General Orders 1946 - Fort Benning

~mrt of the 3d Dattnlion, 16.91h 1,rfontrq i??ginimt, mtder rrlast dimcult and
haznrdous conditions, was the prime factor in the capture of nit. Alura. The
courage, fighting spirit, and dewtion to duty exhibited by the rrlenlhcrs of this
battalion were in accordance with tile highest tmrlilions of thc armed forces
of the United Stales. (Gcneral Orders 344, Headquarters 438 Infantry Division,
19 June 1946, as approvcd by the Commander in Chief. United States
Army Forcru. Pacific.)
3. The 7th Fiqhtor Rquadron, is cited for outstanding ~cformanee of duty in
action on 15 May 1841. On that dny P-40 aircraft of the 7th F%ghter Squadron
flew as escorts for t,wo Allied photogrqjhie reconnaissance oircraIt cuming in
low along the short of Ja~lanesc-held Hiak Island, north of Dutch New Guinea,
to obtain vitally needed prcinvasiou photographs. To proside n~axinuum cover,
the sq11adrOn uns dividcd into two flights, one 8tayiIlg with the phutograDhic
airplanes under the cloud formation, and the other rrxnaining above the overeast
to thwart any enemy attempt at interception from above. When the top cover
aircraft, flying at an xltitudc of 10,000 feet, wcrc suddenly and aggressirely
attacked by a force of at least 18 enemy fighters, some of rhem diving from
above arid others zoaruilrg rmt of surrounding elonds, the pilot3 of the 7th Fighter
Squadmn were caught at an altitude disadvantage and mere outnumhercd clearly
3 to 1. Knowing that if they dived to gain speed and sought an opgortunity
to attack the Japanese from the rear, at least some of the enemy airplanes
would get throngh to the reconnnissance airplanes below, the pilots of the 7th
Rixlhter Swudron meriticed speed and safety to pull up and engwge the hostile
fighters at point~blank range, In the ensuing batlie, 1 1 P1O ~ pilots, fighting
heroirdlly against a farlatically aggressive and numerically sli~wrior enemy,
destroyed scven of the Jayanese Sghtws, pcubably dcstroyeti onother, and
damaged others, and frustrated and routed the errtire enemy force. Although
their airpinries were battered by the ficrcr enemy attnul