RAAF Pilots in "Inferior" Kittyhawks Downed More Japanese Aircraft Than Any Other Squadron at Biak

On June 3, 1944, fourteen Australian pilots flying P-40 Kittyhawks — an aircraft the world had already written off as obsolete — shot down more Japanese planes in a single engagement than any RAAF squadron in the entire Southwest Pacific campaign.
This is the forgotten story of 78 Squadron RAAF, the Battle of Biak, and "The Big Do" — a remarkable air combat victory that proved the experts wrong about the Kittyhawk.
The P-40 couldn't out-turn a Zero. It couldn't out-climb an Oscar. On paper, it was inferior in almost every way. But Australian pilots learned to fight on their own terms — using the Kittyhawk's dive speed, rugged construction, and devastating firepower to dominate Japanese fighters that should have destroyed them.
This video covers:
⚔️ Why RAAF pilots expected Spitfires but received "obsolete" Kittyhawks
✈️ The tactics that turned the P-40's weaknesses into advantages
🔥 The June 3, 1944 air battle that became the RAAF's greatest victory in the Pacific
💀 The tragic loss of Flight Sergeant William Harnden
🦅 The incredible story of Len Waters — Australia's only Indigenous fighter pilot
78 Squadron logged over 1,400 operational hours in June 1944 — more than any American fighter squadron under General Kenney's command. They flew the aircraft nobody wanted and proved that the right pilots with the right tactics could make even an "inferior" fighter deadly.
The Kittyhawk deserved better than history gave it. So did the men who flew it.
📚 Sources: Australian War Memorial, RAAF Official Histories, 78squadron.com
🎖️ Lest We Forget
#WW2 #RAAF #PacificWar #Kittyhawk #P40 #Aviation