Marine Pilots Paint More Jap Flags

Marine fighter pilots during the Guadalcanal air battles from Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin, NAVPERS, August 1943:

In the Tropics: Marine Pilots Paint More Jap Flags

These Marine fighter pilots, as their score board shows, shot down 12 Japanese planes in the 7 April air battle over Guadalcanal. Thirty-nine of 50 enemy bombers were destroyed during their attack on Allied shipping. Allied losses were 6 Wildcats, an Airacobra, a destroyer, a corvette, a tanker. Talking over the victory were Lt. Arthur T. Wood, USMC, Lt. Frank B. Baldwin, USMC, and Lt. W.J. Shocker, USMC. (The Japanese bombers came escorted by 48 Zero fighters to attack United States shipping in the Guadalcanal area, and were successful in sinking a destroyer, a corvette and a tanker, and in damaging a small fuel boat. Referring to the same attack, Tokyo claimed that 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer, and 10 transports were sunk and 37 planes downed at a loss of 6 Jap aircraft.)