They Mounted a P-39 Fighter Nose on a Tiny Boat — The Japanese Named Them “Devil Boats”

Описание: Why PT Boat Crews Salvaged Guns from Crashed P-39 Airacobras in World War II — and Went on to Destroy Over 800 Japanese Vessels
This World War II story uncovers how a desperate battlefield modification turned into one of the most lethal naval weapons of the Pacific War.
On October 19, 1942, Lieutenant Robert Lynch, commander of PT-48, watched Japanese barges moving troops near Cape Esperance. His torpedoes were useless—their minimum running depth was 10 feet, while the barges sat barely 5 feet in the water. His twin .50-caliber machine guns failed as well, their rounds ricocheting harmlessly off armored hulls.
Just three miles away at Henderson Field, dozens of crashed P-39 Airacobra fighters lay abandoned—yet their powerful 37mm automatic cannons were still intact.
Lynch made a decision that broke every Navy rule.
His crew stripped the cannons from wrecked fighters, dragged them to the shoreline, and welded crude mounts directly onto their PT boat’s deck. Navy regulations labeled it an unauthorized and dangerous modification. The Bureau of Ordnance dismissed it as reckless improvisation.
They were completely wrong.
That night off Guadalcanal, Lynch proved that solving real combat problems mattered more than doctrine. The 37mm cannon shredded Japanese barges with devastating accuracy. By the end of the patrol, squadron commanders were quietly requesting salvaged Airacobra guns for their own boats.
And Japanese supply barges began to burn.
The idea spread unofficially, crew to crew, through Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons 2, 3, 5, and 6. Before Navy command could respond, these improvised PT boats had destroyed more than 800 Japanese vessels. The rough mount design built in Henderson Field’s machine shop eventually influenced factory-standard naval armament.
Japanese commanders gave PT boats a new name:
“Devil Boats.”
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⚠️ Disclaimer:
This video is entertainment-focused historical storytelling based on publicly available World War II sources. While accuracy is a priority, some details may be simplified or dramatized. This content is not an academic reference. For verified history, consult professional historians and archival records.