1/30/44: D-Day minus 1

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30 JAN 44

As the horizon gradually materialized with the approaching dawn, Princeton maintained station 50-75 miles east of Wotje while ship's company* and Air Group personnel readied for another day of bombing and strafing. For fighter and bomber crews, this meant that once airborne, it would be but a brief 20-30 minute transit from the relative comfort of mother** to the smoke and chaos of an atoll that was being methodically punished. Tasking from the O.T.C. for this day was updated late on the 29th, Princeton and Langley being directed to hit not just Wotje but Taroa Island as well. Priority targets would be runways and buildings. Princeton pilots would later report that the airfield at Wotje was "becoming severely pitted and that no attempts had been made to repair them."

Photo: Wojte Island airfield, January 1944. Photo credit: United States Army in World War II - The War in the Pacific - Seizure of the Gilberts and Marshalls, CMH Publication 5-6

Round the clock bombing makes repair virtually impossible and the Graybook indications that overnight Japanese forces on six islands had been hit with 78 tons of bombs from B-24 Liberators , PV-1 Venturas...

...and PBY Catalinas.

Referring to yesterday's "friendly fire" (known today as "blue-on-blue") incident the Graybook also included this welcome news:

"Five members of B-25 crew shot down by F6F were rescued immediately but one went down with plane."

Our modern military employs technology that provides incredible levels of situational awareness (referred to as "SA") to aircrews. Today's capability would have been mind-boggling and unimaginable to a World War II-era aviator but despite this, "blue-on-blue" tragedies still occur.

Back in the 1940's however, and up to and beyond the Cold War, individual aircrews relied on photos, technical drawings and personal study to properly identify friend from foe.

But one can understand, in the fire and smoke and fog of war, how mistakes can be made:

Air Group 23's post-strike Action Report details that from 0600 to 1545, Princeton launched 36 fighters and 38 bombers, a single Avenger receiving minor damage.

It is worth mentioning that as the pilots and crews were prosecuting targets from the sky, U.S. Navy ships were pounding the Japanese from the sea. The War Diary entry notes that "shells from the U.S.S. PENSACOLA exploded an ammunition dump at 1445, resulting in a huge cloud of debris and smoke rising 8000 feet, with a large fire still burning at 1700."

And the Surface Navy was not immune from threat.

The Graybook:

"The only damage to ships reported so far was one shell hit in CIC*** of the ANDERSON (DD-411) during the bombardment of WOTJE which killed the Commanding Officer, 2 other officers, 3 enlisted men, and injured 8 others."

The next day Anderson, her Executive Officer having taken command, was off the coast of Roi and Namur as a screening force for heavier ships involved in the bombardment of those Islands.

"At 1655 received orders from O.T.C. to concentrate on the following targets in tomorrow's strikes: planes in the air, planes on the ground, runways, radio station, radar stations, vehicles, and water borne craft in the entire atoll."

The War Diary's final entry set the stage for the next day:

"At 1812 commenced zigzagging in accordance with plan 9 on a base course 080˚, retiring to the eastward during the night in preparation to return for continued strikes tomorrow, D-Day, against same targets."

In less than 12 hours a joint force of 54,000 Soldiers and Marines would be landing on Kwajalein and Majuro, and Princeton would be ready to play her part.

NNNN

* "Ship's Company" is a term used to describe personnel specifically assigned to the ship, as opposed to those assigned to the Air Group.

** "Mother" is a term used, at least in my day, to describe the carrier in general terms. For instance, when checking in on the radio with the carrier's air traffic control one would hear something like: "Devil 407, radar contact, mother bears 245 for 60." This was the boat telling me they see me on radar and that I will find it if I fly a heading of 245 for 60 miles.

*** Combat Information Center