Jump to content

User:Finktron/sandbox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
< User:Finktron

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Finktron (talk | contribs) at 23:53, 8 September 2020 (Continued issues formatting.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Fighting Squadron 18
The officers of Fighting 18 in Hawaii circa May 1944
Active1944–1945
CountryUnited States
BranchUS Navy
TypeFighter Squadron
Part ofUnited States Third Fleet
Nickname(s)Two-a-Day 18
EngagementsWorld War II
SkipperEdward J. Murphy
Insignia
"The Fickle Finger"
Aircraft flown
FighterF6F-3/5 Hellcat
Service record
Victories

[1]

Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) was an aviation unit of the United States Navy which served aboard USS Intrepid (CV-11) in the fall of 1944. It was the second squadron to bear the designation VF-18.

Over the course of two and a half months of strike operations from 6 September to 25 November 1944, Fighting 18 provided air support for the amphibious invasion of Peleliu; fought in the last major air battle in the Pacific; and shared responsibility for locating and launching the first strikes against the Imperial Japanese Navy's primary battleship fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Upon returning to the United States, Fighting 18 was widely mentioned in the news media for its success in combat and subsequently given the nickname 'Two-a-Day 18' for the number of enemy aircraft its pilots destroyed. The squadron's leading ace and the Navy's second-highest scoring fighter pilot, Cecil Harris, also received significant press attention.

Fighting 18 is recognized today as the fourth-highest scoring Grumman F6F Hellcat squadron of World War II.

Background

Fighting Squadron 18 was established on 5 March 1944. Previously designated VF-36 and intended for land-based duty, the squadron was slotted into Air Group 18 during training in Hawaii since Dive Bombing and Torpedo Bombing Squadron 18 were without an accompanying fighting squadron. The completed air group boarded USS Intrepid on 16 August 1944.

Operational history

September

Intrepid operated as part of Task Group 38.2, one of four carrier groups under the overall command of Admiral William Halsey Jr. Strike operations commenced 6 September 1944 against Babelthuap, the largest island in the Palau archipelago. By the morning of 8 September there were no remaining targets of value, so Intrepid moved due west to Mindanao to launch strikes on the island's largest city, Davao City.[2] Throughout this period, combat was characterized by fighter-bomber missions and bomber escort. Only a few enemy planes rose in opposition to the initial strikes on the Palaus and Mindanao, including one Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" reconnaissance aircraft shot down on 10 September by Harvey P. Picken and William H. Murray.[3] VF-18 aircraft were damaged during these line periods but neither planes nor pilots were lost.

The intensity of strike operations—both in terms of pace and ferocity—increased markedly as Intrepid sent planes northward to the Visayas. An enemy convoy was attacked on 12 September and the first real air combat was joined the next day over Negros Island. Eight Japanese fighters were claimed shot down by the squadron. Four of these were credited to Cecil Harris, making him the squadron's first ace. Fighting 18 also suffered its first pilot killed in action (KIA) on 13 September when Lt. James B. Neighbours had the tail of his Hellcat blown off by anti-aircraft fire.[4]

On 17 September, Intrepid returned to the Palaus to launch strikes on Angaur and Peleliu in support of Marine landings. Fighting 18 experimented with the use of napalm bombs made out of empty belly fuel tanks, but these proved ineffective.[5] Aircraft Action Reports from the Palaus and Visayas and reminiscences in the squadron's War History show that the Japanese were being rapidly overwhelmed in these areas:

"COMTHIRD Fleet characterized the enemy's non-aggressive attitude as "unbelievable and fantastic." ...thus far there has been no evidence of Jap retaliation for our attacks on them."[6]

VF-18 aces Charles Mallory (left) and Cecil Harris (right)

These observations, along with reports from Thomas Cato Tillar Sr., an aviator aboard USS Hornet (CV-12), led Allied powers to advance their timetable for the invasion of Leyte from the end of the year to 20 October 1944.[7]

The ensuing change of pace caught the Japanese off-guard. On the morning of 21 September, TG 38.2 launched the first carrier strike against central Luzon since the fall of the Philippines.[8][9][10] No enemy aircraft were encountered early on due to the element of surprise, but Japanese fighter aircraft were scrambled to heavily contest the rest of the day's strikes. Twenty-five Japanese planes were claimed shot down by VF-18 over the course of the day. One pilot assigned to photo-reconnaissance, Lt.(jg) Charles Mallory, was credited with shooting down five Japanese planes, making him an ace-in-a-day.[11] Overall, operations on 21 and 22 September were considered "extremely effective" by Vice Admiral George D. Murray, commander of the Navy's Pacific air forces.[12]

October

On 1 October 1944 Admiral Gerald Bogan and his staff came aboard Intrepid, designating it the flagship of Task Group 38.2.[13] After proceeding to refuel and re-provision at Ulithi, TG 38.2 returned to combat operations on 10 October using a typhoon to cover the ships' approach to the Ryukyu Islands. The ensuing strikes were the first launched against the Ryukyus during the war. As with the strikes against Luzon the previous month, these caught the Japanese by surprise.[14] VF-18 activity included a fighter sweep over Okinawa Island, participation in full air group strikes, and photo reconnaissance.[15] Shipping and airfields in the vicinity were seriously damaged or destroyed with virtual impunity. The Imperial Japanese Navy responded to this sudden attack by implementing their plan for a decisive battle with Allied naval forces, starting with the activation of their remaining air forces.[16]

Formosa

On 12 October, TG 38.2 launched fighter sweeps over northern Formosa to destroy Japanese air power in advance of the amphibious invasion of the Philippines. The Japanese were on alert after carrier strikes on the Ryukyus and responded by committing hundreds of aircraft to protect the island's air bases/destroy Halsey's carriers.[17] Fighting 18's youngest pilot, Arthur Mollenhauer, shot down five Japanese planes in rapid succession during his first encounter with the enemy. The newly-christened ace was interviewed aboard Intrepid by Baltimore Sun war correspondent Philip Heisler[18] and Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Ray Coll,[19] and had his likeness and story printed in newspapers nationwide.[20] Cecil Harris destroyed four Japanese planes and helped fellow pilot Egidio DiBatista escape an attack by enemy fighters. DiBatista was forced to bail out of his damaged aircraft close to the fleet. Though he broke his leg during the fall, he ultimately survived the mission.[21] Harris and Mollenhauer had their picture taken the following day by an Associated Press photographer. Their combined nine victories earned them features in newspapers around the country.[22]

Despite this success, the squadron also suffered significant losses over Formosa. Fighting 18 was assigned to fly low cover during the morning's sweep, which meant it was the first squadron to bomb targets on the ground. As a result, pilots were exposed to the full force of ground-based anti-aircraft fire and left at an altitude disadvantage against Japanese fighters attacking from above. In addition to DiBatista, three other VF-18 pilots were shot down: Ralph DuPont, Isaac Keels and William Ziemer. DuPont and Keels were ultimately ruled KIA; Ziemer died in a Japanese prison camp less than two weeks before the announcement of Japan's surrender.[23] A fourth pilot, Harry Webster, ran out of fuel near the task group and was forced to make a water landing. He was unable to escape his sinking plane and drowned.

The air battle continued over the course of the next four days. In addition to strike missions against Formosa itself, pilots assigned to combat air patrol (CAP) turned back wave after wave of attack by Japanese bombers. On 14 October in particular, VF-18 pilots rebuffed an attack by approximately 30 enemy aircraft. Squadron members were credited with a total of 23 Japanese planes shot down. Three of these were claimed by Cecil Harris, making him one of the country's leading aces with 13 enemy planes to his name.[24]

Battle of Leyte Gulf

Fighting 18 next attacked airfields in northern Luzon on 18 October. Theses strikes were designed to suppress what was left of Japanese air power while Allied troops secured the small islands at the mouth of Leyte Gulf. That same day, Admiral Takeo Kurita sortied with his battleship force to oppose the nascent Allied invasion of the Philippines. He was spotted the night of 23 October by submarines USS Darter (SS-227) and USS Dace (SS-247), beginning the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

The next morning at 0600, Admiral Bogan sent out sector searches to locate Kurita's battleship force. A team from Intrepid which included VB-18 pilot Russell "Max" Adams and rear seater Cornelius Clark, as well as Fighting 18 pilots Donald Watts and Charles Amerman, was the first to successfully spot, identify and broadcast information about Kurita's forces. Watts sent the message that ultimately reached Halsey: "13DD, 4BB, 8CA off the south tip of Mindoro, course 050, speed 10 to 12 knots. No train or transports." With this information in Hand, Halsey gave Bogan the order, "Strike repeat Strike. Good luck."

Bogan's TG 38.2 was at that moment the weakest of the four carrier groups, with only one fleet carrier (Intrepid) and one light carrier (USS Cabot (CVL-28)) available to contribute aircraft. It was however the only carrier group close enough to immediately launch aircraft. As a result, the first two strikes against Admiral Kurita's forces were composed entirely of planes from Intrepid and Cabot.

November

The squadron was disestablished on 20 December 1944.

Reformation

On 25 January 1945, after VF-18's veterans received their allotted home leave, the squadron was reformed at Naval Air Station Astoria in Oregon. Twenty-four pilots who had been with the VF-18 aboard Intrepid returned to the squadron. According to the squadron's War History, "It is generally believed that this was the highest percentage of combat experienced pilots with any reformed squadron."[25] Newly graduated cadets were folded in for training, which brought the squadron from Astoria to NAS San Diego in April. In May, VF-18 qualified during day carrier operations aboard USS Ranger (CV-4), and in August 1945 they received the first complement of Grumman F8F Bearcat fighters to replace their F6F Hellcats. Less than one month later the war officially ended, leading to the disestablishment of VF-18.

Legacy

The squadron's return from the front was heralded in the press with headlines like "Crack Carrier Squadron Rests"[26] and "Much Decorated Squadron Home."[27] Cecil Harris went on a publicity tour to Grumman's Bethpage facility and the Museum of Science and Industry in New York City.[28] Today, the exploits of Fighting Squadron 18 are incorporated into displays at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, aboard the decommissioned carrier the squadron operated from during World War II. Cecil Harris has a plaque dedicated to him at Patriots Point and a statue at his alma mater, Northern State University

VF-18 Artifacts Displayed at the Intrepid Museum

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Murphy 1944.
  2. ^ Coleman 1944a, pp. 7–8.
  3. ^ Race 1944a, p. 26.
  4. ^ Race 1944b, pp. 23–24.
  5. ^ Race 1944c, p. 20.
  6. ^ Coleman 1944a, pp. 9.
  7. ^ Prados 2016, pp. 79–80.
  8. ^ Tremaine 1944.
  9. ^ Race 1944d, pp. 5.
  10. ^ Jones 1944. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFJones1944 (help)
  11. ^ Aurentz & Mallory 2003.
  12. ^ Murray 1944a, p. 14.
  13. ^ Bolger 1944b.
  14. ^ Miami Herald 1944.
  15. ^ Race 1944e, pp. 6–57.
  16. ^ Prados 2016, pp. 131.
  17. ^ Prados 2001, pp. 605–606.
  18. ^ Heisler 1944.
  19. ^ Coll, Jr. 1944.
  20. ^ New York Daily News 1944.
  21. ^ Sims 1962, pp. 151–172.
  22. ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1944.
  23. ^ Lafayette Alumnus 1945.
  24. ^ Race 1944e, pp. 140–146.
  25. ^ Coleman 1944b, p. 4.
  26. ^ Democrat and Chronicle 1945.
  27. ^ Minneapolis Star 1945.
  28. ^ Des Moines Tribune 1945.

Bibliography

  • Sims, Edward (1962), Greatest Fighter Missions of the Top Navy and Marine Aces of World War II, Harper, ISBN 9780060138950

Military documents

Newspaper, Magazine and Journal Articles

Category:Pacific theatre of World War II Category:Naval aviation operations and battles Category:United States naval aviation

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Finktron/sandbox&oldid=977459076"