Really...? Who'd have thought? Yes, I was aware it was a P38 that sawed the wing off his aircraft. I watched the interview with the pilot many years ago.
Because Yamamo was such a perfectionist and on time that's why the P-38's the only aircraft with the range ambushed and shot him out of the sky, quite a navigational feat with no land marks to get bearings off a true feat.
In the book the Fork Tailed Devil by Caidin I think Lindbergh quietly shot down an enemy aircraft while showing the pilots how to squeeze the best air miles from the P-38 so the story goes.
But the good old Hose Nose or the Bent Wing Bird gave the zeros sh*t another funny thing the clots could not tell the difference between a Wildcat and Hellcat until they tangled with the latter and were shot out of the sky the Zero was a good aircraft and early in the war their pilots were the best in the world each one having 0000's of hours from carriers.
But no armour or self sealing tanks and you might as well sat the pilot on top of a tank of napalm........
If you believe what you read it seems as though he had some level of respect for the U.S. at least in terms of its industrial capacity and resources. Which taking the form of a P-38 sent his plane into the drink.
On the morning of April 18, despite urgings by local commanders to cancel the trip for fear of ambush, Yamamoto's two Mitsubishi G4M bombers used as fast transport aircraft without bombs left Rabaul as scheduled for the 315 mi (507 km) trip. Sixteen Lightnings intercepted the flight over Bougainville and a dogfight ensued between them and the six escorting Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes. First Lieutenant Rex T. Barber engaged the first of the two Japanese transports which turned out to be Yamamoto's plane. He targeted the aircraft with gunfire until it began to spew smoke from its left engine. Barber turned away to attack the other transport as Yamamoto's plane crashed into the jungle.
The crash site and body of Yamamoto were found the next day in the jungle north of Buin by a Japanese search and rescue party, led by army engineer, Lieutenant Hamasuna. According to Hamasuna, Yamamoto had been thrown clear of the plane's wreckage, his white-gloved hand grasping the hilt of his katana, still upright in his seat under a tree. Hamasuna said Yamamoto was instantly recognizable, head dipped down as if deep in thought. A post-mortem of the body disclosed that Yamamoto had received two 50-caliber bullet wounds, one to the back of his left shoulder and another to his left lower jaw that exited above his right eye. The Japanese navy doctor examining the body determined that the head wound killed Yamamoto. The more violent details of Yamamoto's death were hidden from the Japanese public; the medical report was whitewashed, changed "on orders from above", according to biographer Hiroyuki Agawa
Admiral Yamamoto, a few hours before his death, saluting Japanese naval pilots at Rabaul, April 18, 1943
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose
There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.
his white-gloved hand grasping the hilt of his katana, still upright in his seat under a tree. Hamasuna said Yamamoto was instantly recognizable, head dipped down as if deep in thought
I call B.S,,, No way he took a .50 to the head and there was a head left, nope,nada,no way.
What's not mentioned is "his white gloved hand grasping the hilt of his katana" was found in a tree fifty yards from his torso. No deep thought going on either,, he was dead.
Paybacks are B$$ch.
I call B.S,,, No way he took a .50 to the head and there was a head left, nope,nada,no way.
Guess we will never know - but I can tell you for a fact that my fathers best friend was hit with a spent 20 mm in the shoulder and survived although seriously wounded in the shoulder.
The 50 cal may have been out of gas by the time it met up with the General
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose
There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.
Does not matter either way he was the enemy and was responsible for the USA's 2nd blackest day in its history I will not mention the other through respect.
But that dude paid the price and was shot through the left eye, plus a few finishing rounds to boot. (No Easy Day By Mark Owen)
And those shocked faces you see of President Obahma are when the Blackhawk crashed not the perps mangled head.
Still the F4U was awesome but the P-38 with 4 x 50's and a 20mm no that has gotta hurt then again the Tiffie had 4 x 20mm just as nasty.
Thanks guys awesome thread I was going to mention the plane of Yamamotos crashed in the jungle but thought better of it from memory I think it is in Caidins book.
I have a pic of a soldiers hand that used a 50 cal as a hammer to drive a pin in the mounting for a MG in a Humvees turret but hit the primer it is way to grahic for this place
I've seen troops do some foolish things, can't imagine an NCO not stopping that. Unless there were none on hand...we had a vehicle grounded once because it had a .50 embedded in the tire. Live, primer facing the gravel and all the way into the tire. We had to change the tire because of the obvious...it was in Yakima firing range for those of you that recognize it. Anywayzzz, another deviation for the thread...
Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY
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