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America’s disastrous start to the Pacific War
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese not only attacked Pearl Harbor, but also struck at US and allied bases throughout the Pacific, including the USA’s biggest overseas territory, the Philippines. However, that was an air battle the US was expecting. The USAAF had beefed up its assets in the Philippines, sending nearly a quarter of its available B-17s to the Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF). It could also call on the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC).
As told by Mark Lardas in his book Philippines 1941–42 America’s disastrous start to the Pacific War, in the pre-dawn hours of December 10, convoys carrying the Kanno Detachment landing at Vigan and the Tanaka Detachment to Aparri arrived, anchoring off the invasion beaches. The convoys had been at sea since December 7, with fighters from the 24th and 50th Sentai providing air cover during daylight hours. The convoys passed undetected by US aircraft. Patrol Wing 10 had searched the seas west of their course, while Army B-17s had held back as a strike force, rather than being used to patrol the straits between Formosa and Luzon.
Each convoy was escorted by a destroyer division, six or seven destroyers led by a light cruiser. A force of two heavy and one light cruisers, two destroyers and a seaplane tender covered the invasion convoys.
B-17 pilot Colin P. Kelly
At 0550hrs, as civil twilight broke, landing operations began.
The US attack on the Aparri landing occurred later. Five B-17s from San Marcelino flew to Clark Field to refuel and arm. Two left Clark Field at 0930hrs.
Their primary target was an aircraft carrier erroneously reported to be with the convoy.
The first B-17, armed with eight 600lb demolition bombs, seeing no aircraft carrier, spread his bombs among the transports. He reported one hit.
The second plane was flown by Colin Kelly, a Regular Army officer who arrived with the first batch of B-17s sent to the Far East.
His bomber was sent off before it could be fully fueled or fully armed ahead of flying to Aparri. There was time to load only three 600lb bombs before an air raid warning forced a premature departure from Clark Field. Under-armed and under-briefed, Kelly set out for Aparri.
When he got there, he and his crew spotted ships off the coast. One was much larger than the others. It was the light cruiser Natori, at 5,100 tons it was twice the size of the destroyers, minesweepers, and patrol craft it accompanied. They assumed it was a battleship, identifying it as Fuso-class. Since Fusos had six centerline turrets and two funnels, Natori with five centerline turrets and three funnels sort of resembled Fuso. Especially as from 20,000ft up it was easy to confuse the third funnel for a turret.
It was not the carrier they were sent after. Initially Kelly ignored it, searching further for the aircraft carrier. Unable to find it (there was no carrier to be found) Kelly decided a battleship made an adequate consolation prize. They turned back, found it, and made three passes on it at 20,000ft.
US first hero of World War II
The first two passes were practice runs, allowing the bombardier to fine-tune his bombsight. On the third pass, the bombardier dropped his three demolition bombs. It was as perfect a drop as a bombardier could wish for. The three bombs bracketed Natori, slightly damaging it and an accompanying destroyer. From 20,000ft the nearest near-miss appeared to be a direct hit, and was reported as such.
Ki-27s of the 50th Sentai were present when the bombers attacked. They intercepted the first B-17, but only after it dropped its bombs. That B-17 received only minor damage and outran the Ki-27. Kelly’s aircraft was too high, at 20,000ft, for successful interception.
While returning to Clark Field, Kelly was spotted and intercepted by A6Ms of the Tainan Kokutai, conducting a pre-strike sweep prior to an attack at Clark Field. They shot Kelly’s plane down. He died allowing the other crewmembers to escape. All but one survived bailout.
The bodies of Kelly and Technical Sergeant William J. Delehanty were found at the crash site.
Kelly was awarded the Medal of Honor and his gave the US its first hero of the war.
Philippines 1941–42 America’s disastrous start to the Pacific War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo credit: Deane Keller / U.S. Air Force
