Leyte (CV 32) - Naval Cruise Book

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CHRISTMAS AT SEA LITTLE did we dream on Christmas day 1949 at Naples, that our next Christmas would he spent in the Sea of Japan. But, there -we were-giving critical support to our troops evacuating Hung- nam. On Christmas the evacuation came to a most successful finish, and a lull developed in the fighting. So we turned hack to Saseho to restock, repair and recuperate after 52 days at sea. The day began with Midnight Mass LSO feels the spirit Santa visits the marines Prize winning display A l 1 How about some more toikey? The captain discovers he has a relative on board

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LEYTE HELPS MARINES ESCAPE RESERVOIR TRAP 0N November 24 the UN forces began an all out offensive to end the war by Christmas. However, fate and the Politburo smiled against the UN offensive. It soon became apparent that the Chinese had prepared for open aggression in Korea. Massive Chinese armies lashed out in a surprise assault that trapped the First Marine Division and some army units in the Chosin Reservoir Area.- On December first our troops began a desperate break for the sea, with the support of every available plane. I LEYTE planes slashed Chinese columns to ribbons in straling attacks and dug into foxholes with fragmentation bombs. Napalm burned many a Chinese pigtail in attacks on barracks and tanks. In ten days the gallant Marines had cut their way through overwhelming Red hordes and arrived at I-Iungnam. Without naval air 'power the story might have been different. ' ' Another strike OH to the reservoir This critical period called for our maximum ejort AND THEN PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN THE HUNGNAM EVACUATION WITH our lines split by the Chinese hordes, the 10th Army Corps in Northeast Korea could only retreat by sea. All UN forces converged on the battered port of Hungnam during De- cember. Naval gunpower and airpower dropped some four million pounds of explosive. to prevent any interference with the most successful evacuation in history. In the words of Admiral Doyle- ult was a walk-not a run-to the nearest exit. They never laid a glove on us. Naval air and surface power saw to thatf, . A ' ' In twelve days some 105,000 troops and 91,000 Korean civilians were evacuated. Nothing useful to the enemy was left behind-17,500 vehicles and 350,000 tons of cargo were removed. Navy and Marine planes flew over 6,000 sorties. several occasions flight deck crews had to shovel off much snow before operations could be resumedsf'

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COMPOSITE SQUADRON SIXTY-TWO Lt. Alexatos a COMPOSITE Squadron Sixty-Two was commissioned in January 1949 at the Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia. The present commanding officer, LCDR. LeRoy W. Keith, succeeded CDR. W. O. Moore who was killed in an airplane crash. In the fall 'of 1950 the squadron was transferred from Norfolk, to the Naval Air Station, Jackson- ville, Florida where it is now stationed. The primary mission of Composite Squadron Sixty-Two is to supply the Atlantic fleet units with detachments of qualified photographic reconnaissance pilots. Pilots are trained and organized into teams at the parent squadron. These teams are assigned to carriers to supply them with photographic intelligence over a broad range. The pilot may be assigned to photograph any target for intelligence unobtainable from other sources. He may be called on for mapping runs to be used in constructing maps or correcting existing maps. A frequently assigned mission is damage assessment photography to be used 'in estimating the true amount of damage inflicted by our strike groups. Detachment Three assigned to Air Group Three and based aboard the U.S.S. Leyte consisted of six pilots, eighteen enlisted men, and four FLLU-5P Corsair aircraft. Lt. M. S. Alexatos, USN, a veteran photo-pilot of the war against Japan, was senior aviator and Officer in Charge. The De- tachment suffered one casualty, Ensign W. G. Wagner, who was shot down over North Korea while on a combat reconnaissance mission.