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GRAMPS'
MEMBERS AID ORANGE COUNTY
FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS WALK OF HONOR PROGRAM
Gramps can
be proud of four of our member who help make approximately 2400
Orange County Fifth Grade School students aware of the sacrifices
made by the
Armed Forces of this nation in preserving freedoms that they now
enjoy. The
program was on November 1st to 4th from 9 am to 1 pm.
The Walk of
Honor is located in Santa Ana at the Civic Center. Nine monuments
commemorate the heroic deeds of nine Orange County servicemen who
were awarded
the Medal of Honor.
Gramps' members
Mickey Conroy, Ray LeCompte, Mel Locke, and Tim Brown, stood
at the monuments telling the Fifth Graders of the heroics of these
honored
heroes and of their own service to let the students understand what
it is like
to be a soldier, sailor or Marine.
Former Gramps'
member Ken Walsh and Ken's guest at many of our luncheons,
Walter Ehlers, both have Medal of Honor monuments at the Walk of
Honor.
The Fifth Grade Walk of Honor Program is sponsored by the Orange
County
Veterans Advisory Council with the help of the United Veterans Organization
of
Orange County and AMVETS. Gramps' member Hal McDonnel is the Orange
County
Veterans Advisory Council representative for the Fourth District
appointed by
Supervisor Norby.
The AMVETS have
provided the major portion of the funds to build the monuments
as well as many volunteers to maintain the monuments and support
the Walk of
Honor Programs.
HOW TO FEEL GOOD
Just in case
any of you missed our good friend Gordon Dillow's Column
Wednesday November 10th in the Orange County Register, Old Gramps
thought it a
good idea to call it to your attention.
Gordon has addressed
our Squadron twice in the past years. First to enlighten
us on the trevails of the News Media and the Military. The second
time was
after he returned home after being imbedded with "His Marines"
for the invasion
of Iraq.
Gordon's Nov
10th article concerns returning wounded or injured Sailors and
Marines to Camp Pendleton. A group of Marine Wives got together
to assist
these wounded warriors in their attemp at returning to normalcy.
So far their support system is funded by word of mouth, hence Gordon
Dillow's
article.
Our Squadron
is not really a charitable organization but our over 400 members
are very charitable, as evidenced by our monthly "Great Guys"
list. Your
donations allow Gramps to keep our heads above water and not have
to resort to
Dues for our Members. If you would like to help these courageous
wives to
continue helping our returning wounded Sailors and Marines, send
a Tax
Deductible donation to the address listed below.
Give credit
to Gordon Dillow's article. Gramps and several of his friends and
associates have already sent theirs.
Injured Marine
Semper Fi Fund,
825 College Blvd, Suite 102, PMB 609,
Oceanside, Ca 92057
IT's GUARANTEED
TO FEEL GOOD.
Submitted by
Don Palmer,GPS Personnel &
OP-Plan Staff Officer
ACTIONS OF THE VF-10 GRIM REAPERS
June 1942 to July 1943
by Robert F. Kanze
Former CO of GPS
Santa Cruz Island
Action
Following the
loss of USS LEXINGTON (CV-2) I was assigned, with several others
of Air Group 2, to Air Group 10, the first replacement Air Group.
Fighting Ten
(VF-10), the original GRIM REAPERS, was commanded by Jim Flatley,
one of the
best fighter tacticians of that era. We trained at North Island
and later at
Maui. The F4F-4 Wildcat was not as agile as the older -- 3 version
but it had
six 50 cal. guns and folding wings which allowed more planes on
the carriers.
In October 1942 we joined USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6, the "BIG E")
in time for the
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (25 - 27 October). The four-plane
flight to
which I was assigned volunteered for the first combat air patrol
(CAP) in hopes
of getting an early intercept. Ironically after our three-hour CAP
with no enemy
action we returned to the ship in time to experience a rugged attack,
which
lasted 50 minutes. 'The BIG E was damaged, suffering a bomb hit
in the Officers
Country adjacent to the forward elevator, and a very near miss aft
that damaged
the port prop shaft.
Some of our
fighters did well with intercepts but we lost a few also. The
ship's antiaircraft batteries also did a great job. During much
of the raid we
were in the vicinity of a cloud that helped our defense but not
so with the USS
HORNET (CV-8), the other carrier in our force, which was severely
damaged and
eventually sunk.
I had begun
to question my fortune and that of carriers. I did my initial
carrier qualifications on the HORNET, then to the LEXINGTON, next
to the USS
YORKTOWN (CV-5) and now to the ENTERPRISE. Shortly after we would
lose the USS
WASP (CV-7) and with the USS SARATOGA (CV-3) being repaired following
a torpedo
hit, the BIG E was the only marginally operational carrier in the
South Pacific.
Guadalcanal
Support
After Santa
Cruz the BIG E moved down to NoumŠa, New Caledonia for repairs
while the Air Group operated ashore. Before repairs could be completed
the ship
was again ordered underway to cover the landings of Marines on Guadalcanal
and
attack the Jap transport fleet attempting landings there. Our SBDs
and TBFs did
a great job in annihilating that fleet. We fighters flew boring
Combat Air
Patrol flights but did get in a few strafing runs on the Jap transports.
Upon returning
to Noum‚a the BIG E repairs were completed and over several
weeks the Air Group again operated ashore.
Early December
the BIG E got underway for operations in the Coral Sea and
after a week returned to Espiritu Santo (New Hebrides) with the
ship at anchor
and the Air Group operating ashore. I
had a couple of interesting experiences. One was flying the new
F4U Corsair our Skipper borrowed from the Marines and allowed several
of us to check out in
it. The other was to fly the F4F off the ship while at anchor. We
first removed
all ammunition and the guns and all but 30 gallons of fuel. We used
the entire
length of the flight deck and it worked.
Following these
events we saw very little enemy action during the remainder of
this cruise. The Jap carrier navy was equally damaged as we were.
On two occasions during the winter of 1942 - 1943 a segment of Fighting
Ten
was launched to Guadalcanal to augment the Marine fighters at Henderson
Field.
This was an interesting experience living in tents, subsisting on
SPAM and
diving into foxholes at night during shellings from Jap ships. The
flight back
to Espiritu Santo to rejoin the BIG E was 555 miles. I think the
range of the
F4F was 556 miles. This proved to be a challenge but we all made
it.
Return. Refitting
and Redeployment
In the summer
of 1943 we returned to the States. I was concerned about my
future assignments, being a Chief Aviation Pilot and knowing that
most enlisted
pilots were assigned to multiengine aircraft. I feared spending
my future as a
copilot. Fortunately my Commanding Officer (now "Killer"
Kane) recommended me
for another tour in Fighting Ten. When my orders arrived I found
I'd been
commissioned an Ensign seven months prior. The back pay difference
didn't hurt.
The Air Group was assigned to NAS Seattle at Sand Point while the
BIG E was
being repaired at the Bremerton shipyard. This was a great four-month
period for
us. The new F6F Hellcat was a great bird. The weather was perfect
all afternoon,
with fog in the morning that allowed us to sleep in.
In early November
we rejoined the ship and transited to Pearl Harbor, with the
Air Group going to Maui for additional training. During this period
the Navy
determined a necessity for a night fighter defense capability as
an interim
measure until radar-equipped fighters became available. It was decided
that the
F6F would fly wing on a radar equipped TBF and when the target was
acquired
visually the F6F would close in for the kill. The Skipper decided
that my flight
would be fighters assigned to the project. I enjoyed it because
it was a new
challenge. Fortunately radar-equipped night fighters became available
before the
project was implemented on deployment.
About this time
while at Maui I read an article about a P-47 attaining a speed
of 700 miles per hour in a dive. I determined the F6F could equal
this speed at
altitude by climbing to 39,000 feet, doing a split-S and diving.
I did this and
at approximately 36,000 feet I felt a distinct shock and a degree
of control
loss. I was able to pull the nose up and resume control. I carefully
descended
to about 3,000 feet then slowed the plane to 90-knot level flight
with wheels
and flaps down. As I applied power, control was abnormal but controllable
at
that speed so I landed at that speed. Large wrinkles were evident
in the after
fuselage. AIRPAC Engineering inspected the aircraft and declared
it unrepairable
but was unable to determine the cause. Observers on the ground did
hear a "boom"
during this time period.
Several years
later I discussed this experience with flight test engineers at
ChanceVought Aircraft Corporation who had had similar experiences.
They
determined that I had experienced trans-sonic flight.
Marshall and
Gilbert Islands Operations
After the holidays
in 1943 we again joined the BIG E to participate in most of
the South Pacific actions until late July. A very interesting change
in
operations was that now we were part of a Task Force with at least
three Task
Groups, each Task Group containing two large carriers and two light
carriers.
This Task Force covered many square-miles of area, which greatly
simplified
navigating when returning from.long distances, and was a contrast
with early
1942 and 1943 when we had only one carrier to return to and aircraft
with
minimal navigation aids operating under total radio silence.
The first operation
in January was the strike on Tarawa (Gilbert Islands) and
later on Kwajalein (Marshall Islands). Some of our fighters were
successful in tangling
with the Jap fighters while others of us were busy strafing and
flying - Combat Air
Patrol over the Task Force. The Task Forces then returned to Majuro
Atoll
(Marshall Islands) for replenishment and to plan the forthcoming
raid on the
large Jap naval base at Truk (Caroline Islands).
First Truk Strike.
Palaus and New Guinea
In the middle
of February the Task Force attacked the formidable Jap base at
Truk lagoon. I was in the first fighter sweep, where each carrier
launched at
least 12 F6Fs to clear the area of any airborne aircraft and strafe
any military
activity on the ground. This proved to be a very successful strike
for afterward
the air was clear of any airborne Japs and most aircraft on the
ground were
burned. The afternoon skies were dominated by our SBDs and TBFs
taking their
toll of the Jap destroyers and cruisers. On an afternoon flight
my wingman and I
found a new Jap destroyer underway and in an ideal position for
strafing. After
two runs down the length of that ship she lay dead in the water
with her bridge
and topside steam lines shattered, easy meat for our TBFs.
Next, we were
on to Palau (Palau Islands) with the usual strafing and CAP
activities, which netted us many burning Jap planes on the ground.
The Task Force's next big effort was at Hollandia on the north coast
of New
Guinea. This wasn't a good place to be shot down, as the natives
were cannibals.
On one of my flights I noticed a familiar shaped aircraft below
me and on the
same heading. I thought it to be a B26 but on second look I saw
the meatballs of
a Jap Betty, in perfect position 3 for a high side run. My six 50
cal. guns set
his engines on fire and he dove into the clouds below.
Second Truk
Strike, Shootdown and Rescue
During a second
strike on Truk in late April I was assigned to a fighter
sweep, which was usually a pretty lucrative assignment. I went up
to the flight
deck but found that my bird was a dud. So I was assigned the spare
and got
airborne, but found I had rather severe engine problems and managed
to get back
aboard. Later that morning I volunteered for another flight, and
this proved to
be a rather interesting one. It qualified me for submarine duty
and a few other
things.
My wingman and
I were assigned to escort torpedo planes into Truk lagoon and
then attack one of the airfields there. As we approached our target
my wingman,
who was a virgin, saw a Jap bomber approaching the airfield - and
of course he,
being a pretty eager young guy, went high-tailing after this Jap.
But he
couldn't torch him. So of course I said, "Hell I can do that."
Well I got right
up to his tail and let him have it with my six guns and saw parts
fly off. About
that time the Jap shore batteries let me have it, and rather significantly.
Fortunately Grumman built a pretty rugged piece of iron in the F6F
Hellcat. I
took a small caliber hit in the windshield, both wings had large
holes and my
bird was on fire.
This was a rather
interesting set of circumstances to be in. I was inside Truk
Lagoon perhaps 15 miles, and I was into the wind right over a Jap
airfield. What
to do? Well thank goodness for good flight training. I did a chandelle
turn to
get downwind from that antiaircraft fire but it became obvious that
I wasn't
going to go very far. So I turned back into the wind and landed
in the water,
fortunately maybe four or five hundred yards off the beach. I got
out of the
bird as it sank and inflated my life raft to sail out of the lagoon.
This wasn't
a smart thing to do because the Japs did see me and decided I might
be a good
target. Because of these circumstances I decided to partially deflate
my life
raft and give it just minimal buoyancy, which rendered me invisible
I think.
In any case, this was about noon and during the rest of the day
I drifted and
paddled to the southwest toward a break in the lagoon.
As soon as it
became dark I raised part of my parachute to form a sail to
accelerate my way to clear the lagoon. The next morning found me
four or five
miles southwest of the lagoon and I noticed some of our beautiful
torpedo planes
overhead. I broke out my trusty revolver and fired some flares,
and used my
signal mirror to gain their attention. They saw me, identified me
as a friendly,
and within a half hour they had some OS2U seaplanes overhead from
the battleship
USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55). The first one landed and taxied toward
me, and as he
closed in on me I swam outboard to the wingtip float to come in
aft of the wing.
The pilot, in his eagerness and observing me do this, sent his crewman
out on
that wing and that's when the bird did a half-roll. Obviously you
can't go
very far in an airplane under those circumstances.
His wingman,
LT John Burns, landed shortly afterward and allowed me to come
aboard. Using his radio I called my Skipper to advise him I was
OK. Now there
were three of us picked up. LT Burns then taxied toward a rescue
submarine where
we were taken aboard, and then back to the lagoon to rescue additional
flight
crews.
Aboard The TANG
During the remainder
of the day John Burns and his OS2U picked up an
additional 19 airmen and transferred them to the USS TANG (SS-306).
My next
three weeks were spent on the TANG - this proved to be one of the
most
interesting of my experiences.
The TANG's Skipper,
LCDR Richard H. O'Kane, was probably one of the most
successful captains in the submarine service. In addition to picking
all of us
up, each of his war patrols was eminently successful. He was enthusiastic,
in
pointing out the capabilities of TANG. He put each of us on the
watch bill so we
participated in the handling of the sub. I remember standing wheel
watches and
diving plane watches, and being checked out on the torpedo director
computer. We
continued the patrol looking for Jap shipping around Truk and providing
lifeguard services for bomber raids. During this period and on the
trip back to
Pearl Harbor we remained submerged during daylight and surfaced
at night.
Upon arriving at Pearl, we aviators were assigned rooms in the Royat
Hawaiian
Hotel at Waikiki, for a week of recuperation with the submariners.
Then on to
the USS MONTEREY (CVL-26) for the voyage back to the BIG E in Majuro.
Marianas Operations
Back on the
BIG E the Task Force steamed for the Marianas Saipan, Tinian and
Guam. The Jap fleet was some distance to the west. The first day's
activities
consisted of strafing airfields and engaging any airborne Jap aircraft.
On the second or third day my Skipper, "Killer" Kane and
I were catapulted at
0500 hours to serve as air coordinators over Saipan. Twenty-five
miles west of
Saipan we began to see ships of the landing force, so we circled
to the south to
stay clear. But the surface was still dark and partly hidden by
clouds, and we
couldn't see all of the ships that covered the seas off the Marianas
that
morning. We had just turned west again when a 5-inch shell burst
under the
Skipper's wing, knocking his goggles off and throwing him against
his seat belt.
Gasoline poured over the shot-up wing and the engine began to smoke.
Killer
released his belt and opened his canopy to bail out, but found his
engine still
running and the plane not burning and otherwise controllable.
Killer then
dove to take us out of AA (antiaircraft artillery) range but the
AA still followed us. He landed in the water without his seatbelt
fastened,
causing his head to slam against the gunsight. A destroyer later
picked him up
and transferred him to the BIG E later that day.
While Killer
was leading us down, I jinked and attempted to radio the Landing
Force of our problems. (Jinking is a series of violent airborne
turns intended
to spoil the aim of AA gunners.) But I found my radio inoperative,
so instead I
returned to the BIG E and dropped a message to inform the ship of
Killer's
predicament.
One of the next
days later, the Jap fleet was discovered some 400 miles to the
west. Their planes were headed for our fleet, intending - should
they survive -
to land on Guam, refuel and attack again. This day became known
as the Marianas
Turkey Shoot. The Jap lost most of his attackers. I was fortunate
enough in
being vectored to an advantageous position over a flight of Zeros
and Vals. This
netted two torched Zeros, and a Val whose pilot - while taking a
head-on run
from me - bailed out. Later that day we launched a large strike
force to attack
the Jap fleet. The return after dark was successful when the Task
Force turned
on the lights.
Return to Uncle
Sugar
Following the
Marianas activities the BIG E steamed back to Pearl Harbor where
the Air Group joined a CVE (escort aircraft carrier) for the trip
back to San
Francisco.. At the Alameda Naval Air Station the torpedo and dive
bomber pilots
gave a beer bust in honor of the fighters, a recognition of the
fact that not a
single ENTERPRISE aircraft had been lost to enemy fighters while
under the
protection of the GRIM REAPERS of Fighting Ten.
The period I
spent with the Air Group, the BIG E, the TANG and the OS2Us
showed me what a great team the Navy fielded during this era. Our
training was
superb, our aircraft and tactics were tops, and those of us who
survived were
lucky.
Robert F. Kanze
From your Membership Officer
Fran Pieri
The Ray Pett "let me buy you a drink" contest ended at
the November 11th luncheon. Again, our XO, Mel Locke was the winner.
This was a back to back win for Mel. Remember, he was the winner
last year. This years award was over $350.00.This also made Mel
an "ace" again by signing up five (5) new members.
"Congrats", Mel and keep up the good work.
I want to thank
the anonymous members who generously donated the money for the award.
" Welcome aboard" to the five new members sponsored by
Mel. They are; Mr. Bob Fornesi, Dr. Bob Horseman,
Mr. Jeff Locke, Mr. Craig Locke and Dr. Bill Bearchell. We all know
there is strength in numbers.
Your Grampa
Pettibone Squadron is the largest and most active on the West coast.
We still need more new members. If you know of any new people in
your neighborhood, church or any other organization you belong to;
tell them about the Association of Naval Aviation and the GRAMPS
SQUADRON. Bring them to one of our luncheons. Give them an Op-Plan.
I always have extras in my office and will mail them one. Remember,
ANA is a civilian organization and they don't have to have had any
prior military service.
Again, thanks
to all of you who signed up all the new members in 2004. Hope to
see you all at the December
9th luncheon. Happy Thanksgiving.
Keep the blue
side up.
Fran
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