The architect of the Pearl Harbor attack was assassinated on April 18, 1943. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the head of the Japanese navy and the man most responsible for Japanese successes in the war in the Pacific. He was indispensable. On April 14, the naval codebreaking effort called “Magic” picked up a message concerning Yamamoto. The cryptanalysts, who included future Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, were stunned when they read the message. It was Yamamoto’s itinerary for a morale-boosting trip to an air base in the Solomon Islands. And it included when and where he would be on April 18. The message was rushed to Admiral Chester Nimitz and he gave the green light for a mission to shoot down the bomber carrying Yamamoto. The job was given to Maj. John Mitchell (an eight time ace from the Guadalcanal campaign) and his 339th Squadron. He used 18 long-range P-38 Lightnings that were the only fighters that could make the 1,000 mile trip. Four of the warplanes were designated as the “killer flight”. Mitchell reckoned the odds of success to be 1,000 to 1. Plus, the Lightnings would have only 10 minutes over the island before having to turn back. Yamamoto better be on time. Well, typical of Japanese punctuality, he was. In a feat of amazing navigation, the assassins arrived at the same time that their prey did. Yamamoto was flying in one of two bombers, escorted by six Zeros. Capt. Thomas Lanphier of the killer flight charged into the fighters to scatter them. Lt. Rex Barber took on the first bomber and shot it down into the jungle. Later, Yamamoto was found still strapped in, with two bullet holes in his body. Barber, Lt. Raymond Holmes, and Lt. Besby Hines riddled the other bomber and it crashed in the water. This is most likely what happened. However, upon returning to base, Lanphier claimed to have shot down Yamamoto and got the credit. It took many years for the truth to come out and even now it is disputed. What is not disputed is that in an incredible mission, Japan was deprived of its most brilliant leader at a time when its fortunes began to wane.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Vengeance
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