A ranar 7 ga watan Yunin 1943, rundunar sojin sama ta 204 a sansanin Buin ta shirya wani aiki don kai wa 'yan kawancen bam
Filin jirgin sama na Russell Islands tare da mayakan 81. Zero goma sha biyu, dauke da makamai masu guba a ƙarƙashin kowane reshe, a cikin nau'ikan nau'ikan 3 na "Lotte" sun kusanci a tsawan mita 8000, yayin da sauran rukunin Zero suka raka su. Ƙungiyar 'yan gwagwarmayar 50 da aka ƙarfafa sun yi amfani da sababbin hanyoyin da ake amfani da su tare da mayakan 10 a cikin rukuni daya. Yaƙin da aka yi tsakanin Zero da mayaƙan Allied 50. Sama da filin jirgin sama, kungiyar Yanagiya ta nutse daga mita 8,000 (26,000 ft) zuwa 6,000 m (20,000 ft), ta saki bama-baman wuta sannan ta janye.