Tomorrow we will have our Independence Day post up and in the busy comings goings of a three-day weekend, we encourage one and all to pause and ponder those words — mere words in some folks’ opinion; that our forefathers penned in Philadelphia that hot summer of 1776. Men had already died in the cause of Liberty – many more were to come. In the decades and centuries hence, more still in the cause of preserving that radical ( for its time) belief that a government exists for the benefit of man, not vice versa, and its sole province lay in the securing of one’s birthright to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In the skies over Occupied Europe in 1943, life for the bomber crews of the 8th Air Force was always teetering on the edge – if the sub-zero temperatures and lack of oxygen at flight altitude didn’t numb and then silently kill you, then the murderous flak or ever present fighters with their 20mm cannon would rip flesh and aluminum to shreds, blotting life out in a burst of obscene red, yellow and black. Happiness was surviving 25 missions and being rotated out of theater, like the crew of the Memphis Bell. Many were not so fortunate. The slaughter, for what else could it be called when 30, 40, 60-plus aircraft and crew per mission were being lost, almost brought the daytime campaign to a stop . Similar loss rates had plagued the British effort earlier and was the chief reason they had switched to a nght/area bombing campaign. Nevertheless, the crews pressed on and the following year the appearance of a new long-range escort fighter, the P-51, enabled deeper penetration of the German fortress – all the way to the factories and cities in the heart of the Nazi territory, contributing in no small measure to the eventual liberty of the occupied territories and even the Germans themselves, from the very kind of state-centered machine our forefathers had in mind as they penned those immortal words.
Presented here today then, is a glimpse into the life of one crew engaged in that fight. Ut lego est scio quod agnosco…
– SJS
In 1943 the US found itself in that turbulent stage of transition where the war was no longer a matter of fighting defensive battles, but neither was offense reigning supreme. On several fronts, despite some success, progress was haltingly tentative and the prospects of a reversal of fortune seemed to be permanent presence at the portal. In the Pacific, following the decisive win at Midway the previous year, the Combined Fleet of the Japanese was still capable of landing seriously mortal blows as US forces discovered at Savo Island and Santa Cruz. In Africa, there was the debacle at Kasserine were poorly-led and ill-prepared US forces were ruthlessly routed and destroyed in the first major battle between US and German forces. Meanwhile, in England, the first of the daylight raids supporting the American advocated doctrine of daylight precision bombing were taking flight over occupied territory in Europe, but it was still the RAF’s bomber command that was mustering the very large formations for nighttime strikes on the Nazi homeland using area bombing.
Back in the US, production lines had already shifted to an around-the-clock, 7-days a week cycle. Primary producers of high-demand items, like Boeing’s B-17, were starting to establish auxiliary production lines with former competitors and across boundaries with similar industries. Thus Douglas, a fierce rival of Boeing’s in the transportation industry, was producing B-17’s and Ford automobile plants were being converted to produce Consolidated’s B-24 Liberator. Meanwhile – pilots and crews were needed in volume to fly the planes and across the heartland of the US, reported in growing numbers to hastily built airfields in the (very) rural parts of the Midwest. There, the signature three-runway airfields hosted primary training for new B-17 and B-24 crews. Places like McCook Army Airfield, Scribner Army Airfield and Grand Island, all in Nebraska. The drone of Wright 1820’s reverberated across the flat plains, day and night, through the spring with its sudden thunderstorms and the long, hazy days of summer. And across the Atlantic, the numbers continued to build.
On an early September day in 1943, one B-17 lifted from the field at Grand Island, bound for stopping points in Maine, Goose Bay, Labrador; Sonderstrom, Greenland; and Keflavik, Iceland. Waypoints enroute to its ultimate destination in the British Isles – RAF Great Ashfield, one of many places in the southeast corner of England that was seeing the descendants of the Mayflower return, en masse, for the coming aerial onslaught of Festung Europa. Crewing the Fortress was the pilot, Robert “Tex” Taylor with Joel Punches as the plane’s navigator and chronicler.
The log that Lt Punches generated provides insight into the lives of the (very) young men that began to take the fight back to the Germans. Its terse prose reflects the early sense of adventure and wonderment at things new:
“9-4-43: Took off from Grand Island, Nebraska for Maine. Buzzed Soucek’s (ed: bombardier) house in Chicago. Flew over Toronto, Canada, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan. Landed at 1745. Really cold. Sure pretty country. Lots of lakes, pine trees, etc. Bangor, Maine.
“9-7-43: Took off downhill and with the wind for Iceland (ed: that’s the way it is at Sonderstrom – you approach up the fjord, land upslope and takeoff downslope. – SJS). Climbed over ice caps at 16,000 ft. Bad Weather. Snow, Rain, Hail. Good sun shots and ETA okay. 5 miles left of course. Northern lights really bright. Polaris overhead.”
“ 9-8-43: Weathered in. Raining. Went to Reykjavik (40,000 pop) People all pro-Nazi, unfriendly, backward. Seems 30 years behind US in civilization. Got 13 hours sleep, beard beginning to grow.”
“9-11-43: Stayed last night in old Scottish mansion, converted to officer’s quarters. People friendly. Their bitter beer tastes lousy. Their ale is good. Left on train for London – 400 miles.”
Of course there was more training to accomplish:
“9-16-43: Had 8 hrs. of lecture today. How to escape from Germany & France, ditching procedures, etc. “
“9-17-43: 8 hrs. of class again.”
“9-19-43: Got to 385th OK and were assigned to 550th squadron. “The Red Squadron” Today a B-17 caught fire on the line & blew up with 600 lb. of bombs on and 23,000 gals of gas. Blew the engines two blocks away. Killed one fireman. Went to 8 hrs. of class today.”
And the stark reality of war made plainly evident on a training mission:
“9-26-43: Today 3 squadrons went on a practice mission out over the North Sea. We were in the 2nd squadron. The lead navigator took us too far. We ended up 20 miles from the Dutch coast – a practice mission nobody had any machine guns aboard. Three M.E. 109’s attacked the rear squadron & shot down two of our B-17’s before anyone knew they were there. The 17’s didn’t even have any guns. One blew up in the air & we saw the other one ditch. Someone ought to be court-martialed for not putting guns in the ship or taking us out there. Two 17’s gone and not one bomb dropped. Really a mess. Had P-47 escorts too. The Germans could have got all 50 17’s if they had known.”
Then the missions began:
“9-28-43: Mission #1. Went to Rheims, France, 130 miles into France – an airfield. P-47 protection all the way. Complete undercast. Couldn’t see the air field so didn’t drop bombs. Flak on the way and 10 M.E. 110 who did not attack us on the way back. Coming back over England a B-17 on our left got out of control and came up under another and its props cut its tail off completely – clean as a knife. Tail went up and the rest of the plane went up, over, and down. I watched it out our left window – 7000 ft and they didn’t have a chance. The other plane’s wing came off and it spun down also. Just like a moving picture! 10 mi east of London. Just then our #2 engine caught fire & we came in on 3 engines. Good landing, however. 24 to go!
“10-14-43: Mission #5. Schweinfurt, Germany. Ball bearing works. How we ever got back from this one I still don’t understand! Four hours over Germany and three hrs. under fighter attack. Flak over target was like a cloud and very accurate. Exactly at our altitude. We were hit three times. Tail, wing, and glass nose broken. Kick off was at 1030. Left England at 1330. P-47 escort 20 mi. inside Germany. When they left, the 109’s started attacking and continued for four hrs. We were “Tail End Charlie” today, in Purple Heart corner. Carried incendiaries. Clear over target and when we left it was a huge mass of flames. The whole town was burning, flames 500 ft. high. Two ‘17’s burst into flame in the group ahead of us on the bomb run. 5 min. after the target 3 bunches of parachutes opened. About 7-8 in each bunch. 10 min. later a ’17 crashed and burned in a forest. JU 88’s were sitting out and firing rockets at us. They had everything up today, JU88’s, M.E. 109’s, 210’s 30 min. later a ’17 dropped down and two fighters went down after him. 20 min. later he came out of a cloud with his engines smoking. They all bailed out. Our No. 1 engine ignition system was shot out & it sounded like a washing machine. I’m afraid things are going to be tough from now on, no more “milk” runs.
“10-20-43: Mission #7. Duren Germany. Someone was praying hard for us today. Left England at 1230 – 28,000 feet – 44 degrees below zero. Spit escort. 20 min. before the target our #4 engine ran away and we couldn’t feather it. Couldn’t hold our altitude or stay in formation. We dropped down and turned back. 3 min. later four M.E. 109’s picked us up. We dove down to 12,000 feet trying to get away. The fighters came in at 5, 6, & 7 o’clock on our tail making several passes. Got in to all the clouds we could…couldn’t get much speed having only three engines & a head wind. We finally hit the coast and 20 min. later hit the English coast. Our tail gunner was wounded. A 20mm hit the tail. Bullets in his leg, buttocks, and side. Not much bleeding so no First Aid necessary. Turned North up the coast for home but our #4 engine was burning so we landed at the nearest field, settling, an RAF Spitfire field, 5 miles south of the Thames river near London. . . Plane was riddled with holes. Must have been 200-300 holes in it, 20 mm cannon holes (maybe 7 or in it. Can’t see how the tail and waist gunners got back alive. Holes within inches of them – dozens of them. One 20mm went through our bombay with our 12 incendiary bombs still there. Nose was not shot up as much as they all attacked from the tail. Skinny Frier turned back 10 min. after we did and evidently went down as they haven’t heard from him. . .Three gunners in our Group died on the raid from anoxia. Their oxygen tubes came loose and they didn’t know it. Moral: Stay in formation, even if you have to get out and push.”
Postscript: On April 7, 1945 the Eighth Air Force dispatched thirty-two B-17 and B-24 groups and fourteen Mustang groups to targets in the small area of Germany still controlled by the Nazis, hitting the remaining airfields where Luftwaffe jets were stationed. In addition, almost 300 German aircraft of all types were destroyed in strafing attacks. On April 16, this record was broken when over 700 German aircraft were destroyed on the ground. The end came on April 25, 1945 when Eighth Air Force flew its last full-scale mission of the European War. B-17s hit the Skoda armaments factory at Pilsen in Czechoslovakia, while B-24s bombed rail complexes surrounding Hitler’s mountain retreat at Berchtesgarden. In all, 10, 361 missions were flown by the Eight Air Force B-17 and B-24 crews with 4,145 aircraft lost in combat (6, 866 total counting all reasons for losses).
(which might also serve as a cautionary tale to those who decry ‘future warists’ – SJS)
…Investments in blood and treasure:
Jan. 1927: 8 officers and 81 enlisted men of VO-1M, led by Maj. Ross Rowell, arrived at Corinto, Nicaragua with six DH’s. Amidst the anarchy of the civil and banditry, the U.S. Marines held the railroad. In July the Sandinista rebels (the original ones) besieged 37 Marines at the Ocotal garrison, 125 miles from Manaagua. Patrolling Marine pilots, Lt. Hayne Boyden and Gunner Micahel Wodarczyk, discovered the defenders’ plight. After they reported this to Maj. Rowell, he led five DH’s to bomb the rebels. From 1,500 feet, they conducted one of the first dive bombing missions, killing dozens of Sandinistas. Rowell and his fliers flew 50 missions against the Nicaraguan guerrillas.
27 June 1927: Dive bombing came under official study as the Chief of Naval Operations ordered the Commander in Chief, Battle Fleet, to conduct tests to evaluate its effectiveness against moving targets. Carried out by VF Squadron 5S in late summer and early fall, the results of these tests generated wide discussion of the need for special aircraft and units, which led directly to the development of equipment and adoption of the tactic as a standard method of attack.
21 March 1930: 21–The Martin XT5M-1, first dive bomber designed to deliver a l,000-pound bomb, met strength and performance requirements in diving tests.
9 April 1931: A contract was issued to the Glenn L. Martin Company for 12 BM-1 dive bombers. This aircraft, which was a further development of the XT5M-1, was the first dive bomber capable of attacking with a heavy (1,000 pound) bomb to be procured in sufficient quantity to equip a squadron.
28 July 1932: Research into the physiological effects of high acceleration and deceleration, encountered in dive bombing and other violent maneuvers, was initiated through a Bureau of Aeronautics allocation of funds to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery for this purpose. The pioneer research, pointing to the need for anti-G or anti-blackout equipment, was performed at Harvard University School of Public Health by Lieutenant Commander John R. Poppen MC, under the direction of Dr. C. K. Drinker.
18 November 1934: A contract was issued to the Northrop Corporation for the XBT-1, a two-seat Scout and l,000-pound dive bomber. This aircraft was the initial prototype in the sequence that led to the SBD Dauntless series of dive bombers introduced to the fleet in 1938 and used throughout World War II.
15 May 1938: A contract was issued to Curtiss-Wright for the XSB2C-1 dive bomber, thereby completing action on a 1938 design competition. The preceding month, Brewster had received a contract for the XSB2A-1. As part of the mobilization in ensuing years, large production orders were issued for both aircraft, but serious managerial and developmental problems were encountered which eventually contributed to discarding the SB2A and prolonged preoperational development of SB2C. Despite this, the SB2C Helldiver would become the principal operational carrier dive bomber.
9 December 1941: The Secretary of the Navy authorized the Bureau of Ships to contract with the RCA Manufacturing Company for a service test quantity of 25 sets of ASB airborne search radar. This radar had been developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (under the designation XAT) for installation in dive bombers and torpedo planes.
…And the payoff:
3-6 June 1942: The Battle of Midway– Concentrating on the destruction of Midway air forces and diverted by their torpedo, horizontal, and dive bombing attacks, the Japanese carriers were caught unprepared for the carrier air attack which began at 0930 with the heroic but unsuccessful effort of Torpedo Squadron 8, and were hit in full force at 1030 when dive bombers hit and sank the carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu. Japanese losses totaled two heavy and two light carriers, one heavy cruiser, 258 aircraft, and a large percentage of their experienced carrier pilots. United States losses were 40 shore-based and 92 carrier aircraft, the destroyer Hammann and the carrier the Yorktown, which sank 6 and 7 June respectively, the result of a single submarine attack. The decisive defeat administered to the Japanese put an end to their successful offensive and effectively turned the tide of the Pacific War.
…Finally a first person perspective of a young Helldiver pilot late in the Pacific war (from a future post):
Off to the side a few balls of flame and black smoke drift seaward. All clear. ..over land now. Thoughts become disjointed. Must concentrate. Habit takes over. Speed increases. The high speed run in. There’s a target! The Japanese troop and munitions ships were still a mile from shore. Task Force 38.3 has won the overnight race and is first to attack. You hear nothing. The engine roar is a whisper after these many months of riding behind it. Suddenly the second Japanese ship in line explodes, sending debris up to 4,000 feet, vaporizing before our eyes from hits by planes preceding us. Black puffs splash against the blue. What a shame to dirty those pretty white clouds. The black balls are bursting all around now. Peel off! Peel off!
The lead plane rolls over, down the funnel, into the inferno…light, medium and heavy guns pouring a sheet of metal up from the ships and some shore batteries. Hell concentrated in a few square miles. Straight down goes the first division, six planes cascading down, diving into the black and while and red and orange death bursting around them.
Over we go! Mixture rich. Blower low. Props set. Tabs set. Flaps open. Bomb bay doors open. Bombsight on. Switches on. Habit and excruciating training pays off. Down, down, down! The horizon swings overhead. The pipper settles on a large destroyer. Exploding bombs throw up white geysers or volcanoes of debris. The red and black and white and orange death is rushing to meet you but somehow passes harmlessly by. A maelstrom of destruction below yet silence in the cockpit.
The lesson — you go to war with what you’ve got. As the war progresses, and if you have the time and space, new tactics, new technologies are developed and introduced – but the crux of what you have to fight with began with pencil to paper long before the first bullet flew. The SB2C Helldiver that replaced the legendary Dauntless in the front-lines late in the war was developed before the war. The mighty Essex class CV that followed the few who held the line early in the war began on the drawing boards before the first bomb fell at Pearl Harbor. Even the B-29, considered the first of the modern bombers with its pressurized environment, centrally controlled defense system and other examples of exotic engineering, was submitted as a prototype by Boeing to the Army – in 1939.
The key tactic, weapon and training of aircrews that turned the tide at Midway began over the jungles of Nicaragua in an act of desperate bravery and from the desk of an officer on the Navy Staff fifteen years earlier. And today? Well, looks like someone has the same idea in mind for a future game-winner:
Lots going on right now – between events in North Asia, a one family attempt to stimulate the local construction economy and completing the first round of writing/editing for the BMD chapter for the book project there hasn’t been a lot of time to post. Still, there are a couple of irons in the fire, one of which we’ll hint at here:
The “Flying Prostitute” it was called – the design, radical for the time, featured wings so short in span that there appeared to be “no visible means of support,” hence the moniker. Later, as inexperienced crews were dropping more and more of them into the waters of Tampa Bay, it earned another – “widow maker.” But in action in Europe, employed in the tactical air mission of transportation infrastructure interdiction, there was none better. Fast, able to deliver a heavy punch at low- and medium altitudes, the B-26 Marauder garnered a following among the crews that flew it that was the equal of the admiration, no, love that crews for the Flying Fortress felt for their steed. By the end of the war in Europe in 1945, despite its wide-ranging employment the B-26 had the lowest loss rate of all Allied aircraft with a reputation for bringing her crews back.
Vikings. Hawkeyes. CODs. Prowlers. Whales (when they were still around)…
Cats and dogs we were called. Didn’t go fast (’cept down hill). Didn’t do afterburner flybys. Boss and Handler generaly tolerated ‘em, barely, unless they went stiff wing in the wires, then all hell was unleashed. Usually got the back-end pick of the Ready Rooms (”Viking ready room? yeah – it’s back aft under the wires, next to the Hummers…”).
And now of course, there’s one less in the family (and another new link on the wall to the right — check out The Viking Association). Rifling through the rapidly dmming synapses pulls some fond, funny and sad memories to the fore, like:
- the time it was just us and the Hoov’s in the west Med (helos too, but they were sticking close to mom…) drilling holes in the late night/early morning sky. JO’s all, except for us. XO was flying right seat cause he’d bitched at the Schedules O about flight time and demanded something short and early — and pulled the mid-watch H3 flight. The grumbling over the ICS gave us an idea that Scheds was going to come out on the short end of the stick… Comparing notes with the Hoov’s backend on ESM to see if we could get LOB’s to match (we didn’t). Passing the obligatory ‘heads-up’ as they approached the coastline of a not so friendly nation (but not openly hostile) only to be met with a “…ah, negative Bluetail, my system shows us well north of (redacted to protect the not so innocent- SJS)…” “703, is your primary (radar) up?” “negative” (’now he tells me…’ thinks the RO). “Roger, meet me secondary (back-up freq, not in the comm plan & used for conversations we didn’t want the heavies to listen in on) “Still have that layer below you?” “It’s breaking up pretty quick” “OK, steer 360, now. You’re XX Red” “Negative – system’s showing a good 20 miles to Yellow…” “703, you’re well inside of XX Red, look left, down – what do you see?” (long pause followed by symbol on E-2 scope turning north) “Umm, Bluetail, 703’s heading 355. Must’ve been a bad alignment – were you reporting us on the ‘gator (Link 11) ?” “Negative – we’ll put it on the tab…switching primary”
- The admin in Barbados…(still hurts)
- Foc’sl follies with our VS buds in CVW-3 on JFK during the “Stop Making Sense” Cruise (87-88). The directive from CAG that “thou shalt not mention ‘Bunnie’ in your skits” (not explaining that one – if you were there, you remember…), which meant, of course the JO’s would. First out of the box were the VS JOs and the you-know-what hit the fan shortly thereafter…
- Ops in the North Atlantic off Norway, running an intercept on a Bear D using an S-3 with a tanker package because all the fighters (F-14s, F-4s and Sea Harriers) and A-7s were otherwise occupied, broke or RTB (”Can you go faster?” “No” “Downhill?” “No – I’m peddling as fast as I can…”)
- Coming into the break, a Whale in the lead with us and a Hoover trying our best to keep up. Boss on tower freg “That is about the ugliest sight I’ve ever seen” with howls of laughter in the background…
- Memorial services for a lost VS crew early in deployment – and for the A-6 crew we also lost during the SAR.
- My first view of something other than sea blue or sky blue in months as I flew in the back of a Longhorn S-3 conducting Rawhide Ops up in the Straits of Hormuz – never thought I’d be so enthralled looking at dirt.
- Helping out a fellow CO and friend with a broken Shadow (ES-3) getting it fixed and back to the boat while pulling CD-OPS in Roosey
- H-cubed ops (Hummers, Hoovers and helos) in the North Atlantic. Lots of H-cubed ops. Scheming to see if we could get an alert fighter to be launched.
- H-cubed ops. Radar flood missions – but finding a periscope where there shouldn’t have been one. Together.
- Working with some really great folks from the community, from CO (Jack R. especially) on down as epitomized by my ANAV on IKE (who, I would note parenthetically, ended up in VAW, with a command tour, as the community was being downsized).
- S-3’s with Doritos – they want to do what with the S-3??? Put a radar dome where???
- Pushing waaay out to the edge of our area, hoping to press the radar range just that little bit further with the hope of locating ‘Miss Piggy’ (the US-3 COD) flying in from Diego Garcia to our spot on Gonzo Station. Hearing the palpable relief in the “roger, thanks” when told we had them radar contact, your steer for mom – 345 for 427 miles.
…And now they’re gone; disappeared from view and undoubtedly headed inbound to join-up with the Whales, Tomcats, Corsairs, Intruders, Phantoms and others in that great overhead pattern.
The period from the end of the Korean War through the commissioning of the USS Enterprise (CVAN 65) was witness to an incredible period of growth in knowledge and experience with all things in naval aviation. From straight-decks and props to nuclear power and supersonic fighters, this was real transformation in progress. Absent the sophisticated virtual modeling of today and, literally, pressing the edge of the envelope in aerodynamic theory, materials, power plants and operations, our forebears in NAVAIR gathered and built the body of knowledge and experience, all to frequently written in blood, that we today enjoy.
It was a period that was marked by the penultimate development of one species, the prop aircraft and straight deck carrier, as developed, tested and operated in the crucible of the Pacific during the war and the start of something new, the jet, introduced in Korea. It was a period of crisis where some, suffering amnesia or blinded by the light of the atomic fireball, questioned the need of a navy, not to mention it air component and the budgetary long knives flashed and sliced. Proof – of capability, of requirements, of viability; proof would be with cut and bent metal, flesh and blood, at sea and in the air and not via paper drills in a Pentagon back-room.
We noted last year that the Kitty Hawk would not be with us much longer…Today, forty-eight years after being commissioned, the mighty Battle Kat was finally silenced:
“It ties a loop around almost half a century,” Capt. Todd Zecchin, the ship’s 34th and final commanding officer, said of the event.
Martinelli, 68, recalled planes on deck loaded with nuclear weapons and guarded by armed Marines during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
“I thought it was a certainty that I’d never see my family again,” he said. “It was as scary as it could get.”
A Russian bomber once buzzed them so low that sailors could see the pilot’s face, said Gerald Binning, 68, of Minneapolis, another plank owner.
Martinelli and others came full circle from all corners of the country.
“The beginning and the end,” he said. “You don’t get that many chances in life to see something like that.”
“I just had to come back,” said David Hostetter, 59, of Jasper, Ind.
“I was here when they commissioned it so I thought I’d be here when they decommission it,” said Ron Dobry, 68, of Phoenix.
In war and in peace, Kitty Hawk and her crew stood the watch. From the skies over Vietnam to the Arabian Gulf; Somalia to RIMPAC – Rolling Thunder to Operation Enduring Freedom she was first to fight and last to leave. Many carriers came and went during the Vietnam War; Kitty Hawk deployed and fought every year the US was engaged. When Iranian militants seized the US embassy and took our diplomats hostage, Kitty Hawk was one of the carriers surged to the region in response — ironically twenty-two years later she would return in a unique role, as a forward base for special ops helicopters while operating a portion of her airwing in support of the action to hunt down and destroy the Taliban after the September 11 attacks on the US. In peace, she was noteworthy as well. While on deployment in 1992, Kitty Hawk spent nine days off the coast of Somalia supporting U.S. Marines and coalition forces Involved in Operation Restore Hope. On 16 December 1992, five air traffic controllers from Kitty Hawk were sent aboard USS Leahy (CG 53) to establish approach control services in and out of Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of Operation Restore Hope. Approaching aircraft were picked up from a VAW-114 E-2C Hawkeye, which tracked flights and issued advisories from about 200 miles out. Once the flights were within 50 miles, the Leahy team took over and led them to within visual range of the airport, about 10 miles away.
Time eventually caught up with Kitty Hawk and now, the last of the conventionally-powered carriers would need to be retired to make room for the newest of carriers, the George H. W. Bush – herself the last of the Nimitz-class carriers. While volumes only begin to speak of the exploits of this carrier, perhaps the best were said by Gen. Tommy Franks, CENTCOM commander, who visited the ship during Operation Enduring Freedom. In his remarks, he expressed the deep gratitude of a nation, saying:
“The United States of America owes you a debt,” Gen. Franks continued. “You stand tall. You serve where you’re told. Without (the Navy), we could not have done what has been done. And without you, we cannot do what we are going to do. Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. We all know who made the beginning on Sept. 11, 2001. And all of you are going to be what makes an end.”
Fitting words for a ship who saw all manner of action for the better part of her 48 years of commissioned service. And now she sits, boilers cold, spaces preserved at a holding pier near Seattle – for what? The future is dim. While efforts are underway to bring her to North Carolina, near her namesake Atlantic dunes to serve as a museum, it is a slender thread of hope. A 60,000 tom carrier is a daunting structure to keep in shape – for that is the Navy’s hard requirement for ships sent to be museums. Like as not, she will either meet the breakers torch like so many of her famous relatives – Enterprise and Coral Sea to name but a few, or like her sister ship America, scheduled to be sunk at sea in tests to make future carriers even more battle ready. Perhaps, sad as it is, that would be the most fitting end for this great warship. For now – let’s just remember her glory days and those who sailed in her and flew from her decks.
Mail — we get mail on a variety of topics and subjects. Flightdeck Fridays though seem to engender the most responses and sometimes we receive some additional information – photos, remembrances, anecdotes and the like; to further flesh-out a particular story. So – this week we had the following passed our way:
Item 1: U-2 and carrier quals (FF edition here). From a colleague at work comes this link to film of the U-2G Carrier Quals
Item 2: Reader Richard P. sent along the following groups after reading the above article (which also had info about the ellusive navalized P-51 (including tailhook) and the naval aviator given charge of the carrier evaluation, Bob Elder. Turns out the Naval Mustang handled quite well at the boat, but Navy demurred on further development and purchase owing to concerns about mixing radial engines and liquid-cooled (on-hand spares issue) and a genetically weak tail where the tailhook was attached. What about visiblity over the nose? No worse than the bird-cage Corsairs. But jets were on the way and there wasn’t enough performance advantage over the Navy’s own Corsairs and Bearcats (on the way) to merit expending further resources.
Item 3: Rich R. particularly liked the F2G Flightdeck Friday and passed along the following:
Past 2 years I’ve had the pleasure to see Bob Odegaard’s Race 57 fly around the pylons at Reno. Word is that he’s restoring another one for the Crawford Museum. His website:
One of the props is painted white-a legacy from the plane’s past, and along with the gears Bob has in the nose case, the prop looks like it’s just ticking over real slow. He rarely pushes it, but last year, I hear he pushed it a little moe than usual, taking 5th in the Silver Race. Corsairs probably will never win Reno, their wings are just too fat, but I love seing this particular one the most of all except for Dago Red, a P-51. I have Graham White’s books on the P&W R-4360 and R-2800-both are milestones in piston aero engine history and beautiful books to have in a collection. I would beg to differ that a 4360 is as smooth as a RR Merlin-the inherent vibrationsdue to the articulating rods in a radial preclude this-and a V-12 is almost naturally balanced-It’s a beautiful motor, though (except for the mechanic!).
Thanks Rich – and hang in there and be strong bud, we’re all pulling (and praying) for you –SJS
Near the back of the exhibit of modern aircraft at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, hangs an HH-1K in the colors of HA(L)-3, the Seawolves. The weathered dark green of the armed helo contrasts with the clean gull grey/white jets on the floor below, some with their colorful squadron markings of an age past. And yet, it represents one of the most decorated units in the Navy’s history.
1968 – After the Tet Offensive, the allies sought to exploit the losses of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese by pushing them back to the borders, entering territory that had previously been enemy strongholds. A major part of this effort was the SEALORDS (South East Asia Lakes Ocean Rivers and Delta Strategy) campaign. This campaign sought to disrupt enemy operations in the Delta area while cutting supply-lines that utilized interior and coastal waterways to the enemy’s advantage. Central to this effort were the forces of the so-called “brown water” Navy. SEALs, PBRs and the aircraft of VA(L)-4 and HA(L)-3 carried out this hard-fought campaign over the next three years.
Commissioned in April 1967 out of the four HC-1 dets operating in country (which had already distinguishing themselves), HA(L)-3 eventually grew into 9 dets which, with the exception of Det 2 which remained in place, were mobile throughout II and III Corps (and in Cambodia too). Operating either from converted LST’s like the Harnett County:
or later, from bases ashore, each det consisted of 2 UH-1B ’s (received from the Army) and 8 pilots and crewmen, and were considered to be on call 24 x 7. The primary mission was to provide quick reaction armed helicopter close air support for all naval forces operating in the southern military regions of South Vietnam (Military Region IV and the southern half of III specifically). Secondary missions included fire support for other US and friendly forces in the delta, SEAL insertion and gun support , daily armed reconnaissance missions , overhead and convoy support for PBR operations and troop movements on and near the waterways, gunfire spotting for Army and Navy gunfire missions, medevac from confined areas under hostile fire and combat logistics flights throughout the Delta region of Vietnam. In all cases, the hostile fire was the norm and it was heavy:
It was late one night in early 1971 and as usual Charlie was on the move and after flying several search and destroy missions that day the radio came alive at 2 AM with the now famous call of “SCRAMBLE THE SEAWOLVES”. A SEAL patrol from the nearby village of Hai Yen on a sneak and peak mission had made contact with a regiment of VC (confirmed by a captive VC) and were pinned down under heavy fire and in immediate danger of being overran and a certainty of being overwhelmed and killed or captured when daylight came. Det One’s two UH1B Gunship Fire team arrived on station in minutes after executing a “Full asleep to Airborne” scramble in under 3 minutes. The situation on the ground was nearly out of control as Charlie was getting braver as it became more apparent that the SEALs were a small group. Immediately upon arrival the SEALS pinpointed the main VC Gunner positions with tracer fire and our gunners responded placing a heavy barrage of fire on the enemy positions. After getting a good fix on the friendlies, our Gunships rolled in on our first of many rocket and machine gun attacks. We Gunners positioned ourselves outside the aircraft and had to endure the blistering wind, the molten slag, white hot rocket caps and burning sparks from the rockets as we fired. The SEALs were in big trouble as we stayed outside the bird firing, concentrating our fire on the enemy closest to them while taking hits in our Gunships as we flew in a Wagon Wheel, a technique used for each War bird to cover the other while in a circle over the target. Due to the fact we were weighted down with weapons and ammo the B models couldn’t carry much fuel and after 45 minutes we would normally refuel/rearm on a mission such as this and come back out again and again. The attacking enemy fire had been rendered to only “intense fire” vice overwhelming and against SOP we had one Gunship refuel while the other stayed on station to protect the embattled SEALs. I was on the Lead Bird and we went to replenish while the trail stayed on station putting in fire.
Over the course of the three years of its existence, the pace of operations was unrelenting – but so was the demand for their capability. Consider that in 1970 alone, almost 34,000 hours were flown, the bulk by the hand-me-down UH-1B’s in combat operations (over 25,000 hours). That same year, almost 19,000 rounds of 7.62mm, 108,297 2.75″ rockets, 41,718 40mm rounds and 1.9 million rounds of .50cal were expended. The tally for such effort included over 1600 sampans and four junks destroyed, 71 base camps and 542 bunkers damaged with enemy KIA in excess of 1800. All from an average of 25 moderately armed, lightly armored, underpowered utility helicopters flown and crewed by exceptional warriors. That too was validated with 9 Silver Stars, 71 DFC’s, 3 Navy and Marine Corps medals, 21 Bronze Stars, 195 single action Air Medals, 4324 Strike/Flight Air Medals, 21 Purple Hearts and 41 Combat Action Ribbons awarded. In 1970 alone.
Upon arriving on the scene, both of the Det-3 aircraft came under heavy enemy fire from two tree lines. The SEALS had several prisoners and were under intense ground fire. They were calling for an immediate extraction for they had one SEAL with a stomach wound and Charlie was about to over run their position. Chief Wheeler was the left door gunner on his bird and was placing fire on the enemy to keep them off the SEALS as the remaining SEALORD landed and picked up half of the SEALS and the prisoners. With no other SEALORDS available for the extraction of the rest of the team, Chief Wheeler’s gunship landed at the second extraction point to rescue the wounded SEAL and the other team members. Chief Wheeler was continually firing his M-60 machine gun over the heads of the SEALS as they made their way to the bird. Chief wheeler then exited his gunship with his M-60 to allow the SEALS and their wounded man to get aboard. As the chief stood outside the aircraft and returned fire, his ammo belt twisted and jammed his gun. A SEAL in the aircraft covered him while he got his weapon going again. Chief Wheeler then jumped in the aircraft and again placed fire on the VC positions as the bird got airborne to leave the area. On departure, the gunship took several hits in the tailboom, but his helo and the covering gunship made it back to Ca Mau safely. A situation report for this mission was 4 enemy captured, 1 pilot, 1 gunner and 1 SEAL wounded, and 3 aircraft with battle damage. Chief Wheeler aided in saving the lives of the SEAL Team and his other crewmen. The Chiefs’ personal comment was “just another mission.”(HAL-3 website)
Extraordinary professionals carrying out an exceptional mission under the most difficult of conditions. Yet as the American involvement in the war was winding down, 1971 would be the last full year of operations. In March 1972, HA(L)-3 wrapped up operations and was de-commissioned after over 120,000 combat missions flown and having lost 44 aviators and combat crew KIA with another 200-plus wounded. And final honors? Judge for yourself:
5 Navy crosses
31 Silver Stars
2 Legion of Merit Medals
5 Navy and Marine Corps Medals
219 Distinguished Flying Crosses
156 Purple Hearts
101 Bronze Stars
142 Gallantry Crosses
Over 16,000 Air Medals
439 Navy Commendation Medals
228 Navy Achievement Medals
6 Presidential Unit Citations
2 Meritorious Unit Commendations
1 Vietnam Meritorious Unit Commendation
In 1976, HA(L)-4 was stood-up with a mission dedicated to Navy Special Warfare support and combat/strike rescue. Picking up the traditions of HA(L)-3, HA(L)-4, now HSC-84, continues the lineage. And the Seawolves are found at least in spirit, if not body, in another war:
If you are interested in more about HA(L)-3, there are a number of online sources as well as Daniel Kelly’s book:
in England, the first of the daylight raids supporting the American advocated doctrine of daylight precision bombing were taking flight over occupied territory in Europe, but it was still the RAF’s bomber command that was mustering the very large formations for nighttime strikes on the Nazi homeland using area bombing.
Douglas, a fierce rival of Boeing’s in the transportation industry, was producing B-17’s and Ford automobile plants were being converted to produce Consolidated’s B-24 Liberator. Meanwhile – pilots and crews were needed in volume to fly the planes and across the heartland of the US, reported in growing numbers to hastily built airfields in the (very) rural parts of the Midwest. There, the signature three-runway airfields hosted primary training for new B-17 and B-24 crews. Places like McCook Army Airfield, Scribner Army Airfield and Grand Island, all in Nebraska. The drone of Wright 1820’s reverberated across the flat plains, day and night, through the spring with its sudden thunderstorms and the long, hazy days of summer. And across the Atlantic, the numbers continued to build.
Flak on the way and 10 M.E. 110 who did not attack us on the way back. 
Coming back over England a B-17 on our left got out of control and came up under another and its props cut its tail off completely – clean as a knife. Tail went up and the rest of the plane went up, over, and down. I watched it out our left window – 7000 ft and they didn’t have a chance. The other plane’s wing came off and it spun down also. Just like a moving picture! 10 mi east of London. Just then our #2 engine caught fire & we came in on 3 engines. Good landing, however. 24 to go!
’17 crashed and burned in a forest. JU 88’s were sitting out and firing rockets at us. They had everything up today, JU88’s, M.E. 109’s, 210’s 30 min. later a ’17 dropped down and two fighters went down after him. 20 min. later he came out of a cloud with his engines smoking. They all bailed out. Our No. 1 engine ignition system was shot out & it sounded like a washing machine. I’m afraid things are going to be tough from now on, no more “milk” runs.
Bullets in his leg, buttocks, and side. Not much bleeding so no First Aid necessary. Turned North up the coast for home but our #4 engine was burning so we landed at the nearest field, settling, an RAF Spitfire field, 5 miles south of the Thames river near London. . . Plane was riddled with holes. Must have been 200-300 holes in it, 20 mm cannon holes (maybe 7 or 
in it. Can’t see how the tail and waist gunners got back alive. Holes within inches of them – dozens of them. One 20mm went through our bombay with our 12 incendiary bombs still there. Nose was not shot up as much as they all attacked from the tail. Skinny Frier turned back 10 min. after we did and evidently went down as they haven’t heard from him. . .Three gunners in our Group died on the raid from anoxia. Their oxygen tubes came loose and they didn’t know it. Moral: Stay in formation, even if you have to get out and push.”
also had info about the ellusive navalized P-51 (including tailhook) and the naval aviator given charge of the carrier evaluation, Bob Elder. Turns out the Naval Mustang handled quite well at the boat, but Navy demurred on further development and purchase owing to concerns about mixing radial engines and liquid-cooled (on-hand spares issue) and a genetically weak tail where the tailhook was attached. What about visiblity over the nose? No worse than the bird-cage Corsairs. But jets were on the way and there wasn’t enough performance advantage over the Navy’s own Corsairs and Bearcats (on the way) to merit expending further resources.
Past 2 years I’ve had the pleasure to see Bob Odegaard’s Race 57 fly around the pylons at Reno. Word is that he’s restoring another one for the Crawford Museum. His website:
–SJS
Vox Populi