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VC-9, USS Solomons (CVE-67), spring/summer 1944
VC-99, USS Hogatt Bay (CVE-75), 1945
Combined VC-9 squadron consisting of nine FM-2
Wildcats and twelve Avengers was assigned
aboard USS Solomons (CVE-67), docked in Recife,
Brazil. The primary mission of the ship and her
unit was anti-submarine patrols in the South
Atlantic. The VC-9 spent five months aboard from
March to August 1944 and participated in four
cruises during this period. The most successful
cruise was the third one, which involved the
detection and subsequent sinking of the German
Type IXD2 submarine U-860 on June 15, 1944.
The submarine was on her first patrol under the
command of Fregatenkapitän Paul Büchel and
42 crew members followed her into the depths.
Wildcats flying over the Atlantic wore the so-
called Atlantic camouflage scheme, consisting of
white paint on the lower and side surfaces, while
the upper surfaces were camouflaged with Dark
Gull Gray.
USS Hoggatt Bay (CVE-75), a Casablanca-class
escort carrier, joined the fleet operating off
Okinawa on May 8, 1945. Aboard was combined
squadron VC-99 that had embarked shortly
before at Saipan to support ground troops at
Okinawa and to participate in fleet protection
against Kamikaze raids by Japanese pilots.
On June 24, the ship was released from
operations off Okinawa and sent to Leyte, where
she parted ways with the VC-99 awaiting rest and
replenishment of losses. An all-blue camouflage
scheme in Gloss Sea Blue was introduced in
June 1944, replacing the three-color camouflage
scheme used since January 1943.
KITS 09/2024
INFO Eduard
55
September 2024