CVG-12 USN Air 1207 October 1945 United States Navy Carrier Air Group 12 (CVG-12) Copy No. 2 History FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY This document is the property of the Government of the United States and is issued for the information of its Forces operating in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. 1 Original (Oct 45) PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com CVG-12 USN Air 1207 October 1945 Intentionally Blank 2 Original (Oct 45) PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com CVG-12 USN Air 1207 October 1945 CONTENTS CONTENTS........................................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................3 USS Saratoga Embarkation..............................................................................................4 OPERATION SHOESTRING 2 ....................................................................................................4 THE RABAUL RAIDS .....................................................................................................................5 First Strike - 5 November 1943............................................................................................................5 Second Strike - 11 November 1943......................................................................................................7 OPERATION GALVIN....................................................................................................................7 OPERATION FLINTLOCK............................................................................................................7 NAVY UNIT COMMENDATION RIBBON................................................................................8 OPERATION COCKPIT - INDIAN OCEAN OFFENSIVE ..................................................................9 OPERATION TRANSOM - INDIAN OCEAN OFFENSIVE..............................................................10 USS Randolph Embarkation...........................................................................................11 TASK GROUP 58.4 - REAR ADMIRAL ARTHUR W. RADFORD..............................................................11 OPERATION JAMBOREE ...........................................................................................................12 TASK GROUP 58.2 - REAR ADMIRAL RALPH E. DAVISON ..................................................................14 OPERATION ICEBERG ...............................................................................................................14 TASK GROUP 58.3 - VICE ADMIRAL WILLIS AUGUSTUS LEE .............................................................15 INTRODUCTION 1. Fighting Squadron 12 "stood up" at the San Diego Naval Air Station in October 1942 as the United States Navy's first Vought F4U-1A Corsair unit. By late January 1943 the VF-12 “Thunderbirds” had 22 combat- ready Corsairs and began carrier landing practice. On March 3 1943 the squadron was bound for the Pacific aboard the USS Sangamon CVE-26. 2. Upon they’re arrival in Noumea, New Caledonia VF-12 was ordered to turn over they’re Corsairs to the United States Marine Corps on Espirito Santo and then began training in the Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat. 3. This History records the activity of CVG-12 whilst embarked in The USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the USS Randolph (CV-15). 4. CVG-12 would like to thank Lancer_35thCAG for the collation and writing of this history. 3 Original (Oct 45) PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com CVG-12 USN Air 1207 October 1945 USS Saratoga Embarkation OPERATION SHOESTRING 2 5. After participating in combined fleet exercises off Espiritu Santo between the 7th and 10th of October 1943, VF-12, now part of Carrier Air Group 12, departed Espiritu Santo aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3) on October 31, 1943; along with Air Group 23 aboard the USS Princeton (CVL-23), to form backbone of Task Force 38. Here USS Saratoga is underway off Espiritu Santo in October 1943 Task Force 38 (Rear Admiral Frederic C. Sherman) (Carrier Unit) USS Saratoga CV-3 USS Princeton CVL-23 CVG-12 CVG-23 VF-12 33 x F6F-3 VF-23 19 x F6F-3 VB-12 22 x SBD-5 --- VT-12 16 x TBF VT-23 7 x TBF Task Force 39 (Rear Admiral L. J. Wiltse) (Support Unit) Cruiser Division 11 USS San Diego CL-53 USS San Juan CL-54 (Screening Unit) Destroyer Squadron 12 Destroyer Squadron 23 Destroyer Squadron 24 USS Buchanan DD-131 USS Woodworth DD-460 USS Guest DD-472 USS Farenholt DD-332 USS Fullam DD-474 USS Bennett DD-473 USS Lansdowne DD-486 USS Lardner DD-487 USS Hudson DD-475 6. As part of Operation Shoestring 2, Task Force 38 was assigned to raid the Japanese airfields on Buka and Bonis Islands off the northern tip of Bougainville, in order to cover the landings being made at Cape Torokina and Empress Augusta Bay. For the first two days in November 1943, the Saratoga, and Princeton made vicious assaults on the Buka and Bonis Islands airfields, approaching so close to shore (13 miles south east of the islands (06* 25’ S 154* 53’ E) that the twin fields were almost visible from the ships. 7. After refueling on 3 November 1943 Admiral Halsey ordered Task Force 38 across the Solomon Islands, to a point north of Vella Lavella Island. Japanese heavy 4 Original (Oct 45) PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com CVG-12 USN Air 1207 October 1945 cruisers and other IJN warships had been reported crowding into Rabaul’s Simpson Harbor to counterattack the Allied landing forces on Bougainville. THE RABAUL RAIDS First Strike - 5 November 1943 8. The weather favored TF 38 when it arrived at its designated launching point, 57 miles southwest of Cape Tokorina and 230 miles southeast of Rabaul. The sea was smooth, allowing the destroyers to keep station, while overcast skies lessened the chances of being observed by Japanese patrol planes. Saratoga's Air Group 12, headed by Commander Henry H. Caldwell, sent every plane it had into the sky; 33 F6Fs, 16 TBFs and 22 SBDs. Princeton sent up 19 Hellcats and 7 Avengers. Lieutenant Commander “Jumping Joe” Joseph J. Clifton, leader of Saratoga's air group, later said, "The main idea of the orders was to cripple as many of them as we could rather than concentrate on sinking a few." 9. Two hours after launching, the 97 planes reached their targets, Simpson Harbor, the inner anchorage at Rabaul, and the outer roadstead at Blanche Bay. Again the Americans got a break from the weather, which was so clear over Rabaul that they could see for 50 miles. That was especially welcome under the circumstances, because although the aircrews had been rigorously trained to hit moving targets, there had not had time to prepare a detailed plan of attack for the Rabaul strike; much of which being worked out by group and squadron commanders over their radios while enroute. Here ENS Charles Miller, LTJG Henry Dearing, and LTJG "Bus" Alber walk to their Hellcats prior to raid on Rabaul 10. The strike force was met with a wall of anti-aircraft fire, and a total of 59 A6M3 Zeros. The Japanese had expected the Americans to break into small groups as they neared the targets, but instead, Lt. Commander Caldwell simply directed the large formation through the gantlet of AA fire, letting it split into smaller groups only at the last moment before making their attacks. Unwilling to go through their own flak, the Zeros milled around. VF-12’s and VF-23’s 52 Hellcats went after them with a vengeance. 11. Meanwhile, ignoring the curtain of AA shellfire, Lt. Commander Caldwell led the SBDs and TBFs across Crater Point in order to swing upwind of the enemy ships. Only then did he deploy his SBDs while the TBFs went down low to start their torpedo runs. By then, the Japanese ships were either steaming for the harbor entrance or taking evasive action. One heavy cruiser even fired its main 8-inch gun battery at the TBFs. 12. As they pulled up from their attacks, the SBD and TBF pilots found themselves dodging over or around ships for four or five miles. Miraculously, all but five 5 Original (Oct 45) PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com CVG-12 USN Air 1207 October 1945 fighters and five bombers emerged from the wild melee, although almost all of the survivors suffered some damage. 13. Lt. Commander Caldwell, who had been directing the dive bombers from above, found himself and Lieutenant H.M. Crockett, one of Princeton's Hellcats, being chased by no less than eight Zeros. His rear turret was disabled and his navigator/radio operator was dead, but Lt. Commander Caldwell managed to fend off his attackers with his nose machine gun. Lieutenant Crockett took more than 200 hits in his Hellcat, yet he managed to land aboard Princeton later without flaps; while Caldwell brought his Avenger back to Saratoga "with one wheel, no flaps, no aileron and no radio.” 14. Total American losses in the attack came to 13 aircraft, seven pilots and eight crewmen killed or missing in action. Task Force 38’s Hellcat pilots however were credited with 21 victories and the TBFs and SBDs claimed another seven. 15. The attack did not sink any ships, but it accomplished its mission. The heavy cruiser Atago was damaged by two near misses and the heavy cruiser Takao took two hits under the waterline. VB-12’s SBDs caught the heavy cruiser Maya refueling, and sent a bomb down her smokestack and into her engine room, causing damage that would keep her out of commission for five months.