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Lieutenant Charles C. Winnia, USMC

Edited & Annotated by C.S. Richardson

Research by C.S. Richardson & Dan McAnarney

This diary, kept on a daily basis by Lt. Charles C. Winnia, USMC, who served as an F4U pilot for VMF-213 on Guadalcanal in 1943, first appeared on the USMC History discussion list associated with this website, one entry per day, over a period of several months. It was posted by Mr. C.S. Richardson, who has annotated the diary for its appearance here, and who, along with Mr. Dan McAnarney, has researched the historical background of this diary over a period of several years. I am grateful to both of them for permitting its appearance on this site, and I am certain it will be read with sympathetic interest by many.

Mr. Richardson has maintained the format of the diary. He has corrected simple spelling errors, but has left the lieutenant's phrasing and punctuation intact.

An account of how the diary was discovered after being lost for many years, and how it came into the possession of Mr. Richardson, can be found in the epilogue to this diary.

Photographs used to illustrate to the diary are credited where the source is known. The color illustrations of F4U Corsairs are all taken from WWII-era advertisements by the following companies: Good Year, Pesco, Mobilgas, Nash Kelvinator & United Aircraft.

the "Skipper" [email protected]

Friday, 1 January, 1943 1st Day, Happy New Year, 364 Days to come CELEBRATED IN BLAISDALE HOTEL HONOLULU, T.H. /BIG DRUNK

Thursday, 7 January 7th Day, 358 Days to come Heard from V.J. Watkins written on 9 Nov 42, while I was between Miami & San Diego. 6 addresses. Won't allow communications to so lapse again. I hope some day to make her Mr.s. C.C.W.

~~~~~ NOTE : For more information about Violet Jane Watkins, see related stories at the websites of National Public Radio (http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1671596) and Agnes Scott College (http://www.agnesscott.edu/about/p_newsarticle.asp?id=207)

Monday, 8 February 39th Day, 326 Days to come Flying secured today. Planes all to be checked & readied for last trip to Ford Island for the big move.

Tuesday, 9 February 40th Day, 325 Days to come Big celebration last night. All lay around & slept today. Will probably be another house warming tonight.

Wednesday, 10 February 41st Day, 324 Days to come There was. This no flying & no work is getting us down. We all appreciate the rest but drinking too much.

Thursday, 11 February 41st Day, Thomas Alva Edison - Born 1847, 323 Days to come Ditto yesterday. Only no (?) drinking tonight. Just a little to keep in condition for tomorrow.

Friday, 12 February 43rd Day, 322 Days to come Aloha dance tonight in our honor. A big drunk as usual. No interest in the wahinies tonight - haven't had since I heard from V.J. in Jan.

Late mail brought 3rd letter from V.J. Though we haven't seen each other since Dec '40 we seem to have strong natural interest. Anxiously awaiting further developments.

Saturday, 13 February 44th day, 321 days to come Fight'n, Dynamite'n 213 brawl tonight. 3 wahines came & spoiled evening which should have been all stag. 14 qts had, all on skipper. Swell fellow & good Marine.

Sunday, 14 February 45th day, St. Valentine's Day - Transfiguration (Lutheran), 320 days to come Days fairly idle with only supervision (?) of loading for departure. Probably won't sail for several days. Didn't have anticipated hang over today. Will have to lay off for a few days & recuperate.

Monday, 15 February 46th day, 319 days to come No sailing news today. Sober all day. Hell was raised re. Familiarity between officers & enlisted men. Not guilty. No instance of above in Ordnance Dept. ~~~~~ NOTE : Familiarity amongst officers and enlisted was always a matter for hell being raised in the Corps. Lt. Winnia was laughing up his sleeve at this entry. Winnia was a "Mustang," an officer who started in the enlisted ranks. Throughout the diary you will read of his friendships with enlisted men, especially in the Ordnance (relating to explosives and ammunition) Department. Lt. Treffer was the Ordnance Officer (as best I can tell) and Lt. Winnia was the second in command. Both seemed to enjoy the ordnance job. Treffer remained active in Ordnance after the war; Winnia was a gun collector, as will become evident later in the diary .

Tuesday, 16 February 47th day, 318 days to come STILL no news re sailing date. Treffer & I held a discussion involving a quart of rye.

Wednesday, 17 February 48th day, 317 days to come Hell of a hangover. This rye & rotten peanuts didn't go well together. No news yet this A.M. Planning an octopus hunt at Keneahoe. Probably won't materialize. Octopus hunt materialized. Had a hell of a time finding a good place then no octopus. Swimming was fine underneath breakers among coral reefs. Used water glasses, carried knife in teeth. Seem to be able to stay under quite a while. Beautiful fish in & around submarine caves. Treffer, Votaw, Bier & I made party. Big steak at P.Y. Chong's afterward. Saw "Tails of Manhattan." Tired. Perfect day .

Thursday, 18 February 49th day, 316 days to come Feel swell this A.M. First morning in weeks. Fired this A.M. Had to draw extra ammo. Some fired too much. Flew an old F4F3 to Ford Island. Crate in awful shape didn't think I'd make it. Back in J2F. VJ pilots should stick to their DC3s. Bull session with Larry Elliot tonight. Second sober night in a row. Quite a record. Feel like writing V.J. but must see her reaction to more familiar note of last letter. Still no news of sailing. ~~~~~ NOTE : The Grumman F4F-3 "Wildcat" was the first line fighter for the Navy at the outbreak of the war. It was tough and reliable, but didn't have the dogfighting capability of the Japanese Zero. The -3 version had fixed, i.e. non-folding, wings and four .50 cal. Browning machine guns. The -4, shown in this picture, had folding wings and six machine guns. Winnia's plane aboard the USS Nassau was number 14, but presently there is no way to know if these are VMF- 213 aircraft. At the start of the war each squadron commander assigned the aircraft numbers. (USMC Photo)

The Grumman J2F "Duck" was a utility aircraft - slow and ugly. But like all Grummans they were as tough as iron and as dependable as gravity. Some had bomb racks and machine guns mounted, but the Duck was primarily used as a "hack," or taxi/pickup truck, or as a rescue aircraft. The Duck is referred to often in the diary. (USMC Photo)

The Douglas DC-3 is probably the most universally recognizable transport aircraft there has ever been. Nicknamed the "Gooney Bird" its correct Navy designation was R4D. Without the Gooney Bird the battle for Guadalcanal would have been lost. The Marine Corps was still flying R4Ds in the mid 1970s. (Douglas Aircraft Photo)

Friday, 19 February 50th day, 315 days to come Word passed today that we leave soon. Most went to pack. Treffer, Votaw & I went down the beach to Barber's Pt. hunting crabs & swimming. Water too sandy. Long walk home. Barely made chow. Packed tonight. Some gear leaves tomorrow A.M. 0700. Votaw, Treffer & I mixed 2 coconuts, 1 qt. Bacardi Rum & a can of pineapple juice. All felt extremely happy. Raised quite a bit of hell but didn't get sloppy .

Saturday, 20 February 51st day, 314 days to come No hangover today. This afternoon flew planes to Ford Island. Straffed field by division. Ours was best formation & we were all lower than dogsback roof. Belly tanks restricted maneuvers. The 4th Division, Treffer leading. I fly his wing. Boag leads 2nd section with Johnson on his wing. All landed safely at Ford Island. Didn't even lose a belly tank. Returned in DC3. All were glad to land. None of us felt really safe in the damned thing, especially as passengers. We still love our fighters. God Bless the F4F4. ~~~~~ NOTE : A Division is a group of four aircraft. A Section is two aircraft of a Division. There is one Division leader who is also a section leader (Treffer, in this case), a leader of the other section (Boag), and two wingmen, one for each section leader. (Winnia with Treffer, Johnson with Boag) The wingman of the second section leader would be called "Tail end Charlie" because of his position in the division. Generally the more experienced or more aggressive pilot was the leader. Treffer had been a barnstormer in his teens and had joined the Royal Canadian Air Force before the war, transferring to the Marines as hostilities started. He was probably the most experienced pilot in the squadron.

The wingmen had the more difficult job of trying to stay on their leader's wing. Usually the wingmen would run out of fuel first because they had to work the throttles to stay in correct position. The wingman's job was to protect his leader's 6 o'clock, or his tail. "Bogey on your 6" would mean that there is an enemy on your tail. Navy & Marine pilots were trained in the "Thatch Weave", a defensive maneuver which allowed each pilot to watch his section mate's 6 o'clock while allowing one of the section planes to be facing an attacking enemy.

Traditionally, divisions were named by color: red, green, blue, white, etc. In the Golden Age of Naval Aviation, just before WWII, the aircraft cowls would be painted to show the division and section position of the aircraft. The colorful paint schemes were done away with as the war in Europe proved them impractical, though the radio callsigns were still "Red Leader", "Red Two", and so on. It was not unusual, however, for a division to have its own callsign. Most of the flight operations during the time of this diary were under radio silence (if the radios worked at all, as Winnia will comment on later), so it is a bit of a moot point.

The Japanese were using a three aircraft division until well into the war, when they changed to a system similar to ours. The Japanese pilots were generally "Lone Wolves", and would not fly as leader and wing unless one was training the other, anyway.

U.S.S. NASSAU

Sunday, 21 February 52nd day, Septuagesima, 313 days to come The big move came today. Bus and truck to West Loch. Ferry to Ford Island. Loaded with baggage we hiked to dock & boarded the carrier U.S.S. Nassau. Converted job. I was first aboard, knowing proper procedure, planes & gear were loaded with amazing efficiency. Pulled out about 1630. We were turned around on the tide under own power when band arrived (Navy). Played the Marine Hymn. We all stood up. It gives me a funny feeling. Like something in the movies. The marines sailing for the war zone. The effect was ruined when band (could barely hear it) played "Aloha." Everyone laughed. Once clear of land we read GQ. Word passed we are bound for Esperitu Santo, New Hebrides. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The USS Nassau, (ACV-16) was laid down 27 November 1941 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Washington, as Maritime Contract Hull No. 234; launched 4 April 1942. She was converted as an auxiliary aircraft carrier. In July 1943 the ACV designation (auxiliary aircraft carrier) was changed to CVE (escort aircraft carrier). Most current references will show CVE-16 as the Nassau.

Most of these pilots had little traditional military training. Lt. Winnia had been an enlisted marine and had proper training in military courtesy. The Officer of the Deck (OD) of the USS Nassau would not have allowed anyone aboard who did not display the proper respect for "his" ship. Upon reaching the top of the gangway (steps, to landlubbers) one must face aft and salute the national ensign (the flag, to landlubbers), then salute the OD, who will give permission to come aboard.

Monday 22 February 53rd day, George Washington - Born 1732, 312 days to come First day at sea. Slept like a log last night. Eating like the proverbial horse. Our escort DD Sterett, credited with 1BB, 1 CA, 3DD, 5 planes. Escort fired at 30" balloon with 20mm & 40mm. Not bad firing. We heard today that some of us will be catapulted off when we near destination.

Reports are coming in re concentration of forces in our zone. Smells like something big doing.

The weather is very fine. Becoming warmer all the time. ~~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The USS Sterett, DD407, was a veteran of the First Battle of Guadalcanal, and was returning to the Pacific battleground after repairs in San Francisco. The Sterett (1500 tons) had taken on the Japanese Battleship Hiei (31,720 tons) and her screen of destroyers. Sterett was credited with two torpedo hits on the Hiei before being brutalized by the Japanese naval squadron.

The acronym BB is for a battleship, CA is a cruiser, DD a destroyer.

Large balloons, looking like small blimps, were towed from ships and used for target practice by the anti-aircraft (AA) gun crews.

Marine pilots at this time were not required to be carrier rated, i.e., know how to take off and land on a carrier. On the USS Nassau, with a full load of planes, they would have to be catapulted off of the short deck - an experience that few, if any, of the VMF-213 pilots had. This surely added to the "pucker factor" of the pilots as they neared their destination.

Tuesday 23 February 54th day, 311 days to come Slept on deck last night. Quite comfortable. The night was like a movie. Quiet sea giving gentle roll. The moon came up late - very beautiful with a veritable carpet of stars. No clouds. We would make an easy target on such a night. Ship fired 20 & 40 mm today. Damned good shooting, made DD look sick. Lecture on catapulting procedure. Fighting 213 will be first in air. That will be a day to record. Will head home in groups of 8 (two divisions). Word passed we are heading for hurricane. I bet we don't hit it. (Later) So far no hurricane. Warnings to polywogs are becoming more numerous. Sub sighted but outran it. Should be picked up by Polmyra squadron tomorrow. ~~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A "Pollywog" is a person who has not crossed the equator aboard ship. In a tradition passed on from the British navy a person crossing the equator is issued a subpoena from Davy Jones to pay allegiance to King Neptunus Rex. Upon "Crossing the Line" the King boards ship to hold court. After paying proper tribute to the King and receiving an often terrible hazing from the ship's "Shellbacks," those who have crossed the equator in the past, a pollywog receives his certificate and becomes a shellback. This is usually a day of fun and games at the expense of the newest seamen and can sometimes turn violent, as you will read later.

An aircraft in the air was the best insurance against submarines. The USS Nassau could not provide her own air support because the deck was packed with airplanes and though she could launch aircraft with the catapult she could not recover them. Palmyra Island had an airfield and could supply air cover for the vulnerable carrier.

Wednesday 24 February 55th day, 310 days to come Watch today 12 to 4. 1155 sub sighted. GQ. Escort dropped several depth charges. 1215 secured after violent maneuvering by ship. 1200 - 1600 watch all secure. Beginning Shellback - Pollywog activity. Will cross the line tomorrow. 2400 - 0400 watch secure - though another sub was picked up surfaced at 2300 RE ealine (sic) bearing to CV 170° 3000 yds. 5"51 cal in fantail manned. Sub crash dived. DD dropped ashcans results of both sub counterattack doubtful. They seem to be expecting us and are careless or else this place is lousy with the damned things. Weather warm but thank God tonight cloudy. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : GQ is General Quarters. Every man goes to his battle position in preparation for action.

"Secured" is the naval term which roughly translates as "it's over," or "it's closed." Securing GQ means you can go back to whatever you were doing before; securing chow means that the mess hall is closed; secure for the day means you're off duty until tomorrow morning.

An ashcan is slang for a depth charge, which is best described as a 55 gallon oil drum filled with high explosives.

The place was lousy with them - submarines, that is. The nickname for the area was Torpedo Junction. On cloudy nights the submarines would not have the benefit of moonlight to find targets by.

Thursday 25 February 56th day, 309 days to come Slept till 0800. Lecture 0930. No shellback activity until 1300. His Highness Neptune Rex, Supreme Ruler of the Deep came aboard at 1400. Held court. His Secretary David Jones assisting. Also present were Royal wife, Royal Baby, Assorted Kops and couriers. I lost part of my hair. All in all got off lightly considering some of the less fortunate polywogs. Was detailed to chains, did OK. Didn't even lose my mustache. Maj. Weisenburger & some others had to kiss the greased, sweaty & hairy belly of the Royal Baby. All in all a good show. Glad to be a shell back. One sailor was brigged yesterday for having a chain in his hat. Released at 0800 today. Carried to sick bay on stretcher at 0815. The marines got him. He may live !?

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Shellback ceremony often involved shaving part of a pollywogs head, or half a moustache. Lt. Winnia probably paid his fine to King Rex by cleaning the anchor chain, perhaps with his toothbrush or shaving brush. The higher grade officers generally have a more public and demeaning fine. The Royal Baby was probably the hairiest Chief Petty Officer with the largest belly, which would have been smeared with axle grease, or something equally distasteful. By tradition all of the Royal Party are enlisted men disguised in outlandish costumes; officers must submit graciously to the ceremony or risk a loss of face and perhaps a silent mutiny from the crew.

At the end of the ceremony two rows of shellbacks form a gauntlet. The pollywogs are forced to run between them to be struck with towels and hats and such. In this instance one of the sailors hid a chain is his hat to do more than symbolic damage to the marine pollywogs. |

Friday 26 February 57th day, 308 days to come Squadron doctrine and tactics lectured. Treff & I should be able to outlast most.

Two good lectures today. One on fighter activity now in Solomons area. We are almost without a doubt the last group to be sent in with F4F4s. There is already an F4U squadron in action out of Henderson Field. News today we will go through Torpedo Junction. 213 will be anti-sub patrol by divisions. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The aerial war for Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands, had been a defensive one. Our aircraft were defending Henderson Field and were always fighting over or practically within sight of friendly forces. To continue to prosecute the war after the Japanese evacuation of the island our aircraft had to begin making the long flights to the enemy's bases. Though there would still be many Japanese attacks on the field, we had to begin an offensive war over his bases. No longer could a shot up fighter simply glide back, no longer would there be many friendly ships below to pick up a pilot who had bailed out, no longer were the pilots fresh and the tanks full of fuel when the enemy was engaged. We were now having to fight under the same circumstances which the Japanese had dealt with in trying to retake Guadalcanal. VMF-213 was going into a war which was significantly different from the one which the defenders of Henderson Field had fought in. The lectures they were having now were probably full of advice from the experience of those currently fighting the battles, and about the different missions they would have to fly - cover for heavy bombers (B-24s and B-17s) which would be attacking ground targets such as airfields and fuel and ammo dumps, cover for dive bombers & torpedo bombers against anti-aircraft positions or shipping targets, flying cover for Dumbo (PBYs) on rescue missions, and fighter sweeps in which they would go into an enemy area and "pick a fight" with the Japanese fighters. It was to be a much different war than the one they had been trained for.

The F4F-4 Wildcat was a wonderful little fighter, but had some severe limitations in a theater with long distances between targets: lack of power to be able to carry heavier payloads and fuel loads, and lack of range, the ability to fly long distances with an acceptable probability of return. It was designed as a carrier fighter, not a ground based fighter/attack aircraft.

VMF-124 was the first Marine squadron to get the F4U Corsair. They flew into Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on February 12th and were flying missions within an hour of their arrival. The pilots had less than 30 hours flight time in the new aircraft. It was a very busy war.

Anti-sub patrol by divisions meant that a division (4 planes) would be launched from the Nassau and fly around the carrier looking for submarines until their fuel state made it necessary to fly on to the field in the New Hebrides. Another division would be launched to replace them and so on until all had been launched. Nasty weather made difficult work for a submarine.

Saturday 27 February 58th day, 307 days to come Lecture this A.M. Civil ship identification. 1030 GQ sub seen. Only a whale, but before bugle ended the Major, Treff and I were ready to go. Quickest scramble I ever saw. Might go off anytime now. Within distance of various bases now as I feel a lot better. Fiji is now about 700 mi S.E. 1900 Set clocks back 30 min makes it Sunday. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : At this point the Nassau was close enough to Fiji that aircraft could be launched if necessary and be able to make land after the mission - air cover, submarine hunt, whatever. Some of the pilots would be in the ready room, ready to go, and the planes would be fueled, armed and ready to go. I can imagine Major Weissenberger, Treffer and Winnia and a few others in the ready room playing Acey-Duecy (a type of backgammon played with "jungle rules"), cribbage, dominoes or just sleeping when the call to GQ and "Pilots to your planes" was sounded.

Sunday 28 February 59th day, 306 days to come Same day as Saturday, crossed 180°. The straight dope came about the "whale." The "whale" looked about 130' long & had a periscope. If we had zigged instead of zagged we would have been one dead duck.

Monday 1 March

60th day, 305 days to come Today is Monday though is considered Sunday so the chaplain can earn his salt. 0900 bull session & nav problem. 1130 GQ. That damned sub. General opinion is that he is following us, however may be radioing ahead. We will probably run into a nest before long. 1530 it went again. I was caught right out of the shower. I really moved. Down deck, shirt, pants, shoes, pistol and up from decks. My mech is really getting good. Old #14 ready to go at same time I was, which was damned quick. 1900 lect. on landing, fire tactics. Col. Hopper. I'll bet we have GQ in the middle of the night. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Caught in the shower by GQ, what a situation! The shower was probably a salt water hose on deck since he says he had to go below decks and then back up to get to his plane, #14, which the mech or Plane Captain would have started and had moved into position to catapult behind Treffer. This plane number would be the logical one for the wingman of the 4th division leader:Treffer, #13, Winnia #14, Boag #15, Johnson #16. 1st division would be #1 - #4, 2nd #5 - #8, 3rd #9 - #12, etc. - no guarantee, but a high probability. The lecture on landing was likely about the conditions of the fields, winds, where to park, which field to use (there were several at Espirito Santu) etc. since they had been landing F4Fs for quite a while. Fire tactics would be about use of guns, not inflammables. I don't know who Col. Hopper was (yet).

No Marine on duty is ever confident of a full night's sleep.

Tuesday 2 March 61st day, 304 days to come Preparations today for reaching port tomorrow. Another GQ for that damned sub. Lect. On catapulting. Packed tonight. Taking sleeping bag, haversack and handbag in plane with me. Haversack with gasmask, steel helmet & field hat stored in parachute bag in baggage compartment. Details given for inner air patrol and anti-sub patrol.

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The thing that Winnia packed to take in the plane with him would be all he would have for a while. In a few months we will read where the rest of his stuff finally catches up with him (including his records).

Inner air patrol is watching and defending against other aircraft; sub patrol is watching the water for subs, periscopes or, worst case, torpedoes.

Wednesday 3 March 62nd day, 303 days to come 0500 GQ stowed last of gear in plane. 0700 first planes off without incident. 0830 Hodde went off, executed nose high flipping turn to left & spun into drink. Think he got out. Couldn't afford to lose the plane. All pilots given a lecture "change 98." Finally got off. Treffer,Winnia, Brell, Johnson. We relieved air patrol, My sector 090° - 030° relative 5 miles. After about an hour relieved and came in to Bomb strip #2. Everything lashed up like a sea going fire drill. Finally left planes at #2, quartered in tents at Bomb #1. Good chow. Everyone hit the sack by 1900. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Sgt. Hodde spun into the drink while being catapulted off. Not an uncommon occurrence. The pilot is very busy, and things happen very quickly, and if trim tabs and the rudder aren't set right there is great probability of failure. He might have pulled back on the stick to help the plane off the deck while in reality it was probably already airborne from the combined speed of the carrier into the wind, the catapult pull and the engine at full throttle. The canopy of a plane being launched is always locked open for quick escape - if the carrier doesn't go over it. Lake Michigan and the California coast are littered with naval aircraft which either didn't make it off or didn't make it back on.

After Hodde's crash the launches were stopped while new instructions, "change 98," were given to the pilots.

Thursday 4 March 63rd day, 302 days to come Night was cool after about 2200. Slept very well. Looked over camp this A.M. regular storybook jungle isle. We are on the edge of a coconut plantation. Many birds here up to about the size of a pigeons. Red, green, brown, blue, every combination of colors in plumage. The ground is muddy, the sun hot, though an occasional cool breeze makes it bearable. Showers several times a day. Flies & mosquitoes are bad. The fruit bats are larger than crows. They have some of the boys worried. Think the bats are vampires. Changed fields again to fighter strip. Finally quartered on a small calm bay, a regular South Sea paradise. Tref & I in a 4 man tent cabin. With all our gear we are the most comfortable of all the officers in the squadron. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A South Sea Paradise - with bats, mosquitoes, flies, dengue fever, septic sores, tinea, hook-worm and malaria. Urinals were bamboo canes driven into the ground between the tents, the heads (restrooms, to landlubbers) were a tent top with mosquito netting instead of canvas for sides - airy but not private. Every morning the sanitary team would pour diesel fuel in each privy hole and set it afire. Arriving early in the morning a dengue fever sufferer would find a very hot seat and would simply start walking toward the showers, they knew they would have to go there anyway. Showers would be an group of open air sprinkler heads over a concrete pad or wooden slats - no enclosure. Mess tents were tent tops, net sides and wooden floors. After dining the plates and silverware were dipped into a progression of oil drums cut in half, filled with water, with a fire going underneath each one. The water got pretty thick by the end of the day.

There were 4 airfields, two large and wide for bombers (Bomber 1 and Bomber 2) and two shorter, narrower fighter strips (Fighter 1 and 2). The runways and taxiways were crushed coral, perhaps by this time the bomber strips were covered with steel marston matting. Coral dust was a constant problem, a skin irritant to the sweat covered mechanics which also stripped the paint from propellers and wing edges, blocked filters and contaminated hydraulic and engine oil and fuel.

A Post Exchange (PX) had pogie bait (candy, to landlubbers) toiletries (including foo-foo juice - aftershave), cigarettes (Camel, Lucky Strike and Chesterfield for $.50 per carton - even at this time they were nicknamed coffin nails), cigars (Van Dyck and White Owls for $1.00 a box; the British were aghast that the Marines would have a cigar in their mouth before breakfast), olive-drab skivvies (underwear, to landlubbers) and, on some days, cold Coca-Cola and ice cream.

From the description Winnia gives they were probably on Pallikulo Bay, on a tent platform surrounded by "cocoanut" plantation and/or dense jungle. Bedding was mosquito netting over a metal cot or wooden slats with a thin mattress. If previous inhabitants were good scroungers there might be some furniture from the old plantation houses. A South Sea Paradise.

Friday 5 March 64th day, 301 days to come Tomorrow is sister's birthday (in margin)

0500 reveille. Bugler "swung it." Dip in ocean. Swam, ate and bathed. Flies all day. Changed plane positions today. Maj. Weissenburger tore up # 16 today, ground looped into a palm. All baggage came in but squadron still scattered from Cactus to God knows where. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A ground loop occurs when one wing tip digs into the ground or hits an obstacle, spinning the aircraft around. This is usually due to turning too sharply or because a crosswind lifts one wing tip. The F4F Wildcat had very narrow landing gear and was very susceptible to ground loops. The plane was designed to be operated off of carriers, which have no turns and are always going into the wind when the airplanes are moving about.

Cactus is the code name for Guadalcanal.

The squadron had literally been scattered across the Pacific. Though the pilots were at "Buttons," the code name for Espiritu Santo, 60 of the enlisted men had been sent to Banika, Russell Islands, to build another airfield after those islands were liberated from the Japanese. The code name for the Russell Islands was "Knucklehead," which will be referred to often later in the tour.

Saturday 6 March 65th day, 300 days to come Days are getting to be the same now. Starting operations tomorrow. Went into the harbor in a jeep. Now at fighter strip. Chow is not as good as at bomber strip. Getting the dope from fellows that have been up to Cactus .

Sunday 7 March 66th day, 299 days to come Operations began today. Flew with Treff on tactical flight. A little rusty, but fair enough. Clamped down our shack this afternoon. God have mercy on our souls. The news came in that we lose our Grummans tomorrow and get F4Us. We get 8 tomorrow or the next day. Have a few hops and go to Cactus where we get 10 more, theoretically. We are not particularly happy, being one of the best trained squadrons to reach this area. Resigned to our fate which may not be as bad as expected. Celebration in honor of Lt. Bier's birthday, had several "harmonizing" records. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : "God have mercy...". There was more than a little trepidation at the thought of getting the F4U Corsair in exchange for the F4F Wildcat. The Corsair had a bad reputation - the Navy fliers who had tried to fly it called it the "Ensign Killer." The Navy had asked for an airplane to be built around the largest radial engine built, the Pratt & Whitney R-2800. The propeller required to transfer the 2000 H.P. to the air was over 13 feet in diameter. In order to keep the prop off of the ground the wings had to be bent downward, otherwise the landing gear would be so long that they wouldn't be strong enough to take the beating that carrier landings would give them. The Corsair weighed 7 tons when fully loaded. The Wildcat weighed just 2 1/2 tons with only 1000 H.P. The Corsair had a 41 ft wingspan, the Wildcat just 34. The Wildcat was a sportscar, the Corsair was a truck with a racing engine. The Navy had a bad reputation for sending "down" to the Marines any aircraft they couldn't use in its present form. This is why Lt. Winnia felt they needed God's mercy. Marine Aviation history is built on airplanes that have a -1 on the end, the Navy's versions were always -2, or -3. The Corsair couldn't be landed on aircraft carriers: it bounced too high and the cockpit was so far back the pilot couldn't see the deck ahead even if the windscreen wasn't covered with hydraulic and engine oil. Since they had already bought them, and since Grumman was building them a new fighter (the F6F Hellcat, which used the same engine as the Corsair) the Navy gave their problem airplane to the Marines, who were flying from land bases and were begging for a plane with more range. In the air the Corsair was a wonderful, fast, maneuverable, tough fighter which had no peers. The Marine mechanics let a little air out of the tires, modified the landing gear struts in the field, put masking tape over the body panels to keep the oil off of the windscreen and created a legend. Marines were known for being songbirds at any party. At birthday parties, housewarmings, in bars, in the field, there would be singing at every festive (i.e., drinking) occasion. It wasn't just the marines, however, but it was part of the national identity that there would be public singing at public gatherings. The Marines were best at it, though!

Monday 8 March 67th day, 298 days to come No flying today. The F4Us didn't arrive on schedule. Pilots meeting this afternoon. Tactical problem tomorrow. Will be in my usual place on Treffer's wing. Our division will be interceptor. If we don't reach the bombers, guarded by Maj. Britt's flight we will know our defense is good. If we do we will know the same about our attack tactics. May be our last flights in F4F4s. Discussion on F4Us. The Majors went over one will today. Opinions generally better. With our training and experience we should make a success.

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Treffer's division was to be the aggressor in this tactical training flight. This was the start of the training they would need to be able to escort bombers to their targets. As the interceptors "Treff" and "Winnie" had the fun job, fly high, get into the sun, and dive down on the slow bombers and their squadron mates who had to stay in position to protect the bombers. The F4F and the F4U are completely different airplanes, so why is the nomenclature so similar? The Navy's system for numbering aircraft was different from the Army, which simply gave the next number in line for any aircraft they were considering. The Navy, however took into consideration who was building the airplane when numbering theirs. The first letter designated what type of aircraft it was: B - bomber; F - fighter; J - utility; S - scout; T - torpedo bomber. These letters could be combined if appropriate - SB for a scout bomber, for example. The next number identified how many of this type of aircraft had been built by this manufacturer. The manufacturer was assigned a letter - B for Boeing, F for Grumman, U for Vought. The F4F was the fourth fighter built by Grumman; the F4U was the fourth fighter built by Vought. There was also an F4B, which was a 1930s era biplane built by Boeing. After the war the U.S. went to a uniform method of numbering aircraft so that all services had the same number for the same airplane, it was this new system which gave the Marines the F4B Phantom jet - another bent wing legend.

Tuesday 9 March 68th day, Shrove Tuesday - Mardi Gras, Ala., Fla., La. 297 days to come Tactical problem worked damned well. Tref & I made first pass before any of bogie knew we were near. The rest of the interceptors tangled with the escort. All were in a rolling ball following the Dive Bombers. Tref & I made high speed low side head on attacks & belly strafing. We made four passes without a gun being brought to bear on us. The secret, high speed from high altitude and violent maneuvering in close section. The first F4U-1 arrived. No chance yet for checkout. They look good.

Wednesday 10 March 69th day, Ash Wednesday, 296 days to come Cockpit check out in F4U. Not too complicated. Should be OK. Navigation problem this A.M. the sitter sure gets tired after the first two hours. The hydraulic gun charger may cause some trouble. Planes load easily and will fire with negative g's.

Have you Filed your Federal Income Tax Report?

Thursday 11 March 70th day 295 days to come Hell of a day. No flying, but chasing around all day on Gunnery business. Will probably start F4U flights tomorrow. Two pilots from Cactus temporarily attached to help with F4U. Pilot conference tonight on F4U. First flight tomorrow. Celebration tonight in honor of Capt. Humberd's 26th birthday. Some dive bombers dropped flares tonight. Made a very brilliant light. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The two pilots from Cactus were Lts. Hartsock and Kuhn of VMF-124. VMF-124 was the first squadron to receive the Corsair. The Lts. told the VMF-213 pilots (among other things) that the Japanese Zero was more maneuverable at slow speeds at low altitudes, so dog-fighting was not the way to beat them. At high speed, however, the Zero's big ailerons became so heavy that the plane couldn't be controlled, therefore the trick to beating them was to hit them quickly and at high speed, and if you get into trouble with one dive for the deck at high speed and then use the 2000 H.P. to get back above them and dive into them again.

Another night of drinking and singing in honor of Lt. Humberd.

The dive bombers would have been Douglas SBDs. The nickname of this bomber was "Slow But Deadly". This was the plane that destroyed the Japanese carriers at Midway and a workhorse throughout the war. An SBD- 1 soon to be on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, has the distinction of being flown by two pilots who, on different missions, won the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Friday 12 March 71st day, 294 Days to come Flew the F4U today. Really a wonderful airplane. Goes like hell and handles like a dream. We should really be able to work over the Zeros.

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Zero fighter was built to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) specifications for "Prototype 12 Carrier Based Fighter": A monoplane aircraft with wing span less than 39 feet, max speed of 300 mph at 13000 ft, two 7.7mm machine guns and two 20 mm cannon, a max range of 1850 miles with an engine of no more than 1070 H.P. (the engine actually used was 950 H.P.) These were impossible goals in May of 1937, but Mitsubishi managed to get close enough to build what was, at the time, the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world.

It was first used against the Chinese in what the Japanese called the "China Incident," the war which began in the mid-30s. General Chennault of the American Volunteer Group - the "Flying Tigers"- had told the American military about this amazing new airplane, but we discounted his accounts. Its amazing characteristics were more than we thought could be built by such a backwards culture. At the start of the war the tremendous range of the Zero led Navy strategists to believe that the Japanese had another carrier group operating in the Coral Sea.

Flown by very experienced pilots, generally enlisted men, it was a formidable dogfighter. At low speed and low altitude, where most dogfights take place, it was never equaled. We developed tactics to overcome its abilities but a mistake by an American pilot would put him at a severe, often fatal, disadvantage to the shimmering grey-green "Type 00" fighter. The fighter was named for the last two digits in the year it was accepted, according to the Japanese calendar, which was the year 2600. The Allied code name for it was "Zeke."

The Zero had two unbelievable fatal flaws for a fighter. First, the fuel tanks were not self-sealing, which meant that when hit they leaked av-gas which would instantly be ignited by the incendiary rounds which the U.S. used as every fourth round in their machine guns. Most pictures of crashing Zeros show them to be on fire. The second fatal flaw was the lack of armor to protect the pilot. Armor was very heavy in an aircraft which depended upon its light weight for its great performance. Additionally, the attitude of the Japanese was that a warrior should be able to defend himself with his sword and his ability; armor was a show of cowardice. As an additional show of warrior confidence, many Japanese pilots refused to carry parachutes.

Saturday 13 March 72nd day, 293 Days to come No flight today. Have the duty today until tomorrow 1200. Busy as the proverbial cat on a tin roof. Tonight sat around the jo pot with two of the men and shot the bull until 2340. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : To have the duty is to be the officer whom is first contacted with a problem before disturbing the commanding or executive officer, or, in real important emergencies, the Sergeant Major, or "Top". Having the duty often relieves you of regular duties if there are enough men to pick up the slack. All marines stand duty, i.e., are on 24 hour call, on a regular basis. Marine organizations are divided into four "Duty Sections." Each duty section has the duty every fourth day, and every fourth weekend. For instance, Duty Section One might have duty on Monday, DS Two on Tuesday, DS Three on Wednesday, DS Four on Thursday, then DS One would have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. DS Two would then have Monday, etc.

Jo or Joe is the slang for coffee. Shooting the bull is a favorite pastime of marines on duty late at night, second only to sleeping, which is generally frowned upon. This, of course, only adds to the challenge of finding away to sleep until morning chow call.

Sunday 14 March 73rd Day, 1st Sunday in Lent, 292 Days to come Short night last night. Bore sighted two planes this A.M. Flew section with Tref today. This is a wingman's dream. Though only our second hour in the plane we are really getting the feel of the thing. Two men with malaria.

Corsair of VMF-213 having its guns bore-sighted using a frame of coconut logs. USMC photo ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Up 'till midnight drinking coffee makes for a short night.

Bore sighting an F4U involved finding a place where the tail of the airplane could be picked up to level the plane, having a very solid backstop (like a mountain) or a very long open space (like over the ocean) and then firing the guns and adjusting each of the six of them until they hit at approximately the same place at about 300 yds. The Corsair had a tube running through the tail just ahead of the control surfaces through which a rod could be slid for attaching a block and tackle.

The guns would fire 780 rounds minute, and each gun had 400 rounds, a total of less than 30 seconds of "trigger time." The average bullet (the projectile) weighed about an ounce and a half and left the muzzle at 2750 feet per second plus the speed of the aircraft, another 400 feet per second or so. The total force of the six guns would hit the target at about 20,000 ft-lbs per second, enough to actually move a Zero fighter sideways. (A Thunderbolt, which had eight 50 cals, sank a German destroyer with machine guns alone.) The recoil would slow the fighter substantially; a long burst as much as 30 mph. The New Zealanders did an unofficial experiment with the Browning 50 cal. in which they put one on the ground, put one round in and fired the gun with the electric trigger. The recoil sent the 64 pound gun 9 feet before it hit the ground again.

The guns fired four different types of ammunition in some alternating fashion dictated by the squadron's needs and the types of rounds available. The pre-war load would be: armor piercing, incendiary, ball (lead with a copper jacket) and tracer. Since Japanese planes didn't have armor a squadron might leave out those and put in more incendiary since the Japanese planes burned so easily. Tracers allowed the pilot to adjust his line of fire more accurately. The ball rounds tended to help keep the barrels cleaned out and gave a longer life to the guns.

They now have 2 hours flight time in the aircraft.

Malaria was a big problem in the Pacific. The casualty rate for malaria was as high as 300% for some units, which means that, on average, each man had it three times! Taking Atrabrine (synthetic quinine) was required to prevent malaria, but it turned the skin yellow and many sea-lawyers (continual complainers) said it caused impotence. In spite of the fact that there wasn't a woman within a 500 mile swim there was often a corpsman standing at the head of the morning chow line to put the atabrine tablet in the mouth of each marine or sailor, and there was always a scattering of spit-out tablets beneath the tables. The heavy dose of chlorine required to make the drinking water safe seemed to have little effect on the skin color.

Monday 15 March 74th Day, 291 Days to come No flight today. Weather closed down and it really rained. The wet, the ever-present mud and the flies make this place quite a hole. That is not to mention the sun and mosquitoes. Working is OK early & late but it's hell between 0900 and 1700. Letter from V.J. and Mother. V.J.'s snapshot arrived. It really set me to wondering. Either it is a lousy picture (I hope) or she is quite changed and getting dumpy. Let's hope not. Her letter was lacking in expected warmth, but I hope for better.

Tuesday 16 March 75th Day, 290 Days to come Grounded today. A bad bronchial congestion. Rained all day. Practically well this evening. Doc Livingood is confirmed in the belief that we will be home in six months. We (Tref & I) don't put much for our chances, but it would be damned swell. Opened a coconut, filled it with bourbon & drank same. Big bull session & general relaxing enjoyed by Treff, Doc and I.

Wednesday 17 March 76th Day, St. Patrick's Day - Ember Day, 289 Days to come Treff went down in the sea today. I managed to find a Duck and lead it to him. Came out with two cuts over the nose and a badly wrenched back. Will be OK but not sure how long it will be before he begins flying again. Took him a change of clothes and various "home comforts" His back is bad but he should be OK to go to Cactus with us next week. Doc and I opened a coconut and with bourbon, drank his health & future more happy landings. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Treff probably had to ditch due to engine trouble, anything else and he would have tried to make it to one of the four airfields. Winnia, as his wingman, was responsible to get help to him, in this case by finding a J2F "Duck" and leading it back to his friend. In combat he would circle the downed flyer to protect him while a Duck or a destroyer came to the rescue. Each pilot had a life raft as a seat cushion which was strapped to them along with their parachute. The raft wasn't a particularly comfortable seat cushion - Winnia had written earlier that two hours was tough on the sitter.

Notice he didn't say "I called for help on the radio." Radio silence was the norm and not to be violated - he probably didn't even know if the radio worked or not.

The "home comforts" surely included a razor, Johnson's Baby Powder, a book or two and, of course, the bottle of bourbon with which Winnia and Doc Livingood comforted the hurting pilot.

Thursday 18 March 77th Day, 288 Days to come No flying today. Scheduled this afternoon but weather closed down. Went to Wing today made out $152 allotment beginning June 1943. Met 1st Lt. Carlos Martinez, CO. Hq Squad 1st Mar Air Wing. Knew him as MGSgt NCO in charge of Sea School in 1941, as MG he was responsible for my getting Flight Training. He was surprised & happy to see me. Bugs in F4U guns ironed out operation should be OK now. Tref is much better. Lect. on Solomons situation tonight. Secret & interesting. Doc & I opened 2 coconuts tonight. Damned smooth with bourbon (or anything for that matter).

Friday 19 March 78th Day, Ember Day, 287 Days to come Another day with my only scheduled flight canceled. Tref better and livelier today. Rained again most of the day. Meeting this evening for intelligence reports on Cactus. The duty won't be hot but we will be the only ones there liable to get any action. General opinion is that Cactus is just a breaking in place for future action, to get used to seeing the bursting a--hole without soiling our drawers.

Saturday 20 March 79th Day, Ember Day, 286 Days to come Treff returned to the shack today. He can get around a little now. One tow and one firing hop today. Did well on firing. Proved the F4U will fire with negative g's. First movie tonight in months. "Reunion In France," not a bad show. Stopped between reels ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : One tow & one firing hop... Winnia flew twice, once towing the long sock which other pilots would shoot at. The bullets would have been dipped in paint, a different color for each pilot. Back on the ground, they would count the number of holes rimmed with each color to rate each pilot's marksmanship. Winnia flew again with someone else towing the sock.

There seems to have been some concern about whether the F4Us guns would fire with negative g's, such as when starting downward into a dive. They seem to be sure now that they will.

Sunday 21 March 80th Day, Spring - 2nd Sunday in Lent, 285 Days to come Gunnery again. Did very poorly. 3 hrs in the sun this A.M. resulted in a clean laundry but a load of heatstroke this afternoon. Ran a little fever, but OK tonight. Lt. "Gus" Thomas came down with malaria today. Lt. Eckhart ground looped a F4F7 after a hop. Ran into 2 SBD's cut himself up a little. 17 stitches in his head. Made eggnogs tonight with powdered eggs and canned milk. Tasted like hell, but we drank it. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : An officer doing laundry - what a sad state of affairs!

An F4F-7 was a special Wildcat modified for reconnaissance. The guns were removed along with most of the armor and cameras were mounted in windows behind as well as below the wings. Extra fuel tanks were added where the guns came out, giving this plane very long range .

Monday 22 March 81st Day, 284 Days to come More gunnery today. Did OK. Hit the jackpot on mail 5 letters. Everything comes in batches, mail, rain, heat, etc. Tref test hopped an SNJ today. His back is OK for flying. Will probably start limited operation tomorrow. Letter from V.J. Don't know what to think now. Seems to want to see me, but doesn't actually warm up in the general tone of the letter.

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : After Doc Livingood had OK'd Treff to fly he would have had to take a test flight in a hack or trainer aircraft. In this case he flew a SNJ (S - scout, N - training built by North American Aircraft -J. It should be SN1J except that the Navy omitted the 1 for the first aircraft by any manufacturer). The SNJ is also known in the U.S. Air Force as the T-6 Texan, Canadians and Brits call it the Harvard. Its nickname is the "Pilot Maker" since so many military pilots learned to fly in one. They are still found at airshows and at the National Air Races - they even have their own race. It is said that the SNJ is "the best machine ever built to turn gasoline into noise". The SNJ in the photo was assigned to VMD-254 while at Buttons.

Saturday, 23 March 82nd Day, 283 Days to come

Gunnery with Tref today. Our Thomas still in sick bay. Major Britt over for the evening after seeing local movie "Meet John Doe." Advanced group leaves for Cactus on 26th. Tref & I go along. Capt. Leary reported to hospital with acute dysentery.

Wednesday 24 March 83rd Day, 282 Days to come No operations today. Rained all day except for six minutes by the clock. Otherwise the rain fell hard and steady. Tref and I sat around drinking B&B, reading, bull shooting, listening to the rain & dodging an occasional stream where the tent roof gives way. Wrote mother and V.J.. this A.M. Passed out gunnery tips (F4U maintenance) to Gun. Off. Enterprise & Gun. Off. VMF 121, took most of P.M.

Thursday 25 March 84th Day, Annunciation B.V. Mary, 281 Days to come Word passed at 1000 to be ready at 1130 to leave for New Caledonia. Weather closed down and hop put off. Will probably leave tomorrow to ferry F4Us up to Buttons. Tonight worked on knife & shot the breeze with Stewart until about 2200. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Winnia was probably sharpening his KaBar knife which would, as likely as not, been strapped to his calf while flying. A knife needed to be handy in order to cut away straps, parachute lines, etc. in case of a ditching or a crash (a ditching is a controlled crash in the water, which Treff had done a few days earlier).

This is an instance of the fraternization with enlisted men which Winnia denied earlier and would deny again later. Sgt. Stewart was one of his close friends.

Friday 26 March 85th Day, 280 Days to come Left 0800 for New Caledonia. Arrived 1105. Rode truck from Tontouta to Noumea, about 40 miles. Quartered tonight in former Jap officers club. Noumea is French. With bad weather will probably go ashore there tomorrow to look around. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : For those who were not in the Corps, to "go ashore" means to leave the base, or to go into town. They were not on a ship at this time.

Saturday 27 March 86th Day, 279 Days to come Went to Noumea this A.M., again this afternoon & again tonight. My knowledge of French is limited but I got along very well. This place is certainly a treat after Buttons. The chow is wonderful. Even a few white women though surprisingly I am not too interested. Allied Forces Club was nice though crowded. Will probably go aboard tomorrow. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : In this instance, when he says they will "go aboard" he is referring to a ship, not returning to the base, which can also be referred to as "going aboard." They would have returned to the base every evening rather than pay for food and lodging to stay "ashore," i.e., in town.

Sunday 28 March 87th Day, 3rd Sunday in Lent, 278 Days to come Held here until 1100. Word rec'd that we will go aboard tomorrow. Went ashore. My French is improving. A week here & I would speak it. Weather closed down so returned at 1400 after having lunch at "Hotel Sepastapol." Still expect to go aboard tomorrow though weather is bad. Word rec'd today that Lt. Paul Coe got it at Cactus. Went down in flames into the sea.

Monday 29 March 88th Day, 277 Days to come Went aboard USS COPAHEE from harbor of Noumea. Converted CV class of NASSAU & sister ships. Catapulted F4U landed at Tontouta field. Weather closed causing two planes to miss field. One landed at Magurla strip (Capt. Humberd) & one at MADS Noumea strip (Lt. Brown). All 16 safe. Other eight pilots remained aboard. Returned from Tontouta to Noumea to sleep. Since being here wounds are healing & dysentery is OK. Mosquitoes bad but non- malarial.

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : In the photo at right, an F4U-1 of VMF-213 prepares to catapult from the USS Copahee on 29 March 1943. (National Archives)

Tuesday 30 March 89th Day, 276 Days to come Aboard again this A.M. Remaining planes safely catapulted, all arriving at Tontouta by noon. After lunch all but Maj. Britt, Weissenberger, Capt. Humberd, Tref & I returned to Noumea to await conditioning of planes. This P.M.all 38 planes are here at Tontouta (one went in). Tref & I will have to install all guns when they come ashore so it will be several days before we head for Buttons. The food here is wonderful & the camp a heaven. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Unlike the F4Fs that the squadron had flown from the USS Nassau fully prepared and ready for action, the 39 F4Us on the Copahee were not at all ready - no one knew how to work on them. As the Ordnance Officers, Treff and Winnia had to supervise the installation of the guns in the new planes. The Corsair had never been catapulted from a carrier before this time. The ship's carpenter had to make wooden headrests for the planes so that the pilot would be able to control the airplane those first few seconds.

Lt. Tate was the unlucky soul to "take one in," i.e., crash into the water. The engine either failed upon takeoff or was still at idle when the catapult threw the plane off. Winnia says it was at idle, the VMF213 War Diary says the engine failed. Since Maj. Weisenberger signed the War Diary and outranks Lt. Winnia, it was engine failure. Rank always prevails in the Marine Corps.

The official war diary of the squadron has the planes being catapulted of on March 31 and April 1, with Lt. Tate crashing on April Fool's Day. Photos in the National Archive, however, are captioned as having launched on March 29. Rank over evidence?

Wednesday 31 March 90th Day, 275 Days to come Went to docks today. Lt. Tate was catapulted yesterday, last man, when engine was idling. Under water 2 min on Solace now will be OK. Got fresh clothes in town, shaved & showered. All gear went out. Hope it's all here. Maj. Britt, Capt. Humberd, Tref & I played "Hell" tonight. It cost me 3.70. First gambling since in U.S.M.C. Just fun. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Lt. Tate was taken to the U.S.S. Solace, AH-5, a Navy hospital ship. Solace has the distinction of having been at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. This was the second Solace, the first having served during the Spanish-American War, scrapped in the '20s. Lt. Tate rejoined the squadron.

Thursday 1 April 91st Day, 274 Days to come Dispatch rec'd today to return with first transportation. Spent day putting in guns & listing planes. Chow tonight interrupted by arrival of several army nurses. More arrived & a dance is to be held with a sailor band. I never was a USO marine so 2100 finds me in the old sack, a bare pad with an old mosquito net & a damp shirt for covering. Leave tomorrow will fly one of the F4Us on Tref's wing. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The dispatch, I assume, was to return to Buttons; Winnia and Treff and the Majors were already at Tontouta. The rest of the pilots had been enjoying the sights in Noumea, so this was a sad day for them. At Noumea was the Pink House, a world famous house of ill-repute, just the place for naval aviators. James Michener writes about the Pink House in Tales of the South Pacific, which is required reading for students of the Pacific War.

Army nurses would create quite an uproar, since they were generally enlisted, not officers. Navy nurses were officers, and were strictly off-limits to all but the highest ranking officers. Army nurses, while outnumbered by thousands to one, would at least be possible to approach.

Friday 2 April 92nd Day, 273 Days to come Severe attack of fever. Chills & Sweats lasted all night. Better this AM. Tested F4U cannot fly due to fever. At noon reported to sick bay with 102.6 temperature. Confined so the gang left without me. No positive smear for malaria yet, all symptoms point to it. Feel like the devil. This evening temperature up to 103.8. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

Left for Buttons in DC-3s and 6 F4Us. Upon arrival we were told to leave at 0330 next day for Cactus.

Saturday 3 April 93rd Day, 272 Days to come Vomited once during night. Back & joints ache. Finally decided it was malaria & began to treat. Temperature lessening all through the day. Slightly nauseated, can eat but little, but better than yesterday ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

0330 - squadron took off from Espiritu Santo in DC-3s. Arrived at Henderson Field 0730 where trucks met them and took them, plus baggage, to the squadron camp area. Remainder of day was passed getting settled in camp. The squadron time in the F4U will approximately average 8 to ten hours per man.

Sunday 4 April 94th Day, 271 Days to come Much better this AM. Sent out what little laundry I had. Quinine makes ears ring, but feel much better, except back which aches constantly. Transferred U.S. Army Hospital #31. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

8 F4Us Alert 0530

0830 - 1020 Major Weissenberger Local Patrol 4 F4U 1000 - 1205 Captain Leary Local Patrol 3 F4U 1145 - 1340 Major Britt Local Patrol 6 F4U 1345 - 1435 Captain Peyton Test Hop 1 F4U 1500 - 1635 Lieutenant Treffer Local Patrol 6 F4U

Relieved VMF-124 - 11 F4Us.

Flights designed mostly to familiarise squadron with general operational area. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : "Alert" is the group of pilots who are in the Ready Tent on standby in case there is an air raid before the Local Patrols have taken off, which would be after daylight.

Captain Peyton had just rejoined the squadron the day before; this was his first flight in the Corsair.

VMF-124 had left California in January with 24 F4Us, arriving at Cactus on 12 Feb 43. There are only 11 to pass on to VMF-213 after about 7 weeks. Most War Diary entries include a table as the one above. I will not include them in future War Diary entries unless there is something important in them.

Monday 5 April 95th Day, 270 Days to come Still can't eat. Given intravenous injection 1 liter glucose sol'n. Decided not malaria but dengue fever. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

(Summary) Peyton and Treffer led Local Patrols in the morning, Leary and Weissenberger led Knucklehead Patrols over the Russell Islands in the afternoon.

Tuesday 6 April 96th Day, 269 Days to come On liquid diet. Weaker today though stomach feels a little better. The army certainly takes good care of me. I am only marine here. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

(Summary) 8 F4Us escorted 2 PB4Ys on photo mission over New Georgia Island. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The PB4Y is more commonly known as the B-24, the twin tailed 4 engine bomber. These bombers were either from VMD-254, which moved up to Henderson Field from Buttons in March or from Navy squadron VB-102 which also moved to Henderson in March or, just as likely, one from each. All aircraft on the Solomon Islands - Marine, Navy, Army, Australian or New Zealander - fell under the command of COMAIRSOLS, Commander, Aircraft, Solomons. R.Adm. Mason was the first COMAIRSOLS, followed by R.Adm. Mitscher in April, USAAF Gen Twining in July, USMC M.Gen. Mitchell in November.

Japanese fighter pilots had great respect for our big bombers, which were difficult to shoot down and had ample ability to defend themselves. A Navy PB4Y downed six Zeros in a single engagement. Throw in a top cover of Corsairs to prevent a surprise attack out of the sun, and a low cover to prevent head on belly strafing runs, and the slow bombers were quite a hard nut to crack.

On this day photo recon showed 114 Japanese aircraft at the Kahili complex of airfields, up from 40 the day before. These aircraft were flown in from the Japanese carriers to begin an offensive on Cactus.

Wednesday 7 April 97th Day, 268 Days to come Still on liquids. Nothing solid will stay down. Awake only a little of the time. Feeling better though now that they are treating for dengue fever instead of malaria . ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Japanese began Operation I-GO with 67 bombers and 117 Zero escorts, sinking a USN oiler and destroyer and a Royal New Zealand Corvette. They lost 12 bombers and 15 fighters, including the crews. We lost 7 aircraft but only 1 pilot. VMF-221 pilot Jim Swett downed seven of the bombers in a Wildcat before succumbing to Japanese hits and friendly AA fire. He won the Medal of Honor on this, his first, combat flight. After this all new pilots wanted to "do a Swett." This was the last day that Marines used the Wildcat in combat. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

...Lieutenant Hermann Spoede of Dallas, Texas, succeeded in shooting down the aforesaid Zero, first encountered by Flight I, and the Zero was seen by Major Britt, Lieutenant. Shaw and others to fall in flames into the water. There were 10 to 15 other Zeros observed above at about 32,000 feet, but these Zeros succeeded in diving into the clouds and escaping before they could be reached.

Photo at right shows Lt. Herman Spoede, the first HellHawk to "draw blood".

Thursday 8 April 98th Day, Jewish Passover, 267 Days to come Fever broke today. Finally able to take a little food, though still largely on liquids. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

(Summary) 8 F4Us on continuous alert. Capt. Peyton led 4 F4Us on morning Knucklehead patrol, Lt. Treffer let 4 on the afternoon Knucklehead.

Friday 9 April 99th Day, 266 Days to come First day with no fever. Made it to head, but staggered all the way. Practically have to learn to walk again. Lost about 20 lbs in past week. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

Summary: 12 F4Us on morning alert, Lt. Treffer, Capt. Humberd and Maj. Weissenberger led sequential Knuckleheads of 4 planes each, Capt. Leary flew Task Unit Cover with 3.

Saturday 10 April 100th Day, 265 Days to come Second day with no fever. Moving around more but still pretty weak.

Sunday 11 April 101st Day, Passion Sunday, 264 Days to come Went to Mass and Holy Communion this AM. Third day with no fever. Will leave tomorrow.

Monday 12 April 102nd Day, 263 Days to come Discharged this AM. Reported to MAOS-1 for travel orders to Buttons. Set up very comfortably. Notations for last week filled in diary.

Tuesday 13 April 103rd Day, Thomas Jefferson born 1743, 262 Days to come Took and after delay passed physical exam for active flying duty. Spent greater part of day ashore. My French is becoming more usable. Came home and received word I leave at 0930 for Tontouta for DC-3 transportation to Buttons. Big drunk tonight which I am carefully avoiding. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

...but due to misjudgement of the runway or some unknown reason his (the C.O., Major Britt's) plane ran off the runway and crashed into two F4Us that were parked on the taxiway, and were completely destroyed. A daring attempt was made by Captain Henry Milles of VMF-214 to rescue the Major and remove him from his burning plane, but he was caught in the cockpit and their efforts were in vain. The Squadron is fortunate in having Major Weissenberger, an able and experienced succesor to Major Britt. ...at a point Northeast of New Georgia Island, Staff Sergeant W.I. Coffeen's plane developed engine trouble and he was last seen at about 3,000 feet going in the direction of the Southwestern coast of Choiseul Island. We have hopes of his return.

Results of the day: Major Wade H. BRITT Jr. Killed in action. Staff Sergeant W.I. COFFEEN Missing in action. Four F4Us destroyed.

Wednesday 14 April 104th Day, Lincoln Assassinated 1865, 261 Days to come Left 0930 for Tontouta. Left Tontouta by DC-3 at 1300. AR Buttons 1630. Met by Stewart and Paradise 1730 & drove to fighter strip. Had a quick chow & after perfunctory check of gear. Retired to ordinance tent with Stewart & a bottle of Bacardi Rum & two letters, both written 17 March. One happily from V.J.. The other from Kit with news of Bob's death. He was my best friend, now dead with Kit expecting on the last of August. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Lt. is non-fraternizing with Sgt. Stewart again, at least it is in the Ordnance tent. An assumption I make, drawn from the margin note earlier about his sister's birthday, is that Kit is his sister. It would not be a long assumption, since he refers to her husband as his best friend.

Thursday 15 April 105th Day, 260 Days to come Got my gear. Met Col. Clifford, He fixed me with transportation to Cactus for 8 AM tomorrow. Wrote Kit, trying to show her a little hope. At 1730 Stewart took me to SCAT operations & I was quartered there for the night. Stewart & I had quite a long talk today. He is returning to the U.S. since he can't get into action with the squadron. He will contact mother who I hope will write V.J.. Learned today that Maj. Britt was lost.

WADE H. BRITT, JR - MAJOR, USMC C.O. VMF 213 - KILLED IN ACTION APR 13, 1943 THERE'S NO ONE CAN TAKE HIS PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF US ONE AND ALL THE HIGH AND LOW, THE BEST AND WORST MUST GO WHEN HE GIVES THE CALL AND NOW THE BEST OF US ALL IS GONE ~ AND IT'S NO DISGRACE TO WEEP. BUT WE'LL CARRY ON AS HE TAUGHT US TO WHILE HE GUIDES US FROM HIS SLEEP. ~ ~ LT. BROWN . Placed on a plaque on his prop over the grave.

Photo at right: The cemetery at Cactus

Friday 16 April 106th Day, 259 Days to come Took off 0730 rendezvous with 18 SBDs and proceeded to Cactus via SCAT DC-3 Arrived 1130. Slept most of way. Saw the gang & got the word. Maj. Britt was killed in take off. Coffeen is missing & Spoide got the first Jap. The Squadron has been under fire but so far I haven't really missed much. Will write a letter tonight maybe. Air raid tonight. Dropped some bombs. Shrapnel & flak fell heavily. We sat it out in a foxhole (dugout) not much damage. Managed to write V.J. & mother.

Photo at right shows a SCAT R4D (DC-3) at Buttons ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : It was a long overwater flight between Buttons and Cactus. To ferry aircraft up to the front a transport aircraft, with a navigator, would fly with other aircraft in formation. If the group flew into a thunderstorm some of the planes could be lost if they lost sight of the others, or if one had engine or other problems it would be lost because no one could offer assistance, other than to advise the Navy about where it went down so that a destroyer could be sent out to look for the wreckage or crew. Many would crash-land or ditch near one of the myriad of small islands which lined the route. SCAT was the marine's airborne transportation system, Southeast Combat Area Transport. SCAT did as much to win the Pacific war as any other group. A night air raid, at this time, was one or a consecutive series of single Japanese bombers which would circle the field as long as they could, dropping a bomb once in a while to keep everyone nervous or at least awake - we later did the same thing to them. Generally the plane would be a twin engine "Betty" sent down from the northern airfields. The pilot of the plane would intentionally unsynchronized the engines so that they would make a peculiar annoying sound, which some likened to a washing machine, hence the nickname for the night bomber "Washing Machine Charlie", or "Maytag Charlie". As we learned to use our airborne radar and how to vector aircraft to a bogey in the dark we gained the ability to shoot down these nightly annoyances. A foxhole would be more than just a pit in the ground. It was often a long, fairly deep and wide trench covered with the trunks of coconut trees and piled high with dirt. They wouldn't withstand a direct hit but would protect from bomb shrapnel, falling cartridge cases and exploded debris from the AA guns. They would be wide enough for benches on each side and deep enough to sit upright in. If it was raining, or had been, they would be at least partially filled with water and, as often as not, rats, snakes, land crabs and other vermin. As the tour of duty wore on, more and more of the men would just take their chances in their tent rather than endure the foxholes. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

0745 - 1030 Eight F4Us escorted 2 PB4Ys to central New Georgia Island area. Photo mission.

Saturday 17 April 107th Day, 258 Day to come Nothing doing today. Went to Squadron this AM. Left parachute for repacking. Washed some clothes and corked off. Going to show tonight so Washing Machine Charlie will probably come over. Enjoyed the show - no air raid.

Photo at right shows officers washing laundry at Cactus.

Sunday 18 April 108th Day, 257 to come Did nothing this AM. Stood by for alert from 0500. At 1500 went to Knucklehead patrol, up for 3 hrs. First hop in weeks. Tired me, but I learned the area. Can hardly sit down tonight, alert again tomorrow AM. Charley came over tonight in a big way. Raids at 1930, 2130, 2340, 0415, at 0415 night fighter got one. He went down in flames. Dropped lots of bombs, none too close to us. Only got in fox hole twice, both being 1930 raids. Came in from several directions. Not much damage done. This AM 2 P-38s got 3 bombers & 2 Zeros. One bomber carried Yamamoto, head of Jap Navy . ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Yamamoto Mission:

We had the ability to read the Japanese Navy's coded messages, or, as Adm. Halsey said, "We read their mail". This enabled our victory at Midway, and set us up to kill Admiral Yamamoto, the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, and, second only to the Emperor, the most respected man in Japan. He was responsible for planning the attack on Pearl Harbor, hence a high profile target for the U.S. We had intercepted the itinerary of the Admiral's inspection of the bases on the south end of Bougainville. The plan to kill him was approved by President Roosevelt, himself, since it seemed to many to be an assassination.

The first plan was to attack the destroyer he was to visit in the bay, but concerns about his being able to survive were too great, so an air interception was the final plan. In order to cover the fact that we could read their messages a second similar attack was run the next day so the Japanese would think we were lucky enough to begin an offensive on the very day the Admiral was visiting the bases.

The Army's P-38 was the only aircraft with enough range to make the flight, and at that with only 10 minutes of fuel at the site. Fuel tanks were mounted, plumbed, and wired the night of the 17th/18th, using one 165 and one 310 gallon fuel tank on each of the 18 aircraft because there weren't enough of the larger ones available, and those used were flown to Cactus especially for the mission.

There were 4 attack fighters to shoot down the bomber the Admiral would be in, and 18 flying top cover for the four "shooters." One of the P-38s blew a tire and couldn't take off, one couldn't switch to one of the new fuel tanks and had to return. VMF-213's SSgt Coffeen, floating in his raft since his ditching on the 13th, saw the 16 planes pass over him. The mission went flawlessly, and the Admiral's Betty bomber #323 was shot down into the jungles of Bougainville. The Admiral was found still strapped into his seat, killed by two .50 cal bullets, one in the jaw and one in the chest.

One American was lost, Lt. Raymond K. Hine. Two pilots, Capt. Tom Lanphier and Lt. Rex Barber, both claimed credit for shooting down the Admiral. Originally there were three bombers reported to have been shot down, as Lt. Winnia writes. Later it was proven that there were only two. There was great controversy over the credit for the kill for many years until Japanese documents and investigation of the crashed plane seem to indicate that Lt. Barber was the victor. Officially, the Air Force shared the kill between the two pilots after reviewing the mission in 1960 and again in 1985. The American pilots were rotated from the front for morale and intelligence reasons.

SSgt Coffeen saw the 15 P-38s return to Cactus, still afloat in his leaky life raft, surrounded by shark's fins.

Monday 19 April 109th Day, Patriots Day (Mass, Me.), 256 to come Part of a movie made today. Got a letter from V.J. & 2 from Mother. Aside from that absolutely nothing happened. Went to the show tonight. No bombing .

Photo at right shows the "movie house" on Guadalcanal.

Tuesday 20 April 110th Day, Tuesday before Easter, 255 to come 0530 alert. Patrol at 1030 to Rekata Bay but returned due to weather. Made some more of picture. The darned movies. Nothing of special event. Later - Charlie came over but got discouraged & went home. I didn't even get out of the sack . ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The movie being made was a morale movie such as would be seen in stateside theaters before showing the feature movie. Several shots of some of the VMF-213 pilots, some take offs, landings, high speed passes and loops over the field; some canned shots of Japanese airplanes being shot down (described as Zeros, but actually Val dive bombers) accompanied by the tough patriotic patter typical of these types of movies. Many of the photographs of Guadalcanal are stills from this movie.

Photo to the right is a still from the movie - Left to Right are: Winnia, Leary, Jones, Humberd, ?(Garison?), Votaw, McLeary (back). Identification courtesy General Leary.

Wednesday 21 April 111th Day, Wednesday before Easter, 254 Days to come 0000 alert this AM. Nothing happened until 1700. Knucklehead patrol then night landing. My first in F4U. Had trouble & couldn't lower the wheels for a while. That plane is a big joker at night. Charlie came over again tonight. Didn't get as far as usual. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Corsair had a backup system to lower the landing gear in case the hydraulics went out. There was a large bottle of CO2 which could be used to purge the fuel tanks when they were empty and also "blow down" the gear if they couldn't come down normally. The oxygen and the CO2 bottles were originally near each other so there are instances of pilots blowing down the gear instead of turning on the oxygen. Landing gear blown down with CO2 couldn't be raised again. If they were on a bomber escort mission they could fly their now-slow & vulnerable fighter beneath a bomber and hope their fuel held out and the Zeros weren't too bad on the mission. Pilots were lost due to this mistake, however. Later versions and field modifications separated these two tanks.

Winnia doesn't say if he blew down his gear. He may have flown around, diving and pulling up sharply in order to force them down. This would be unnerving enough, but to then have to do a night landing...

The original XF4U had the cockpit much further forward than the production model. The Navy originally wanted one .30 cal. and one .50 cal. machine gun firing through the propeller and one .50 cal in each wing. After the first prototype was built they changed the specs to six .50 cal. machine guns in the wings. Placing the six .50 cals in the wings eliminated a fuel tank in each wing, so a fuel tank was added behind the engine and the cockpit was moved aft. This decreased forward visibility dramatically. The bent wing design placed the flaps very close to the ground which made the plane teeter-totter or float just before touchdown. The big prop transferred so much torque back through the airframe that the port (left) wing would stall before the starboard one, causing the plane to fall off to the left. If the wing stalled at more than thirty feet the plane would flip over. It was a tricky airplane to land. Later planes had a spoiler added to the starboard wing which caused it to stall at about the same time as the port wing.

To land a Corsair, the pilot didn't watch the runway ahead as in other aircraft - he couldn't see it. He would watch his instrument panel and keep the horizon in his peripheral vision. At night there is no horizon, so a night landing was always exciting, and this first one must have been incredibly tense after the problem with the landing gear.

Thursday 22 April 112th Day, Maundy Thursday, 253 Days to come Alert again this AM. Did nothing until 1130 when went out Knucklehead patrol. Three hour patrol, nothing eventful. McCleary came home early with a bad motor. This evening 8 planes went on strafing hop to Munda. All got back OK. Defabia had a wing tip shot off, blew a tire on landing and turned over unhurt. They raised hell: fired several planes, a gas truck & generally created a mess. DeFabia's wing lost 46". Only a miracle got him home. All planes were hit lightly except flight leader Maj. Weissenburger. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

1545 - 1915 Strafing mission on Munda. Four F4Us flown by Major Weissenberger, Lieutenants Defabio and Thomas and Captain Cloake. Flight braved bad weather and flew at tree tops, through heavy clouds over New Georgia Island to Vila. They took the airfield at Vila completely by surprise and made a straffing run on it, after which they circled back, South of the Munda airfield and made a very low and daring run on it. A large tractor or roller was set afire at Vila and a truck, two airplanes and a fuel dump were fired at Munda. They received heavy anti-aircraft fire at Munda. DeFabio's plane received a hit from the AA that tore away 46" from the end of his right wing. He had made about one third of his run when his plane was hit, but was able to gain enough altitude to clear the trees at the end of the runway...On landing he was able to get the plane on the runway in proper order, but due to loss of flying speed, the crippled wing gave a dip, the right tire blew out and the plane tipped up on its nose, sliding thereon for 200 feet.

Defabio was uninjured and the plane was not seriously damaged. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A plane with 46" of wing missing, and having slid on its nose for 200 feet was not considered to be seriously damaged!

Friday 23 April 113th Day, 252 Days to come, Good Friday Did little today. No hop. Forgot about fasting until evening meal, then passed up delicious stew (at least it looked good). Tref & I may be flying together again before too long. So far I have been limited in radius of action until I learn area. Rained like hell tonight.

Saturday 24 April 114th Day, Easter Even, 251 Days to come Little doing today. Spent most of the day washing scivies. Made a wrist band of stainless steel for watch. Plan to attend 0630 mass tomorrow morning. If I keep wangling I may get a hop yet. There is so damned little doing for us. They save us with our hot planes for the good jobs, yet we have had no interception. Whole squadron has seen only one jap plane. Spoede got that. If we could get an interception we would really do OK, but you can't shoot down planes if there are none. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The leather watchbands rotted away very quickly in the Solomons. Many pilots would make or have the metal shop make a stainless or aluminum band - preferably from a crashed Japanese plane.

Saturday 25 April 115th Day, Easter Day, 250 Days to come THE STUFF HIT THE FAN TODAY Tried twice. Finally hit mass at 1000. Three divisions went on strike. On return Maj. Payton's div hit Jap strike. 15 bombers & 30-35 Zeros. Tangled with 16 Zeros. Maj. Payton got 3, Lt. Peck one (had to come home - gas) Lt. Vedder got one definitely seen by Maj. Payton. Vedder & Lt. Eckhart didn't get back. Payton had no oil, 71 holes, three scratches, 2 in left arm one in left leg, no hydraulic system. His opinion they got Vedder & Eck. Still no word from Coffeen. Total to date for Squadron: 2 killed at Eva, T.H. Operational, one killed in action Cactus (on take off for strike) three missing in action. I (per usual) didn't leave the deck. SQUADRON TOTAL 6 ZEROS

Monday 26 April 116th Day, Easter Monday, 249 Days to come Nothing doing this AM. This afternoon I was put on alert with Boag's division. Instead of scramble, though we had Knucklehead patrol. When on the alert we thought the stuff was in the fan because we were ordered down from a photo mission when in the air. Word rec'd today that Vedder was with coast watcher. No word yet from Eckhart.

Tuesday 27 April 117th Day, U.S. Grant born 1822, 248 Days to come Vedder brought in today, slight shrapnel wounds in both legs. His story confirmed yet another jap. Squadron total - 7. Rained all day so no operations. Stood by from 0530 - 1830 just waiting. Wrote Art. Tomorrow is jap emperor's birthday so the stuff will probably hit the fan.

Wednesday 28 April 118th Day, 247 Days to come Big day today. 0600 - 1045 raid on Lolabinauri. Repeated this afternoon. My hind end is absolutely numb. SBDs & TBFs bombed the hell out of everything; but I think we will have to attain final objective by fighter sweep. The Japs certainly are good at camouflage. Air Raid warning this evening - False. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Japanese engineers built the entire runway beneath palm tree tops which were suspended from cables strung from the live palms lining the runway. Very effective until the cut tree tops began to turn brown, though by then they were mostly finished.

Thursday 29 April 119th Day, 246 Days to come Started the day with air raid at 0415. Didn't get close to us this time. Went to local movie after inactive day. After show listened to Radio Tokyo tonight - the biggest entertainment and pack of lies in the Pacific. VMF 221 leaving so they are throwing a big one tonight. 2 letters from Mother praising V.J. highly. Says "marrying is up to you, but will go further and fare worse." The plot thickens.

Friday 30 April 120th Day 245 Days to come missed a day somewhere ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : Lt. Winnia made his mistake on the entry for the 27th. Lt. Vedder was brought in on the 27th, but the day of all-day rain was the 28th.

Saturday 1 May 121st Day, St Phillip and St. James, Apostles, 244 Days to come Rained all day. Had duty this afternoon. Lecture tonight by Exec. All hell broke loose. Wrote mother & V.J. today. Am now with Hall's division as tailback. Sick list raised hell with division organization. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The squadron had 26 pilots on 1 May. Winnia's experiences with illness were probably not much different than any of the others, so having enough pilots for the missions must have been beginning to present problems, i.e. "raised hell with division organization". There were only 18 operational aircraft, and under normal circumstances about a quarter of those would not be flight ready on any given day. Twenty six pilots, from 13 to 18 aircraft, and still some pilots were having to fly two missions a day.

Sunday 2 May 122nd Day, 243 Days to come Missed mass today due to task force coverage. Rec'd letter from Mother. Nothing doing this PM. Conference tonight on strike tomorrow at Rekata Bay. Should really be good. We have 12 planes strafe. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Japanese had a seaplane base at Rekata. The two seaplanes most commonly found here were the "Pete" and the "Rufe". The Pete was a biplane with a crew of two which could carry a couple of bombs. Petes were often used to fly the nightly bombing missions which were such an annoyance. The Rufe was a floatplane version of the Zero fighter which, in spite of the added weight and drag of the large main float and two wingtip stabilizer floats, was a formidable fighter at low altitudes - especially against damaged bombers on their return flight.

Monday 3 May 123rd Day, St Mark (from April 25th), 242 Days to come Strike came off this AM perfectly. I got one AA position. Col. Moore stated: "The best coordinated attack we delivered in this area." 12 planes in 3 div, strafe. 12 SBDs with 1000# daisy cutters. 12 TBFs with 2000# daisy cutters. Rekata Bay is about secured after that. Went to local show, cooked some chow & retired dreaming of V.J. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A daisy cutter is a really big bomb designed to clear a large area and throw a lot of shrapnel rather than blow a deep hole. The SBDs couldn't carry much more that a one thousand pounder but the larger Grumman TBF Avengers (nicknamed "The Turkey") could carry the much more significant one ton bomb. The SBD is smaller than the Corsair. Lindbergh, of trans-Atlantic fame, later would put 5000 lbs of bombs on a Corsair to show how effective it could be at close air support. A B-17 on a long flight could only carry 6000 lbs of bombs, though it also had to carry a crew of 10.

Photo to right shows a Grumman TBF Avenger

Tuesday 4 May 124th Day 241 Days to come Strike today at Vanga Vanga - third strike there. Finally attained demolition of objective. I didn't go this afternoon weather closed down and I didn't fly at all. Rec'd letter from V.J. and replied today.

Radio Tokyo as big a laugh & lie as ever. We hear our story and theirs. Anybody would have to be in bad shape to believe anything they say.

Wednesday 5 May 125th Day 240 Days to come Stood alert all day. Weather prohibited all but one hop and that was pancaked after 15 min. Listening to the radio tonight. Program from S.F. News report mentioned out strike on Rekata Bay and Munda. Task force to shell Rekata tomorrow. Our div. is relief so probably won't go. Lt.s Ailton, Peck & TSgt (AP) Hodde evacuated today. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : To "pancake" is to land the airplane.

S.F. news report would be a reference to a high powered radio station at San Francisco which could be picked up on the HF (High Frequency) radios on Guadalcanal. Tokyo Rose would also be transmitting on an HF radio transmitter from Japan.

Thursday 6 May 126th Day 239 Days to come No action this morning. 1700 task force cover. 3CL, 4DD on way to shell Murrea. The night landing went off OK but lightning was bad. The night is black as pitch making flying very nerve trying. Listening to Radio Tokyo again tonight. The dirty lying sons of sin. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY: 0530 Alert 8 F4Us 0545-0810 Task Group Cover 4 F4Us Major Weissenberger, Lts. Thomas, DeFabio, and Garison. 0815-1145 Task Force Cover 4 F4Us 0915 Lt. Shaw, Test Hop 0930-1205 Task Force Cover 4 F4Us Major Weissenberger's Flight 1245-1315 Lt. Thomas, Test Hop 1330-1630 Lt. Boag's Flight of 4 F4Us conducted the Knucklehead Patrol. 1700-1900 Major Weissenberger, in command of 8 F4Us furnished cover for Task Force.

Friday 7 May 127th Day 238 Days to come Had day off. Only at squadron for chow relief. Worked clothes. Sgt. Charles Wrotenberry came over. First time I had seen him since Dago. We shot the breeze for about an hour. Wonder where we will meet next? Wrote Mother & sent personal & squadron snapshots. Radio Tokyo is in good form tonight. Alert at 0530. Dumbo at 0615 to Segi.

Saturday 8 May 128th Day 237 Days to come Stood alert 0530 weather foul. Took off at 0915 for strike at jap CL & DD. Saw both but bombing seemed ineffective. No torpedoes & no ceiling so had to skip bomb. We encountered no Zeros though. Strike only 50 miles from Kahili. Returned 1330. Tried again from 1415 - 1715 with B-17 Weather so bad couldn't find target. AA not close enough even to plug wing tanks. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The Corsair had the ability, as did all U.S. aircraft, to make the fuel tanks safer when empty by closing off the valves and filling the tank with CO2. An empty tank full of avgas vapors is the equivalent of a huge stick of dynamite if hit with an incendiary shell. The AA fire was so far away Lt. Winnia didn't even bother.

Sunday 9 May 129th Day Mother's Day 236 Days to come Stood by all day for strike but weather prevented any flying. Even bad to miss mass. News came today that we will be relieved tomorrow, leave next day. Probably won't leave for a week.

Monday 10 May 130th Day 235 Days to come Had chow relief today. 8 F4Us went on fighter sweep. This afternoon 16 went on strike to Villa & assorted points about there. I went & came closest of all to getting ack-ack. Bounced plane all over but always just behind me. SBDs & TBFs We strafed a little. Had a fine time. On way home my battery boiled over, filling cockpit with H2SO4 fumes. I ran for it & made the field OK though a trifle suffocated.

Tuesday 11 May 131st Day 234 Days to come Left Cactus today on 30 min notice. Came to Buttons by SCAT DC-3. Twelve came rest to follow in a day or so. Seems we will get to Sydney. Total score at leaving 7 zeros, one pilot killed, two missing, two wounded, three evacuated.

Wednesday 12 May 132nd Day 233 Days to come Moved to Dallas hut in another area today. Rest of pilots came in. Saw crew. Went to local movie. This place is getting most of the comforts of home now. Rec'd news today that I am 1st LT. Capt Humberd made Maj. Now 4 majors, 1 Capt., 2 2nd Lt., rest all 1st Lt. Shaved off mustache. A great loss but general opinion it looks better not there. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A Dallas hut is now more commonly known as a Quonset hut. A half dozen SeaBees could build 3 or 4 or these corrugated half-round huts in a day. The Navy allowed four days for this small crew to build one. Obviously the SeaBees were in a bigger hurry than the Navy.

Thursday 13 May 133rd Day 232 Days to come Squared away with all of our gear. Took part of our physicals today. Blood smear for malaria - neg. Sneider made +9 so at least I'll get promoted. Not sure yet whether we will go to Sydney or Aukland, NZ. Hope for Sydney.

Friday 14 May 134th Day 231 Days to come Second blood smear. Also neg. Took eye, & rest of physical. We all lost weight at Cactus. I weighed 155 stripped. 6'0". Some are in rather tough shape. I thrived on chow that sickened many. Felt much better at Cactus than down here.

Seems certain to go to Syndey.

Saturday 15 May 135th Day 230 Days to come All physicals over just waiting for word to leave. The lads are getting restless, starting to hit the bottle, as is usual when there is no activity. Made a deal. 2 qts Mt. Vernon Rye for T.S.M.G in damned good shape. All I need now is another pistol and an M1. Drew $700 today. Hope to send 500 home from Sydney. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : T.S.M.G. is a Thompson Sub-Machine Gun. It seems that Lt. Winnia was a gun collector.

Sunday 16 May 136th Day 229 Days to come Went to scha (sic?) tent this morning with Tommy. Stewart cleaned same. Shot the breeze most of day. In the still of the night sit Stewart and I with a bottle. He leaves tomorrow. Besides being a good sergeant under me he has been a good friend. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : No one has been able to decipher the handwriting for this word. Abbreviation for Small Arms tent, Ordnance Tent, Armorer's tent, Sergeant's tent? Any help would be appreciated.

In this case, "Tommy" is the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun. This entry is evidence of the fraternization that Lt. Winnia so vehemently denies when the brass makes an issue of it. Lt. Winnia was a "Mustang", an officer who came up from the enlisted ranks. Lt. Winnia was probably the Ass't Ordnance Officer; Lt. Treffer was most likely the Ordnance Officer at this time. This might account for his tendency toward fraternization.

Monday 17 May 137th Day 228 Days to come Stewart left this AM for states. My locker and bed roll arrived here. I had tried to sent them home from Noumea. Seems as though some leave the 19, others the 20. Don't know. The chow is much worse than Cactus. Strange letter from V.J., I wonder if I really know her?

Tuesday 18 May 138th Day 227 Days to come Another day of waiting. I wish we would get to rest or get action. Word passed today that half leave tomorrow and rest of us leave next day. Two letters from V.J. in last few days. Will attempt an answer.

Wednesday 19 May 139th Day 226 Days to come First echelon left Buttons today. First stop Tontouta. Busy today packing. Party tonight. I turned in early. Tref got sick all over his bunk & gear. One bad mess .

Thursday 20 May 140th Day 225 Days to come Left fighter strip 1000. Should have chow at Bomber strip but no go. Took off 1200 arrived Tontouta 1600. We really murdered the chow there. We were supposed to leave 0001 but delayed 24 hrs. Hit the sack early.

Friday 21 May 141st Day 224 Days to come With nothing to do today went into Noumea. Getting to know the place fairly well. My French suddenly slipped, maybe it was bombed out of me, but it was certainly terrible. Leaving tonight for Sydney.

Saturday 22 May 142nd Day, Maritime Day, 223 Days to come Left Tontouta 0001. Froze all the way to Sidney. Arrived here 0900. Bucked headwind all the way. Went to Red Cross O.C. #2 Elizabeth Bay Road. By 1100 was in town at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Sent $500 to my account S.D. With Lt. Don Hancy U.S.N. made a date for 1300 went to zoo in afternoon, then to Recreation Park in Ewing. The weather is much like S.F. cold (to us) and wet. The people are very friendly though a little hard to understand. It is sure nice to see tall buildings, pretty girls and eat good steak, not forgetting hot water, a real luxury.

Sunday 23 May 143rd Day, 4th Sunday after Easter, 222 Days to come The soft bed last night proved too much, I slept until 1000, missed mass as a consequence. With blouse in cleaners, running around here in greens with flight jacket and raincoat. Staying at Red Cross O.C. for the duration. The Hotel Australia Lobby is full of the largest number of pretty girls looking for dates with marines. They are out for all they can get, but most of us are also so what the hell? Don't have the interest in running around I expected.

Monday 24 May 144th Day, 221 Days to come Another day of rain. Saw some more of the city. I am getting around some but actually doing little. My main enjoyment is eating steaks and drinking good liquor. With the cold I don't feel the drink at all except in a warming way. Called Mr.s. Mahoney at Brighton Le Sands, suburb of Sidney. She is cousin of Frank Gocher (San Francisco) will call her again tomorrow AM and arrange a meeting. The money is complicated at first. Rate of exchange now £1 = $3.26. Prices and taxi fares are reasonable enough though I us the latter too much. Tram fares are 1 or 2 D.

Tuesday 25 May 145th Day, 220 Days to come Called Mr.s. Mahoney this AM at 1100 met her daughter Mr.s. Gloria Leghmann. Will go with Gloria and her husband to dinner tomorrow evening. Slept this afternoon and went to Monaco's this evening with an A.C.W. Joined party of fellows from squadron. Went home at 2400. Not a bad evening, had a good steak & good wine.

Wednesday 26 May 146th Day, 219 Days to come Spent the day fiddling around as usual. Met Mr.s. Leghmann at 1700. With her husband Jack went to Carlton for a drink then took a cab to their flat. Very swell couple in their thirties. Mr.s. Mahoney came over with assorted relatives, Charlie Gocher and his wife. We had quite a talk, a nice dinner and played cards. Got to poker, my first game since I entered Marine corps. They can't play here. I made my cab fare home within about 30 min. Very enjoyable evening. Mr.s. Mahoney is a prince. Naturally very glad to hear of Frank.

Thursday 27 May 147th Day, 218 Days to come Finally managed to get my blouse out of hock today. Squadron party tonight at Princess. £4 per couple. Steak at 2230, began at 2100. The gal I took was best looking there but she got drunk and we left just before the steak. I drank over 1 qt champagne at one setting but hardly knew it. Took her home stupid and then hit the sack myself. Quite disgusted with her performance.

Friday 28 May 148th Day, 217 Days to come After six days here it finally hit me. Seeing these fair complexions & blue eyes under dark hair bothered me & now I know why. V.J.. I suddenly realize just how much I want to see that girl again. She takes up where these girls leave off on looks, personality and morals. Lord if I ever catch her and she is as I think, I'll not let her go. Lt. Milton Vedder married a girl here that he met last Saturday. It is his business so I have no comments, though when I step it off she will be American and I think I already know her.

Saturday 29 May 149th Day, 216 Days to come We unhappy and yet relieved to know we leave tomorrow AM 0545. Spent the day running around getting the last minute things, catching up on my drinking, etc. Went to Brighton, got home at 0200, packed and hit the sack.

Sunday 30 May 150th Day, Memorial Day - Rogation Sunday, 215 Days to come Up at 0530, left O Club at 0600. Went to airport had 3 sandwiches and three bottles of milk and took off 0700. Slept most of way to Tontouta, fairly comfortable this trip. Next time I come down am wearing skins, to hell with freezing. It was 0°C on trip down so guess. Arrived Tontouta 1530, gained an hour on time. Ate second chow & hit the sack after movie. Will leave tomorrow about noon.

Monday 31 May 151st Day Rogation Day 214 Days to come This AM went to ship P.X. bought 4 boxes cigars, lighter, etc. Ate 1130 chow & went back to strip. Took off 1300. Arrived Buttons bomber strip 1545 in two sections. All got in some plane. Flew to Fighter strip. Quartered in Dallas huts. Got 2 wks mail. 2 from V.J., 1from Sis Vmail (sic?). 6 from Mother. Sorted my gear and now ready to call it a day. Will write V.J. and Mother tomorrow.

Tuesday 1 June 152nd Day, Rogation Day, 213 Days to come Began what will probably be a period of idleness. Wrote Mother. Went to Post Office. Worked on gear, went to show. Opening a bottle of Chablis tonight. Also attempting letter to V.J..

Wednesday 2 June 153rd Day, 212 Days to come Slept in until 0715 so missed breakfast. School 1000 - 1100. Finished letter to VJ this afternoon. Just layed around rest of afternoon. Sat in cool breeze watching sunset and dreamed a little of Violet Jane. Lord how I want to come home to that girl.

Thursday 3 June 154th Day, 211 Days to come Did about as little as possible today. Had a little party tonight at Lt. Virgil Ray's hut. His bunkie and Treff got pretty tight. Virg & I went for walk on beach afterward. Very restful.

Friday June 4 155th Day, 212 Days to come

Day typically idle. School 1000 - 1100. Saw T.S.M.G will probably fire it in a few days. Many pilots don't know one end from the other. Laid tentative plans for a fishing trip tomorrow night.

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE T.S.M.G. is the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun.

Saturday 5 June 156th Day, 209 Days to come Not much doing today. This evening went across lagoon to Island. Tref, Jim, Virgil Ray, Milton Snider, M Peck & I made up party. Staying all night not much luck, lots of fun. Turned over in kayak crossing. Thoroughly soaked, lost only one bucket containing fresh water. Got bait this afternoon by dynamiting schools of small fish.

Sunday 6 June 157th Day, 208 Days to come Came back about 0800. Got only 2 hrs sleep all night. Had fish breakfast, not so hot. I'm tired, stiff, and very weary but had a swell time. Virgil Ray is from North Carolina, also a mustang. We have a lot in common. Becoming very good friends.

Spent most of day sleeping went to local movies & turned in again. Big day tomorrow. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A mustang is a marine officer who came up from the enlisted ranks.

Monday 7 June 158th Day, 207 Days to come Fired the pistol & my tommy gun this morning. Spent rest of day cleaning guns and talking Sneider. Wrote Mother this evening. Still tired from trip the other night. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The pistol could have been, and most likely was, a Colt 1911A1, more commonly called the "Colt 45" or "45 Automatic". Some pilots, however, carried the Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver. All pilots carried some sort of sidearm in case of ditching or crash landing, though if either one got wet in the Solomons it was a rusted useless hulk after 24 hours.

"My tommy gun" was the Thompson Sub Machine Gun (T.S.M.G.), which fired the same .45 caliber cartridge as the 1911A1, though many more of them and much faster.

Tuesday 8 June 159th Day, 206 Days to come Rained all morning but in afternoon Tref, Mac, & I went out in a rubber boat. Dynamited some fish. Had a swell time, even though about worn out this evening. Hit the sack early.

Wednesday 9 June 160th Day, 205 Days to come Regular meeting this AM. Had SDO duty this PM. 1200 - 1700. Wrote Kit. Meeting called tonight. We leave for Cactus 17 June, just a month earlier than planned. Stuff seems to be hitting the fan on Bougainville. Scuttlebutt that we have established a beach-head. A regular shuttle service is now being run for support from Cactus. Lord help us if we take and operate off Kahili. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : SDO duty would be the Squadron Duty Officer.

Since he had received a Vmail from "Sis" a few days earlier, I assume that Kit is his sister - strictly a guess.

The scuttlebutt was wrong, it would be November before an amphibious landing was made on Bougainville. There were plenty of airstrikes, a "regular shuttle service", being made on the Japanese airfields in the area, though. The Allied strategy for attacking a fortified enemy position was developed on these islands: sustained air strikes to gain total air superiority and reduce their ground forces and deplete their stores and equipment, then an attack of overwhelming force on the isolated and (hopefully) demoralized positions.

Taking and operating from the Japanese bases at Kahili would put them within range of the Japanese largest base in the South Pacific, Rabaul, New Britian. The Japanese knew that loosing Kahili would make the defense of Rabaul an expensive proposition, and the Marines knew the Japanese would defend these bases to great extremes and would make every attempt to retake them.

Thursday 10 June 161st Day, 204 Days to come Rained all morning. Went out all afternoon with Tref & Hollinger in rubber boat. Blasted but little luck. Did get some bait so will fish tonight. Later Out until 2300 with Tref & McCleary. Hallmeyer worn out, ditto me when we came in. I got big fish about 5 lb. bass-like. Are told about 7 hosers paddling in over sized rubber boat. Tref & I both tired. Had swell time. 2 letters from Mother. 1 wonderful one from V.J.. I sure hope and pray we are really in love.

Friday 11 June 162nd Day, St. Barnabas, 203 Days to come Rained again this AM. Should have started operations today but flight canceled while crash boat looked for caterpillar about same place Tref went in. Wrote V.J. a good letter. She is certainly the one to come home to.

This is probably the most intriguing entry in the diary. A crash boat looking for a caterpillar in the bay where Lt. Treffer had ditched earlier! What a story that must be! Any Seabees out there have a clue what happened there?

Saturday 12 June 163rd Day, 202 Days to come Rainy day all day. School this AM. Flight scheduled, got as for as turning up plane but canceled due to weather. This evening I packed a lot of clothes. Have my winter flight gear out to air. Will turn in the trousers.

Sunday 13 June 164th Day, Whitsunday, 201 Days to come Missed mass this AM - sleeping. Two hops this afternoon. Tref really gave us a work out. Tref div now runs 1. Tref 2. Win 3. Milt Vedder 4. Peck. We got around damned well up there ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE From the VMF-213 WAR DIARY:

A very active morning as the baseball teams played a double header. One game of soft ball against VMSB-132, defeating them 5 to 4. The other game was against the Negro AA crew, the island champions. Though 213 did not win this game there was only a small difference in the score. Also, during the morning the horse shoe tournament was going ahead full steam. In the afternoon the Squadron indulged in operational flying.

Monday 14 June 165th Day, American Flag Adopted 1777, Flag Day, 200 Days to come ol this AM on rubber boat. Tow hop in F4F3P at 1230. Everything went wrong. 1415 - 1515 gunnery 6 guns. Tref shot sleeve off on third run. Big beer bust with our men prior to evening chow. A remarkable success.

Tuesday 15 June 166th Day, Pioneer's Day (Idaho), 199 Days to come Did last washing & packing this AM. Leave Thursday for Cactus. Tref held school on .50 cal A.C.M.G. Gunnery hop this afternoon but couldn't find tow plane. Flew .7 hrs tonight weather foul but came off OK. No crackups. Will start letter to V.J.. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : A.C.M.G, Air Craft Machine Gun

Wednesday 16 June 167th Day, Ember Day, 198 Days to come Went to wing Paymaster this AM drew 25.00. Saw Carlos Martinez. 1230 hop landed, defered (sic) forced, at 1305, motor trouble. Relieved duty officer most of afternoon. Lt. Johnson bailed out from F4U spin. Broke leg, simple femur fracture. Last instructions and packing this evening. Leave here 0100 tomorrow.

Thursday 17 June 168th Day, Bunker Hill Day (Boston), 197 Days to come Left O.C. 0100. Left SCAT 0330. Arrived Cactus 0830. Slept most of the way. Got 4 post sack built, though had to leave bed roll at Buttons, will be up later. Nearly all had to leave one piece due to weight restrictions. Found Log books, they were lost since we left Oahu HQ. Stood alert this afternoon. Fitted chinks(sic?). Got hint of big doings soon. This trip will be plenty interesting and a lot of work. Air Raid over Tulagi from 2100 - 2300. One shot down. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : O.C. is the Officer's Club.

Winnia probably built a bed, a four poster, to suspend the mosquito netting from. The wood for the bed was probably mahogany or teak scrounged from one of the many sawmills the SeaBees were operating at the time. Bridges across the rivers were built of solid teak.

The flight Log Books had been lost since February, when they left Hawaii.

Tulagi was an island base just north across "Ironbottom Sound" from Cactus. There were P.T. boat bases on Tulagi and Florida Island. Ironbottom Sound got its name from the many American, Australian and Japanese warships which had been sunk and now littered the bottom. It has been said that there were so many ships sunk there that magnetic compasses were not dependable.

One Japanese bomber shot down in the dark was testimony to the rapidly improving radar and night fighter techniques being developed.

Friday 18 June 169th Day, Ember Day, 196 Days to come Stood 0500 alert then spent morning straightening out quarters. This afternoon on alert. Had a big scramble at 1330. Up on oxygen for 2hrs 10 min. bogie turned back. We really were expecting a big fight. Word came in tonight that we will get in on night fighting. Got my radio today in workable condition.

Saturday 20 March 170th Day, Ember Day, 195 Days to come Slept in this AM till 0630. 2 hr Local Patrol 1000. Stood alert all afternoon but nothing doing. Two marvelously stirring shows tonight. "Keeper of the Flame" & "The Great Man's Lady."

Sunday 20 June 171st Day, Trinity Sunday - Father's Day, 194 Days to come Stood 0500 alert this AM. Went to mass, confession and communion 1000. Scrambled while at show at 1200. The damned bogie turned around again. Received letter from V.J. and Mother. Answered both. Maj. Weisenberger and last pilots came in today after scramble. Raid tonight but bogie went away.

Monday 21 June 172nd Day, 193 Days to come Stood alert today at 0530. Afterday (sic) stood chow relief. Slept and washed clothes. The most amazing thing tonight. A USO show tonight, movie also. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : The USO show was Artie Shaw, who had been called the "King of Swing," and was famous for his orchestral jazz style. He had once hired Billie Holliday as his vocalist, the first black female singer to work for a white bandleader. The Artie Shaw Orchestra was making as much as $60,000 per week before the war, but the unpredictable perfectionist took a long break and was living in Mexico when the war started. He joined the Navy, where he formed an award winning band. The band toured Australia, New Zealand, and the front areas, such as Guadalcanal, sometimes doing four shows a day. On a few occasions his show at Guadalcanal was bombed out by the Japanese.

Some of Artie Shaw's hits were Begin the Beguine, Frenesi, Star Dust, Moonglow, Dancing in the Dark, and Concerto for Clarinet.

Tuesday 22 June 173rd Day, Summer, 192 Days to come Alert again at 0530. Knucklehead at 1100. Treffer had no power forced landing at Russells. Got home later in the afternoon. Saw "Barnacle Bill" with 10. Busy pilots meeting. Strike tomorrow. Tref & I won't go as Tref's delay in getting home so he didn't get the word.

Wednesday 23 June 174th Day, 191 Days to come No alert this AM. There was a raid sometime last night but as no bombs dropped I hardly woke up. We didn't go on strike today though 2 divs of 213 did go. 1500 Local patrol. Rain started again tonight. Letter from Kit & 2 from Mother.

Thursday 24 June 175th Day, Nativity of St. John Baptist - Corpus Christi, 190 Days to come Test hops all day today. Mine wasn't ready until about 1600. Tested swell but fabric tore off part of starboard wing in 420 K 14,000' =460 mph. Peck lost an elevator in a similar dive into rough air.

Friday 25 June 176th Day, 189 Days to come Spent easy morning. Afternoon had duty. VMF 221 came in for duty with full compliment of planes. Great confusion but finally got them parked.

Wrote V.J. tonight in company with Virg. Ray.

Saturday 26 June 177th Day, 188 Days to come Raid sometime during night but missed the show as I was dead asleep last night. Wonder of wonders today Stf.Sgt Coffeen was returned. Lost since 13 April. He really had a story, great hardship but he is alive!

Wrote mother tonight.

Sunday 27 June 178th Day, 187 Days to come 0630 Dumbo to Segi. Picked up some survivors of a B-24. Missed Mass as didn't return until 1030. Idle afternoon. Wrote Sis a good letter in afternoon and Dr. Watkins after the show. Last of 3 pages but took 2 ½ hrs to write. I hope I did a good job of it.

Monday 28 June 179th Day, 1st Sunday after Trinity, 186 Days to come 0530 alert. Local hop at 1100. Forced to return early due to engine trouble. Went to show but no letters written tonight.

Tuesday 29 June 180th Day, 185 Days to come 0530 local hop. Tref had to come home then 1st LT Tate attempted forced landing at Fighter two. Undershot, plane turned over, stump came up into cockpit. We buried him at 1400. Out here people get nothing but a sheet & a hole in the ground. Received three letters today. One from V.J., 2 from Mother. Answered V.J.

Strike called off due to weather. Injured left foot before hop this morning. Caught in hydraulic flap. Grounded today.

Wednesday 30 June 181st Day, 184 Days to come 1st Lt Peck killed this morning on a test hop. Landing force on Rendova Island. Our squadron got 16 planes. Maj. Weissenberger still missing. Only one not home. Grounded yet with foot so didn't get up at all. Foot better all the time.

Thursday 1 July 182nd Day, 183 Days to come Final total for yesterday for the squadron 20 planes shot down, one lost. Maj. Weissenberger returned today. Bailed out picked up by DD. Strike to Kahili early afternoon 1125 - 1535. Kahili covered over by clouds but Bahli wide opened but the darned army either dropped on water on way home or landed with their bombs. Little party tonight for celebration.

Friday 2 July 183rd Day, Feast of the Sacred Heart, 182 Days to come Rendova patrol 0655 - 1055 Landed at Russell Islands South Field. Ruby base recalled all trolleys then Japs hit. Really a mess. On way from patrol Vedder bailed out - engine failure. An F4U exploded on starting. Burned down, pilot VMF 122 terribly burned. I doubt he lives. Vedder is apparently OK, picked up OK. Returned Cactus 1700. Letter from Mother, answered it tonight.

Saturday 3 July 184th Day, 181 Days to come I didn't fly today at all. The squadron bad luck is continuing. Lt. Ted Brown cracked up at Russells. Cut up a bit but came back this afternoon by SCAT. Lt. Herman Spoede is missing. Rest landed either here or at Russells. The pilot in 122, Lt. Rassmussen, died .

Sunday 4 July 185th Day, Independence Day, 180 Days to come Rendova Patrol this morning. Somehow I missed it in the afternoon. Took duty for afternoon. Wrote V.J. a short letter tonight.

Monday 5 July 186th Day, 179 Days to come Early take off planned but weather prohibited any operation until afternoon. Had Rendova patrol. Mixed divisions now. Tref had to come home, cold or sinus. Searched for Spoede on way home - no results. ~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : "Dago" is San Diego. There are many marine training facilities in Southern California. Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is one of two current recruit training facilities, the other being, of course, Parris Island, South Carolina. A marine who trained at MCRD San Diego is known as a "Hollywood Marine."

Tuesday 6 July 187th Day, 178 Days to come 7 ½ hrs today. Patrol over Munda and Rendova. No action. Had to cut afternoon short due to motor trouble. Lt. Boag had an emergency landing on this strip made it OK. Tref still sick. Boy, am I getting tired.

Wednesday 7 July 188th Day, 177 Days to come Flew all day today. All but two pilots flew 10 ½ hrs. It's really getting tough. Did nothing but fly & eat a little & fall into bed. Sent for "Guide to USMC Administration"

Thursday 8 July 189th Day, 176 Days to come Fifteen pilots in commission this morning. All had Rendova patrol in AM, only 12 for PM. I stayed down as have a little cold. As usual no mail today.

Friday 9 July 190th Day, 175 Days to come Rendova Patrol in morning. Escort 3 DC-3s to drop supplies to Raiders on NW end of New Georgia. Now have Munda about surrounded.

Saturday 10 July 191st Day, 174 Days to come Three Rendova patrols today. Total 10 hrs. Rather warm out. Swell letter from Mother. Subject V.J.. No letter from V.J. in a long time. Would feel less discouraged if I could only

Sunday 11 July 192nd Day, 173 Days to come Missed mass this AM. Rendova patrol. Feeling badly with bad head. Doc grounded me as I was preparing for an escort this afternoon. Rec'd letter from V.J. written 28 June. Answered tonight though confined to bunk. First I have heard in over two weeks. A small fight this afternoon. Naturally I wasn't in it. Maj. got one, Defab 1, Boag bailed out, hit tail, no news. Thomas had motor failure, water landing, no news.

Monday 12 July 193rd Day, 172 Days to come Scrambled for fight this AM. Rendova patrol in morning. Cold getting into ears & sinuses, grounded all afternoon.

Tuesday 13 July 194th Day, 171 Days to come Duty officer most of morning. Flew in afternoon. I'll bull out this cold yet. Hop Rendova patrol with bogie chase but no results. Thomas reported safe at Segi. Two letters from Mother.

Wednesday 14 July 195th Day, 170 Days to come 4.3 hrs this AM. Escorted 5 DC-3s dropped supplies at New Georgia, Covered Dumbo while evacuating wounded. Afternoon hop cut short - weather closed down. Landed at Russells, returned 1700. Show tonight "Knute Rockne". Writing Mother. Thomas returned today in time for afternoon hop .

Thursday 15 July 196th Day, St. Swithin's Day, 169 Days to come Rendova Patrol and fighter sweep over Vella Lavella this morning. This afternoon I was on the deck when 8 of the boys tangled with the Japs. 7 back so far with 16 certain, several probables. Lt. Votaw still missing.

Friday 16 July 197th Day, 168 Days to come Didn't fly at all today. Show tonight interrupted several times by air raid.

Saturday 17 July 198th Day 167, Days to come Raid to Kahili today. I missed action there, protecting SBDs. Beautiful, six ships sunk. Lt. Garison shot down in flames. MG Hodde made it to Segi, wounded but OK. Lt. Vedder today presented with Purple Heart. Our squadron got 10 Zeros. Total now 57. Today was one of history. Had an egg this morning and a beer this evening. Raid tonight.

Sunday 18 July 199th Day, 4th Sunday after Trinity, 166 Days to come

(This entry in a different hand. Written by Lt. Treffer)

Mission to Kahili well done. Lt. Winnia lost in dog fight over Kahili.

Lt. Red Hall shot down Choiseul near Bougainville. Hall made a safe crash landing, 5 zeros strafed him.

Only 11 pilots left.

~~~~~~~~~ NOTE : This is the last entry in the diary.

Lt. Winnia’s body was never recovered.

His name is engraved on the tablets of the missing, Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.

[Thanks to Erick Eastes]

NOTES ABOUT THIS TRANSCRIPTION

This document was transcribed from the original diary of Lt. Charles C. Winnia, USMC. The diary had been in the possession of Lt. Winnia's mentor and frequent Division leader, Lt. (later Capt.) Alonzo B. "Brew" Treffer, who is often referred to in this diary as "Tref."

Lt. Treffer had spent his teen years with a barnstorming pilot, and had moved to Canada to join the Royal Canadian Air Force to be able to fight in Europe. Upon the outbreak of the war with Japan he resigned his commission and returned to the U.S. to fly with the Marines. He was a very experienced pilot in a time when there were so very few. After the war he spent time as a civilian test pilot. He retired from an engineering position at Kennedy Space Center. He was killed in a home invasion on November 11, 1994.

The possession of the diary came to David Treffer, "Tref's" son, with the untimely death of his father.

During an after-church discussion with David just before Christmas, 1999, I mentioned I had been in Marine aviation. He told me that his dad had been a Marine pilot, and had flown from "some little island in the south Pacific in W.W.II." He said his dad would never talk about his experience there, so he knew little about that time. He asked me if I could find out about his dad's squadron, which I later identified as VMF-213.

A couple of Sundays later David handed me a small, old diary, which he had found while going through his dad's possessions. The diary had been in the garage, behind a drill press. He entrusted the diary to me in case it might help me in researching his father's past.

I transcribed this copy, and while doing so researched the period to add pictures to the code names, acronyms and slang of the time. I acquired an immense respect for the men who carried defeat to the enemy while enduring the abhorrent conditions of the battle of Guadalcanal and the subsequent offensive in the Pacific.

I have found no historical errors in the text, at least so far as was the knowledge of the time. For instance, Admiral Yamamoto's death is reported on the correct day, under the correct conditions. However, Lt. Winnia reports three bombers shot down, which was accurate according to the reports of the time but later proven to be wrong - there were only two bombers involved.

I attempted to convey the flavor of the diary by copying the format and notes of the diary itself as well as Lt. Winnia's daily writings.

The diary is, of course, a small piece of a story about a big war. In it duty and death are spoken of in short, generally unemotional, statements of fact. It is a story of relationship between those who fought the war together, though with different tasks assigned to each of them. It is also a story of the effects of war on the families left behind, and it is a tragic love story.

Having read the last entry before beginning the transcription I dreaded the addition of each day to my text. I grew to like Lt. Winnia, to have a full sense of the camaraderie which I had shared with my peers while I was in the Corps. I knew his death had happened over 50 years before I even became aware of his life; nonetheless I had a true sense of foreboding as I copied on and on towards July 18, 1943, when this tired, sick, malnourished, overworked marine gave his life while following orders - just like thousands of others had done in the previous year and others were to continue to do for two more years. Though his death was just one of thousands this diary not only gives life to him, but also gives insight into the others who were just as well loved by their families, had just as many dreams and plans, and who left just as big a hole in the fabric of our society with their passing - though the fabric itself would not exist were it not for the sacrifice they made.

As there were no references to his father in the diary I assume that his father had already passed away, which probably explains his faithful correspondence to his mother. I have been unable to find any Winnias in the United States at this time - Lt. Winnia may have been the last. His sister, Kit, was due to deliver a child in August of '43 after losing her husband and her brother in that terrible year. One can scarcely imagine the anguish in the household.

As I continue to fill in the details of the lives of Lt. Winnia and Brew Treffer, I ask that anyone having information - photos, documents, etc. - which will help in this task to please share these treasures with me.

The Treffer family, owners of the diary, have given me permission to share this document with others.

Carl S. Richardson 1605 Neptune Drive Merritt Island FL 32952 321.453.5191

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Final Note : the story of this diary and of the wartime romance between Lt. Winnia and V.J. Watkins was the subject of a recent National Public Radio feature story. To read the story, and to listen to V.J. Watkins reading the final letter to her from Lt. Winnia, visit: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1671596