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[Paul Brandon Thornton <pbt1@Ra.MsState.Edu>]

Jay Robbins - USAAFThought you might like to read this
AnnMajor Jay T. Robbins - 8th Ftr Group/80th Ftr Squadron
       
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      Weevil-infested toast, powdered eggs, salt pork, Australian jam, coffee,
and chlorine-laced water once again passed for breakfast at Three Mile Drome on
the morning of September 4, 1943. The pilots of the 8th Fighter Group might have
felt they deserved better fare, at what could be the last meal for any one of
them. Here they were, at a primitive, muddy airstrip in the malaria-ridden
jungle of New Guinea, in the pre-dawn darkness about to fly a dangerous combat
mission, sure to be outnumbered by Japanese Zeros. Why complain about lousy
food? 

Lt. Jay "Cock" Robbins had been with the Group for almost a year, at
first flying the under-performing Bell P-39 Airacobras, switching over to
Lockheed P-38 Lightnings in the spring. For him, the day's mission was typical
of the assignments undertaken by the "Headhunters" -- the 80th Fighter
Squadron and the other two squadrons of the 8FG. (The patch shown was based on a
drawing by Yale Saffro, an enlisted man of the 80th, who had worked as a Disney
cartoonist before the war.) As CO Major Ed Cragg had outlined the previous
night, they were to fly cover for the American troops landing near Lae and
Salamaua in the Huon Gulf on New Guinea's north coast. After breakfast, the 16
pilots piled into a battered jeep and weapons carrier to make their way from the
mess hall to their planes. 

Jay Thorpe Robbins was born on 16 September 1919 in Coolidge, Texas. He
graduated from Texas A&M College in 1940 with a reserve commission through
R.O.T.C. Entering active duty as a second lieutenant of Infantry in February
1941, he later transferred to the Army Air Forces and completed pilot training
at Randolph Field, Texas in July 1942. Sent to the 20th Fighter Group at Morris
Field, North Carolina, he transitioned to fighters. In October he joined the 8th
Fighter Group in New Guinea. On Lt. Robbins' first mission on January 17, 1943
he shared a kill, but as the 5th Air Force policies didn't recognize shared
kills, they tossed a coin, which Robbins lost. 

Earlier that summer, on July 21, Robbins had had a big day. He and his wingman,
Lt. Paul Murphey, were returning from an escort mission, when he saw Ed Cragg
diving into combat. He turned, slowed down enough to drop his tanks, and came
face-to-face with an Oscar. He fired and saw it burst into flames. Then ensued a
climbing, shooting, diving, turning dogfight, with Robbins destroying another
Oscar with a well-placed 30 degree deflection shot. Quickly the combat
dispersed, Robbins led Murphey home, both too low on fuel to respond to call to
help a pilot in his chute who was being strafed by the Japs. For the day he
claimed three destroyed and another probable. 

Ed Cragg was first in line for the 0510 engine start for the September 4
mission. Robbins was leading the third flight of four planes, taking off ninth
in his Lightning Jandina (i.e. "J and Ina", for him and his Australian
wife, Ina). All 16 pilots took off successfully, and Major Cragg led them over
the 10,000 foot Owen Stanley Mountains toward their advanced refueling base at
Dobodura, on the north coast. They all landed there quickly, but were held on
the ground while V Fighter Command gave final mission instructions. About 1100
they took off again, headed for the Salamaua and Lae area, where U.S. troops
were landing. They climbed for altitude, arrived over Huon Gulf, and took up
stations at various altitudes from 8,000 to 21,000 feet. They patrolled for over
an hour without incident. 

Then at 1345, "Bandits - ten o'clock high!" came over the radio.
Robbins' flight was closest, and as he turned toward the 30 enemy Zeros, another
pilot reported Val dive bombers below, five of them. Robbins ignored these
tempting targets and continued toward the fighters. He dropped tanks and
switched on his guns. As they closed, a Zero tried to get on Robbins' tail. He
kicked left rudder and climbed left. A swirling dogfight developed between the
Zeros and the Lightnings. As they turned and twisted, the Japanese pilot tried
to dive away - almost always a big mistake, because the big, heavy P-38s could
dive better than the lighter Zeros. Robbins caught up quickly, opened up with
the four fifties and two 20mm cannon, and tore big holes in the Jap's right wing
root. Robbins kept shooting, tearing the right wing off his target. The plane
flipped over and dove into the sea. 

The next instant he spotted a lone Lightning cornered by several Zeros, as he
flew over to help, several turned head-on toward him. As they flashed past each
other Robbins fired a short burst, conserving ammo, not wanting to be caught
short, as he had on an earlier mission. Another of the group surrounding
Robbins' comrade now fired on him, scoring hits. But Robbins fired back and
poured shells into the enemy's bely and wing. The Lightning could absorb more
damage than the Zero, which spun out and spiraled downward, trailing heavy black
smoke. 

He watched the Japanese plane fall into the ocean for a second too long. Jandina
shuddered as bullets ripped through the wings. Robbins' only hope was to dive
away fast, quickly accelerating to over 400 mph, screaming straight down from
15,000 to 5,000 feet. Too much for the Zero. Robbins spotted another Zero below
him, and pulled back on the stick. The G forces built up and Robbins struggled
to keep conscious. His vision went gray and blurry. His damaged wings held
together through the dive. 

He could see the lone Zero some distance away, no Americans. By now the fight
had taken him some 50 miles offshore, with many Zeros between him and the
relative safety of the American landing zone. As the Jap planes maneuvered, one
of them cut it too close and crossed in front of Robbins, who turned and
squeezed off a perfect deflection shot. The Zero's left side disintegrated and
the pilot bailed out, for Robbins' third victory of the day. 

Now enemy fighters closed in on him from all directions and turned toward land.
A Zero came at him, guns twinkling. Robbins waited until he was in range, and
then fired. Some of his guns were jammed. The Jap bullets struck home. The two
planes whizzed by each other. Another head-on firing exchange caused no more
hits. He radioed for help. No response. Both engines had been running at full
throttle for a long while, and as the next Zero turned at him, his starboard
engine started to cut out. More Zeros appeared! Another head-on pass! Robbins
instantly lined up a shot with his nearly empty guns and fired, and for the
fourth time that day a Zero plunged down into the sea. 

Now Robbins was ready to go home. But more Japanese fighters continued to attack
him. Out of ammunition and with a dead radio, Robbins didn't have many options.
As the Zeros swarmed at him, he feinted and turned toward one, as if to
counter-attack. Again the two planes zoomed by each other at a combined speed in
excess of 600 mph. As Robbins worked towards the coast, he saw American warships
below. Displaying the P-38's distinctive belly silhouette, he swept over the
ships. His tactic worked, and the ships directed their anti-aircraft barrage at
the Japs dogging Jandina. The flak drove them off.           
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           Images 
     
     
 Robbins only had to negotiate the looming Owen Stanley Range to get home, with
only one engine working. The altimeter slowly climbed. At 8,000 feet he saw some
single-engine fighters - P-47s! Relieved, Robbins continued to climb to 11,000
feet. He passed over the mountains and approached his airfield. As the ambulance
and fire truck stood by, he bounced his crippled Lightning to a landing at 1520
hours. Robbins got out of his plane and fell to ground in crumpled, exhausted
heap. After the intelligence briefing, he asked for 10 days leave, and got it.
He relaxed with Ina in Australia for those precious days. In all, he claimed
four Zeros and two probables on September 4. The other pilots of the 80th
Squadron had destroyed another seven planes, all without loss to themselves. 

As the American ground forces moved up New Guinea's north coast, capturing the
Huon Peninsula in the fall of 1943, planners turned their attention to the major
Jap base at Rabaul. To neutralize the enemy there, General Kenney's Fifth Air
Force launched a series of bombing raids against it. P-38s began escorting the
Rabaul bound bombers in mid-October. On the Oct. 24, sixteen 80th Squadron
fighters joined the B-25s on a low-level bombing and strafing raid. 

Jay Robbins was leading the second flight when he downed a Hamp just 300 feet
over the water. While the Jap pilots were very good and adroitly countered the
American pilots' passes, Robbins was able to bring down a second Hamp that
seemed intent on ramming him, and a third with a thirty degree deflection shot.
Then, when three pilots converged on a fourth Hamp and it went down in flames,
they agreed that Robbins had fired the lethal shots. With four victories on this
day, making eleven to-date, Robbins became one of the top aces of V Fighter
Command. 

The Fifth Air Force carried out the raids on Rabaul for one month, until
mid-November 1943, when carrier-based and Solomons-based air units took over
these missions. V Fighter Command returned to missions over New Guinea and other
parts of New Britain in December. On the Dec. 26, American Marines landed at
Cape Gloucester on New Britain, to further isolate Rabaul. The 80th FS flew
supporting missions over the area, from 6AM until 4 in the afternoon. 

Jay Robbins was leading a flight of P-38s, covering the ships below when a huge
formation of Vals and Zeros appeared. The U.S. fighters 'boomed and zoomed' the
Japs without visible results, turned to fire again, and on the second pass,
Robbins shot up a Zero that spun in and crashed. In the ensuing dogfight,
Robbins caught a second Zero that was climbing almost straight up, setting it on
fire with a short burst. He returned to base at Finschafen at 3:40PM, credited
with two destroyed and one probable. 

In another wild dogfight that day over Cape Gloucester, Porky Cragg was lost,
reported MIA, last seen exchanging shots with a Tojo. Jay Robbins was appointed
acting CO immediately. And in January 1944, Robbins became commander of the
famed "Headhunters". Under his leadership, and with numerous pilots
attaining ace category, it became the first squadron in the Southwest Pacific to
score 200 victories. From 30 March until 17 August, Robbins added eight Japanese
fighters to his score, while participating in raids against the Japanese
strongholds at Rabaul, New Britain and Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea as the
Americans pushed back toward the Philippines. 

Promoted to major on 22 May 1944, in September Robbins became deputy commander
of the 8th Fighter Group but continued to fly with his old squadron. He returned
home in December 1944, having logged 181 combat missions. 

Over the next 30 years, Robbins rose to lieutenant general, serving as commander
of the Twelfth Air Force and vice commander of Tactical Air Command prior to
retiring as vice commander of Military Airlift Command in 1974. 

TALLY RECORD: 22 Confirmed, 6 Probables and 4 Damaged 

DECORATIONS: Distinguished Service Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster,
Distinguished Service Medal with 2 OLCs, Silver Star with one OLC, Legion of
Merit with 2 OLCs, Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 OLCs and Air Medal with 6
OLCs. 


Sources: 

  a.. Jay Robbins article from 475th FG website - listed under "Friends of
the 475th" 
  b.. Edward Sims, American Aces, Harper and Brothers, 1958 - USAAF aces, esp.
for details of Sept. 4, 1943 mission 
            Attack & Conquer: The 8th Fighter Group in World War II, by John
Stanaway 
      The 8th fought the best Zero pilots, and took the war to the enemy with
P-38s over Rabaul and Hollandia. Hardback: 8 1/2" x 11",
Illustrations: over 500 photos, 12 color plates, mostly P-38s but also a P-39,
P-40, and P-47; 320 pages. 

      A detailed history of the 8th FG, at the pilot and mission level. It
follows all three squadrons (the 35th, 36th, and 80th) from their pre-war
beginnings in P-36s, through the New Guinea and Philippine air battles. The 8th
FG moved out to Hawaii a month after Pearl Harbor, and was in Australia by
March, and Port Moresby, New Guinea by April. During this first period of the
war, they flew P-39s; the book includes many detailed photos of the infamous
Bell aircraft, typically with a pilot standing in front of a plane amidst the
palm trees. Excellent views of the nose cannon and doors. 

      Stanaway gives a lot of ink to the aces of the 8th: Jay Robbins, George
Welch, Dan Roberts, Ed Cragg, Dick West (a poet!), and Cy Homer. There's a photo
of a smiling Dan Roberts with his Silver Star that he won for downing 2 e/a in
August 1942. In Feb./March, 1943, the 80th FS became the first squadron to
switch to the superior Lockheed P-38, which caused some rivalry with the other
squadrons. Chapter 6 is entitled "One Belly - Double Ass Fella - He Smellum
out Japan Man", which allegedly is native pidgin for "P-38 get the
Japanese". In late 1943, the Group took part in the air offensive against
Rabaul, New Britain. This campaign is well covered, as are the later big air
battles over Wewak, Hollandia, Leyte, and Ormoc Bay. 

      The period black-and-white photographs are the real treasure of this book.
The aircraft of the aces, with colorful names like Jandina III, Porky II, Uncle
Cy's Angel, Windy City Ruthie, Hill's Angels, Screwy Looie and San Antonio Rose,
are shown in many different views. The book also provides a sample of Dick
West's poetry, like "A '38 is some machine / The answer to a pilot's dream
/ Those G.I.s you must concur / Can make an Allison engine purr. / Bill Wallisch
heads my crew - the best." I guess he was a good pilot. 

      Other photos I enjoyed included numerous shots of the squadron signs,
like: "HOME OF THE HEADHUNTERS / 80TH FIGHTER SQUADRON / The Leading Twin
Engine Fighter Squadron in the World / DESTROYED 203" 

      Buy ''Attack & Conquer: The 8th Fighter Group'' at Amazon.com 
     


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