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Sgt. McLuckie gets lucky

A Japanese artist's conception of the action over the Bay of Bengal, 22 May 1942, when Sergeant McLuckie of 60 Squadron shot down Lt. Col. Kato Tateo, commander of the 64th Sentai and the most famous of all Japanese army pilots. McLuckie earlier winged two other Hayabusas and forced them to retire to Burma. After Kato spiraled into the sea, the remaining two Japanese fighter pilots gave up the chase and headed for home. McLuckie: 3; 64th Sentai: 0.

I often think of Sgt. McLuckie's clean sweep when aviation buffs scoff at the notion of rear-facing, rifle-caliber, flexible guns on a bomber or scout plane, as compared to the more and usually heavier fixed guns on the attacking fighters. Real life is generally very different than a scenario on a computer screen!

(Painting from the dustcover of Tsubasa no kessen [Desperate Winged Combat] by Hinoki Yohei, published by Kojun-sha in 1984. Hinoki-san was a pilot in the 64th Sentai.)