Belleau Wood (CVL 24) - Naval Cruise Book

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vi ff' fwf' Torpedo Squadron 30 TOP ROW: J. M. Tuttle, E. L. Howe, R. N. Lahann, A. E. Louis, R. E. Regan, L. L. Hailey, YV. J. Duffy, B. D. Kent, F. R. Foster, O. I. Ford, W. C. Mosley, E. C. Kress, T. A. Turgeon, R. W. Richardson, G. Fabyanic, J. J. Carroll, NV. E. Flenniken, C. E. Brandt, H. Hardee, J. W. Grie- ner, C. A. Conner, F. J. Kendlehart. THIRD ROW: J. Zalewski, R. E. Dodson, R. B. Smith, D. E. Guhse, P. W. Lycan, NV. E. Delaney, YV. H. Mosey, F. C. Tothill, J. M. Reisert, B. Bailey, L. W. Tedesco, W. R. Willert, R. O. Ytzen, J. J, O'Neill, R. C. Atwood. SECOND ROW: Hetrick, E.. J. Bury, E. L. Hubbs, B. A. Woolever, G. C. Spear. H. F. Cornelius, D. H. Klunk, NV. M. Parker, C. R. McCall, H. N. Haney, L. H. Girompmy, J. E. Simmons, A. C. McCarty, H. B. Jacques, N. J. Cooney, T. S. Hinshaw, W. Tilley, L. C. Bailey. BOTTOM ROW: R. L. Eychaner, D. D. Yoho, J. N. Sherbon, Menco, J. A. Fahey, E. J. Mawhinney, A. Dadamo, E. C. Ness, C. H. Jones, C. R. Callo- way, J. S. Bunor, C. R. Gammon, R. L. Sweeney, W. P. O'Shea. H. G. LeBlanc. NO PICTURES OF THE FOLLOVVING OFFICERS: F. E. Hedges. C. D. Relyea. MEN: L. L. Burton, J. Cherry, E. A. Gruett, T. F. McDavid. Shortly after the first Tokyo operation, Lt. Cdr. On April 6 fourteen Hellcats of VFf30 ran into a Lindner was shot down over OhifOhi Jima and declared large mass of Jap aircraft over Okinawa. They shot missing in action. Another black day came a few down 26 Vals, 14 Zekes, 5 Tojos, and 2 Oscars-a to' tal of 47 Nip planes. Ens. Carl Foster took scoring honors this time with six planes to his credit. The group left the ship in Leyte Gulf in June, 1945. In their four months of combat they had capitalized on golden opportunities to destroy 110 Jap planes in the air-a record for BELLEAU WOOD air groups. days later when, on March 1, seven pilots and air crew' men were lost on a strike in the Nansei Shoto. On March 21 the combat air patrol engaged an ex' tremely large group of Jap bombers QBettysj and fighters headed toward the Task Force on what was evidently a suicide mission. Ens. Jim Ward was the first to dis' cover the Baka bomb, attached to the underside of each Betty. In the ensuing engagement 47 laps were splashed, Air Group 30 fighters accounting for 11 Bettys, 12 Zekes, and 1 Tony. Ens. Johnny Miller personally destroyed five. Ens. Jim Reber got four. Two weeks later a striking force of fighters and torf pedo planes from the air group played a prominent part in the sinking of the super battleship, the YAMATO, along with most of its supporting ships. Torpedo pilot Lt. Ernie Delaney had a memorable experience in this operation when he was shot down in flames in the mid' dle of the Jap task force and rescued a few hours later by a PBM. His crewmen, Edward Mawhinney and Wil' liam Tilley were never found. 185 X X X

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1 1 . 3 !................M.. get YZ' ' Pl 215 ' z g 3 r Qs Ev Ht . 'li 13 :ll .iq i, 4 -e 1 'E .I if fs? S211 .ru ,,' 335 Efie E tif 1 l D: 1 ,. i l I 1 1 I Fighting Squadron 30 TOP ROW: O. J. Merz. K. W. Curry, H. A. Lee, D. J. Smith, R. L. Rhodes, D. L. Kirby, C. Duggins, B. R. Kyler, T. J. Ryzin, J. Welle, A. I. Lunder, ' ' ' A. L. Ol n. VV H Smith, R. B. Carlson, W. Gundaker, R. H. Baldwin, L. M. Cobb, W. R. McAllister, D. E. Reynei, W. H. ogers, se FOURTH ROW: K. B. Rowley, R. P. Tunstill, R. O. Burns, J. W. Ward, R. E. Parker, E. J. McNulty, M. A. Mazzocco, J. E. Pixbon. THIRD ROW: F. L. Peterson, R. S. Bennett, J. W. Pooley, W. J. Cummings, W. N. Thomas, A. S. Yesensky, G. J. Tracy, J. V. Reber, L. J. Behrend, D. P. Philips, A. G. Bittner. O. J. Fronek. J. F. Gerkin, E. J .Easter, R. P. Buis. SECOND ROW:R. C. Anderson, R. G. Doherty, J. J. Noel, W. S. Huckins, C. H. Carey, C. C. Foster, R. L. Reins, J G. Miller, K. J. Dahms, F. R. Gil christ, J. L. Watson, C. C. Spataro. BOTTOM ROVV: H. V. Haney, C. C. Tovar, P. P. Korkey, Harrison, L. G. Rygh, F. E. Green, H. W. Sturdevant, R. H. Lindner, D. A. Clark, R. F. Gil- lespie, E. A. Evenson, J. R. Blanton, J. Q. Ward. NO PICTURES OF THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS: R. G. Berenson, C. D. Mclver, R. L. Mosher, H. J. Wescott, R. L. Young. lil GROUP 30 Air Group 30 was commissioned April 1, 1943 at Rio Grande, New Jersey. On August 1 they reported aboard the U. S. S. MONTEREY, CVLf26. Their first action against the enemy came on November 19 with strikes against Makin Island. May 11, 1944 terminated this iirst tour of duty when the group was detached from the MONTEREY at Pearl Harbor. The second edition of Air Group 30 was organized under Lt. Cdr. Robert Lindner in June, 1944 at N.A.S. Seattle. Lt. Frederick C. Tothill skippered the torpedo squadron. The air group was then transferred to N.A.S., Pasco, Washington for training in gunnery, straff ing, bombing, and combat hops. From Pasco the air group flew to San Diego and boarded the CVE, U. S. S. TAKANIS BAY for carrier qualification. After a few weeks of held carrier landings at Brown Field, San Diego, Air Group 30 reported to the BELLEAU WOOD in Alameda on january 18, 1945 shortly before her departure for the combat area. Initial contact with the enemy came on February 16 -the first Tokyo strikes. Lt. fjgj Eric Candy Even' son shot down two Jap planes while on a CAP tO break the ice . 184

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Fighting Squadron 31 . TOP ROW: H. J. Barker, R. G. Austin, D. E. White, H. Z. Penzinski, R. W. Schilling, R. C. Woodford, J. C. Lund, E. L. Leland, R. E. Boyer, A. M. Melton, F. P. Hallowell, R. L. Blythe, F. P. Tighe. SECOND ROVV: T. M. Guy, D. P. Matteson, J. J. Arnold, C. W. Robison, H. H. Wicker, VV. L. Collier, J. P. Goeppinger, H. Banning, F. R. Clifford, C.J. Egli, H. Mokwa, J. Rosner, W. Salminen, R. A. Karp, C. A. Moore, E. S. Vass, J. O. A. Graveline, R. A. Lewis. BOTTOM ROW: J. W. Kenney, G. W. Nichols, L. S. Flowers, J. L. Wolf, E. A. Toaspern, D. S. White, K. H. Somerville, W. A. Rubly, C. N. Nooy, G. D. Shimek, B. S. Weber, J. S. Stewart, F. X. Bushner, J. H. Parker, A. F. Tarabusi, J. T. O'Brien, H. A. McMillan, F. J. Repp, R. R. Barnes, NO PICTURES OF THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS: W. B. Hall, E. H. Caywood, H. L. Law, E. R. VVhite. l R G R Q U lp 3 1 Air Group 31 was born as VCf17 on May 1, 1943 at N.A.S., Atlantic City, New Jersey. Flying from the U. S. S. CABOT, CVL28, the group got its first taste of action on January 29, 1944 in an attack on Roi Island in the Marshalls. On October 3, 1944 they were de' tached from the CABOT after establishing a record for CVL air groups: 147 enemy planes destroyed in the air and 46,000 tons of Japanese shipping sent to the bottom. Air Group 31 refformed at Alameda, California, De- cember 9, 1944 with only ten veterans of the original group returning to join 45 new pilots under Commander Bruce S. Weber as commanding oiiicer and Lt. john Bowen in charge of the torpedo squadron. After extensive training at Hollister, California, Fal-' lon, Nevada, and Arcata, California, the group took their carrier qualification on the CVE U. S. S. MATAf NIKAU. Additional training was emphasized on the MONTEREY which carried the Group to Hawaii. On June 16, 31 became the BELLEAU WOOD air group in Leyte Gulf. Operations in the combat Zone began on July 10 with sweeps and strikes against Kuma' gaya airfield in the Tokyo Plain area. At Hokkaido, the land of clouds and rain, strikes were launched against inland airiields, ports, and railroad facilities. They returned to the Tokyo area in a series of strikes on the old battleship NAGATO, docked at Yokosuka. 186