S2E1: Marines over Guadalcanal, WW2: Part 1 - Major John L. Smith, USMC, F4F Wildcat pilot

The Aviation Medals of Honor

Major John L. Smith was the Commanding Officer of VMF-223, the first fighter squadron to operate off Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Facing almost daily Japanese raids, 223 fought from the 20th of August, 1942 until relieved on the 13th of October, 1942. Major Smith would leave the island as the Corps leading ace with 19 kills and the Medal of Honor. This episode looks at the two main fighters in the campaign, the Japanese Zero and American F4F Wildcat, the state of USMC aviation in the months after Pearl Harbor, and the early attempts by the Japanese to retake Guadalcanal.

Selected readings:

History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War 2, Robert Sherrod

Wildcat, the F4F in WW2, Barrett Tillman

Time of Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944, Cdr Peter Mersky

Fire in the Sky, The Air War in the South Pacific, Eric Bergerud

Samurai! The Autobiography of Japan's Greatest Fighter Pilot, Saburo Sakai with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito

The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WW2 Japanese Naval Pilots, Dan King

Guadalcanal 1942-43: Japan's Bid to Knock Out Henderson Field and the Cactus Air Force, Mark Stille

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