34 AH july 2016
Bomb Wing on February 26. This new assign-
UMV\I\TMI[\OI^MPQUUWZMWXXWZ\]VQ\QM[\WÆa
missions with his beloved 348th Fighter Group.
Meanwhile Bong had raised the scoring bar in
6W^MUJMZ! JMKWUQVO\PMÅZ[\=;)ZUa
pilot to attain his 20th victory. Now the goal was to
surpass Captain Eddie Rickenbacker’s legendary
World War I record of 26 air victories.
Bong and Lt. Col. Thomas Lynch had been
taken out of combat at the end of 1943, but had
ZM\]ZVML\W\PM\PMI\MZL]ZQVO\PMÅZ[\UWV\P[WN
! \WÆaNZMM[_MMX[\WOM\PMZ_PQTMI\\IKPML\W
V Fighter Command. Bong was still the ranking
ace, with 21 victories, while Lynch returned with 16.
Kearby, now with 19 victories, kept the contest
tight when he led yet another four-plane P-47
[_MMXW^MZ?M_ISWV2IV]IZa!)\\IKSQVOIOZW]X
of 18 Tonys head-on directly over the harbor, he
sent one down with smoke trailing behind. He
caught another a few miles out to sea, and watched
Q\NITTQVÆIUM[QV\W\PM_I\MZNWZPQ[[\^QK\WZa
The race of aces heated up in March, when
Bong scored his 22nd victory and Lynch his 20th.Kearby felt increased pressure to win the com-
petition, but there was a dark side to the race to
beat Rickenbacker. Marine Corps Captain Joe
Foss had equaled the record as early as January
1943, but he was shot down and nearly killed in
\PMXZWKM[[)NMTTW_5IZQVM5IRWZ/ZMOWZa
“Pappy” Boyington, was also shot down and cap-
tured in his bid to break Rickenbacker’s record.
)VW\PMZ5IZQVMXQTW\+IX\IQV:WJMZ\0IV[WV
_I[SQTTMLR][\I[PMZMIKPML\PM ^QK\WZaUIZS
Lynch would be killed on March 8 while chasing
the record with Bong. Whether they realized it or
not, all the aces were tossing prudence to the wind
NWZ\PMPWVWZWN JMKWUQVO\PMÅZ[\)UMZQKIV\W
attain 27 victories.O
V5IZKP 3MIZJa\WWSWٺQV\PMIN\MZ-
VWWV\WÆaI[_MMXW^MZ\PM<ILRQIZMI
with his old comrade, Captain Dunham,
IVLIVW\PMZ \PIKM+IX\IQV;IU
*TIQZ<PM\PZMM8 [TMN\\PMVM_Ta_WVIQZÅMTL
I\;IQLWZR][\VWZ\PWN \PM0]WV/]TNI\ W¼KTWKS
and were in the combat area an hour later.
3MIZJa_I[\PMÅZ[\\W[QOP\I3Q <WVaÆa
QVOJMTW_IJW]\ NMM\W^MZ\PMIQZ[\ZQXI\
,IO]I;QVKM\PM)UMZQKIV[_MZMI\IVIT\Q\]LM
WN NMM\\PMMVMUaÅOP\MZ_I[ITTW_ML\W
land safely. Height was critical, so Kearby kept his
ÅOP\MZ[QVIVIL^IV\IOMW][XW[Q\QWV6W\UWZM
\PIVÅ^MUQV]\M[TI\MZ\PM)UMZQKIV[WJ[MZ^ML
three Japanese bombers coming in from the sea
I\IJW]\ NMM\.ZWU\PMQZPQOP^IV\IOMXWQV\
\PM)UMZQKIV[\PW]OP\\PMa_MZM5Q\[]JQ[PQ/5
“Nell” twin-engine aircraft, but postwar review
of Japanese records suggests they were in fact
Kawasaki Ki-48 “Lilys,” which had arrived from
the Hollandia area at about that time.
This time Kearby ordered tanks dropped and
led the three P-47s down in a fast dive on the
enemy. Captain Blair, on the right, watched as
the Japanese planes circled the airstrip, almost
certainly in preparation for landing. Blair saw
Dunham attack the bomber at left, and it burst into
ÆIUM[IVLKZI[PML
When the range was down to about 200 yards,
Blair concentrated his fire on the right-hand
JWUJMZ0MÆI[PMLW^MZ\PM\IZOM\I\I^MZaPQOP
speed, then looked back and saw it crash into the
ground. In the same moment he also saw Dunham
UISMIVQVMٺMK\Q^MXI[[I\\PMKMV\MZ\IZOM\_PQKP
PILM[KIXML3MIZJa¼[][]ITTaÆI_TM[[IQU
Dunham broke to the left to come full around
heading in the opposite direction. He could see
that all three bombers had gone down in the
R]VOTMIVL\PI\3MIZJa_I[KTI_QVONWZIT\Q\]LM
Kearby had evidently made a complete circle to
attack and destroy the third Japanese bomber, and
_I[VW_ÆaQVOU]KP\WWTW_IVL[TW_\WM^ILMIV
7[KIZ\PI\_I[KTW[QVOQV\WÅZQVOZIVOM<PM7[KIZ
pilot, probably from the nearby 77th Sentai, wasTRIPLE ACE PLUS
Kearby scored kills
on December 22 and
23, 1943, raising his
tally to 17. His main
opponent, the Ki-43
“Oscar” (below), was
nimble but inferior
to the Thunderbolt
in most respects.