Can we please stop hotlinking pics?

Duke said:

It landed?!!? Is there a story I can look up?

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

Here's what I found:

It is a combat damage, it happened on June 22nd, 1945 in engagement over Amami Oshima where about 20 Corsairs from VMF-113, led by Major Orvin H. Ramlo carried a standard CAP barrier preventing any aircraft from flying to Okinawa. Among them was 2nd Lt. Alson C. Frazer flying a top cover in his FG-1D. VFM-113 was engaged by a group of less than 30 Shiden-Kais from 343rd Kokutai under command of Lt. Oshibuchi.

Section in which was Alson Frazer got attacked form above by 7 N1K2-Js of 301st Squadron, during combat Corsair division broke into 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 1 dogfights. Frazer tried to rejoin his leader 1/Lt Johnson, but suddenly a George came into view on his right, flying to the left and Frazer managed to score a victory with a carefully led deflection shot. George canopy shattered and a large chunk of metal flew off the right wing root. Most likely Frazer hit Lt Keijiro Hayashi aircraft who was leading Japanese 1st division of the 2nd Chutai. Hayashi disengaged and hid in clouds, but as the aircraft was trailing a white smoke and way to Kyushu was long he never made it and was posted missing.

Here is how Frazer recalls the moment after scoring hits, when he realized that someone also got him in his sights:

“I began to notice that my left wing was disintegrating. I heard no shots, I heard no gunfire. But became visually aware that my left wing was coming apart. So I realized that i had been hit, so I broke off my left turn and rolled out and pitched over and commenced to dive. I remember being quite frightened. My adrenaline was undoubtedly very high but my mental capacities were good. I just felt that I’ve been hit, OK, he won, I lost, now let’s go home!”

Frazer was briefly followed by a Shiden-Kai which kept shooting, but eventually in clouds disengaged. Frazer left the dogfight and landed safely in his damaged machine.

But not everyone was so lucky that day as 343rd Kokutai returned to its home missing four pilots (Lt Keijiro Hayashi, CPOs Sueo Ishizue and Takashi Yanagisawa and PO 1/c Susumu Tsuchiya) while VMF-113 lost 2 pilots and 2 machines with three other damaged.

Unit’s post action report was following:

“The enemy planes and pilots engaged were by no means of the type usually encountered. Their planes were good and the pilots skilled and aggressive. A very good formation was flown and maintained. Deception was used by sending in one division as decoy. The planes waiting above were grouped in four-plane divisions, sections roughly abreast, and divisions stacked. They attacked by divisions in the following manner: The whole division executed a chandelle to the left, thus starting a diving approach on opposite course with altitude advantage. The division then split into two sections, one going to each side of the target planes and executed high side runs simultaneously, completing the run by tailing in and joining."

Following day marked also end of organized resistance on Okinawa.

Then, I also found this from a different source:

After doing some research, I am pretty much convinced this is not actually Alton Frazer's Corsair, but another aircraft from VMF-113 that was damaged in a ground collision.

The list of FG Corsair USN Accidents lists a VF-113 Corsair number 88441, flown by 1st Lt. Russell Hunchar, that was involved in a ground collision by aircraft 88399. Notice that the aircraft in the picture has 441 on its cowl.

The collision occurred on 4 July 1945, two weeks after the dogfight in OP's post.

For what it's worth, Lt. Hunchar was also involved in the dogfight in which Lt. Fraser's airplane was damaged.

This same photo appears in the book Genda's Blade which recounts the dogfight. The photo is credited to Olga Hunchar.

As I mentioned, the type of damage on the aircraft in the picture doesn't look like cannon fire, but does look like what would happen if a parked aircraft were hit by another moving Corsair - as happened to 88441 on 4 July. The slash near the canopy is at the height where a wingtip would be, and the damage to the left wing was probably caused by the propeller.

In reply to Duke :

Thanks

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

See my edit above for conflicting info.  I tend to believe the second take.

In reply to Duke :

I agree. I don't think that would land. Or fly, either.

I tend to agree with the taxi accident conclusion.  The damage to the tail and fuselage are very much inline and about the thickness of a wing.

Taxi accidents can get scary with prop planes.  It's rather obvious how the one below happened.   Fortunately, the pilot actually lived!

Based on the damage, it looks like the tail hit somehow broke the fuselage in half as you can see the prop strikes behind the canopy seem to be at the height of an already collapsed fuselage.  Not sure why the Avenger stopped, there had to be very little indication they ran into something (maybe they could hear it?)

chandler said: