Captain Jefferson J. DeBlanc
Marine Corp Ace
Medal of Honor Guadalcanal
By Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette
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Jeff DeBlanc
By Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette
Jeff
DeBlanc was born in
While
Jeff was attending collage in his senior year he left and with his older brother
they both signed up with the Navy for flight training programs. Jeff’s brother
stayed with the Navy while Jeff was accepted into the Marine Corp.
Jeff
entered flight training in July 1941. He then transferred to the Marine Corps
upon graduation on April 3, 1942 where he was next assigned to North Island,
Jeff’s
first assignment was with VMF-112 as it was preparing for deployment in the
Pacific. At this time Jeff was the typical air recruit receiving their wings and
as quickly as possible deploying them to the front lines. Collectively Jeff had
approximately 250 flight hours and was now headed for combat.
VMF-112
was known as the “Wolfpack” departed for the
This
was a stinging blow to the Japanese because the loss of an entire squadron of
experienced crews and aircraft is never regained. Men and units learn from their
experiences and pass on their knowledge to others. Those twenty four bomber
crews would never tell anyone what they learned.
The
name “Cactus Air Force” was originated by someone on
Guadalcanal. Jeff and his fellow Marine and Navy pilots would fly and fight almost every
day against the Japanese that were trying to take back the island. The
Japanese were in the process of constructing and airfield and base on the island
when the Marines bravely invaded. The airfield was quickly finished and prepared for
Navy and Marine operations. What Japanese that were not captured or killed
escaped into the surrounding jungles.
Jeff
and the other pilots of the “Cactus Air Force” would take off and land on
the airfield under small arms fire along with cannon and mortar fire from the
Japanese hiding in the surrounding jungles. Jeff and every other pilot that was
stationed on
Jeff
and the others including officers found themselves with their Colt 45's in hand
defending their camps at night from attacking Japanese. Jeff DeBlanc, James
Swett, Joe Foss, you name them, they fought on land and in the air. A fighter
pilot could find himself in a hand to hand struggle with an enemy which is quite
different form aerial combat. This happened. I find myself in awe as to what
these men experienced.
In
the Pacific the Japanese made great use of float planes which Jeff claimed his
first on December 18th. The Japanese used several different aircraft
for float plane duty. They were all agile and functional in performance, but not
worth a heck against a Wildcat.
The
losses to the Japanese in their efforts to retake
Guadalcanal was continuously and staggering. The Japanese
attacked
Coast
Watchers are legendary with the war effort in the Pacific. The Coast Watchers saved the lives of
many American seaman and aviator along with wrecking havoc on the Japanese with
their valuable intelligence. Such
information came to the Marine pilots from look outs on Vella Lavella. Japanese
warships had sailed into the area of Kolombangara escorting cargo vessels. The
communication from the Coast Watchers warned the American Marines at
Guadalcanal and added that the Japanese ships were venerable to
dive bombers.
The
Americans reviewed this information as the Japanese increasing their formations
for another surge in the battle for Guadalcanal. We know now that the Japanese were planning a massive retreat.
A
mission to attack the ships now was planned and aircraft were fueled and armed.
This would be a maximum effort by the Americans. The date was January 31, 1943,
and the airfield was filled with the roar of aircraft engines with their props
spinning like a sea of wind mills. Pilots strapped in and wood blocks removed
from their wheels as the fighter and bombers rolled to the end of the run way for
take off. The bombers took off first followed by eight Wildcats.
Jeff
was assigned a Wildcat that was not his own and he mentioned a complaint to the plane
captain but at this time you flew what ever aircraft was ready. Jeff was
escorting Navy and Marine SBD’s and Avengers. Along
the way two different fighter pilots turned back because of mechanical problems.
Jeff was unnerved by this because he knew something was wrong with his fighter
but the mission was at hand. Losing two fighters was in deed a loss of
effectiveness.
The
six fighters formed up at different levels and settled in for the long flight.
Jeff leaned out his fuel to conserve as much as possible. Jeff said that the
flight was boring and as he glanced at his gages he noticed that the gas gage
was fluctuating. Jeff activated his emergency fuel pump switch and worked a hand
pump. Switching from the external tank to the internal fuel tank in the fighter
the gas gauge returned to normal. Jeff figured he had not used the full amount of
fuel in his external tank so either the tank had a leak, or he lost his vacuum pulling
the fuel to his machine, or he had a gas guzzling airplane.
There
is no way I can type, write or imagine all that was going through Jeff’s mind
as they flew over Kolombangara island. He said that the enemy airfield was
clearly visible and there were no aircraft in sight near the run way or along
the edge. As they cleared the island and approached the Japanese ships in the harbor Jeff called the pilots in his group and notified them
of his fuel problem. Then the dive bombers rolled over in their attack and the
air was filled with exploding anti-aircraft fire from the ships and along the
shore.
Jeff
grieved that all twelve dive bombers missed the ships with their bombs. He
watched as columns of water showed the misses next to the ships. He watched the
action on the water out of the corner of his eye as he searched the area for
enemy fighters.
As
the American bombers were attacking the ships in the enemy harbor, Jeff caught
sight of an enemy “Pete” float planes racing after the bombers. Jeff came
around was
above looking down and saw two of the bi-wing Japanese fighters who were flying one
ahead of the other. Jeff called for his wingman to follow him. As Jeff lined up
behind the Pete the rear gunner opened up on him with his machine gun. Jeff dropped a few feet below
the line of fire form the defensive gun and fired into the belly of the enemy
float-plane.
The
seaplane rolled over in flames and exploded as Jeff passed over him, leaving the second
Pete in his sights. The rear gunner was ready for the approaching Wildcat
but Jeff dropped again and sighted his guns in between the two cockpits closing
in on the center of the seaplane from below and fired. Both the pilot and gunner must have
been killed because the disabled airplane drifted off towards the west trailing
smoke and exploded. Jeff said that the scene actually complemented the beautiful
south sea sunset that was the back drop to this battle.
The
remaining Japanese seaplanes pulled away from the area. As Jeff was gaining altitude for
regrouping with the rest. “Zero’s” was yelled out on the radio. The
oncoming Japanese were headed towards the other fighters in Jeff's group and had
not seen Jeff and his wingman because they both were about five hundred feet
below them and coming up under them. Jeff said that this was a perfect set up.
He came up under the led Japanese fighter and led him slightly in his gun sights and
fired. Instantly the Zero flipped out of his gun sights and rolled over. Jeff
could not believe that he did not hit the Japanese but he never saw the enemy fighter again and
could not claim the kill. Jeff figures that either he killed the pilot and in
his death throws he snatched the controls to cause the Zero to act so violently.
Or that the Japanese was the fastest pilot he had ever seen.
The
Japanese next to the one Jeff had fired on pulled up and rolled slowly to look around
to see who was after them. Jeff pulled in behind the Zero. Lt. Joe Lynch
witnessed this action and reported it back to base when Jeff did not return.
Lynch reported that Jeff pulled in behind the Zero and followed him into his
roll perfectly and when the Zero straightened out Jeff fired causing the Zero to
explode.
The
aerial fight then began. Targets were all over the sky. Jeff and another pilot, Staff
Sergeant Feliton flew in a defensive scissor weave and were successful for a
while until their weave went wide and Jeff watched his friend catch fire from a
Zero attack. He last saw Feliton trail from the combat area a stream of black
smoke. Jeff’s fighter had taken a few hits during the melee. Jeff’s gas
gauge was dropping quickly under full combat power.
The
American bombers had formed up and Jeff was climbing to join them. He noticed that his
gas consumption was serious. As Jeff was planning his regrouping with the others
who were quickly disappearing, Jeff looked over his shoulder. Jeff saw two
Zero’s approaching from the rear. He knew that the Zero’s would attack the
bombers and could claim the lives of more of his fellow aviators. Fuel was
Jeff’s enemy now. He felt that he had no choice but to protect the bombers.
All he had to do was delay the enemy so his squadron could better escape.
Jeff
turned his stubby fighter around and attacked the Zero’s head on knowing that
now he would not make it back to base. Before Jeff came into range he turned on
his gun switch in order to use all six of his fifty caliber machine guns. The incoming Zero fired
out of range. Jeff watch the tracers from his guns reach out towards his
Wildcat. Jeff knew when to fire and held until he knew the distance was right.
Jeff fired a two second burst. Instantly the Zero caught on fire and yet it came
on towards Jeff. It looked like the Zero was going to ram him head on.
Jeff
had been climbing to attack the Zero and the Japanese was diving which is a more
difficult attack for the Zero. Jeff’s bullets hit right and hit
first as the Japanese fighter started to burn like a comet. In his climb and
after firing a full blast from all of his machine guns his Wildcat was just
about to stall. The Zero was barreling on towards him.
Out of desperation Jeff held down his gun trigger. The Zero flew dead into a
stream of metal bullets causing the Zero to explode into a fireball that
engulfed Jeff’s fighter.
As
Jeff cleared the fireball derbies he had showed more. Now he noticed the other
Zero attacking him after coming out of a loop and was diving on him. Jeff nosed
his stubby fighter over and was descending as the Zero was speeding down after him. Jeff out smarted the Zero
pilot because he knew the enemy would be full throttle after him. Jeff slowed
down and even dropped flaps to stay just above stalling speed.
The
Zero zipped past him. The Zero pilot panicked and tried to slow fishtailing as
he went by. Jeff said that the Japanese pilot looked right in his eyes as he
slid by. As soon as the Zero was just ahead of Jeff he fired one short burst
right into fighter only fifty yards in front of him.
Did the Japanese pilot die in vain, or did he get the last dying laugh because
as Jeff smugly shot down this Zero, another was behind Jeff with his Wildcat
in his sights. Things happen so quickly and so slowly Jeff told me. He was concerned at the
time because the sun was setting so he held up the watch on his left arm to view
it. As Jeff looked at the watch it flew off his wrist and the instrument panel
in front of him exploded
from an incoming 20mm cannon shell which came over his left shoulder past his
head. Fuel poured out from behind the panel as his fighter took another burst of
machine gun fire in the engine.
The
engine flamed and stopped. Jeff jerked his fighter to get out of the line of
fine from the Zero. He worked the broken canopy loose and as he tried to slide
it back it was caught by the slipstream and flew off. He pulled himself up and
out on the left wing and tumbled off. Jeff told me he felt like a bird. It was so peaceful that he
felt that he could fall and not get hurt. Mind you, this was Jeff’s first
jump. And the Pacific was below. He took the time as he fell to look around and
viewed the closest islands.
As
he fell, Jeff knew that if he could make it to one of the
Jeff
was able to swim to one of the
Jeff
returned to the States and became an instructor and later returned to the
Pacific with VMF-422 where Jeff would score his last victory, a Val dive bomber.
Jeff
retired as a Colonel in 1972 from the Marine Corps Reserve. During his military
service he was credited with nine confirmed aerial victories and one probable.
He was decorated with the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart and the Air Medal with 4 Gold Stars.
Jeff passed away on November 22, 2007.
All research, writings and artwork are by Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette.
No one is permitted to republish any part of this story with out my personal permission.
Please call or e-mail me for any use of this story.
I do not mind sharing, just call or e-mail and ask for permission.
Sir. Ernie Hamilton Boyette
904-282-4198
e-mail: aviationartstore@peoplepc.com
2-10-07