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1/29/44: War & Fog

Oystera6

Updated: Feb 1, 2023

Less than two hours after sunset and 20˚ starboard of Princeton's course, the thin crescent of a newly waxing moon followed the sun's path below the horizon. Air Group 23 plane captains, maintenance personnel and ordnance handlers worked under strict "darken ship" light discipline through the night to ready the Hellcats of VF-23 and the Avengers of VT-23 for combat. Her boilers producing power for 25 knots, Princeton was "Steaming in company with Task Group 58.4 making high speed approach for dawn air strike against Japanese air installations at Wotje Island..."


Princeton's attack on Wotje would be in support of amphibious landings on the island of Kwajalein by the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division and the 4th Marine Division's invasion of the islands of Roi and Namur, both scheduled for 31 January.


Admiral Nimitz's Graybook entry tells us that Roi, Kwajalein and Wotje were hit the night of January 28th by a combined 52 tons of bombs delivered by 18 Army Air Corps B-24 Liberator bombers.

B-24 Liberator bomber taking off from captured airfield on Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands.


The Japanese were being subjected to all manner of American power.


In addition to locating the ship's War Diary in the National Archives, I was also fortunate to find the Air Group's post-combat "Action Report" for every Operation in which Princeton participated during 1944. Included in the Action Reports is a thoroughly bureaucratic accounting of flight time, fuel used, ammunition expended, damage incurred, etc. The administrative "bean counting" is thankfully balanced with the occasional description of particularly notable events as well as a chance for the Air Group Commander* to offer lessons learned and recommendations. Some of these are quite fantastic, as we will see in the future.



Commencing with the launch at 0600 of 16 fighters and 6 bombers, Princeton's flight deck would be in a constant state of operation until the final recovery of the day at 1610.


In the intervening hours she would launch 5 separate strikes, totaling 62 VF and 24 VT missions, against Japanese installations on Wotje. 2 Avengers and 1 Hellcat would receive "slight" or "minor" damage "from anti-aircraft fire." Pilot reports of attack effectiveness indicate multiple enemy ammunition and gasoline dumps being observed to explode, various buildings strafed but heavy anti-aircraft fire still existing on the north end of the island.



Returning to the War Diary, recall our discussion from 25 January regarding the multitude of factors that create potential confusion and subsequent stress which leaders must process before making decisions.


Clausewitz famously remarked that ‘War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action in war is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty.’


Let us once again don the brown shoes of Princeton's skipper Captain Henderson as "the fog of war" rolls in:


- "At 0041 U.S.S. LANGLEY reported surface vessels bearing 152˚, distance 33 miles, on course 268˚, speed 25 knots, identified as friendly."


- "At 0135 U.S.S. CUMMINGS dropped out of formation to effect repairs on lubricating oil line casualty..."


- "At 0525 went to General Quarters, an hour and a half before local sunrise."


- "At 0530 O.T.C. directed U.S.S. CUMMINGS, U.S.S. McCALL, and U.S.S. DUNLAP to turn on red truck lights to assist in pre-dawn take-offs and rendezvous of aircraft."


- "At 0632 U.S.S. SARATOGA reported one aircraft had crashed in water off her starboard bow. U.S.S. GRIDLEY reported having the plane in sight and proceeded to rescue personnel uninjured."


- "At 0901 primary TBS circuit temporarily went out of commission."


- "At 1240 the strike group observed three small unidentified vessels approximately 30 miles northeast of Wotje Island on a northerly course."


- "At 1357 an unidentified plane was picked up by radar bearing 210˚, distant 50 miles, fading from the screen at 1359."


- "At 1535 and unidentified aircraft was picked up by radar, bearing 295˚, distant 13 miles. Went to General Quarters."


- "At 1555 commenced recovering aircraft. ... At 1559 steamed into an area of heavy rain squalls, wind across the flight deck rising in excess of 45 knots."


Dealing with a constantly changing situation is not exclusive in its impact on senior leaders.


The "Graybook" summary for 29 January includes this comment:

"A Mitchell mission to WOTJE was attacked by carrier F6Fs at dusk on 29th and one Mitchell was shot down others damaged. Similar scheduled strikes were cancelled."


Neither Princeton's War Diary or CVLG-23's Action Report make mention of this tragic mistake. I assume that either Langley or Saratoga fighters were responsible.


Fog of war indeed.


As the day's action waned in conjunction with the setting sun, Rear Admiral Ginder signaled that "Zero Hour" for the next day's operations would be 0715 local time. Princeton, along with Langley would continue to hit Wotje.


NNNN


* CVLG-23 "CAG" at this time was Lieutenant Commander Henry L. Miller, who made his mark early in the war and went on to an illustrious Naval career.



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