This Day in History: 1944-03-19

A USAAF P-47D-20/25 Thunderbolt destroyed two RAAF Kittyhawks when it veered off the airstrip during take-off after suffering an engine failure. Six Kittyhawks of 86 Squadron RAAF were at Horn Island for a temporary attachment to 84 Squadron RAAF. The Thunderbolt crashed into two of 86 Squadron’s Kittyhawks (A29-336 and A29-308) which were parked in a standby position at the eastern end of the Horn island airstrip. Source: Ozatwar website