Mission To The Shortlands
by James F. Lansdale

During late March 1943, Imperial Japanese naval floatplanes attached to the Eleventh Seaplane Tender Division (No.11 Koku Sentai), consisting of the tenders Kamikawa Maru and Kunikawa Maru, had been making a thorough nuisance of themselves.  Known locally as “Louie the Louse,” the Mitsubishi Type 0 Observation Seaplanes (F1M), code named Pete, were being used for nocturnal harassment raids.  The engine noise and the explosions of the 60-kg bombs dropped by “Louie the Louse” made sleep impossible for the American troops on Guadalcanal and around Henderson Field.

On the night of March 23, the Tulagi and Lunga areas were attacked by three floatplanes followed by a pair, which attacked Tulagi Harbor on the evening of the twenty-fifth.  A single raider, off Cape Esperance, carried out another attack the night of the twenty-seventh.  Photographic missions flown by Lockheed F-5As of the 17th Reconnaissance Squadron had pinpointed the Faisi-Poporang area in the Shortland Islands as the principal enemy seaplane base in the Solomons.

One photograph, taken March 28, revealed twenty-seven floatplanes at their moorings.  Consequently an attack order was issued for a joint service fighter sweep of the base at daybreak on the twenty-ninth.  The force scheduled for the mission consisted of eight Lockheed P-38 Lightnings from the 70th Fighter Squadron, USAAF, to be led by Captain Thomas Lanphier, and eight Chance-Vought F-4U-1 Corsairs attached to VMF-124, USMC.  The circuitous route to be followed by the pilots, the time of take-off, the flight procedures to be followed en-route, and, even the size of the force, would later serve as a model for a more important mission which included some of the same participants.  A similar mission was initiated on the morning of April 18 which ended the life of the Commander-In-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

The following account of the mission to the Shortlands is related by one of the participating pilots, Major General Robert L. Petit, USAF (Ret.).

“A Nice Faisi Roast Well Done”
“For the previous several months we pilots of the 70th Fighter Squadron had been flying and fighting together in the skies over the Solomons.  On March 29, 1943, we took off in our P-38s from Fighter Two on Guadalcanal for a fighter sweep of the Japanese floatplane base in the channel between Faisi-Poporang and Shortland (Alu) islands.  The departure from base had been scheduled so that a combined force of eight P-38s and eight Marine Corsairs would arrive at the target area at first light, shortly before sunrise.

After takeoff we promptly formed up in a section of two flights. The Marines of VMF-124, including Ken Walsh, had also taken off from their base, but they had difficulty in making their rendezvous in the darkness.  Captain Tom Lanphier, who was leading our section of eight, circled the area waiting for the Marines to show up.  Since they did not appear to be making any progress toward assembly, Tom struck out independently.  En route, my wingman experienced mechanical trouble and turned back.  However, one of the Marines (1st Lt. Eben Dale), joined up with us near the Russells and became a part of my flight.  Our formation now consisted of Tom’s flight of four, with Lt. Rex Barber on his left wing and Lt. Joe Moore and Lt. George Topoll on his right; and my flight, with Lts. A. J. Buck and Jim McLanahan to my right and the lone Marine on my left.

We flew a few hundred feet above the water in complete radio silence.  We did not take a direct course to Faisi-Poporang, but veered out to sea, about fifty miles west of New Georgia Island, then turned north.  Maintaining formation in the darkness and beyond sight of land required extreme concentration.  Near the Treasury islands we turned northeast toward our target.  On our approach we ran into low scud and keeping visual contact with each other became more difficult, even though we were coming into a first light or predawn condition.  Because we were in and out of clouds and near a jumble of islands at low altitude, it became a very dicey run.  Finally, we broke into the clear and, looking around, I realized that Buck and McLanahan had lost us and must have returned to base.  Tom quickly oriented himself and set course for Faisi.  Our attack force had dwindled from sixteen scheduled to Tom’s flight of four and my inter-service element of one Lightning and one Corsair!

Quickly our target area came into view and Tom put us into trail formation.  I remember looking to my right and seeing a large harbor with many warships and transports at anchor or alongside docks.  Also, in the harbor, there were ten or twelve large four-engine seaplanes.  To my left was an island covered with a thick growth of trees (Shortland).  We paralleled this island for a short time, skimming just above the water.  We popped up to five or six hundred feet over land and reversed course.  There, in a narrow neck of water, were the moored floatplanes.  We commenced our attack.  I was fifth in line.  By the time I started my run, three floatplanes along the left shore were already on fire and others smoking, so I took the planes moored on the opposite shore.

Numerous anti-aircraft guns were situated on both sides of the long, narrow channel where the floatplanes rested.  The element of surprise no longer existed.  The enemy guns seemed to be zeroing on me for my view on either side was filled with tracers.  The effect was somewhat like entering a tunnel with arcing Roman candles flashing over your head.  The thought crossed my mind that, normally, ammunition in that type of weapon was loaded with four regular rounds for every tracer and, surely, there were even more rounds heading my way than I could see!  But, my mind and sight were now focused on the targets in front of me.  I do not recall having fright or any real concern …that came later! Youth and inexperience were in control of my emotions and good fortune was at my side.  I walked my rounds into the row of floatplanes and saw the flashes of the strikes.  Completing my attack, I turned to the right and, hugging the treetops of the island, started my exit.  I looked back and counted seven burning planes.

As we came off the target area and about nine miles south of Shortland (Alu), Tom, Rex, and I all spotted what we thought was a Japanese destroyer [sic Subchaser CH-28].  We bore down on the ship, which was broadside to use.  Tom, to my right, attacked the stern; I attacked amidships; and Rex, bringing up the rear, attacked the bow.  The strafing proceeded in a somewhat coordinated manner… at least we did not shoot each other down!  Moore, Topoll, and the Marine made their runs, as Tom, Rex, and I regrouped for another attack.  We kept in touch by radio and positioned ourselves for each run.  After several passes, the ship was in obvious trouble.  It was listing, smoke was pouring out, and the hatch openings were jammed with sailors.  The men topside wanted below to escape our machinegun fire, while those below wanted topside away from the flames and smoke.  It does not seem possible that a pilot actively engaged in an attack could see this detail.  Yet, this vignette of the sailors struggling in the hatchways is very clear in my mind when many details of other combat missions are fading from memory.

It was on the last pass that Rex stayed on his firing run a fraction of a second too long.  By the time he pulled up, Rex had lost over forty inches of his left wing on the radiomast!  We returned to base without further incident.  Our last view of the ship was of a vessel spewing smoke from bow to stern with a substantial list.  We were informed the next morning that a recon plane had flown over the area and that ‘the destroyer had sunk.’  After the war, official Japanese records revealed that we had actually attacked Subchaser CH-28, not a destroyer, and, ‘though it suffered numerous casualties and had been badly damaged, it had not sunk. 

On the same day as the mission, ComAirSols, Rear Admiral Mitscher, issued the following dispatch:
"COMAIRSOLS 290008: FIVE LIGHTNINGS ONE CORSAIR ATTACKED FLOATPLANE BASE FAISI AT 0620 SETTING FIVE TO SEVEN PLANES ON FIRE.  EXCEPTIONALLY HEAVY AA OPENED UP AFTER ATTACK HAD BEEN MADE.  ON RETURN OUR PLANES SIGHTED DD NINE MILES SOUTHEAST ALU ISLAND AND MADE REPEATED STRAFING ATTACKS LEAVING SHIP SMOKING.  ONE LIGHTNING HAD THREE FEET ONE WING SHEARED OFF BY DD MAST WHICH ADVERSELY AFFECTED NEITHER FLYING QUALITIES NOR LANDING PERFORMANCE THIS PLANE.  ALL PLANES RETURNED."

On April 1, we also received an airmailgram from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander, South Pacific Forces:
"CONGRATULATIONS ON A NICE FAISI ROAST WELL DONE.  WORTH THE TIP.  REFER TO COMAIRSOLS 290008."

– Major General Robert L. Petit, USAF (Ret)”

Postscript:  For their roles in their attack on the floatplane base at Faisi-Poporang, 1st Lt. Benjamin E. Dale, USMC, and 1st Lt. Joseph H. Moore, USAAC, received the award of the Silver Star.  Captain Thomas G. Lanphier, Jr. and Captain Robert L. Petit, and 1st Lt. Rex T. Barber, USAAC, received the Oak Leaf Cluster to their previous Award of the Silver Star.  1st Lt. George G. Topoll, USAAC, received his official recognition posthumously. Topoll was killed in his Lightning as he attempted an emergency landing shortly after takeoff for an evening patrol on April 6, 1943.

© 2001 James F. Lansdale via 13th Fighter Command In World War II with Bill Wolf

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