The repeat of April 29th would prove to be significantly more action-packed than it's immediate predecessor, as Princeton and Air Group 23 would launch a total of 81 aircraft (54 fighters and 27 bombers) in multiple waves over the course of the day.
Despite "squally weather and low visibility conditions," what a sight it must have been at 0721 as "USS ENTERPRISE, USS LEXINGTON, and USS LANGLEY commenced launching aircraft." Princeton's turn came soon thereafter as she "completed catapulting 9 VT for Strike No. 1A against Japanese installations in the TRUK ISLANDS at 0742" followed immediately by 8 VF to escort the bombers.
Within minutes the War Diary describes what happened next:
At 0755 fleet course was changed left to 010˚. Received information from ComTaskForce 58 that the enemy was aware of the approach of this Task Force and that enemy planes were taking off. At 0815 enemy aircraft made an attack on ships of this formation in low visibility conditions. The number of aircraft could not be determined, but one was definitely observed dropping a torpedo or bomb close to the USS LEXINGTON on this vessel's port bow. Various ship's in the formation opened fire to repel attack. Visibility was about 5000 yards to port and less than that to starboard in a squall. No damage was suffered by this force, except that the USS CANBERRA reported later that the USS LEXINGTON had fired at her, injuring one man.
Baltimore Class Canberra was a good looking ship.
Operating with Task Force 38 in the Western Pacific, 10 October 1944, three days before she was torpedoed off Formosa. Her camouflage is Design 18a in the Measure 31-32-33 series. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
At 0817 Princeton was directed to launch an additional 4 fighters but in the confusion "five VF were launched in error instead of four."
Marginal weather combined with the normal challenges of combat resulted in an increasingly chaotic situation.
"At 0902 USS INGERSOLL was ordered to leave the formation to pick up personnel reported in the water on true bearing 280˚." Twenty five minutes later "...observed a VT from USS LEXINGTON making a forced landing in the water; personnel rescued by screening destroyer." Minutes later Enterprise, Langley, Lexington and Princeton began launching and recovering aircraft.
Returning from the first strike of the day CAG Miller and his wingman, Ensign L.F. McWilliams USNR, both flying Hellcats, shared credit for downing a Japanese Army Nakajima Ki-44 "Tojo" fighter. Each man using all six of his .50 caliber guns to score hits in the Tojo's "fuselage, wing roots [and] engine from 12 o'clock to 9 o'clock."
The Action Report description of the shootdown — try to transport yourself mentally into each Hellcat cockpit — makes for a brief but compelling read:
While covering attack of TBF's, VF-23 observed Tojo on tail of an F6F from another squadron. Tojo was then at 2,500'. Lt.Comdr. Miller, flying at 2,000', opened with a full deflection shot at 300 yards and closed to 250 yards, scoring hits around engine. As Tojo turned towards him, Lt.Comdr. Miller pressed home a head-on attack firing from 200 yards to 150 yards, scoring hits around wing roots and landing gear, as a result of which one of Tojo's wheels came down into landing position. Thereupon, Ens. McWilliams, flying at 1,800', in wing position of Lt.Comdr. Miller's section, fired head-on attack on Tojo, then at 1,900'. Opening fire at 150 yards and closing to 100 yards. Tojo's engine flamed and then flames enveloped entire plane and it crashed into the sea.
After reading this account, I am reminded of a quote from an unlikely source:
It is the cataclysmic ecstasy of the flier, not the perfection of his machine gun, which drops the enemy in flaming ruin.
General Patton rode horses and drove tanks for a living, but writing in his memoir War As I Knew It, he seems to have had a pretty solid, albeit characteristically dramatic, grasp of the combat flying business as well.
The above action notwithstanding, bragging rights for the first mission of the day had to go to the rear gunners of two of VT-23's Avengers, Petty Officers R.L. Pennock and A.S. Andress. AOM2c* Pennock and AMM3c** Andress, firing their rear turret M2 Browning .50 caliber guns...
...downed a Kawasaki Ki-61 "Tony" with hits to the "engine and wing roots."
Likely seeing the lumbering Avengers and thinking they would be easy prey, the pilot of the Tony was about to be disabused of that notion.
Forever.
The Action Report describes the engagement:
[The Tony] attacked TBF of Flight Leader after he pulled out of a dive and had been formed up on by his section. The enemy made one stern run from 8 o'clock high side; as he pulled away he was destroyed by turret gun of the TBF and by the turret gun of the leader's wing man, at a distance of 500 to 750'.
Mess with the bulls, get the horns. I have to believe it was the most exciting few seconds of these young men's lives to that point.
At 1057 Princeton was secured from General Quarters stations which had begun at 0600, "it now appearing that air opposition had been controlled."
The War Diary included a brief entry which, to be honest, I have read and reread multiple times. And which makes me chuckle each time:
At 1138 fleet course was changed right to 205˚ while this vessel was engaged in launching, and at 1139 fleet course changed back to 060˚. ComTaskGroup 58.3 later signaled that the execution of the course change was in error, but that all ship's should have turned regardless.
ComTaskGroup 58.3 is correct, of course. But still.
As the air threat subsided, other potential dangers were relayed to the Task Force:
At 1222 received information from ComTaskGroup 58.3 that radio direction finder bearings reported one Japanese submarine in vicinity of 100 miles southwest of TRUK ISLANDS. Friendly submarine was reported bearing 060˚, 40 miles from us.
Meanwhile, the seemingly normal aerial follies continued apace:
At 1243 observed a VF, which was later identified as being from USS LANGLEY, making a water landing directly astern of formation about 5 miles distant.
At 1552 one VF from USS LEXINGTON made forced landing in water ahead of formation. USS INGERSOLL was ordered to pick up pilot.
Task Force launches and recoveries continued seemingly without pause, each noted by the War Diary.
At 1713 received information from ComTaskGroup 58l3 that one of this Task Group's search planes reports sighting 10 Japanese aircraft on NOMOI ISLANDS.
Princeton had launched her first aircraft at 0721 and recovered the last at 1958. The day was oh so close to being mishap free when, at 1947 "plane VF-3 crashed into barriers; plane damaged, pilot uninjured." Considering the unrelenting pace, I would submit the Air Group 23 acquitted itself rather well.
Since Guadalcanal in late summer of 1942, the Japanese had proved singularly unwilling to give up and, despite the significant destruction in men and materiel they had suffered at Truk just two months earlier during OPERATION HAILSTONE, they would continue to sacrifice themselves against overwhelming odds.
Tomorrow would see more of the same.
NNNN
* AOM2c — Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class
** Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class
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