58 | FLIGHTPATH
astern attack against the port tail-end
bomber; this under the command of FPO1c
Haraguchi Nobuo. Ellerton caused it to trail
smoke, however, as he pulled away, he was
tackled by a Zero at long range - but with no
adverse affects. F/Sgt R.W. Crawford in A29-
26 then made a quarter approach on the
same bomber, firing four short bursts. This
resulted in white smoke pluming from the
starboard engine, and another Zero at-
tacked Crawford from behind, this time
planting several bullets into his Kittyhawk.
Sgt M.S. Butler then made a quarter astern
attack slightly below on the starboard tail-
end bomber; this was FPO1c Kawarazuka
Kunimori who then veered starboard, but
quickly returned to formation.
F/O J.W. Piper in A29-23 carried out two
swift runs against FPO1c Kawarazuka Ku-
nimori; his first burst entered the starboard
engine from which smoke spewed; the sec-
ond attack brought smoke from the star-
board engine of another bomber (most likely
either FPO1c Sanetori Tadateru, FPO1c Mi-
yazaki Kozō or FPO1c Kawarazuka Kuni-
mori). P/O Geoffrey Atherton in A29-21 then
attacked Kawarazuka’s bomber with a div-LEFT: Commander FPO1c
Kawarazuka Kunimori and his
six comrades struggle to stay
airborne after flames
enveloped the aircraft. As
commander of the bomber,
Kawarazuka was not behind
the controls, but sat behind
the pilot in an observer’s seat.
The unclaimed crew still lie
somewhere on the side of
Mount Bellamy. [Ar t work info@
aerothentic.com]L E F T: A rare photo of Lt Kawai
Shirō, a particularly aggressive
leader, whose squadron
became known in Japanese as
the ‘Kawai chutai”. This photo
was taken in Rabaul circa mid
1942, after the squadron had
transferred there from Lae.