KITS 10/2023

BuNo. 3986, Lt. Cdr. Edward H. O’Hare, VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), April 1942

Edward Henry O’Hare was born on March 13, 1914,

in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from the

US Naval Academy in 1937, he was commissioned

as an Ensign and assigned to the battleship USS

New Mexico (BB-40). In June 1939, he began flight

training, which he successfully completed in May

1940. Then he was transferred to VF-3, based

on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). He

became famous for his actions in February 1942

when, during the approach to Rabaul on New

Britain, the position of Task Force 11 led by the

aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), on which

VF-3 was stationed at that time, was exposed. The

Japanese dispatched two groups of Betty bombers

toward the task force. Only "Butch" O’Hare and his

wingman confronted the second group. Lt. O’Hare

shot down three Bettys and severely damaged

two others, disrupting the entire attack. On April

10, 1942, for promotional shots, two Wildcats were

prepared: Thach's with the designation F-1 and the

aircraft marked F-13, flown by Lt. Noel A. M. Gayler.

However, during the filming, newly promoted Lt.

Cdr. O’Hare took the place in F-13's cockpit. This

Wildcat was camouflaged with Light Gray FS 36440

on the undersurfaces and Blue Gray FS 35189 on

the upper and side surfaces. The insignia on the

rear fuselage and four positions on the wings were

accompanied by 13 red and white stripes on the

rudder. Edward O’Hare did not survive till the end

of the war. During a night action on November 26,

1943, while flying a Hellcat, he was likely hit and

crashed into the sea. His body was never found,

although some witnesses claimed to have seen

a parachute. Before the war, O’Hare had settled

in Chicago, and in 1949, the city named its airport

after him.

1942, the unit was moved to Tafuna Airfield (now

Pago Pago International Airport) on Tutuila Island,

part of the American Samoa archipelago. In July

of the same year, the unit was relocated to the

newly built Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island in the

same archipelago. Here, the unit spent a year as

part of the defense of this territory, armed with

Wildcats that had seen service with U.S. Navy

squadrons operating from aircraft carriers.

Wildcat with Bureau Number 3991 initially served

on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and

later, while part of VF-2, participated in the Battle

of the Coral Sea. At the beginning of his service

with VMF-111, nicknamed Devil Dogs, he carried

insignias with red centers on the fuselage and

wings and red and white stripes on the rudder.

BuNo. 3991, VMF-111 Samoa, 1942

Since its establishment in September 1925, this

unit underwent several designations. It wasn't

until July 1, 1941, that the unit was redesignated as

VMF-111, a designation it held until its deactivation

on November 26, 1945. At the time of the attack

on Pearl Harbor, the pilots of the unit flew F4F3 Wildcat aircraft, which the squadron retained

in service until the beginning of 1943, when it

transitioned to more modern Corsairs. In March

October 2023

INFO Eduard

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