In Flight
The
Navy's two most famous Wildcat pilots in early '42 - Leader of VF-2, Lt. Cmdr. John S.
"Jimmy" Thach (creator of the Thach Weave) flys F4F-3 #F-1 alongside the Navy's
first ace "Butch" O'Hare (in #F-13) near NAS Kaneohe on April 10, 1942. Note the
opened canopies (a typical action when not in combat).
(Source: Aviation History magazine, November 1995)
Last chance for combat - A pair of Marine SB2U Vindicator
dive bombers take off from Midway Island on June 4 1942, in search of the Japanese fleet.
Like a number of other Marine aircraft at the time, the Vindicator was somewhat obsolete
and had been phased out of front-line U.S. Navy service, and handed-down to the Marines.
After the battle most Marine dive bombing squadrons would replace their aging SB2Us with
the Douglas SBD Dauntless.
(Source: "Tragic Victories", by Edward Jablonski)
A
much-maligned warrior - The Brewster F2A Buffalo fighter had certain parallels with
the Vindicator dive bomber. It too was obsolete at the beginning of the war, had been
handed down to the Marines, and was phased out of front-line service after the Battle of
Midway. Midway was it's first and last combat action in U.S. hands, where it's heavy
losses proved that it was no match for the nimble Zero.
(Source: "Tragic Victories", by Edward Jablonski)
A classic photo - SBD
Dauntlesses fly over a smoking Japanese warship during the Battle of Midway.
Down she goes - Nearing the bottom of a perfect dive, the
perforated flaps on his SBD Dauntless biting the air to hold his speed to a perfect 275
mph, a dive bomber pilot releases a 500-pound bomb.
(Source:"The Carrier War" by Clark G. Reynolds
& Time-Life)
Wildcats in combat - Another photo of the well-done dioramas
of the Midway battle, this one shows U.S. Navy F4F Wildcats shooting down Japanese Kate
torpedo bombers.
(Source: U.S. Navy)
Torp's
away! - A TBF Avenger releases its fish during its low-level torpedo run.
(Source: "Naval Aircraft 1939-1945" by Louis S.
Casey)
Group practice - Similar to the
above photo, but clearer and showing multiple aircraft. A squadron of TBFs drop their
torpedos in this non-combat shot.
(Sent in by website visitor John S. McDonald. Thanks,
John!)
Another long patrol - A Navy PV-1 Ventura bomber patrols
over an Aleutian island.
(Source: "The Forgotten War" by Stan Cohen)
Waiting to land - SBD-5s from VB-10 of the USS Enterprise
circle their carrier after returning from action in March 1944.
(Source:"Air War Over The Pacific" by Robert C.
Stern)
Replacement for the Ventura -
Lockheed followed their PV-1 Ventura with the similar (but larger and slower) PV-2
Harpoon. Though it had better flight handling characteristics, its slower speed reduced
its fighting abilities.
(Source:"Carrier Air War - In Original WWII Color"
by R. Lawson & B. Tillman)
Marine Mitchell - A U.S. Marine
PBJ-1H (the Navy version of the B-25H) Mitchell is shown here in 1944. Deliveries of the
H-model of the Marine versions of the Mitchell began in 1943, and served in a variety of
roles, like their Army counterparts.
(Source:"Carrier Air War - In Original WWII Color"
by R. Lawson & B. Tillman)
Eyes
for the fleet - This Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher directs naval gunfire during the opening
phase of the Palau Islands invasion on 15 September 1944. Landing craft can be seen below
heading for the beaches.
(Source: Marine Fighting Squadron One-Twenty-One (VMF-121) by
Thomas Doll)
Avengers in flight - On January 12, 1945, American Avenger
aircraft from Air Group 4 of the USS Essex formed up and flew off to bomb and
torpedo airfields and shipping near Saigon in Japanese-held Indochina.
(Source:"The Naval Air War" by Nathan Miller)
Helldiver's bombs away - an SB2C Helldiver drops its bomb;
note the bomb cradle that has dropped forward from the open bomb bay, releasing it's
payload. This photo was listed as occurring during the 12 January 1945 raids on the
Indochina coast.
(Source: "Golden Wings" by Martin Caidin)
TBM flying with missing wingtip - An Avenger torpedo bomber
that lost a wingtip to flak over Chichi Jima heads for its carrier (USS Bennington)
on February 17, 1945. The plane later crashed when the landing gear was lowered.
(Source:"The Naval Air War" by Nathan Miller, and
the USS Bennington cruise book)
Corsair firing rockets - Marine F4U Corsairs use rocket
barrages to blast enemy positions dug into the rocky ridges of Okinawa.
(Source:"The Naval Air War" by Nathan Miller)
A show of strength - A mass formation of more than 1,200
aircraft fly over the U.S. fleet anchored in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, to signal
(with the signing of the surrender documents) the end of the war. The battleship Missouri
(BB-63) is in the foreground.
(Source: The Hook magazine, Summer 1996)