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TASK FORCE 58 OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN
had changed. Fleet carriers now embarked
73 fighters (Hellcats and Corsairs), with the
remaining 30 made up of dive-bombers and
torpedo-bombers.
On 16 February 1945, Task Force 58 closed
to within 60 nautical miles off the Japanese
coast, 90 miles south of Tokyo. The approach
followed a high-speed voyage under strict
radio silence and in fairly poor weather.
A group of five destroyers steamed ahead of
the task force, while carrier aircraft flew anti-
submarine patrols.
The Japanese, however, were expecting
an attack around this time. Japanese Navy
and Army fighter units, along with several
operational training units, met the American
airmen in extremely difficult weather.
Antiaircraft defenses were also highly active.
American pilots nicknamed one stretch of road
between Tokyo and Yokohama “Flak Highway.”
On 16 February, carrier airmen flew seven
strikes. The following day, as the weather
deteriorated, they launched only four.
Results of the Engagement
Over the two days, TF 58 aircraft flew 2,761
operational sorties, including patrol missions.
American airmen claimed 341 Japanese
aircraft shot down and destroyed 190 on
the ground. The carrier air groups, which
committed 738 aircraft, lost 60 in combat
and another 28 to other causes. Hellcats and
Corsairs accounted for the overwhelming
majority of aircraft lost. A total of 20 fighter
pilots or bomber aircrew were rescued from
the sea. The carrier air group aboard USS
Bennington suffered the heaviest losses,
losing 12 aircraft: six Hellcats and five pilots
from VF-82, and six Corsairs (including one
FG-1D) and three pilots from VMF-123.
On the Japanese side, Navy fighter units
claimed 98 victories during the two days
of fighting and lost 30 pilots. Their Army Air
Force counterparts claimed 62 American
aircraft shot down and 27 damaged on 16
February, while losing 34 of their own aircraft.
On 17 February, Army fighters lost 14 aircraft
and reported 36 confirmed victories, with
another 18 American aircraft claimed
as damaged.
VBF-3 in Action
One account of those two days comes from
the chronicle of VBF-3, the “Crazy Cats,” which
had been part of the carrier air group aboard
USS Yorktown since the beginning of 1945. The
squadron was commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Fritz
Wolf, a veteran of the fighting in China who had
scored four victories with the AVG’s “Flying
Tigers” and later served with VF-11 aboard
the USS Hornet. Lt. Cmdr. John McBrayer,
transferred from VF-81 and previously
assigned to the first USS Wasp, served as
executive officer.
VBF-3’s pilots were somewhat resentful of
their bombing role, signified by the letter B
in the unit’s designation. They flew aircraft
shared with their former VF-3 colleagues and
carried out the same missions. Many pilots
ignored the VBF-3 designation and continued
to identify themselves as VF-3.
One of them described the two days of raids
on Japan this way:
On the morning of 16 February Lieut.
Comdr. Wolf led a flight to that target - the
Kasumigaura area northeast of the city of
Tokyo - and established, if our information
is correct, an impressive first. This sweep
was the YORKTOWN‘S 2-A flight, launched
immediately after the 1-A sweep at 0718
(K). The earlier hop suffered the same fate
which, so far as we are able to discover, met
all the other A flight from the force a heavy
blanketing overcast which turned back short
of the Honshu coast.
Lieut. Comdr. Wolf took his fighter in low,
flying in the base of the clouds, and from there
attacked Konoike Airfield. While the attack
was in progress the weather began to break,
and, for the rest of the day, the target was
open. Thus the flight was, to the best of our
know ledge, the first to get in that day. If so
the VBF-3 pilots were the first carrier-based
Navy pilots, and the first fighter pilots, ever to
attack the sacred soil of the empire of Japan.
A Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 of Tsukuba Kōkūtai, photographed during
the latter half of the Pacific War. Photo: SDASM
Aerial view of Tsukuba air base in Japan. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Aircraft carriers and other vessels anchored at Ulithi Atoll, 8 December 1944. The carriers in the line, from
front to rear, are USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-19), USS Hancock (CV-19)
and USS Ticonderoga (CV-140). USS Lexington (CV-16) is in the left background. Most of these ships took part
in Task Force 58’s raids on Japan in February 1945. Photo: US Naval Heritage Command
INFO Eduard
9
November 2026

TASK FORCE 58 OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN

A Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 of Tsukuba Kōkūtai, photographed during the latter half of the Pacific War. Photo: SDASM

Aerial view of Tsukuba air base in Japan. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

had changed. Fleet carriers now embarked 73 fighters (Hellcats and Corsairs), with the remaining 30 made up of dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers.

On 16 February 1945, Task Force 58 closed to within 60 nautical miles off the Japanese coast, 90 miles south of Tokyo. The approach followed a high-speed voyage under strict radio silence and in fairly poor weather. A group of five destroyers steamed ahead of the task force, while carrier aircraft flew antisubmarine patrols.

The Japanese, however, were expecting an attack around this time. Japanese Navy and Army fighter units, along with several operational training units, met the American airmen in extremely difficult weather. Antiaircraft defenses were also highly active. American pilots nicknamed one stretch of road between Tokyo and Yokohama “Flak Highway.” On 16 February, carrier airmen flew seven strikes. The following day, as the weather deteriorated, they launched only four.

Results of the Engagement

Over the two days, TF 58 aircraft flew 2,761 operational sorties, including patrol missions. American airmen claimed 341 Japanese aircraft shot down and destroyed 190 on the ground. The carrier air groups, which committed 738 aircraft, lost 60 in combat and another 28 to other causes. Hellcats and Corsairs accounted for the overwhelming majority of aircraft lost. A total of 20 fighter pilots or bomber aircrew were rescued from the sea. The carrier air group aboard USS Bennington suffered the heaviest losses, losing 12 aircraft: six Hellcats and five pilots from VF-82, and six Corsairs (including one FG-1D) and three pilots from VMF-123.

On the Japanese side, Navy fighter units claimed 98 victories during the two days of fighting and lost 30 pilots. Their Army Air Force counterparts claimed 62 American aircraft shot down and 27 damaged on 16 February, while losing 34 of their own aircraft. On 17 February, Army fighters lost 14 aircraft

and reported 36 confirmed victories, with another 18 American aircraft claimed as damaged.

VBF-3 in Action

One account of those two days comes from the chronicle of VBF-3, the “Crazy Cats,” which had been part of the carrier air group aboard USS Yorktown since the beginning of 1945. The squadron was commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Fritz Wolf, a veteran of the fighting in China who had scored four victories with the AVG’s “Flying Tigers” and later served with VF-11 aboard the USS Hornet. Lt. Cmdr. John McBrayer, transferred from VF-81 and previously assigned to the first USS Wasp, served as executive officer.

VBF-3’s pilots were somewhat resentful of their bombing role, signified by the letter B in the unit’s designation. They flew aircraft shared with their former VF-3 colleagues and carried out the same missions. Many pilots ignored the VBF-3 designation and continued to identify themselves as VF-3.

One of them described the two days of raids on Japan this way:

On the morning of 16 February Lieut. Comdr. Wolf led a flight to that target - the Kasumigaura area northeast of the city of Tokyo - and established, if our information is correct, an impressive first. This sweep was the YORKTOWN‘S 2-A flight, launched immediately after the 1-A sweep at 0718 (K). The earlier hop suffered the same fate which, so far as we are able to discover, met all the other A flight from the force a heavy blanketing overcast which turned back short of the Honshu coast.

Lieut. Comdr. Wolf took his fighter in low, flying in the base of the clouds, and from there attacked Konoike Airfield. While the attack was in progress the weather began to break, and, for the rest of the day, the target was open. Thus the flight was, to the best of our know ledge, the first to get in that day. If so the VBF-3 pilots were the first carrier-based Navy pilots, and the first fighter pilots, ever to attack the sacred soil of the empire of Japan.

Aircraft carriers and other vessels anchored at Ulithi Atoll, 8 December 1944. The carriers in the line, from front to rear, are USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-19), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Ticonderoga (CV-140). USS Lexington (CV-16) is in the left background. Most of these ships took part in Task Force 58’s raids on Japan in February 1945. Photo: US Naval Heritage Command

November 2026

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