THE VOICES OF BOMBING NINETEEN This book was written by and for the men of VB-19. It covers, loosely chronologically, that special period of time from August 1943 to December 1944. The words are from the men themselves. Some come from log books or other papers written at that time. Other words were written recently - in letters sent to the editors. The "titles" listed in the Table of Contents should be considered more like "headlines" than titles. They serve as timelines which help put the stories into sequence. The underlined questions throughout the book were sent out by Stu Crapser in 1983-84. They are followed by the responses he received with some additions by the editors. We are indebted to Stu Crapser and Tom Bratten, who got it all started. Compiled and Edited by Bill and Kathy Emerson First Edition August 1993 Second Edition August 1995 Web Version Uploaded by Hugh Emerson December 2002 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER 1 - N.A.S. LOS ALAMITOS, CA 4 15 AUG 1943 SQUADRON COMMISSIONED 16 NOV 1943 ENS FRANKLIN P. HART AND THEODORE G.SCHECK, ARM3 KILLED ON DIVE BOMBING RUN NEAR SEAL BEACH, CA 3-4 JAN 1944 CARRIER LANDING QUALIFICATIONS, USS ALTAMAHA, OFF SAN DIEGO, CA - - - - ON DUTY LOS ALAMITOS - - - - OFF DUTY LOS ALAMITOS CHAPTER 2 - MAUI, T.H. 22 21 FEB 1944 ENTRAINED TO ALAMEDA FOR FURTHER TRANSPORTATION WEST 24 FEB 1944 DEPARTED FOR PEARL HARBOR, T.H. ABOARD USS LEXINGTON 28 FEB 1944 ARRIVED PEARL HARBOR 29 FEB 1944 TRANSFERRED TO N.A.S. KAHULUI, MAUI, T.H. APR 1944 RECEIVED FIRST SB2C-1’S FOR TRANSITION TRAINING MAY 1944 RECEIVED SB2C-3’S 11-13 JUN 1944 REFRESHER CARRIER LANDING ABOARD USS FRANKLIN - - - - OPS MAUI - - - - OFF DUTY MAUI CHAPTER 3 - OFF TO THE WARS 39 21 JUN 1944 DEPARTED MAUI AND BOARDED USS INTREPID FOR TRANSPORTATION TO ENIWETOK 30 JUN 1944 ARRIVED ENIWETOK - - - - LIBERTY ENIWETOK 1-10 JUL 1944 MOVED TO USS BUNKER HILL 7 JUL 1944 REFRESHER CARRIER LANDINGS ABOARD USS BUNKER HILL CHAPTER 4 - USS LEXINGTON - JULY, AUGUST 1944 43 9-10 JUL 1944 PERMANENTLY BASED ABOARD USS LEXINGTON 10-14 JUL 1944 PROVISIONING AND REARMING AT ENIWETOK ATOLL 18-21 JUL 1944 FIRST COMBAT MISSIONS - AGAINST GUAM 25-27 JUL 1944 STRIKES ON PALAU GROUP 4-5 AUG 1944 STRIKES ON BONINS - KAZANS - IWO JIMA 10-29 AUG 1944 REARM - PROVISION - ENIWETOK 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER 5 - USS LEXINGTON - SEPTEMBER 1944 61 6-8 SEP 1944 STRIKES ON PELELIU ISLAND 9-10 SEP 1944 STRIKES ON MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES 12-14 SEP 1944 STRIKES ON VISAYANS - CEBU - MACTAN 21-22 SEP 1944 STRIKES ON LUZON - MANILA 24 SEP 1944 STRIKES ON VISAYANS - CEBU - NEGROS 25 SEP-7 OCT 1944 REARM - PROVISION - PALAU AND ULITHI CHAPTER 6 - USS LEXINGTON - OCTOBER 1944 73 10 OCT 1944 STRIKES ON OKINAWA 12-14 OCT 1944 STRIKES ON FORMOSA - PESCADORES 21 OCT 1944 STRIKES ON CORON - ROMBLON 24 OCT 1944 STRIKES ON JAPANESE BATTLE FLEET, SIBUYAN SEA AND ON LUZON 25 OCT 1944 STRIKES ON JAPANESE CARRIER FORCE - PHILIPPINE SEA 26 OCT-1 NOV 1944 STANDBY AT LEYTE AND PROVISION AT ULITHI ATOLL CHAPTER 7 - USS LEXINGTON - NOVEMBER 1944 91 5-6 NOV 1944 STRIKES ON LUZON 5 NOV 1944 HIT BY KAMIKAZE PLANE OFF LUZON - - - - FAVORITE COMBAT TALE - LEX 10-22 NOV 1944 REPAIRS AT ULITHI ATOLL - - - - LIBERTY AT ULITHI CHAPTER 8 - GOING HOME 105 23 NOV 1944 RELIEVED BY AIR GROUP 20 - TRANSFERRED TO USS ENTERPRISE FOR TRANSPORTATION TO PEARL HARBOR - - - - ABOARD THE ENTERPRISE - - - - LIBERTY AT PEARL 8 DEC 1944 ABOARD USS LONG ISLAND FOR TRANSPORTATION TO SAN DIEGO - - - - ABOARD USS LONG ISLAND 14 DEC 1944 ARRIVED SAN DIEGO CHAPTER 9 - MORE SEA STORIES 113 CHAPTER 10 - SOME LAST WORDS 135 3 CHAPTER 1 N.A.S. LOS ALAMITOS, CA 15 AUG 1943 SQUADRON COMMISSIONED - N.A.S. LOS ALAMITOS, CA WINTERS (CAG): We all (VB-19, VF-19, and VT-19) were commissioned 15 Aug. '43. Jung had not yet arrived, so I was acting CAG and read the orders to the three squadrons assembled. STRADLEY: Lieutenant Commander Richard McGowan, USN, Commanding Officer, with about fifteen pilots and an equally small number of enlisted men, represented VB-19 at the ceremony. McBRIDE: The first impression of VB-19 wouldn't be complete without a little previous background. After finishing cadet training, followed by instructor training, I went to instructor duty. We instructed in every phase of flight training. Every department head was a Naval Academy graduate. We had to walk a more narrow line than a cadet. Discipline, regulations and performance were stringent. When I came to Squadron 19 I couldn't believe I was in the same navy -- the pomp and starch were gone. The facilities, including the skipper's office, were one big eyesore. There was no order, and everything seemed to be going in all directions. The dress code was shocking; however, everyone was quite friendly and helpful. This ole boy had to make some fast adjustments. The airmanship and airdiscipline made one's hair stand up. Tactics were appalling. After hearing lecture after lecture from such as Butch O'Hare, Thatch, and others on the latest fleet, here we were years behind. Somehow things started coming together. The wild ass carefree Ensigns showed they could and did produce. Later I found this to be the best all around group that I have ever been associated with. ENGEN: Jack Scott and I reported to the Squadron Duty Officer of VSB-19 located in Hangar Two, and found ourselves directed to the Squadron 4 Administrative Officer, Lt Ben Buttenweiser, USNR. The Commanding Officer was Lt. Com. Richard S. McGowan, USN, and the Executive Officer was Lt Billy Gates, on whom we made the obligatory office calls. Each pilot had ground responsibilities in respective administrative areas, but these were relatively minimal. Flying was our primary role. I was assigned as Assistant Navigation Officer under Lt Joe Williams, Navigation Officer. Scouting Bombing Squadron Nineteen was redesignated Bombing Squadron Nineteen in September. We had 36 SBD-5s, the latest model of SBD and top of the line at that time. The mix of experience and inexperience in the squadron became a problem for our Skipper. Besides himself and three others there was no combat experience in the squadron. The Ensigns coming from operational training were the best trained dive bombers because of their recent intensive training. The remainder of the squadron pilots were former instructors who had finally "escaped" to fleet duty. Our radiomen gunners, except for one second class radioman who flew with the CO, came as recent graduates of the fleet gunnery school. I was assigned Radioman Gunner Theodore Stevenson, whom I was to fly with for the next fifteen months. Our tactical assignment was as the number two wingman on Lt Emil Stella, who in turn was the second section leader for Lt William McBride's six plane division. I started flying on September 8th and flew a number of individual familiarization flights. These were an open invitation to revisiting old haunts in Southern California and to indulge in some time honored but strictly forbidden "flat hatting". After a few flights to get to know the airplane I headed for my home near the foothills of the Sierra Madre Range in Altadena. I dropped down to fly west to east along Crary Avenue, the site of my home there, and flew down the street at tree height to alert my younger childhood friends who still had not left home. The SBD had a very characteristic engine sound, and it alerted people to come out on the street. On the last pass down the street, I asked Stevenson to unlimber his twin .50 caliber gun mount to show my friends his guns, which he did. As we flew down the street now much lower, I saw my Mother in her apron waving, kids running around in the street waving, and the mailman riding "no hands" down the street on his bicycle waving both arms over his head. It was heady illegal stuff, 5 but we got away with it by not coming back again. Flat hatting was definitely illegal, but the war and people's interest in the airplanes combined to permit some frequent digressions, until one day. That day was when Jack Scott and I were flying our SBDs and decided to go to Pasadena and say "hello" to Mary, who lived in a house overlooking the Arroyo Seco Canyon and the Rose Bowl. I was flying lead and Jack dropped back just a little to fly behind me as I dropped down over the Devil's Gate Dam to fly at tree top height through the Arroyo Seco, until we came to the Rose Bowl at which time I pulled up to clear the cliff and passed very low and fast over Mary's house. Jack did the same thing and we returned to Los Alamitos feeling that we had achieved our goal of giving Mary a loud "hello" and we would say nothing about it to anyone. Mary heard and knew right away who it was. That evening I drove to Pasadena to see Mary and knocked on the door to be met by her father, for whom I had a great deal of respect. He was very somber faced and told me to come with him as he led me into the dining room. There he pointed to a large crack in one of the walls and admonished me to never do "that" again. I was suitably contrite and apologetic and allowed that I would not do "that" again.