MacArthur's Grim Reapers Stormtroopers - Lae zuwa Rabaul

Stormtroopers MacArthur "Grim Reapers"

Bayan yakin Pasifik ya barke a watan Disambar 1941, akasarin sojojin saman Amurka da ke can sun sha kashi a yakin Philippines da Java. A lokacin, an shigo da sabbin raka'a cikin gaggawa daga Amurka don dakatar da fadada Japan zuwa Ostiraliya. Ɗaya daga cikin waɗannan shine Ƙungiya ta 3rd Assault, wanda a ƙarshe ya sami laƙabi mai ma'ana na "Grim Reapers".

Al'adun ƙirƙirar ƙungiyar hari ta 3 sun kasance tun 1918. A mafi yawan lokutan tsaka-tsakin, ana kiranta da Rukunin Assault na Uku, kuma ko da yake an sake masa suna a hukumance a matsayin "ƙungiyar bam" a 1939, a aikace ta kasance ƙungiyar kai hari. Tawagogi uku na samuwar (13th, 89th da 90th BS) an horar da su akan jirgin A-20 Havoc, da na hudu (8th BS) akan A-24 Banshee, nau'in sojan Amurka Navy SBD Dauntless nutse bam. Jirgin sama.

A cikin hargitsi na farkon makonni na yakin, an yanke shawarar jefa kungiyar hari ta 3 a cikin yaki a cikin Tekun Pacific, amma ba tare da yawancin jiragen sama ba (duk A-20s an dakatar da su a kasar inda ya kamata su yi sintiri a cikin tekun Pacific. bakin teku don neman jiragen ruwa na abokan gaba) kuma ba tare da manyan jami'ai ba (wanda za a yi amfani da su don kafa sabuwar ƙungiya). Don haka lokacin da Grim Reapers na gaba ya isa Ostiraliya a ƙarshen Fabrairu 1942, sun kawo dozin A-24 kawai tare da su, kuma babban jami'in ya kasance laftanar. A nan take, Kanar John Davis, kwamandan rukunin masu tayar da bama-bamai na 27 ya ba da umarnin jirginsu, wanda ya yi asarar A-24 a yakin Java. Jim kadan bayan haka, Davis ya karbi ragamar Rukunin Assault na 3, tare da jami'ansa suna daukar mukaman umarni a cikin runduna uku (na rukunin hudu) squadrons.

Labari mafi muni ya fito ne daga New Guinea. A cikin Maris, Jafananci sun kama sansanonin a Lae da Salamaua. Dutsen Stanley Owen ne kawai ya raba su daga Port Moresby, tashar Allied ta ƙarshe a arewacin Ostiraliya. Kanar Davis ya haɗa dukkan A-24 a cikin tawagar guda ɗaya (8th BS) kuma ya jefa su cikin yakin New Guinea. Ƙungiya ta 3rd Assault ta yi nata na farko a ranar 1 ga Afrilu, 1942, tana shawagi shida A-24, ta jefa bama-bamai biyar a kan sansanin Japanawa a Salamaua.

A wannan rana, Colonel Davis ya karbi (bisa ga wani nau'in abubuwan da suka faru, wanda aka tsara) sabon Mitchell B-25Cs da aka yi nufi don jirgin sama na Dutch, wanda ya ba da kayan aiki guda biyu (13th da 90th BS). Bayan 'yan kwanaki, a ranar 6 ga Afrilu, 1942, ya jagoranci jiragen sama shida a wani hari a filin jirgin saman Gasmata da ke kudu maso gabashin New Britain. Ya kasance, a zahiri, nau'in farko a cikin tarihin B-25. Tunda nisan daga Port Moresby zuwa wurin ya kai nisan mil 800 (kusan kilomita 1300) a dukkan bangarorin biyu, jiragen sun dauki bama-bamai na fam dari hudu ne kawai, amma duk da haka sun yi nasarar lalata wasu bama-bamai 30 na kasar Japan a kasa.

A lokacin yaƙin neman zaɓe a Java (Fabrairu 1942), Davis ya sadu da wani mutum mai suna Paul Gunn, mutumin almara. Tsohon makanikin sojan ruwan Amurka, matukin jirgi kuma mai koyar da jiragen sama yana da shekaru 42 a lokacin da barkewar yakin Pacific ya same shi a Philippines, inda ya yi aiki a matsayin matukin jirgin sama mai zaman kansa. Nan take sojojin Amurka suka kwace wasu jiragen kirar C-45 Beechcraft guda uku da ya yi amfani da su tare da sanya shi cikin mukamansu a matsayin kyaftin. A cikin makonni masu zuwa, Gunn, wanda aka fi sani da Pappy saboda shekarunsa, ya yi jirage masu ban tsoro a cikin Beechcraft marar makami, yana korar jami'an soji daga Philippines. Lokacin da wani jirgin yakin Japan ya harbo shi a kan Mindanao, ya isa filin jirgin saman Del Monte, inda tare da taimakon wasu makanikai ya gyara wani bam din B-17 da ya lalace wanda ya yi amfani da su wajen kwashe su zuwa Australia.

ceto daga zaman talala.

Lokacin da Davis ya zama kwamandan gungun masu kai hari na 3, Gunn ya yi yunƙurin ƙara ƙarfin yaƙi na jirgin A-20 Havoc, wanda a kan shi ne aka sake ba da ƙwararrun ƙungiyar ta huɗu na wannan rukunin, 89th BS. Donald Hall, wanda a lokacin shugaban ’yan wasa ne, ya tuna: “Jirginmu na da manyan bindigogi masu inci 0,3 [7,62] madaidaiciya, don haka muna da ɗan wuta kaɗan. Koyaya, mafi girman iyakancewa a wannan matakin shine ɗan gajeren kewayon A-20. Lamarin ya sauya sosai lokacin da aka sanya tankin mai mai galan 450 a gaban bakin bam. Don rama rage nauyin bama-bamai da tankin mai ke dauke musu daki, "Pappy" Gunn ya canza A-20 zuwa wani jirgin saman kai hari na gaskiya, tare da sanya bindigogin inci hudu (12,7-mm) a cikin hanci. . jirgin sama, a wurin da mai zura kwallo ya saba zama. Don haka an halicci streifer na farko, kamar yadda ake kiran wannan nau'in jirgin a Turanci (daga kalmar strafe - don harba). A farkon lokacin, Gunn ya inganta gyare-gyaren bindigogi A-1 da aka wargaza daga mayaka P-20.

Kafin A-20 ya shiga yaƙi, a ranar 12-13 ga Afrilu, 1942, "Pappy" Gunn ya shiga cikin balaguron 13th da 90th BS zuwa Philippines. Da yake aiki daga Mindanao, Mitchells goma daga dukkan rundunonin biyu sun jefa bama-bamai kan jiragen ruwa na Japan a tashar jiragen ruwa ta Cebu na tsawon kwanaki biyu (biyu sun nutse) kafin a tilasta musu ja da baya. A ƙarshe, Janar George Kenny - sabon kwamandan Rundunar Sojan Sama ta Amurka ta 5 - ya burge shi da gyare-gyaren da Gunn ya yi wa jirgin na ƙungiyar 3 na harin, ya nada shi hedkwatarsa.

A halin yanzu, Mitchelle 13th da 90th BS, bayan ya dawo daga Philippines zuwa Charters Towers a arewacin Ostiraliya, ya kai hari kan sansanonin Japan a New Guinea a cikin watanni masu zuwa (yana mai a Port Moresby a hanya). Dukkan ’yan wasan biyu sun yi asara mai yawa - na farko a ranar 24 ga Afrilu. A wannan rana, ma'aikata uku na 90th BS sun tashi zuwa Port Moresby, daga inda ya kamata su kai hari Lae washegari. Bayan sun isa gabar tekun New Guinea, sun rasa yadda za su yi. Da magariba, man fetur ya kare, sai suka jefa bama-baman cikin teku suka harba shi a kusa da Mariawate. Wasu bama-bamai sun makale a mashigin bam na Nitemare Tojo wanda Laftanar na uku ya tuka. William Barker da jirgin sun fashe da zarar ya afka cikin ruwa. Ma'aikatan sauran motocin biyu ("Chattanooga Choo Choo" da "Salvo Sadie") sun koma Chartres Towers a wata mai zuwa bayan da yawa kasada. Daga baya, jiragen sama da yawa na rukunin harin na 3 da ma'aikatansu sun yi hasarar a lokacin jiragen leken asiri na solo a wani gefen tsaunin Stanley Owen, sun fado cikin daji saboda yanayin yanayi mai tsanani ko kuma zama wadanda ke fama da mayakan abokan gaba.