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CAPTAIN LEROY V. GROSSHUESCH Captain Grosshuesch, energetic Commander of the 39th Fighter Squadron has led the 39th to the position of top scoring P-47 squadron in the SWPA with 186 enemy aircraft destroyed in combat. He downed three on one mission to Formosa, for a total of 7. |
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I'd like to start my letter concerning my personal viewpoint on combat tactics by stating just what capabilities and knowledge I think a good combat fighter pilot should have. A valuable pilot to a squadron should be able to see, not just scan the sky, but see everything. See the enemy before he sees you and it's a cinch. With our planes possessing superior speed and climbing ability it also sets up a perfect defense.
A good pilot must be able to fly a good tactical formation. When the leader makes a violent maneuver to get the Nip or get away from the Nip, it's much better to look around and see your wingman protecting you than to see him off in the distance at the mercy of six or seven Zeros or Franks.
A pilot has to know his plane. He must know what it can do against the enemy. He also must know how to operate it efficiently. We have stretched our range in the P-47D16, P-47D21, and P-47D23's to a 750 mile radius of action. Take 1500 miles, add to that a good 15 minute fight, and you have to watch your step to stretch that gasoline supply. The right attitude is essential to a fighter pilot. My boys want to kill Japs. Most of them hate them and the resulting aggressiveness pays off in victories.
When attacking the Nip I always try to position myself above and behind. However, any approach will work except a sharp climb into the enemy which would cut down your speed. At a low speed, with our comparatively poor maneuverability, we are in the Nip's element. A good Nip pilot can make you look silly if you give him the chance, I've seen a Nip pilot split "S" and end up on his attackers tail. This happened to a pilot in our squadron whose wingman was asleep. While he was shooting at the Nip leader, the Nip's wingman did a lopsided loop and filled our own wingman full of holes. I underline this fact - KEEP YOUR SPEED UP, NEVER CHOP YOUR THROTTLE. One good burst will finish him anyway. Never, never try to maneuver with the Nip. If the Nip chandelles or does a split "S" he makes a perfect snap shot for your wingman providing he is properly spaced. My advice is if you don't get him on your first pass, pull off to the side and climb at 200 MPH. After you have your altitude come back and do it again. The wingman and element leaders usually get good chances at the Nip when he breaks and are able to fall right back into formation. I'd never refuse a head-on pass. Our superior fire-power in the P-47 will take care of that.
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Lt. Kenneth C. Sparks flew with the 39th Squadron
and accounted for 11 Nips, 2 in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. |
I'd like to say here that I believe that fifty percent of the Japs today are stupid novices. During a recent mission four Franks flew a beautiful formation -while we shot all of them down one by one. The other five broke up, but used no evasive action. They too were shot down.
The other fifty percent are usually exceptional pilots and will give you trouble if you don't use your head. I observed a Jap accidentally meet a flight head-on. The flight was cruising. The Nip started turning as he passed along side and was able to get enough of a burst at the last man to hole him.
As to individual defense, the best defense is to stay on the offensive. If one does get on your tail and you are in a desperate situation skid and slip like mad. Their gunnery is not so hot in my estimation. This might be some consolation. However, the best method of getting a way from a Nip in the P-47 is to climb at 200 MPH at maximum power. You will pull away rapidly and soon have enough altitude advantage or distance to come back at him. Never allow yourself to be alone, for they pick stragglers.
Our squadron usually consists of four flights of four planes each. A flight on each side of the lead flight, approximately 1000 yards away, and the last flight behind but in such a position that it can always be seen by the leader. These flights stack up from 1000 to 2000 feet. The squadron leader calls the attack and usually makes the first pass. However, it has paid us good dividends to send the flight that sees the enemy first down to save time. I believe that surprise is just another advantage to us. Many times I've followed my wingman or element leader to the attack because I couldn't see his bandit.
If the enemy force is near our size or smaller we usually send down number one and number two flights. Number three flight comes down a short while later to pick off the stragglers and those getting away at the sides of the battle. Number four flight acts as top cover but gets into the fight at the end if the sky is clear above. This flight can also get any one out of difficulty that needs it. We attempt to keep the flights together. The Nip, however, usually splits up making it advisable to split into elements to get them all, but we never get below the two man element. The wingman's job is to protect the leader's tail. He falls back a little and to one side. This gives him the opportunity to pick out an enemy aircraft besides the leader's victim or to get the Nip when he turns to avoid the leader's bullets.
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For defense, the flights are spaced in such a manner that they can turn into another flight. This will break up the enemy's attack because you can turn into him, while the flight that is attacked can dive under you. Number four flight is in a position to protect any flight. If he is jumped, he can dive through the formation which gives him speed and at the same time one of the other flights can turn head - on into the Nips, which usually discourages them. I'd like to relate a little incident here. For nearly an hour eight P-47's protected a group of bombers from approximately 30 Jap Tony's and Zeke's. The Nips continually made passes with two or three ships from all sides. Our defense was to turn into them. They would immediately break away and we could continue over the bombers, but after a while their uneagerness and lack of coordination got the best of them and they left. Our favorite defense, if the enemy is seen in time, is to climb the whole squadron out of danger, then to come back and attack.
In conclusion I would like to point out a few things that should be known about the Nips. The speed of their fighters is below that of ours, so superior speed is our greatest advantage. They have a good rate of climb, but we can outclimb them if they maintain our speed. The advantages here are obvious. The Nip can out-maneuver us easily, so avoid maneuvering.
His fire-power is below ours, so don't hesitate to make a head-on pass. His protection is poor, thus a good burst in the wing roots will usually cause an explosion. The Nip has a tendency to panic. He doesn't usually use his head, and he's uneager and has poor coordination.
If the American pilot uses his head, uses his plane properly, and sees the Nip, he has him licked before the fight begins.
