When 64 Japanese Aircraft Swarmed a Single P-40 — The Pilot’s Answer Stunned Everyone

Описание: Why a lone P-40 pilot chose not to bail out despite shattered controls during World War II — and how that decision protected his base from an attack by 64 Japanese aircraft.
This WWII story uncovers how a deep understanding of aerodynamics under extreme combat pressure changed the outcome of everything.
December 13, 1943. Second Lieutenant Philip Adair of the 89th Fighter Squadron was the only American pilot in the air over Assam, India, when 64 Japanese aircraft suddenly appeared. The formation consisted of 24 Ki-21 “Sally” bombers, escorted by 40 Ki-43 “Oscar” fighters, flying straight toward Dinjan Airfield. Adair engaged the enemy alone. His P-40N Warhawk, nicknamed “Lulu Belle,” was struck 16 times. Control cables were cut. The right aileron locked. The aircraft’s nose dropped into a steep, uncontrollable dive at 2,000 feet. Every flight manual insisted that damaged controls meant one thing — bail out immediately. At Luke Field, his instructors had warned that trying to fly a plane with broken controls was nothing short of suicide.
They were completely wrong.
What Philip Adair realized that morning had nothing to do with rulebooks or standard procedures. It came down to understanding how a wounded aircraft could behave in ways that directly contradicted everything he had been taught. His solution during the 43-mile flight to Nagaghuli went against every accepted flying regulation of the time. As he approached the airfield, ground crews nearly opened fire, believing a Japanese pilot had captured an American fighter. What Adair pulled off had never been attempted before — and was never repeated afterward.
The maneuver was never officially recorded. Yet Adair’s split-second grasp of aerodynamics under combat stress saved Dinjan Airfield, protected 14 C-47 transport aircraft, and ensured the continuation of the vital Hump airlift. He went on to fly 139 combat missions, earned ace status, and later retired as a Colonel in 1971.
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