Early in the morning of April 7, 1943, with the Pacific theater of World War 2 in full swing,
a 22-year old American rookie pilot named James Elms Swett was about to get his first
taste of action. His debut mission was to lead a small division of Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters
on patrol over the Russell Islands, just off Guadalcanal, recently taken by the US.
Stopping to refuel, he received an alarming message: hurtling towards the American ships
docked at the port of Tulagi were 150 Japanese planes, a force equal in size to that of the
first wave of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. Were it to be successful, it would crush
the American presence in the region and turn the tide of the war back in favor of the Japanese.
Without blinking an eye, the young pilot leapt into action. Racing to defend his country’s fleet,
his tiny squadron found itself up against a massive group of Japanese Aichi D3A dive bombers,
known to the Allies as “Vals”, on their way to destroy the harbor. As the adrenaline kicked in,
the plucky first-timer lined up one of the bombers in his sights before bringing it
crashing down into the ocean below. Pure chaos followed, and Swett became separated on his
own. As the frantic dogfight thundered around him, sharpshooter Swett would have to pull off an epic,
almost impossible WW2 achievement to save the American fleet. But first,
he found himself staring into the eyes of a Japanese tail gunner ready to fire…
James Elms Swett was born in Seattle, Washington on June 15, 1920. While in college in San Mateo,
California, his interest in planes led him to take the Civilian Pilot Training
Program not once but twice, racking up 450 hours of experience in the air. At the time,
he had little idea of how valuable this flying know-how would later prove to be.
Initially planning to join the Coast Guard, he changed his mind when a recruiter talked
him into signing up with the US Naval Reserve as a Seaman Second Class in August 1941. Just
four months later, the brutal Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor would
thrust the United States into World War 2, and Swett was ready to answer the call of duty.
After training as a Naval Aviator in Corpus Christi, Texas, he was commissioned as a Second
Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps Reserve, and in December 1942, he was shipped out to Guadalcanal,
the largest of the Solomon Islands in the Southwest Pacific. Though small,
the island was of huge strategic importance due to its location on the route of a key shipping line
from Australia to Hawaii. US forces had recently seized Guadalcanal from Japanese control in
their first major land offensive in the Pacific theater, a grueling campaign which had lasted
over six months. Now the island was in American hands, they were determined to defend it from
any possible Japanese attempt at a counterattack. Swett was posted to Marine Fighting Squadron 221,
one of the units tasked with protecting the island as part of Marine Air Group 12. Also known as
VMF-221 or the Fighting Falcons, the squadron had already gained fame for its heroic defense of USS
Lexington at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, as well as providing a supporting role at the Battle
of Guadalcanal itself. Into action
After humbling the Japanese at Guadalcanal and dealing a serious blow to their imperial
ambitions, the US command anticipated the enemy's swift response in attempting to retake the island.
As part of the American defense strategy, Swett, recently promoted to First Lieutenant,
was given his first combat mission leading a small group of Wildcat fighter planes
on a patrol over the Russell Islands, some 30 miles northwest of Guadalcanal.
When the report came through of the imminent air attack, Swett’s squadron quickly scrambled
to intercept the Japanese Val bombers in order to save Tulagi harbor and the
American fleet stationed there from certain destruction. His pulse raced as he saw heading
towards him what he would later describe as: [QUOTE] “a black cloud of enemy aircraft”.
As the Vals came nearer, the young novice showed the exceptional situational awareness and tactical
acumen of a much more experienced pilot. Targeting a group of three Vals diving on the harbor,
Swett approached the first one from behind and got down below it, finding the perfect
angle where the enemy rear gunner couldn’t fire at him without shooting his own tail off. From this
strategic position, Swett could use his excellent marksmanship to gun down the first of the three
Vals, smiling to himself as he watched it go up in flames before plummeting towards the salty Pacific
waters below. Within moments, he had lined up the second bomber and brought it down in the same way.
By this point, the skies above Iron Bottom Sound had descended into a chaotic melee, with the
endless onslaught of ammunition from each side’s planes, as well as a steady stream of fire coming
from American anti-aircraft weapons on the ground. While Swett chased down the last remaining Val of
the trio, dodging the bullets flying towards him from its rear gunner, the left wing of his Wildcat
was suddenly hit by friendly fire coming from below. Though shaken up by the unexpected damage
to his aircraft, Swett knew he had to finish the job. Keeping his cool despite the circumstances,
he effectively eliminated the third Val before deciding to start making his way back to safety.
But just as Swett began heading home, he spotted a second group of six Japanese
bombers which had already dropped their loads on Tulagi harbor and were now attempting to
leave the area. Swett saw his opportunity to wreak further havoc on the Japanese air force
and grabbed it with both hands. Weaving through the perilous aerial battlefield,
he lined himself up behind one of the Vals and let off a short but precise burst of gunfire,
condemning it to the same fate as its predecessors.
Even after seeing Swett make light work of their comrades, the highly-disciplined Japanese pilots
had been trained to stay in formation at all costs instead of breaking away to evade
his shots. While admirable, this ultimately made them easy targets for the daring Marine aviator,
and one by one, he was able to dispatch a further three Vals with little trouble.
Growing in confidence with each bomber neutralized, Swett began getting careless. While
in pursuit of his eighth victim, he flew right into the path of enemy fire and was hit head-on,
taking several rounds to his cockpit. Though his face was cut by pieces of broken glass from
his bullet-riddled windshield, he fired off one last burst, taking out the Val’s gunner
at such short range that he was able to see the look of terror on the Japanese soldier’s face,
an image that would stay indelibly ingrained in his memory long after the war.
Swett soon realized that not only had he been wounded by the enemy gunfire, but it had also
badly damaged his oil cooler. What’s more, he was out of ammunition. With his engine seizing,
Swett doubted his ability to make it back to base in one piece, and he made the decision to ditch
his aircraft off the coast of Florida Island. Making a desperate dive towards the ocean for his
emergency landing, the force of the impact with the water slammed his head into the control panel,
giving him a broken nose. To make matters worse, Swett’s shoulder strap had gotten caught on the
release hook, and he found himself trapped inside the cockpit of his Wildcat, which was rapidly
sinking as it filled up with water. Struggling for his life, he broke free at the last minute,
just in time to inflate his Mae West life vest, enabling him to float to the surface of the waters
of Tulagi harbor. Before long, he managed to get the attention of a Coast Guard picket boat;
originally believing him to be a Japanese pilot, they pointed their rifles at him, but soon
realized their mistake and came to his rescue. Returning to Guadalcanal after a six-day stay
in a Naval hospital, he learned that Admiral Marc Mitscher, Commander Air in the Solomon Islands,
had nominated him for a Congressional Medal of Honor, which he was later presented by Major
General Ralph Mitchell, Commander of the 1st Marine Air Wing. Swett’s remarkable tally of
seven Vals in nine minutes officially qualified him as an “ace” fighter pilot, and thanks to
his valiant efforts, the Japanese attempt to retake Guadalcanal had ended in dismal failure,
allowing the Allied forces to solidify their position in the Pacific and continue advancing
towards Japan itself, eventually securing victory a little over two years later.
However, Swett’s war was far from over. After a short recuperation period in Australia and
a promotion to Captain, it wasn’t long before he was back in action. During the landings on
the island of Rendova on June 30, 1943, he added two Mitsubishi G4M “Betty” bombers to his tally,
and also shared the downing of a Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.
Eleven days later, he found himself in a dogfight once again, this time near the island
of New Georgia. After taking out two more Bettys and another Zero, he was shot down himself and
crash-landed in the dense jungle below. Luckily, he was found alive by a local indigenous tribe,
who dragged him out of his smouldering fighter plane and transported him to the
safety of an Australian Coastwatchers’ location. After gaining more victories during October and
November 1943, he headed back to the United States at the end of the year for a period
of further training. While based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Santa Barbara, California,
he became carrier-qualified and was assigned to USS Bunker Hill. In 1945, he conducted two
strikes over Japan and participated in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, increasing his count one
last time on May 11 with a Yokosuka D4Y “Judy” kamikaze plane before witnessing the savage
attack on Bunker Hill by two more kamikazes which would result in nearly 400 fatalities.
By the time World War 2 came to its conclusion in August 1945, James Swett had been officially
credited with downing 15.5 Japanese aircraft, though it is believed that the real total may
have been higher. He is generally recognized as one of the US Marine Corps’ most prolific
flying aces in the Pacific theater. In addition to his Medal of Honor,
he was also awarded the Purple Heart and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. Meanwhile,
the Fighting Falcons of the VMF-221 finished the war as the second-placed Marine Corps squadron in
aerial victories, with 185 enemy planes downed. After the war, he continued his military career
but was not sent to fight in Korea due to concerns about the risk of putting a Medal
of Honor recipient in combat. He remained in the Marine Corps Reserve until retiring in 1970 with
the rank of Colonel. After a lengthy illness, he passed away from heart failure on January 18,
2009, at the age of 88. His incredible and inspiring story of bravery, skill,
and determination has guaranteed him his status as a true legend of the air for generations to come.