Cactus Air Force
Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until February 1943 during the early stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal, particularly those operating from Henderson Field . The term "Cactus" comes from the Allied code name for the island.
Background
On August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal and captured the airfield marking the 1st offensive action taken by the Allies during in the Pacific Theater. The airfield was renamed Henderson Airfield after Major Lofton Henderson, the first Marine pilot killed during World War II. On August 20, Marines pilots from VMF-223 flying from the USS Long Island landed at Henderson and were conducting combat operations the next day.
Living conditions
Living conditions on Guadalcanal were some of the most difficult ever faced by Marine avaition. Henderson Airfield was a 2400 foot long gravel runway with an extra 1000 feet of matting that was frequently pockmarked with craters from Japanese artillery and naval gunfire. It was very close to the thinly held lines of the 1st Marine Division so security was always a concern as well. Their were no fuel trucks, hangars or repair facilities. Damaged aircraft were cannabalized for parts and with no bomb hoists all aircraft munitions had to be hand loaded onto aircraft. Marines lived in mud floor tents in a flooded coconut plantation called "Mosquito Grove." These living conditions led to most Marines contracting a tropical disease such as malaria, dysentery, dengue fever, beriberi or a fungal infection. At night, Japanese naval ships would bombard the airfield and by day Japanese artillery was a constant problem. The worst night for this was on October 13, 1942 when two Japanese battleships lobbed more than 700 rounds onto Henderson Airfield to provide cover for the Japanese navy's landing of reinforcements further west on the island. Also, everyday around noon, a flight of 20 to 40 Mitsubishi G4M "Betty bombers" would fly in at 20,000 feet in a perfect "V formation" to bomb the airfield. They were always escorted by a flight of A6M Zeros and helped make life on the island even more miserable. [1]
Roy Geiger
On September 3, 1942, the fortunes for the beleagured aviators changed with the arrival of then 57 year old Brigadier General Roy Geiger onboard an R4D Skytrain. As the "Commander, Aircraft, Guadalcanal" (ComAirCACTUS). Geiger set up his headquarters in a wooden Japanese pagoda that was up on a hill about 200 yards from the airfield. Through, his energy, example and sheer force of personality he raised the collective spiirts of the squadrons survivors. He was described as ...curt, cold and some said ruthless....he was determined to squeeze the ultimate ounce of performance from men and machines.[2]
Combat operations
Marine pilots were at a disadvantage from the start because the F4F Wildcat which made up the majority of the fighter force, was not in the same class as the Japanese A6M Zero. The Zero was lighter, faster and had cannons instead of machine guns. This drove American pilots to refine their tactics and techniques in order to remain in the fight. They relied on attacking Japanese bombers from high above causing the Zeroes to climb and burn precious fuel, they heavily relied on teamwork in dogfights and improved their gunnery to remian effective against the Zeroes cannons. [3] From September 3 - November 4, 1942 the Cactus Air Force shot down 268 Japanese planes in aerial combat and inflicted damage on a number estimated to be as great. They sank six enemy vessels, including one heavy cruiser, possibly sank three destroyers and one heavy cruiser, and damaged 18 other ships, including one heavy cruiser and five light cruisers
Medal of Honor recipients
2 Men who served in the "Cactus Air Force" received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Battle of Guadalcanal:
The Cactus Air Force
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Aboard the USS Enterprise |
Aircraft Flown
See also
- Military history of the United States during World War II
- List of United States Marine Corps aircraft squadrons
References
- ^ Camp, Dick (2006). ‘’”Leatherneck Legends” – Conversationswith the Marine Corps' Old Breed.’’ pp. 91 - 106. Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-2157-4.
- ^ Camp, Dick (2006). ‘’”Leatherneck Legends” – Conversationswith the Marine Corps' Old Breed.’’ pp. 96 - 100. Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-2157-4.
- ^ Dorr, Robert F. (2005). ‘’”Marine Air” – The History of the Flying Leathernecks in Words and Photos.’’ pp. 5-18. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-425-20725-0.
- Hanson, David. "A tribute to the Cactus Air Force". Guadalcanal air battles and airmen during the 1942 campaign. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
- Hollway, Don (March 1995). "The Cactus Air Force: A Thorn in Japan's Side". Aviation History. Retrieved 2006-07-10.. Republished on HistoryNet.com.
- Robert Sherrod. "USMC Fighting Squadrons". Cactus Squadrons: Guadalcanal, Aug. 1942 - Feb. 1943. Retrieved 2006-07-15.