When a P40 Battled 15 Japanese Fighters

It’s May 17th, 1944. Using a few days of good weather before the month of monsoon starts, four P-40N fighter-bombers from the 89th Fighter Squadron, part of the famous Burma Banshees, flew over the India‑Burma border to provide support to Allied troops that were in a bitter fight with the Japanese Army. They were in the middle of a bombing run when at least 15 Japanese Nakajima Ki‑43 Hayabusa (translated as Peregrine Falcon) attacked them. During the ensuing fight the commander of this flight, Lieutenant Philip Adair, lost sight of all three of his allies. Instead, several Japanese fighters tried to get on his six and bring him down. Hopelessly outnumbered, how could the four friends possibly survive? Thank you very much to the family of Lt. Phil Adair for reaching out to use this story and providing us with his audio. 00:00 Burma Banshees on a mission 01:25 Three flights of Zeroes vs Curtiss P-40s 03:13 4 planes vs Adair 05:39 5 Zeroes hunt for Adair 07:34 O’Connor on the horizon 09:48 O’Connor’s fate