Encounter Over Kweilin by David B. Poole

12 signatures

Image size 27 x 17

Overall size 32 x 24

During a low level sweep in the early morning hours of June 12, 1942, 1^st Squadron AVG pilot, Joe Rosbert, saw what he thought were several Japanese light bombers. What he and the other Flying Tigers pilots did not realize at the time, was that these planes were the new Kawasaki KI-45  twin-engined fighters which the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force had just put into combat service. Known as the Toryu, the KI-45’s armaments consisted of one 20mm cannon and two 12.7mm machine guns in its nose. Not knowing what they were up against, Flight Leader Rosbert and the other skillful American pilots pressed home their attacks and shot down three of these powerful fighters. After this encounter, the Japanese did not bother the Americans  based at Kweilin again.