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BOXART STORY #82205
In mid-1944, the escort carrier USS Petrof
Bay (CVE-80) embarked its combat unit, VC-76.
A typical Composite Squadron (VC) could deploy
up to thirty FM-2 Wildcat and Avenger aircraft.
The USS Petrof Bay's combat history exemplifies
the crucial role of escort carriers in the final
year of the war. In September 1944, the carrier
supported the landings on Peleliu Island, and
during the Battle of Leyte in October 1944, it was
among the first vessels to encounter Japanese
Kamikaze tactics. During this historic battle,
aviators from the USS Petrof Bay attacked
a fleet that included the battleship Yamato,
contributing to the sinking of several enemy
warships in later phase of the battle.
By the spring of 1945, VC-76 had achieved
a total of four confirmed victories. In March 1945,
VC-93 replaced VC-76 as the combat unit aboard
the USS Petrof Bay. Later that month, its airmen
began participating in operations covering the
landings on various islands around Okinawa. By
mid-April, they played a key role in neutralizing
airfields in the Sakishima Islands, from which
Kamikaze attacks were also launched.
On April 1, 1945, as part of Operation Iceberg,
American forces landed on Okinawa. In response,
the Japanese command ordered large Kamikaze
attacks on American vessels from April 6 to
June 22, as part of IJN Operation Kikusui.
On the first day of Operation Kikusui I, which
took place from April 6 to 11, the Japanese
deployed approximately 300 Kamikaze aircraft
in the target area. The U.S. Navy lost three
destroyers and three other vessels, with
ten additional ships sustaining damage. U.S.
Navy airmen claimed 257 victories, while
their U.S. Marine Corps counterparts claimed
18 more. However, quite a few Japanese aircraft
managed to penetrate the fighter defenses and
were subsequently shot down by anti-aircraft
gunners.
For the four Wildcat pilots of VC-93, who
took off at 1330 from the deck of the USS Petrof
Bay, this was their first opportunity to engage
the enemy. They were ordered to patrol over
Ie Shima Island, west of Okinawa. The first
victory was achieved by Lt. (jg) Foster, who shot
down a D3A Val bomber attempting to attack an
escort destroyer. Both the gunner and the pilot
bailed out of the burning aircraft but did not
survive. Lt. Myers then shot down a Zeke whose
pilot was attempting to crash into a transport
vessel. The following Zeke was credited to
Lt. (jg) Tuttle. Another Val came under fire from
Lt. (jg) Sherlock and crashed on Ie Shima Island.
A few minutes later, Lt. Myers engaged another
Zeke, flying head-on. Myers struck the enemy's
engine and, utilizing the FM-2's characteristics,
quickly positioned himself at the enemy's six
o'clock, shooting it down. The last victory by this
VC-93 division was highly dramatic and became
the model for Piotr Forkasiewicz's box art.
The unit diary describes it as follows:
“The division reformed and at 2500 feet
altitude Lieut. Myers saw a Val leave the clouds
at 5500 feet altitude, 12 o'clock, 500 feet distant,
180 knots, in a 45 degree glide onto a DD (Note:
US Navy destroyer). At 2000 feet he was 500
feet to the rear of the Val, following in the glide,
regardless of the intense anti-aircraft fire from
the DD, and fired a three second burst which
started smoke from the Val's engine. At 1000
feet and again at 500 feet altitude he fired from
100 feet behind the Val, at the port wing root.
The wing exploded from the plane and the Val
splashed about 50 feet from the DD”.
There were only three formations of Val
bombers deployed on 6 April. The first belonged
to Hachiman Gokō-tai No. 1, which was formed
from part of the Usa Kōkūtai, the next formation
was from Seitō-tai No. 1 (Hyakurihara Kōkūtai),
and the last was called Kusanagi-tai No. 1
(Nagoya Kōkūtai). All three formations took off
in succession from Kokubu Base No. 2 on Kyūshū
Island. In the target area, where their mission
was to attack supply convoys, 65 airmen from
these units sacrificed their lives.
The most senior commander among the
three above formations was Lieutenant Satoshi
Kuwabara (NA 71, 1942) of Seitō-tai No. 1. He had
served aboard the warships Nagato and Maya,
and had been a member of the Hyakurihara
Kōkūtai aviation cadre since mid-1943. He was
posthumously promoted two steps to Lieutenant
Commander.
A number of farewell letters from the
airmen of these three units are available on
the Kamikaze Images website. Hundreds of
letters that have been published as part of
this project show, in a careful analysis, that
their main themes include impending death,
farewell to family, filial devotion to parents or
accomplishment of a mission. Hatred of the
enemy, perhaps surprisingly to many readers, is
found only in 25th place.
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Convoy off Okinawa
INFO Eduard36
September 2024