June 26, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

FRIDAY, 26 JUNE 1942

ALASKA (11th Air Force): Five B-24s drop incendiaries and fire bombs on installations at Kiska Harbor.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (10th Air Force): Brigadier General Earl L Naiden becomes Commanding General 10th Air Force, succeeding Major General Lewis H Brereton departs for the Middle East with Brigadier General Elmer E Adler, Commanding General X Air Service Command, and several other key subordinates. The aircraft and crews of the 9th Bombardment Squadron follow. This move leaves the 10th Air Force almost a skeleton.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, 7th Air Force): During the night of June 26-27, three LB-30s staged through Midway then bomb installations on Wake.

RAAF: Lost is Beaufort A9-52 pilot S/Ldr Charles Walter Lyndsay Sage (MIA) crashed near Tapini.

IJN: At 1:30pm twenty G3M Nells from Genzan Kōkūtai (Genzan Air Group) led by Lt. Ishihara on a bombing mission against Port Moresby escorted by twelve A6M2 Zeros from Tainan Kōkūtai (Tainan Air Group) inbound, Zero pilot FPO2 Kumagaya Ken'ichi aborted the mission. At 12:30pm the eleven Zeros assembled over Buna to escort the bombers. Over Port Moresby, intercepted by P-39 Airacobras with the escorting Zeros engaged in air combat and claimed three Airacobras shot down plus two probables (in fact, four were lost). Returning, the Zeros spotted seven enemy planes but did not intercept. At 1:38pm near Kokoda the Nells observed five P-39s and claimed a pair attacked with the bombers returning defensive gunfire and claimed one shot down (none were lost). One G3M Nell was damaged with wounded crew from the attacking Airacobra and was escorted by Zeros and landed safely at Lae Airfield. The Zeros returned without loss or damage and landed safely by 3:00pm.

5th AF: Airacobras from the 40th Fighter Squadron (40th FS) scramble to intercept Japanese bombers over Port Moresby. During the air combat, jumped by Zeros with four planes shot down. Three Airacobras were shot down with all three pilots bailing out over the Bootless Bay area including Airacobra pilot Hall (survived), Airacobra pilot ? (survived), Airacobra pilot ? (survived). Lost was P-39F Airacobra 41-7137 pilot 1st Lt. William Stauter (MIA). Meanwhile, Airacobras from 39th Fighter Squadron (39th FS) intercepted the bombers on the return flight damaging one with none damage to themselves and landed safely.

References
Kodochosho Genzan Kōkūtai - June 26, 1942
Kodochosho Tainan Kōkūtai - June 26, 1942
War Diary 1942 (1984) page 64
"About noon eighteen Japanese bombers and twelve Zeros attempted to bomb Port Moresby but were intercepted by our fighters and driven off the target despite our losses of four fighters, of which two pilots [sic three] were saved. Two of the Jap bombers were hit and damaged and might not have been able to get home [all bombers returned]."
Eagles of the Southern Sky (2012) pages 192 (June 26, 1942), 335 (Aerial victories June 26, 1942)
Thanks to Michael Claringbould and Edward Rogers for additional information