The Fighter That Couldn't Shoot Down Planes (But Still Won the War)

As the sun dipped below the horizon on May 16, 1943, the humid air of northern Australia clung to the sleek, stubby wings of two Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Boomerangs. Flying Officer Johnstone and Sergeant Stammer sat vigilant in their cockpits, eyes scanning the darkening sky. These homegrown fighters, Australia's first combat aircraft, patrolled the vast expanse above Horn Island Airfield in Torres Strait, the country's northernmost defense against the looming Japanese threat.

Suddenly, the peaceful patrol erupted into chaos. Three dark silhouettes materialized on the horizon, their profiles unmistakable to the trained eyes of the Australian pilots. Mitsubishi G4M 'Betty' bombers, the scourge of Allied forces in the Pacific, were rapidly closing in on Australian airspace.
The Boomerangs' Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines roared as Johnstone and Stammer pushed their aircraft to full throttle. Despite their compact 36-foot wingspan, the Australian fighters closed the gap with surprising speed, their rugged frames built for this very moment.

At 250 yards, the Boomerangs' formidable array of two 20-millimeter cannons and twin 7.7-millimeter Browning machine guns erupted into action. Streams of tracer rounds cut through the twilight, arcing towards the incoming bombers.

As cannon shells and machine gun rounds peppered the air around them, the Australian pilots watched in dismay as their fire seemed to have little effect. The sturdy construction of the Japanese bombers appeared to shrug off the Boomerang's assault, the aircraft's thick skin absorbing punishment that would have crippled lesser planes.

With the fate of Australia’s northern defenses hanging in the balance, Johnstone and Stammer were about to find out what their Boomerangs could really do to defend their homeland…

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