MacArthur's Grim Reapers Stormtroopers - Lae rau Rabaul
MacArthur Stormtroopers "Grim Reapers"
Tom qab Tsov Rog Pacific tau tshwm sim rau lub Kaum Ob Hlis 1941, feem ntau ntawm Teb Chaws Asmeskas cov tub rog nyob ntawd tau swb rau hauv kev sib ntaus sib tua rau Philippines thiab Java. Thaum lub sijhawm ntawd, cov chav tshiab tau nrawm nrawm los ntawm Tebchaws Meskas kom tsis txhob muaj Japanese nthuav dav mus rau Australia. Ib qho ntawm cov no yog 3rd Assault Group, uas thaum kawg tau txais lub ntsiab lus lub npe menyuam yaus ntawm "Grim Reapers".
Cov kab lig kev cai ntawm kev tsim ntawm 3rd pab pawg neeg ntaus rog hnub rov qab mus rau 1918. Rau feem ntau ntawm lub sijhawm interwar, nws tau hu ua Pab Pawg Thib Peb, thiab txawm hais tias nws tau raug hloov npe hu ua "pob foob pob" hauv xyoo 1939, hauv kev xyaum nws tseem yog pawg neeg phem. Peb pawg tub rog ntawm kev tsim (13th, 89th thiab 90th BS) tau kawm ntawm A-20 Havoc aircraft, thiab plaub (8th BS) ntawm A-24 Banshee, ib tug tub rog version ntawm US Navy SBD Dauntless dive bomber. Aviation.
Nyob rau hauv kev kub ntxhov ntawm thawj lub lim tiam ntawm kev ua tsov ua rog, nws tau txiav txim siab pov 3 pab pawg neeg tua rog mus rau hauv kev sib ntaus sib tua hauv Dej Hiav Txwv Pacific, tab sis tsis muaj feem ntau ntawm cov dav hlau (tag nrho cov A-20s raug tso tseg hauv lub tebchaws uas lawv yuav tsum tau mus saib xyuas. ntug hiav txwv dej hauv kev tshawb nrhiav cov yeeb ncuab submarines) thiab tsis muaj cov tub ceev xwm laus (uas yuav tsum tau siv los tsim ib chav tshiab). Yog li thaum yav tom ntej Grim Reapers tuaj txog hauv tebchaws Australia thaum kawg Lub Ob Hlis 1942, lawv tsuas yog nqa lub kaum os A-24 nrog lawv, thiab cov tub ceev xwm loj tshaj plaws yog tus tub rog. Ntawm qhov chaw, lawv lub dav hlau raug txib los ntawm Colonel John Davis, tus thawj coj ntawm pawg neeg foob pob tawg 27, uas tau poob nws cov A-24s hauv kev sib ntaus sib tua rau Java. Tsis ntev tom qab ntawd, Davis tau tuav tag nrho 3rd Assault Group, nrog nws cov tub ceev xwm ua haujlwm hauv peb (ntawm plaub lub koom haum) pawg tub rog.
Cov xov xwm phem tshaj plaws los ntawm New Guinea. Lub Peb Hlis, cov Nyij Pooj tau ntes cov hauv paus ntawm Lae thiab Salamaua. Tsuas yog lub roob Stanley Owen tau cais lawv los ntawm Port Moresby, qhov kawg Allied outpost sab qaum teb ntawm Australia. Colonel Davis tau muab tag nrho A-24s rau hauv ib pab tub rog (8th BS) thiab muab pov rau hauv kev sib ntaus sib tua rau New Guinea. Pawg 3rd Assault tau ua thawj zaug rau lub Plaub Hlis 1, 1942, ya rau A-24s, xa me me tsib lub foob pob rau ntawm Nyij Pooj hauv Salamaua.
Nyob rau tib hnub, Colonel Davis tau txais (raws li lwm yam txheej xwm, tsim nyog) brand tshiab Mitchell B-25Cs npaj rau Dutch aviation, uas nws tau nruab ob squadrons (13th thiab 90th BS). Ob peb hnub tom qab ntawd, thaum lub Plaub Hlis 6, 1942, nws tau coj rau lub dav hlau nyob rau hauv kev tawm tsam ntawm Gasmata tshav dav hlau nyob rau sab qab teb ntug dej hiav txwv ntawm New Britain. Nws yog, qhov tseeb, thawj yam hauv keeb kwm ntawm B-25. Txij li qhov kev ncua deb ntawm Port Moresby mus rau lub hom phiaj yog 800 mais (ze li 1300 km) nyob rau hauv ob qho tib si cov lus qhia, cov dav hlau siv tsuas yog plaub peb puas-phaus foob pob, tab sis tseem tswj kom puas 30 Japanese bombers nyob rau hauv av.
Thaum lub sijhawm sib tw hauv Java (Lub Ob Hlis 1942), Davis ntsib ib tug txiv neej hu ua Paul Gunn, tus txiv neej ntawm lus dab neeg. Tus qub tub rog US Navy kws kho tsheb, tus kws tsav dav hlau thiab tus kws qhia dav hlau yog 42 thaum muaj kev sib kis ntawm Tsov Rog Pacific pom nws hauv Philippines, qhov chaw nws ua haujlwm ua tus tsav dav hlau ntiag tug. Cov tub rog Asmeskas tam sim ntawd txeeb tau peb C-45 Beechcraft nws tau ya thiab muab nws tso rau hauv lawv qib ua tus thawj coj. Nyob rau lub asthiv tom ntej no, Gunn, lub npe hu ua Pappy vim nws muaj hnub nyoog, tau ua lub dav hlau txaus ntshai hauv Beechcraft tsis muaj tub rog, khiav tawm cov tub rog los ntawm Philippines. Thaum lub dav hlau dav hlau Nyij Pooj tau tua nws hla Mindanao, nws tuaj txog ntawm Del Monte Airfield, qhov twg, nrog kev pab los ntawm pab pawg kws kho tsheb, nws tau kho lub foob pob B-17 uas nws tau siv los khiav lawv mus rau Australia.
cawm dim ntawm kev poob cev qhev.
Thaum Davis tau los ua tus thawj coj ntawm pab pawg thib 3, Gunn tau sim ua kom muaj peev xwm sib ntaus sib tua ntawm A-20 Havoc aircraft, uas yog plaub pawg tub rog ntawm chav tsev no, 89th BS, tau rov nruab. Donald Hall, tom qab ntawd tus thawj coj tub rog, tau hais tias: “Peb lub dav hlau tau nruab nrog plaub 0,3-nti [7,62 mm] rab phom ncaj ncaj, yog li peb muaj hluav taws xob tsawg. Txawm li cas los xij, qhov kev txwv loj tshaj plaws nyob rau theem no yog qhov luv luv ntawm A-20. Qhov xwm txheej tau hloov pauv loj thaum lub 450 nkas loos roj tank tau teeb tsa rau pem hauv ntej ntawm lub foob pob. Txhawm rau them nyiaj rau qhov txo qis ntawm cov foob pob tawg los ntawm cov roj tank noj chav rau lawv, "Pappy" Gunn hloov A-20 mus rau hauv lub dav hlau nres tiag tiag, ntxiv rau kev txhim kho plaub ib nrab-nti [12,7-mm] rab phom tshuab hauv qhov ntswg. . dav hlau, nyob rau hauv qhov chaw uas tus scorer siv zaum. Yog li thawj streifer tau tsim, raws li hom dav hlau no hu ua lus Askiv (los ntawm lo lus strafe - tua). Nyob rau hauv thawj lub sij hawm, Gunn hloov kho cov phom A-1 dismantled los ntawm decrepit P-20 fighters.
Ua ntej A-20s mus rau hauv kev sib ntaus sib tua, "Pappy" Gunn tau koom nrog hauv 12th thiab 13th BC Expeditions rau Philippines thaum lub Plaub Hlis 1942-13, 90. Kev khiav haujlwm los ntawm Mindanao, kaum Mitchells los ntawm ob pawg tub rog tau foob pob Japanese nkoj thauj khoom hauv Cebu Harbor rau ob hnub (ntev ob) ua ntej raug yuam kom thim. Thaum kawg, General George Kenney - tus thawj coj tshiab ntawm US Air Force 5th Air Force - txaus siab rau qhov kev hloov kho Gunn tau ua rau Attack Group 3 lub dav hlau, tau tsa nws rau nws cov neeg ua haujlwm.
Lub caij no, Mitchelle 13th thiab 90th BS, tom qab rov qab los ntawm Philippines mus rau Charters Towers nyob rau sab qaum teb Australia, tau tawm tsam Nyij Pooj hauv New Guinea lub hlis tom ntej (refueling ntawm Port Moresby raws txoj kev). Ob pawg tub rog raug kev txom nyem hnyav - thawj lub Plaub Hlis 24. Hnub no, peb cov neeg ua haujlwm ntawm 90th BS tau tawm mus rau Port Moresby, los ntawm qhov chaw lawv yuav tsum tawm tsam Lae hnub tom qab. Thaum mus txog ntug dej hiav txwv ntawm New Guinea, lawv tau poob siab. Thaum tsaus ntuj, thaum lawv khiav tawm ntawm cov roj, lawv tau tso cov foob pob rau hauv hiav txwv thiab tso nws ze ze Mariawate. Qee lub foob pob tau daig hauv lub foob pob ntawm Nitemar Tojo, piloted los ntawm 3rd Lt. William Barker thiab lub dav hlau tawg sai li sai tau thaum nws tsoo dej. Cov neeg ua haujlwm ntawm ob lub tsheb ("Chattanooga Choo Choo" thiab "Salvo Sadie") rov qab mus rau Chartres Towers lub hli tom qab tom qab ntau qhov kev lom zem. Tom qab ntawd, ntau lub dav hlau ntawm XNUMX pab pawg tawm tsam thiab lawv cov neeg ua haujlwm tau ploj thaum lub sijhawm taug kev taug kev mus rau sab nraud ntawm Stanley Owen Toj siab, tsoo rau hauv hav zoov vim huab cua hnyav hnyav lossis dhau los ua cov neeg raug tsim txom ntawm cov yeeb ncuab tua.
