsubishi A6M Zeke]

fighters. When we first saw them

they were ahead of us, flying from

the direction of the Owen Stanley

mountain range, from northeast to

southwest, directly toward the Port

Moresby military complex airstrips,

storage area and the docks.

“The Bettys were flying in three

huge ‘V’ formations. The Zeros

were covering them from above and

both sides. As soon as we spotted

72-78_Spot men_fpSBB.indd 73 06/03/2015 16:19