I am pleased to present my newest offline mission for Aces High
Johnson at Ormoc Bay
By the 7th of December, 1944, exactly three years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans had fought their way back into dominance in the South Pacific. The massive Battle of Leyte Gulf had established an American outpost and fledgeling airbase at Tacloban, on the Eastern shores of Leyte Island, and the United States Navy's armada of powerful aircraft carriers patrolled the seas to the East while additional American troops poured in. The Japanese navy was in disarray and had been seriously mauled. But the Japanese still had powerful ground and air forces of their own all throughout the Phillippines, and they had been energetically shipping reinforcements to Leyte's Western shores, through Ormoc Bay. They had to be stopped so that all of Leyte could be secured as the jumping-off place for America's assault on the other Phillippine islands.
Colonel Gerald R. ("Jerry") Johnson was among the American fighter pilots based at Tacloban airfield in the Phillippines, and although he would modestly deny his growing reputation as one of the "Fat Cat" hot pilots , his P38 peers certainly respected his flying and leadership abilities. He was already a triple ace with 19 confirmed air-to-air victories when he was assigned to a mission over Ormoc Bay in support of a large fleet of American ships that were preparing an invasion of Leyte's Western shores. Leading the flight of four P38s was Bob Morissey, and he and Jerry were joined by George Walker and Harry Harris.
The flight from Tacloban to Ormoc bay was a short one, and as they crossed over Leyte's Western shore it was easy to see the large fleet of American ships working their way Northward toward the town and harbor at Ormoc City. Eyes peeled and scanning the horizon, all four Americans watched and waited, making lazy loops above the bay as they expanded their search. The Japanese had been using "suicide" tactics for several weeks now, and it was imperative that any approaching Japanese planes be identified and shot down early, before they could set up a deadly attack on the vulnerable, troop-laden ships below.
Harry Harris saw them first: Nine twin-engined "Helen" medium bombers in two "Vee" formations below them and to the left. They were headed in the general direction of the American fleet and would soon be close enough to see the vulnerable ships and set up an attack. All four P38s turned left to intercept them, with Jerry at the rear, when somebody spotted Japanese fighters covering the bombers. In the ensuing confusion, Jerry's position at the rear of the four P38s gave him the best tactical situation against the nimble little Japanese "Oscar" fighters. Beaming with confidence, he got on the radio and declared "Watch This!" as he began an aggressive, slashing dive toward them. Jerry fell on those Japanese fighters like a bolt of literal lightning and shot down three within 45 seconds in one of the most amazing examples of aerial gunnery ever documented in the South Pacific. Exultant, he cried out on the radio "Count' em: One, two, three!".
After the Japanese fighters had all been shot down, the Americans had a "field day" among the bombers, shooting down a total of seven aircraft and driving off the remainder. All four American P38 pilots returned safely, and each had at least one air-to-air victory confirmed. Jerry had four. Let's see how you do in Jerry's situation.
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