Two Men on a Raft

Fl-igbt Statistics

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Did You Know?

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13

Fleet

Aircraft

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February

19,1] .

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28

Training

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Sbore

Stations

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38

Overheard

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4,a

Teclini-caJly

Speakinl1 ••

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Air

Warfare

"Dja ry.

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• 55

BUREAU

OF

DEPARTM

ENT

on a

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Recently an SOC-I. p~loted by Lt. W. J. Tate Jr., crashed and sank after being cata.pulted ero.lll a cruiser. Tate and his rear seat man took to for The their rubber life raft and paddled 67 hours before being picked up.

following experience

first-hand

account

of the

is from a report

to the

Hureau by Tate. absorbing story,

it

Beside,s being an Is valuable for it contains.

EDITOR

tme

several

lessons

_I

LT. W. J. TATE JR. SENIOR NAVAL AVIATOR

U.

BY

s.

S.

S.ALT LANE CIT1'

11 my radioman from a c r u Ls e n at 8, point ab ou t nine mlles off' West C Ii-p e , Gu- d ale an 111.. It B. wah II dar Ii. 'night, no visibility_, no horizon. I had giveD my ground crew instructions in packing extra flares and didn't check on the stowage of flares in the p l an ~ b ef'o r e I too k off'. We h ad time onl:t to g at food and tacti cal data. I1pwever~ my radt om en , C. 1'1. Morgan, later said the fl ares had been laid in 1 engthwi se instead of athwartships as per instructions.

At

2200

on Oct.

and I were

eli tapul

ted

the plane. Then we t.o o k a pencil f'Lash l Lgh t IlJ1d tried to Signal and hail the ship, btl.t We di dn ! t have. any 1 uck. Soon after I got into the water I took oft my helmet and gloves and discarded them. Later on, when we began haVing t roub l e wi t)1. the sun, I regretted this.

!t a.ny rate,. very shortly after our take-oft the flares fell out and, oin falling, set the tail of the pI ane on fire. We never got more than 200 feet altitude. Within a few seconds the entire fuselage was afire. Mo g an r crawled out of his seat and up on the "Wing. I e o u Ldn t t see the water, the ho rl xon , or even the instrument "board. I gunned the engine two or three tlmes, trying to put the 1'1re o u tJ and then eased down toward the water with throttle and stick back and flaps still full d o wn , The wind was from aft when we had been OJ at apul t.ed, eo w€:, had to try a landing Ln a cross wind.

About seven minutes after the plane hit t;,he water it turned o var an d t.h e fire went out. We swam back. Morg,an held onto the tail on account of his injuries and r swam f'o r w a e d and no v e B_fter the life raft. Thecompartment c.8.ID.eopen easil y but it took at least 10 dives to ge-t the l' aft .o ut , I go t out a two-gallon c an t e en full of water and passed it to Morgan, who had bought four of' these canteens in a sporting goods store in Honolulu and put one in our 'pI Me.

There was g as o I ine 'all ove.r the water. Diving, r got some in my eyes and on my hands and wrists and swallowed a little. It made me s t ck immed1a tel y. On on a di ve I caught my 1i f'e jacket on the plane and ripped one side. Tbe other hali kept m e up, ''11'1h t a 11ttle swimming. BeCore long other scratches on tt~ j ackat developed slow leaks and I threw it away. The life raft, by good _fortune, inflated p e r r e ct t y and was .. ery satisfactory all around. It was dne of tb e 0 ld- sty I era f' t 5, \If i th 0 uta toggle .• We p ad c.Le d away "from t h e plane, leaving it sinking sl-owly. In the hope of being spottecl by p I an es from Henderson Field,_ I decided to go around the northWest end of Guad81~ canal. We kn.ew eDe\(lY troops were

We hit the water with the right wing down and didn't bounce. Morgan wes thrown clear but he got a ~ad Gut 0\ er o ne eye and a wrenched sheu.I de r , I don t t remember unbuckl tng my safety bel tor cl imblng out 0 f the co ckpi t o n't.o the wjn.g. The plane was still on fire, and when my head cleared I began to be afraid the gas tanks might explode, so I swam over to j o i.n Morgan. Together we swam about 200 :feet frOID

head and t;L ed ano ther j u s t under m,y ey es to protect my face, and I tore up my underwear to protect my hands and. wrists, wh t ch a Lr e a d y had been burned by the gasoline. Waves kept slopping in to the bo at; we n e , er were ab l e to get e ompI etely dry. It had been extremely cold the night before. We had. worn all of our clothes, of cnur-s e , but we were still cold.
We

t rI ed

sever

al

dif'fe

rent

way s

of paddling

and rowing

the

boat.

The

all

tllong

the

sbo r e where

we were

.and

that it would be fmpo s.sf b'l e to land and wat k to Lung a , We p add'l ed di agon ally
toward shore all nigbt; at daylight we were about flve miles off West Cape. For provisions we had .rille bottles of Horlick's malted milk tablets and and ine two gallons of water • .Both of these f.nz r ed.ten t.s we ha.d p r o v Ld ed on out own inlatlve, Morgtln having bought the canteen and I having got the malted milk tablets with my own money. We supplemented this rather monotonous diet by digging floating co co anut s out of the water and drinktheir mLLk and eating the meat. The milk was 1I'0ndert"ully ref:-eshlng but the m.e a t always made us th1.tsty at; once. Around 2330 we heard and saw indistinctly a Naval engagement going on to the North. It appeared as though there were three groups of ships~ with our ships in the middle and shooting both ways. The group dispersed and d Le ap p.ea r e d after B, Little While. When dayl~ght came we cont~nued paddling toward the north. Morgan's injured eye and shoulder improved, The· sun came up and it go t good and ho t. I put one handkerchief across my fore-

best way, we found, was for one man to row sitting on the after seat and faCing forward. During the day nine of our planes flew over, s Lx of them righ~ over the boat at a height of about 400 feeL The pilots, evidently strafing J ap posi t.I on s and lookinJ.,; for s u r vI vo r s of the sea bat t1 e, didn't see us. L a. t e r 1 nth e d a.y w e saw B.. destroyer and p I an e s off to the north picking up su rvf VOl'S (",hich p roved to be from the Duncan). All during the day and the second night 1\'e kept the boat some. slx miles off shore. Next morning we found a Japanese belly tank floating. It was well ma d e , of heavy aluminum. A little later we found a dugau t wi tha 1'101 e in it. We p atched tlH~ hal e and tri ed towing the raft for about half an hour , We made better speed this way bu t t.he dugout was delicately balanced and most urro otaf'o r tab I eahd we gave it up.

By afternoon we h ad got around the westerly tip of the lsI and and B fresh wind sprang up. fhis eased the bur-den of' paddling but it turned out to be a dubious blessing, f'o r It pushed us within half a JJ1lle of shore and a Jap sniper promptly opened up O~ us.
We went o~erboard in a second and started swimming the boat out of r ange, The J appie sbot 10 rounds a t us, the closest missing by six r'e e t or so, and then gave up. The swimming cooled us off so much that we felt a lot better. We paddled on away, noticing b ef'o r e we left that a number of J ap barges and power 00 at s on tne beaches app e ar ed to

·5
Not long after this we saw Lunga Beach being bomb arded. (Later on we learned that a battleship Was present). The fire moved up to the airfi el d and there was return fire f'rom the beach. A large campfir,e and light obviously intended to give navigational -positions were on the enemy beach before and during the firing but were extinguished as sOOn as the firing ceased. The Ja'Ps also used illuminating projectiles like rockets wbich gave a very go~d light for a short t1~e. The ships fired briefly on Tulagl and then retired to the north. The third day we continued paddling toward Lunga, feeling quite sick from the sun. All day 'Long we observed planes from Henderson Field bombing the Jap positions. They seemed parLicularly anxious to knock out a gun, about a five incher, that appeared to be in a position in a swamp or a jungle. From time to time the gun seemed to move. OUr progress became difficult as the day went on; a southeast wind blew up and one os us had to bailwnile the other paddled. We finally t urne d to. shore, and right in the nick of timel A Higgins boat spotted us and straightaway picked us up. We hadJ we found, covered about 50 miles in 67 hours.

WHEELS WHEN

DOWN

LANDING

be badly

damaged.

By sunset we 'Nere off Visa! e. We saW" another rubber boat coming toward us from SB,YO Island. Whll e we 'Ner'e wondering whether ~t was friend or en e my 1t unmi stakably started ch as rng us, sO we decamped, easily outdistancing it. For arms we bad only a sheaf knife and fl ve pen knives. I figured that the other boat was :filled with daps .ho were mak~ng one of their numerous trip s to Savo after fru.1ts and vegetables. During the course of our escape from this boatload of Japs one shot Was fired at us from Visal e.
Early on the third night we s aw ships f1rlng at Lungs. and answering fire from shore. The Wind was favorable, tRB sea calm, and there was a sm.all but b righ t moon. At about 2200 we saw three ships, probably destroyers, pass just east of Savo Ls.Lan d headed southwest, and a few minutes 1 ater a destroyer coming from west of Sa:vo loomed up he aded s t rar gh t fa r us. W'e he-I d our breath, but right before she got to us she changed course and veered off. She passed so close, t hough , that we could hear the talking, an dINe we r e n ear 1 ':I s 111' amp e d 1nth e wake. The sh1p was B. two-stacker, very sleek, with splinter sheilds around all her guns. She was d.o Lng 10 or 1:2 knots, but she made hardly any noise a t all.

TAT

E •S

COURSE

Let IS lowing nrashes

Get, Fuel
du~

cases are

Conscious! summaries to pil~t-cauged

The folof recent fuel fai1-

The pilot of an S03C-1 landplane ... while em a familia.r-izatjon flight, exhau.sted all the g as o Lfn e from both the left and right tanks. ~hen the engine cut out he failed to switch to the main tank which contained approxima tely 110 gallons of g aso l j ne. He thereafter made a water landjng, c au s i n g u.a.1or damage to the ad r pLane., Case 2. After maid n g s e v er a I field ca.rrier landings, the engine ~f an F4F-3 suddenly cut out on a t·llke-off at analti tude of' aboutG5 feet. Tile airplane was comp Le t e Ly Vlashi!'d out when it crashed into trees during the subs e cu e n t f'o r-ced landjng.. Upon ilwestlgation it was found ~hat the pilot had not b een using' fuel f'r-om the main tan k as pe~ inst~uctions) but instead had been Ilsing the emergency tank whj ch was dry a t the t1IDe: of the. crash. Case 3. After rlying for approximately 25 minutes on an inter-

ures.

Case

I.

.•.

With Comments by GRAMPAW

P.ETTIBONE

ception ~issionJ a fighter pilot experienced engine failure in his F4F-4. Upon checking the instruments he found oil temperature and pressure
normal, f'ue I pressure was down to f i ve po u n d s • Res wit c.11 e d on the electrj c allxili ary -pump", but still t h e fuel pressure did not rise.. He made no effort to sWitch fuel tanks. A water but

hausted the supply of gasoline In Its' right tarde. The pilot failed to sw t t ch

to tbe left

tank;

he appar~ntly
of

had
the

not the slightest conc.ptton state of his fuel supply.

Case 6.

The pilot
of the field

of a J2F-3

was

o.n a familiarization

flight.

He wade

ad rp.l

landing was then made and after the an e had been salvaged it was f'oun d that the 1'uel va.I've s.e I eo to r switch was on "emergency" and the emergency tanJc was empty. The main tank was full.

and then came in for a t.cu ch= and=g o landing. After climbing to approximately 20U feet, he switched the fuel selector to "main". Tn less than a minute after this the engine failed compl e t e Ly J n ae e's sItating
one circuit an imrn:ediate f'o r o e.d landing. A subsequent jnspection of the engine and aceessarjes revealed no contributory cause for t~e failure. It was the opinion of the Trouble Bo ar d , however;

Case~.
torpedo runs, one tank dry.

While

making

dummy

the pilot of Ii TBF-l ran Due to low altItude and confusion over the engine stoppage, he was unable to aetermlne the cause of the failure in time to shift tanks before a water landing was necessary. Case 5. An F2A-3 made Ii forced landIng 1n a swamp after it had ex-

the selector ~alve was from the auxiliary to main. the vaj.ve was not seated properly, thus shuttjng off the gasoline supply.
switched

that

when

Case 7. Immediately after lowering his wheels in preparation for landing, the pilot o~ an F4F-4 noticed that his engine began to sputter and lose power. He switched the propeller con 1,1'01 to manua L, turned on the emergency f'ue.I pump J and pushed. the mix ture control from automatic rich to full rich. None of these actions had any efTeetj however, so a wheels~up landing was made. After the airplane was recovered it was found tha t the main tank contained less than two quarts of gasoline; whereas, the emergency tank was full. Change #55 (siphon break) had not been made on this airplane because the p a. r t s II' ere not a v ail ab Ie. The pilot stated later that since he had been in the air for less than an hour and a half on moderate maneuvers, he asstimed that he had plenty of gas left and, being so ~usy trying to find the trouble elseWhere, did not even look at the fuel quan ti ty gauge. He was apparen t Ly unaware of the possible syphoning action in the F4F main tank, although much has been sajd and written about this, prior to its correction by the
. Case 8. The pilot of an SBD-~ made a forced water l~ding afte~ running out or fuel on his main tank. He had taken off on Rmain" and switched tanks three times during flight, but each time had failed to feel the customary c]jek as he switched the selector. It was later determined that the fuel selector system had failed sometime prior to or immediately after t.a ke-co f'f", thus allowing gasoline to be used from the main tan k only, no matter which tank the selector indicated. The airplane was equipped with a small, red
flag attached to the rod between the
selector and the fuel valve, by means of which the fuel valve could have been shifted, if the failure had

above change .

a period of approximately one month. indicates they were all due to carelessness, ignorance or negligence, CO~bined with a considerable amount of poor .i udgmen t. Becaus'e of th is and because of Grampaw Pettibone's high blood pressure, it was considered inadvisable fot him to attempt comment on these aoaidents. This type of accident is entirely too prevalent and should be among the easiest to stop completely because the cure is as simple as the cause. pilots must nevar forget the fact that it takes gasoline to keep a gasoline engine running;" pilots must become fuel C OTISC i OUS. Careful indoc trina tion wi 11 help; whenever 8 pilot is checked out in a new type of ai rcraft it should be made certain that he understa~ds the fuel system. He should be ma de. aware of any peculiarities of that particular system; bad the pilots in cases six, seven and eight known of the fuel system peculiarities in their particular a tr-p Lane s, they probably would not have crashed. The frequency and seriousness of these accidents should convince all aviators of' the dangers Lnv oIved , The only way to keep ~rom falling a victim of this type of pilot error is to study and un.dera t.and the fuel system in each type of airplane before you attempt ~o fly it and to remain fuel ConSClOUS While in the air. Your earnest attention is Invited to the following list of precautions. Most fuel failure accidents occur from failure to observe one or more of these ~recautions:

WHEELS WHEN

DOWN

LANDING

actually

occurred

above

the flag.

The

pilot,

unaware of this and consequently made no attempt to use it. Bureau Comment:- A review of the above accident5~ all of whi~h occurred during

however,

waS

safety

installation

..

TDis picture recently was received in tie Bureau show~ng the rescue of two occupaots of an airplane which went over the side of a carrier. The plane was hanging suspended and partl~lly submer~ed. Two knotted lines were lowered to the pilot and his guwner, so tbey could climb aboard the ship. Life lines should be kept available for such use ~nd the suggestion is offered that a bowline be provided in the eud of the line so that if' the plane's occupants are injured, or do not have the strength to climb the line, they can secure themselves to the loop and be hauled aboard.

9
(a) Never run
II.

gas

tank

com-

pletely
eSSl.lry.

dr1. Nevel' if

unless

absolutely

neo-

(b)
a.Lt I
j
t.u

av

switoh tanks at low I d eb Le , If suction

Lo a t ,

little

it s o m e t.f m e s r e qu L res Ii -t,ime to rez af n su e t f on on aoshort-change the emergency yourtrmk,

other t an k; don't sel r on al t1 tude.

(0)

Do Dol

use

especially in ]"4.1<'5, for low altit.ude flying, partlClilarly practice Land.tng s,

(See
C ase s

2 and 3).

p r e'ven t ed major damage to the aircraft had he not attempted to take off ~fter lOSing control of his air}llane~ Case 2: The p t Lo t, of an F4F-4 .llowed his airplane to swerve on take off and thereafter elected to mainta~n full power in an effort to get the airplane off the ground before reaching hazards at the side of the run way. The a I r p L an e c r- ashed in to a revetment and Lmme d i a te j y burst into flames. GramfrOfA) Pettibone S~ys: I fully agree wjth the trouble board in Case 1 and think the opinion is equally app11cabIe in Case !2. TIad the F4F pilot chopped his throttle when he f'irst noticed that he was losing control of bis a i rcraft, he w~uld be alfve today. Many potentia], minor-damage accidents are turned into major and £atal crashes When pilots, after getting into trouble on the ground, attempt to bUll it through wi th full t h ro t, t Le , Defini te rules cannot be laid down for ch t s , except to point out that if you ar~ in trouble on the ground, such as a groundloop, a swerve, a faulty engine~ etc.', it is usually better to cut the gun and accept possible minor damage~ rather thah to try to force a doubtful take-off' whlch might lea.d to ,maJor damage or a f'a t.a'l crash.

(d) If p a I' t 1 al fall u reo l' fll e 1 system is noticed .111 flight, take the precaution
of

returning

jmmediately

to

base and ge&tlng the system checked. Don't unnecessarily rl sk yourself and your af rp l en e, (See Case 8).
your

(e) Get in the h ab f t of ch e ck f n g gas before descending to low altItude; this check snou i e consist of a visual rf)ference _to the-gauges s no

selector v e.Lve setting, and ~ swl ft mental c a'l cu l a t.t e n as to gasconsuilrption and (r) night lime.

When sru ftlll.g tJll1ks, be careful to oenter selector so that the valve ... 1111 be p r ope r Ly sE"llted; thlscan be done by feeling the cl t ck, (g) When an engine sputters check fuel pressure and 8elector valve immed! ately.

afton

(h) Know how lIIucb fuel there 15 in tank before commencing Be fIJght.
e, .men tal

Wake

caleul

at t ou or

how long

you can fly on each tllllk running check on your fuel ges conSUlllfltirnn.

and keep a g811ge'S and LOVES TO

Taxi-Blindness:082U-3,

The

pilot

of

an

upon returnfrorn

GET FUEL CONSCIOUSI HIROHlTO HAVE YOU 'PLY ON !Pi BlPTY TANKI

The Lesser of TfA)O Evils:Case r: Upon coming. in for a practice landing in an NP_~ a st.ude.n pilot landed on t the right wheel and then swe rve.d approximately 900 to the right of his landing course. He then ap~lied full t~rottle and attempted to take orr but struck a rence berore becoming airborne. Upon impact witb the fence the aircraft nosed dyer on its back. It was the opinion of the trouble board that the student could h·ave

ment flight, taxied along the seaplane ramp, enroute to the hangar. The taxi-way was restricted by an airplane parked on the compass rose. The pilotJ taxiing at a moderate speedJ SWung left to avoid this airplane, and in so doing collided with a. small. tractor parked on the left of the ramp. This accident resulted in m~jor overhaul of both the engine and airplane. Gram'paw Pettibone says:- It would seem that the pilot should also have received an dverhauling for his particular brilliance in this maneuver.

an instruoff the field and

MEN VS. MACHINES--The spirited tug of war being car rd ed on by this Navy ground crew will revive the cold engine of this "Kingfisher" scout plane in a jiffy. A canvas sleeve is slipped over the propeller tip, and the tug sends the "pr op N spinning, so the plane can take off ag a.tn on 1ts mi-ssion of keeping the Atlantic sealanes free of en€my O-iboats. (6)

Granted he didn!t see the tractor, but that is just the point; his forward vision is so limited that he never had a chance to see it. Taxling in restricted areas without a man on the wing is inexcusable. Even though a slight delay may be jnvolVed, someone can always be made ~vailable for this du ty. In the pr e s en tins tance there was a full-grown safety pilot in the rear seat who would have made an excellent man on the wing.

latal Jump:-

Unbuckled

Parachute Harness Results In Recantly, while engaged

in camera gunnery practice, an F4F-4 entered an jnverted spin at about 13,000 feet. At approximately e,ooo feet the pilot was seen to bailout and the parachute was seen to open. When the pilot In the accompanying airplane circled the descending parachute .. however, the harness was empty. A few minutes after the airplane had crashed into the water, the body

surfaced near the wreckage and was picked up by .a trawler. After examining the body and in o on s i deration of other eVidence, it was the opiniun thaL this pjlot had t~ken orf with his parachute leg straps unfastened and in his excitement hail failed t,o fasten 't.h em before making the j ump .

until it crashed the end of the oc cupan t s .

intn a metal fence at f' t e l d , kUling all

Bureau

Comment: There 1113.ve been several accidents recently resulting i'rOITI trl8 n r eme.t.u r e r e.Ls ing of ] anding take-off. They have all

gear durin~
been

Pett,bone says:Unfortunately this is the type of careless pilot error whicb can not be learned by experience. _hen you have to jump and something goes worng, you don't usually get a second chance. You can only learn this from the sad experience of 0 ther s , Keep your par a chu te harnness and safety belt buckled at all times during flight.
RetraGtion of Wheels proves prior to becoming airborne during a normal take-off, tbe pilot 01' an SNB-1 retracted IdS landing gear. As tlJ e wh ee 1 s began to come up the airplane d r opped ts l Lgh t Ly , untjJ the tips of both propellers struck the runway. The pilot immediately attenrpted to gain altitude, but was unsuccessful. The air-plane hovered about three feet above the ground Premature

Grampaw

Fatal:- Just

due 100% to pilot error. In the ~resent instance the pilot made a further error in electing to continue the take-off after his p r op el Le r s had s truck the ground. Had he 1ande d immediately, Hlis accident would probabJy not },ave been so serious. TIle p r op e I ler t Lp s in this case were undoubt d]y bent uT'0n contact wi. tb the 1"unway. A ben t p r o p e Lj.e r usually loses so much efficiency as to preclude pdssibility of further f1igllt. A1 so a ben t propeller is so nruch out of balance that there is ser~ous danger of "throwing" the propeller, and also tne engine, due to vibration. Creeping ThrottLe:ShortJy after a n orma I take- off, an F4F -3 a Lr p.I ane was observed in a series of semi-stalls. The motor was- running smoothly, but it sounded as though the throttle was being ~lowly retarded. The pilot

Chow1. The girls eat I1twice as much" as in civilian keep too busy to take on weight.

life.

But

they

12
gan back

started to retract hjs wbeels and beIi. shallow left turn, as if to get into tbe t' Le l d , when he 1"eIJ off into a left spin.
The reporting offioer was of the

npinion that the loss of power was due to a creeping throttle, stating
tbat the throttle on thjs model airplane will creep back vepy rapidly if th~ knurled friction knob does not have sufti ct en t tension on it. Bureau Comment:When loss of power occurs~ pilots should make an immediate check of the following instruments and controls: (a) Throttle, (b) Fuel Pressure, (e) Fropeller, (d) Mixture Control, <e) Blower., and (f) Carburetor Air. If the pilot is alert and f'amiliar with his coc kp t t , this che ck o an be made in a few s c on ds and w il] often show that only 8. stmp]p correction is necessary to insure perfect oper IIti on , Granpaw P~ttlbone says:One of the main diff'erences in driving an automobile and flying an air~]ane is that when you have mechanical difficulties in an airplane you don't have time to

his aircraft had completed two revolutions. It was the op t o r on of' the investtgating board that while famIliarizing himself with the handling characteristics of thjs airplane at reduced speeds, he inadvertently permitted his aircraft to enter a spin f' r-om whi ch he was u n ab Le to J' e c o v e r,

says;It Is unthat any Navy pilot would attempt to familiarize'himself with the flight characteristics of Ii. new plane at low altitude.
believable

Gram,aw

Pettlbane

Bright Searchlights
Much depends upon your point of view, the Bri t t sh V i.s on Carom! t tee has t discovered, The comml ttee consists of distinguished eye specialists whDse chief aim is to improve the vision of

the R.A.R. pilots.

came

The committee

be-

pullover to the side oi the road to think it over. Hence the old proverb, "Know thine airplane."

concerned over increasing complaints from British pilots that the Ge rman search} igh ts were much br 19b tel' than those employed In England. Data was ob t adried on tlie c and Lepower of the lights used in poth countries, and no

F4D~1 Sptn:While on his first hour of familiarization in an F4(1-1, a pilot entered a spin at comparatively low altitude and was seen to crash after

appreciabJ e discrepancies were found. they questioned German pilot prisoners about the search] ight si tuation: Lrrv ar-Lably _, the German pilots complained that the Engl1sb lights were brighter.
Tben

HIMMEL! VOTS MtTT

D£R. UGHTS YET?

Going Aboard a Carrier?

"What equipment do r need?", said an ensign detailed for temporary duty at sea. "I don't mean how many pairs of socks, or bow many khakis. It's the extras 1'm worried about. Wbat would I need, for examp1e, if the shi~ went

down."?
1 JUs t so t appans there are guys who know. They will saY', from eApel'ience, that you need 1. A waterproof flashlight with b1ue lens. 2. A kn i f'e , 3. A whistle. 4. A waterproof money bel t. 5. A compa.ss· It's true what you read in magazines. ShipS are blacked out at night. tau need the flashlight to find you r battle station and it's nice to have it waterproofed if you're swiltllIJing around looking for wreckage to hang on to. The knU'e is standard eqUipment. Not a pen kn t f'e )1lind you, but a knife wi th , a five inch blade that can saw ropes when you're trying to get a life raft overboard in a hurry. It can also be used to fend off ~harks and spear eatab~e fish. If the ship doesn't Sink, you need the knife to peel oranges during Genera.l Quarters. The Navy disapproves of' individual whistles or whistlers aboard ship but a wbistle is a ~ery handy thing to have when you're overboard. There waS a very lonesome sailor or our acquaintance t.r aad t.ng water someWhere off the Ai"rican coa s t . He had an Ld e a . lie blew h.ts whistle, loudly ~Id continually. Presently a destroyer came by and asked if he wanted to be picked up. He allowed that he did. A money bel t :is obviously of value iT you have any money and still waut to have it when ¥oulre resoued. It is

handy to preserve your Social Security card, letters from your best gal and other valuables. If, when you're paddling along in a rubber boat, and you just happen to remember that the Solomons are in a northeasterly direction, it is reassuring to know that youlre making progress in the right direction. That is best accomplished by consulting the

compass you should

Of

have.

course, you need other things, tOOj particularly a life belt. This will be provided on board. You have simply to blow it up at the propitious moment. Fresh water, rations and oars for the life rafts also are ready for emergency use ..

Automatic

Pilot Publications

Two new publications recently have been issued which give complete information on the proportional bank adapter and rudder control ased in conjunotion with the Mark 3 automatic pilot. Notioe No. 35 of the Handbook of Aircraft Instruments, dated 7 December 1942, lists these publications as follows: Chapter Instruction Manual .for Automatic Pilot Proportional Bank Adapter. IDS Repor t - Report No. IDS-32-42, on Mark 3 Rudder Control Unit. of 4-

bB distributed

these pUblications will autb~atlcally to all holders the handbook. Additional copies may be secured upon req,uest to the Av~ation Supply Offlce~ Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, distributing agency for the handbook. It is recommended that all personnel concerned with the installation, operation, or maintenance of the adaptor and c on t r-ef un.It study these two publications with care.

Copies

or

If ever shot down DUbert wouldn't be in very good condition for the

the big swim

15

Rescue From a Raft

The skill of a naval aviator recen t Iy Inad.e possible the 'r e scue of Colo11131 Max F. Sc hrte ider J 11. n Army pi lot who s'Pent 72 hours adrift on a life raft wit h 0 u twa t e r a n d wit h 1 itt 1 13 fa od • The co Loue Lt s rescuer. Lf eut.ena.n Murt, lin W. Alley, USNR, landed his Catalina
fly ing. boat al ongs i de tbe raft, despite a heavy ground swell which made the maneuver ex tremel y d iff Lcu l t. According toe 01 on e J S c h n e ide r "I r ad Lo ed my 1 ead p La ne of my trouand was advised to bailout. The (:IO'_e1' I,lone was 1'11;>1111 s to aid es Ii'>-' Dt sell, and it went on. I fel t I would be able to nurse the plane along to the next s top , but flue: tr oub Le kept getting ",orSe (.Ind I was ](,s1rtg a.1titude qu I e k Ly , I had .hoped to be able to p anc a ke in on s one j s l a r.d , but J fll,,~ll ~ bad to go down in the water- and get into my raft. "I bad dift'iculty in getting aboard the raft. I p r es.ume 1 was more grog.fo!:.\' than I suspected. I bad to t.nr ow away my pistol and twist nut of my parachute pack to lighten tile burden ellough to ble

board and landed The Bahamas.

him

at

Great

Exuma,

Patterson Lauds Air-mindedness

a reGent address be:fore the 1943 class at West POint, Under Secretary of War Bobert P. Patterson told the cadets there was no single invincible weapnn ~except that of the spirit" and that the sure force of v~ctory was being bu Ll t in the "invincible team of Iand. 5 ea and. at r p_Ower.• In

graduating

~Our Army the

bave world,"

Mr. Pattersun

is the most

air-m~nded
said.

encouragement to of our air arm, but it is not enough that ~est Point. merely fill a quota of flying officers. Every West Point man should feel at h o m e in 8, plane, shOUld be able to think c~early and rapidly While flying at great speed. ~

giVen development

every

in ~We the

Combat Photo Unit Formed

In a program to obtain more complete photographic eoverage of' the war , the Navy has established a Combat Photographic Section, Ii co=ope r-at.t ve activity of the Office of Public Relations and the Bureau of Aeronautics. T'en o.f'f'Lc ers at present are completing a special course of training for this work. They will take charge of un It.s consisting 01' three enlisted men, two wo t 1on pic t ure cam e r am en, and n ne still photographer. These groups, called Combat Photographic uoits, will be assigned throughout the world to current or potential theaters of war. Their duty will be to supplement pres en t Na v Y lind c I v i Ii an p h o t o gr aphic coverage or combat operations. After the films have been studied by the interes ted bure-aus of the NavJ' Department, all material compatible with sec~rlty will be released to the public through the Office of Public Relations. IH a mili tary organization, photo-

get

{;tboard."

Tile radio c a I] which leu to the rescue, Colonel Schneider believes, came from a military transpnrt plane which spotted tile raft, flew 10 .... ar I t , but ov could not a t temnt a r e s e ue because it was a Lan d p la ne , Ttje c ulcu el was unable to get t.u e p l a u e " s numb e r , hut add~tl: ~r'm certaiuly gr-aL.el'ul to tllt~. pilot. Ile dropped something in a 'Mae West.' I had tried to I ud Lc a t.e t.Ji a L I was without water', so 1 presuOiE' thR -parcel c onaa i.n ed ""ateI'. It s a n k before 1 could reach it. I bud read of persons dying. of' thi 1'5 t and I c on f'e 5S I didll't. relish tile idea." Lieutenant ]l.1Jey was 011 routine patrol when his r a d Lotn n , A. J. v r c k , a A.viation Radioman 'Third Class J USN. intercepted 11 message, telling the location or the raft. Lieutenant Alley and his crew set the plane down a short time later, took Colonel Schneider a-

graphs shOWing actual combat are second in importance only to reconnaissance pictures. Both st.ills and mOvies are

16
used by sta:f.fQfficers to study offellsive and de.fensive combat tactics, They also are used by various technical bur eas in assessing the performance of and damage to our own. and enemy equipmen t . Tllese -Pictures also will aid Ln training Naval personnel and will give the public valuable information OTi the war. That the Naval photographer's job is often dangerous is illustrated by a cu rsen t news-reel showing an official Navy picture of a Japanese dive-bombing attack on Ii U.S. aircraft carrier. The film shows twa bomb hits on the carr Le r t s deck. One of the Navy photographers making the picture was killed, but his comrade carried on under fire and completed the photographic task. "When planes, other than fighter planes are approaching friendly ground forces, one star rocket will be fired."

Words For All Of Us

Lieut. Col. Evans F. Carlson spoke over the graves 0 f members of hi s unit who fell on Gu ada l e ana I between Nov. <1 and Dec. 4, 1942: ~It is not given us to kno~ the pr-oce s s by wh:lch ce r ta Ln of us ar e chosen for sacrifice ~hl1e others remain ••• As I ~onder the names of those we bonor, j, seems to me as Jr the most wort»y among us are selected ror separation 1n this ~ay • • . These comrad.esof ours have given convincing proof of their determination, their couT8ge and their sincerity. Tbey also loved life. Only yesterday their voices were heard a.mong us as they Joined in our songs, r e j o t c ed over ]ette~s from home or Tang out with lusty exuberance as they pArt f c f pe t.e d t n contests 01' spo r t , But When the t1me e a me to 1'8ce the enemy they did not flinch or hold back. "\fhat- of the futnre faT' those of us who rema'n? Our course is clear. It is for uS at this .oment, with th@ melliory of the sacrlrices or our brothers stUl fresh, to dedicate &gain our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to the greateT tasJ.-that lies ahead •••• We most go flllrtl)er and dedicate ourselves also to the mODume n t a J t ss k of a s su I'1.og that the peace which follows this holocltllst will be a .Just and equitable and c o ne Lu s Lv e peace. A.nd beyond that lies the mission or ma~lng certain that the social order Which we begueath to our sons and daughters 1s truly based on the four freedoms for which these men died. Any res0.] u t.Lo ns less than tlds wIll sp eLl betrayal of the faith whicb these staunch comrQdes reposed in us."

How a [ap Identifies a [ap

Notes on how Japanese ground forces are instructed in identifying their own aircraft are disclosed in documents captured from the enemy in Guadoclcanal. One feature painted outJ which 1s not generally included in Amerioan instruction on identifying enemy pla,nes, is the white strip on the ruselage near the

tail.

Translation of ~be portlon the document on plane identification follows: "Besides the red disc on the wings there is a white s t s i.p near U.e tail end of the fu.selage -about 20 em. in Width. "The signs for identificatio. of friendly (still quoting the captur-ed document) planes to .friendly ground troops are as follows: ~Daytime: In case ot a single airplane, flutter wings left to right. When planes are in format~oR the last plane will flutter wings left and right 'at regular intervals. ~Night time: When co-operRting with ground forces it is customary for the plane to c~rcle above ground forces a few tiInes. "It is essential to turn the wing and tail light on and off at regular Ln t e r v a I s .

or

17
Urge Use of V ..M;a11
Have the folks at home been letting down? Perha.ps the day':;; and ",eek:;;: are stretching Into months between those once-faithful messages from the family. .And the girl friend promised to be true, but where are those letters to prove It? You can be ee rt.afn that the f'ol.ks baven't forgotten about youi the chances are that the girl friend w1'i tes Just as often as she ever did. Here's the rub: Because of war demands and lack of transportation, prompt delivery of foreign station mail Is becoming mOFS d.1fflcul t. In November~only 15 per cent was transported bya.ir. Solution? • .V-Mallt Use of V-Mail service means th.at personal m.at1 can be transported by air instead of waiting for s.u rf'a c e ships. This World War II i.nnovation cuts down the carrying weight about 98 per cent for overseas mail, thus relieving the heavy burden now carried by our .sh s, tp trains, and planes. I t may be sent anywhere free by roan in the armed
you

for tbe usual three-cent civilians. Forms m'ay be at any good stationery store o If' ob t ained at; no co s e t.i1J"oug:ll Gu v er nment post offices. It's as simple as all th.atZ Many people seem to question the use of V-Mail to be s en t to stations not equipped to handle mi~ro-fl1m. However, in this ca~e, the or~&inal letter is sent, still providing a 40 ~er cent saving over regUlar mail. The Navy is p Lan n Ln g to establish 7~ V-Mall stations during the present year. Write your friends a V-Letter, urging them to use V-Mai 1. I f you haven I t tried it before, you will be amazed at bow quickly an answer comes back to yOU.. Any eff'ort to h e Lp s t.r amk rn e e the m.ail service will re.ap benef1 ts
by

forces stamp ~ought

and

rop all

concer-ned..

Remember, V-M.l1 has first priority after officia.l correspondence :for overseas des t Lnat.aous, It will be f'orwarded by the first available air transportatiOn. Help promote V-Mail and those letters from home soon, will be speeding your way.

18 "Airpower - Key to Victory" - MacArthur

Gen. Douglas MacArthur recently declared the ultimate defeat of the enemy in the Pacific involves "the continuous, calculated ap~licatjo~ of air power." ~Air forces and ground forces were welded together in Papua~H spoke MacArthur 011 the conclusion of the Pa pu an campaign. '"hen in sufficient W s tre[l~th With proner naval support, their in~ dissoluble union points the w~y to Victory through new and broadened strategip and tactical conceptions." "Tbe offensive and defensive power or the air anrl the adaptabi]ity~ ran~e. and capacity of its transport in an effective combination with ground forces re~resent tactical and strategical ele~ents of a broadened conception of warfare. This combination permlts the application of offen~ sive power in swift, massive strokes rather than the dilatory and costly island-Lo~island advance that some h a v e assumed to be n e c e s s a r y in a theater where the enemy's far flu~g stron~holds are dispersed throughout a vast expanse of archipelag e s , "The outstanding military lesson of this campaign was the continuous, oalculated apnlication of air power inherent in the potentialities of every com~onent of the air forces employed in the most intimate tactical anrl logistical union with ~round troops. A new i'or'ln of campai gn was les ted wh ieh poin ts the Way to the ult'mate de~eat of the enemy in the Paca fie.

WHEELS
WHEN

DOWN
!

LANDING

"1 saw men die because they ~ould not s",jl'!'l well enough to carry them:.;,el ves out 01' d&nger," reported ti':Je e h fe f speCialist in charge of the physical fitness program aboard the carrier. As the result of his experience in physical training, and more specifi, calI 'j, as th ere s u I t of w hat he saw when the huge flat top went down, the chief recommends the breast stroke as the most practical for sajlors to use in abandoning ship. "The breast stroke," he pointed out, ukeeps the swimmer's head, eyes, and mbuth out of water. It gives him a chance tD see his way ahout. A ~ersnn is looking for a raft, a pillow, a mattress, o~ anything to hang on to. Re can see to avoid floating debris] and to grab on to something that will help. The stroke also prevents oil getting into the swimmers mouth, if the water is covered with 1t." The chief also po In t ed out the breast stroke is easy to master and is a restful, powerful one to use.

Aerographers

at Guadalcanal

Sink or Swim
Being able tb swim well has saved the life IDany a sailor. Converse1 y, not 1'1 e i n gab let 0 s wi m we 11 J1 as cost many a sailor his life. That ~act was underljned by su?vivors of the carrier WASP, which was £\In]( Ln action last slimmer by Ja:panese torpedoes.

or

Considerable excitement was caused one night at Guadalcanal by a ~strange light~ above the island -- until a Marine Cr,wps aerographer dispelled the mystery. The ight pro~ed to be the reflection of a beam focused on a ~eeiling" balloon. "It is o u r job," said the a e r ographer, "to SBnd up a pilot balloon daily, come hell or high water. That js how we determine wind velocity and ceiling. So the next time you see one
«

,"'

of
ing

thos

e: balloons

--

don ' t start

50 00 t-

their

equi-pment.

Two Loaded

gliders

call

for aerographers is identical with that of weather bureaus in the States~ except for va-riat10;ns to 1'1 t the needs of s ome unusual Jnc a.l e , Complete m.eteorological records are kept fl'lr aerographers in the Solomon'S, and weather r-eport.s are trans-

at it." Field equipment

be t.owed by one airplane.

practically

Mistaken Identity
"The first fax- hole we came to," related Webb, "we both dived in, out of wind but pleased w~tb our new position. "Then this other guy got his wind back and started talking to me. 'That was his mjs,ta.ke. He was talking Japan~se! So I grunted a couple of times, slipped the pin out of' a gFenade and tucked the live pineapple between this boy's pack and his shoulders. Then 1 got the hell out of there.~

mitted

to Fleet
the

throughout information

and South

Shore

stations
This

is ~ital

Pacific. for navigators

artillery units.

and

Aerographers' duties may sound uneven uru L, but in Guadalcanal men worked constantly under bombing and shelling by the .Japs, During the last three months, the aerographe1's in t.he Solomons have been bombed out of their stntions several times -- fortunately without casualties. One of their particular hates 1s the Japanese snipers wbo take '&1'verse delight in shooting down pilot balloons.

Amphibious Glider Tested

Wi th t 1'1 al f'llghts sue e e ssf'ully completed, the Navy-developed aw,phibiOl.1s glider 1s receiving nationwide pub11ci ty as. the f1 rs t such g l1de revel'! bull t,. It was developed in the a1J'craf~ factory of the Ph'f Lad eLph La Navy Yard, and the trials were conducted in the Delaware Ri vel'. The new glide r is buil t of maul,ded plywood and other nonstrategic. mater! Ill, and lends itself to mass production, acco rdlng to Comm de r Ralph S. Barnab:r l all ass is tan t chi ef eng1uee r of the a1 r craft factory, under ~hose immediate direction tbe boat was built. Commandel' Ba rn aby piloted the glider in the tests. "They can be used fo [' troop t r-anspo r t Dr cargo oa.l'rle1's,ft Commandef Barnaby painted ou t , ftI believe- I can pronounce 01)l' glider a complete- s u c c e s s , The uses of such c r aft are mul tipl e and the na tur e of the 1I'a.,[, which we are fighting makes them an extremely useful glider type. " The gl~der has a wing-spread of 72 feet and can transport twelve men and

This is wbat happened to ana guy who talked too ~uch. ThE expertence is related by Private Woodrow Webb, Marine Corps, who was on duty In the Solomons. It began when a Japanese mortar found the exact range and defleotion a machine gun nest which Private Webb was operating one night. KnOWing somethirig about tactics,

or

Pr Ivat e Webb at
I

once began

a strategic

retreat as fast as he could run to a prev.iously prepared p o sI t Lon , Along_ the path, he fonnd himself sprinting nn the heels of another man who was executing a similar maneuver.

Designation of Auxiliary Power Plants

The

power three l.~-HP, first

Bureau prOgram for plants at presen-t gehe~al horsepower 40RP, a n d (ORP. Uni two classes are in

au~il1ary Includes classes, ts of' the service

20
while'70HP experimental engines are being d eve Lop ed , The 151IP engines now in service are the Lawrance model 30C~1 and 30C-2~ both designated Navy type APP-l, and the Lawrance model 3DD Navy type APP-IA. Both of these engines are 2 cylinder opposed engines rated at sea level at a KW with emergency overload of 7i KW. The APP-l rotates counter-clockwise and the APP-IA clockw1se when vili.ed from the generator drive end. The former is a "packaged unit" using a special generator whereas the latter Is intended for use with practically any 5 KW' standard main engine generator. In addition to the foregoing, the Eclipse manufactured NEP-IA and -2 units, which is the Navy designation~ are being used in the older model patrol planes and the current PBY-5A series. They are single cylinder, two cycle engines. The 40HP class at this time Is represented by but on~ unit, the Lawrance 75B, Navy type APP-2A, which is a five cylinder radial engine. The APP-2A is rated at 8 KW, 28.~ volts D.C. from sea level to 20,000 feet altitude. This is also a ·packaged uni t·. Provision Is being made in both the 40 and 70HP classes to supply engines w~th dual generators of 28.5 and 120 volts D.C. For the sake of uniformity it is suggested tbat the Navy designation, APP-l etc. be used in any correspondence originating in the various activities concerned with auxiliary power plants.

21 Relation of Air Speeds and Engine Cooling

With the advent of modern highly supercharged engines placed in closely cowled insta.llations, the problem of proper engine cooling has become considerabll more 'aoute than was the case opening avaIlable Is not required for cooling in the air~ and opening the flaps to the full 35° to 40° in in the air results in considerably more drag and a1r disturbance with practically no increase, and a possible decrease, 1n cooling over that obtainable with 150-20~ of flap open-

with sea-level

engines

or with instal-

ing.

lations where large cooliog drag CQuid be tolerated. Eng~ne cooling is dependent on the mass of cooling air flow across the engine. Since the flow of air is mostly dependent on the speed of the airplane through the air, ground or water operation becomes critical when high powers are used. For this reason~ particular care should be exercised to avoid exceeding engine temperature limits of rate of climb against air speed Is quite flat near the maximum for the normal airplane, there Is a considerable range of air speeds which may be used in a climb without serious~y affecting the rate of climb. The curve of maximum bead temperatures against air speed, on the other band" is quIte steep, so that a comparatively small reduction in air speed is likely to cause a considerable increase in maximum engine tempera.tures. While the bureau has always heretofore demanded satisfactory cooling at the best climbing speed of the airplane, this can be no guarantee that the cooling will be satisfactory at lower speeds. In view of this~ having

Wheels
When y~u were tiny, Dhl dear heart, I took you riding in your cart. And I ~as proud as r could be
To have you out ~here folks could see My son, On four strong ",heels you went, My little child, by heaven sent.
So man, wheels )ou've ~no~n since tben; A kiddie car you rode, and then A wago~; and a two-~heeled bike To take you and ~our pack on hike. Then came the day, no t back too f ar You got a license for the car. Jnd when the fog as thick as down settled deep allover town, I listened for you through the night Tl11r heard wheels and saw a light In the garage, but for your sake, You never once found me awake.

during warm-up and taxl1n~. Due to the fact that the curve

Had

~o now your wheels have found them ~ingsJ And fuselage and ~uns and things That ~o to ITeMS an airplane, To make all peo~le free again. And you fly high o'er w~te:rs deep, And in the sky your vigil keep. And if some tams y ou fly too high Or dive too deep, 1 shall not c~y. I'll kno~ that some~here jn the blue ~ou looked at God as you flew through; jou dipped your win~ to another shore And your ~beels rest on Heaven's floOT. -By Margaret Osborne ~l.ldwig

it

should

Can be seen that airplanes highl, supercharged engines habitually be climbed at air

speeds somewhat above the best cl,1mbtng air speed, and never at speeds below the nest climbing speed, in ordel' to avoid exce.ssive overheating of the engines. Flapped engine cowls are normally designed to give m1nlmum cooling drag at max1_muIIl speed wben closed, and adequate Goaling on the ground when opened. The full amount of flap

(~his poem, sent to a 14th Battalion cadet at Chapel Eill by a friend, expresses well the feeling of Nav~ motbers f'or Weir sons, in the atr serv Lce , The author herself bas two sons in naval aviation.)

AIR BASE GROUP 2, MARINE CORPS, SAN DIEGO

Ac tlng upon r e emmends.t i ons of' personnel unfortunate enough to have. spent part of the:it sea duty in rubber boats. ADG-2's machine shop here has improvised a. piece of equipment worthy of mention. The oar bandle already in all rubber l1f'eboats has been made to do triple dutj'. A blJ.shillg is pinned Ln t o place ill the handle of' the oar J then d r r Ll.ed and tapped in s u e h a manner that an improvised spear and dip net can be screwed into the bushing. Fifty sets of this eqUipment have beeu made with the hope that it won't be necessary to use them, but wjth the conv f c t.Lon that some a t r-cr-ajt crew will be able to supplement their diet at some future date. BDREAIJ CONNENT - A quant.L t.y of f'Lsb spears sufficient to equip all life raf'ts in service and under procurement now is being purchased. This spear is pr nv Ld e.d. with an attachment o n one end that can be used with the life raft Oar. When no t in us e , the spear Will be stowed in one of the sections of the OaT.
expected these spears will be available in app r-o.x tma.t.e Ly 60 days and will be forwarded to snpply points to apply against requisitions from dependent activities.

t,o briJIJ!' lr ti t

lie
iii

evidence
Iii s big
01
verI

I,ome
LlH~
rvr-nb

La n din g was
c r s.s o a

for dinner. w fl r r y, but ttl e.

l ern

its c ox s w a f n w a s in t r nu b 1 , cam tot her esc ue and 'h au l e d ill the fjsli. l"aval Air 'Lrau s p o r-Lat t on Service lias already b e en heartily e ndo rae d by Jlersonnel in flermuda W110 !Iave s e eu the importance nf' gf'tting npeded Sll-p~lies and eqUipment from thp States as quickly as possil1e. The RPJlrOvaJ wa:;; still stronger when word came that, j f s p ac e p e rm t tt e d , p as se nge r s
would be c ar r-Le d , thus rna k t n g the Jlossibility 0f leave greater. But the best news so far was that mail wi11

be carri d whenever possible. Mail from .h o rne j s tlle g r e a t e s t moral e build~r in the service today; for the "price of an airmail stamp, those at home tan cbange & sailor's day fTO~ one of depression to one of 1:H,lJlJliness, The arrival of 'ATS' is now looked forward to as eagerly as tl,e a r r t vn J of

t.l.e CJ.1'Pper.

USS Richmond
The by the following

rt is

Senior

r e po r t was submi t ted Aviator aboard the USS

Rf.chrno nd r

nDurfnK a recent forced landing at sea, several observations were made which may be of interest to other
cruiser and battleship units.

Naval Operating Base - Bermuda

A pilot attached to one of the squadrons at this station recently discovered a new way to fish while
on bombing ~ractice. Immediately after he had d r o'pp e d his load, he saw something leap from the water. FJying low to investigate, he was amazed to see a Jarge tuna floating on tlle surface. He kn ew t.hat his fellow officers would never believe him if h a toJd them about the big one that got away~ so he decided

"There was a strength 4-5 sea running, 18-23 knots of' Wind, and WE' had the drogue speclfied for BOe's rigged. "The roll Was large, frequently 30° or more, and the wingtjp floats took such a pounding that the dry life of the cockpit was definitely limited. ~e bro~e one wingtip float strut landing, and in an hour and a half the other three struts were gone. .e got the float lashed on With the antenna wire, but jt is hard to say how long it would have lasted.

23
"In
yjew nf th~s

situat1on,

was

One p t I at had idadvertel:

glad we had a rubber boat, although the- Bureau says !'no'T for a seaplane. I alsQ had a shelth knife that would have been useful on a nearby uninhablte a is I /1!Ild • Th e d r 0 g u e WaSIl r t s u 1'fici6ntly large enough to overcome t.he yaw and r e su l tan t damaging roll. The answer may be auxiljary wjngtip drogues or a larger main one. At any rate, • long line on the drogue is a definite help to its efficiency and jn case of' necess~ty can be used fol' a lashing. "During a recent search fur a plane un th e w-uter1 the area of its po s.s f.ble positions was greatly increased In onB or two days because We had nothing to g e by in estimating its. drift. Under the c o nd I t.Lo n s ri e s c ri bedabQve 1 ours was close to three vnots. Is there any data available on the drift of boats and planes 01' tii fferent s tz es under different sea Bnd wind condjlions '?"

t ly undone safety b-elt just before landing, Burfe-red no injury. Tbe planes

hi s but

mained afloat for periods 30 seconds to two minutes.

ranging

refrom

In spite of tile success of t hs s e f.n v o Iun tar y e_xpl:!r imen ts , the pilots of TorpedQ Tell still fefll th~t the TI3F-l is be t t er e d ap t.ed to carrier or field J and Lng s t.h.an to wa t.e r ] a ud Lnga , A rnLn.o r I t.y is of tbe o'Pinion that tile planes should be equipped wi tl.l pontoons or f' Lo a t.s , but t h I s minority is eomposed- 0;(' i.hose who Lave found it neece-ss a ry to "ditch" t.l.e tr -pl anes more than once~ It is felt that the Judgement of t h e La t.te r has become Warped by dampness. Bureau Comment: --T_ile entire s ub jeo t of "uuukilig" wllich is c on s Ld e r e d an Amel'iCElniZ8u v e r s r ou of toe Erig Lt s h

expression
cussed which

ture.

"ditching" is thoroughly disbooklet, "D unkt ng Sense,!! will be issued in tbe near fuTbe excellent result obtained
in the in Torpedo Ten is com-

Torpedo Squadron Ten

1n reference to a News Le t.t.e defir nition of "uilclling,1' as r!]andlng a

by the dunkers mendable.

plall~
have

In ~aterl"
on allJ
bef.lH

and

a request
this

for

CLOSING DAT.ES
for next i ssues.of

illformation

'Iditchiugs"

elLTlerience,j"

\"111011 squadron

submits I..lle I'oI J Dwlllg report: III less than 48 h ou.r s from uct . 25. 194~, to Oct. ~7, 1042, Torpedo Ten "ditched" 10 TOF-l airplanes. Landings were made with wlleels lip anti dnwn, witll flaps up a n d down, with tor-pedo a n.d wi thou t tor-redo, with 1lombs a rid wi t hnu.t bombs, up. d ownw t ud awl c r oa s w.l nd , wiLli planes d am a g e d b~ gun f I r e a n d wltlJ -planes uu d am a.ge d , C rE'W m e rub e r s wel'~ sometimes ill tile s e c ornl seat. s ome t.Lmeein the tunue I /:lIlt! a1ways In the turret. LallditigS were made at !llglLt and in LJle da~ytlme. ~(' pilots were illJur8d or los t, but one g,unner. who could [lot get out of' the turret w 8 s I ns t , No trouble w~s experienced in getting out the life rafts. 8om~ p Ll o t s s.nd cr-ews werebounced around a little tn J4nJing, while others came dawn quite eas11J.

News Letter
FEB. 19th for MAR. 1st issue

MAR. 5th for M.AR. 15th issue

Ll l u s t r a
drawings,
t

i on s ,
should
COil

l nc Lud i ng pilotogrspnssrld
be s en t with copy wh en the)'

improve or of t ex t ,

t r i Ilu te

to bet t e r urrde r standing

24

- AIR MAP
,_

....

1"'11'11Ir«iO

IMU'U

Si\N
I..ot

tMl"I~...w .A.Ni:rEl.a CHJ~·

~tIo
NE'"W

'II<:S'n*,~
'I'~ M~L

i1 lIPq..ru rl, ~~ QAL.lAl

..... ~HI~p.,t

The~e are no surface b ar r I e es such as oceans, deserts and mountain ranges on this map. The airplane bas elimin-

wCirld of th.e future all become closer neighbors

'Peoples

wi)l

ated them. 'I'11'e world has become smaller and no place 1s totally inaccesslbleby plane today. The War has proved that. The alr 1s much larger than aI] waters and lands combined· It 1s borderless and universal. In the

have e aeh
map

a more o th e n ,
shows the

and they will direct ~nfluence upon This polarpTojection

po s twar a1r-world from

an

air

transportation

standpoint.

[Map courtesy American Airlinesf

25 .. Fleet Air Wing 4 Patrol Squadron 42

.30 caljber continuous feed ~ustallatlDn recently reported being used in SBn type aircraft. Much
a thought and effort na~ been devoted by personnel of this squadron toward continuous feed for all guns in PBY-5A_' s , A continuous feed magazIne has been developed for installation in the bow turret. This is now undergoIng fl1ght tests. 8owever, nO means bas as yet been devised for doubling the guns in this station in conjunction with continuous feed magazines. Lack of facilit~es and equipment 1s the only thing that is preventing necessity from mothering the needed inventions. Tbrough the "grapeyi.ne" it 15 learned that the British successfully developed me thod.s long ago for doubling the gUllS in Catal naS and providing meaps of cont.inuous feed for them. If this is true, squadrons that hHve had to use FBI's as dive bombers, beat ng off righters by using single gun install a.tions, wi tbout adequate ammunition immediately avallBble~ have deserved more 1nfqrmatlon and help on this important innovation. When it was round that SBD's successfully could use tw in moun t s c ontinuous feed, it seems 10gical that an interlocking system of exchanging inThis patrol twin-mount squadron is interested in

R.u.n.M.'s while We ftlick 'em" but we guarantee tbat nO "desk" will again suffer from lack of knowledge of Patrol
Squadron Forty-Two "long rangen needs of an ex cep t.Lon a.I nature. Last spring t~is squadron .attempted to get suitable windshield Wipers installed for the purpose of giving them a real service test in the summer fog and drizzle~ SO that complete relIability could be established before Winter. The manufacturer supplied a 12-volt motor ror a 24-volt electrical system, thus bringing about an unrortunate delay which Is going to deprive us of this much needed item when we need it most, unless urgent steps are taken to run an accelerated test and all f n t e r-e s t.e d par t Le s push tbis pr oj ec t to a. maximum. Comment a.s to what can be expected In this conne~tlon Is requested. For months we've been reading about training devl~es, but as yet very little has been seen of them. It Is ho~ed that someone is deciding that certain types of units reqUire certain types of devices and is sending them out wIthout special request, there1'ore. Where we are now op era t.i ng, some Interes ting developments are going on wherein large air bases are establlsbing smaller ones in the same general are6 called Naval l1r Facilities. A Link Trainer at each of these Naval Air Facilities Bases would be the most welcome t~ain1ng device that Patrol Squadron Forty-two could wish ror.

formation

would have immediately

brought

this to the attention of others, at the source, interested in types of multiplace planes aotually be1ng exposed to attack by enemy aircraft. An officer recently detache~ from this squadron indicates that great Willingness is apparent at the wfeed box" to do the things that are believed to be needed by un1 t s au tually doing the fighting, but that much effort is being lost because of a lack of information on actual needs. Patrol Squadron Forty-Two bas felt that thIs was the case right along, and has occasionally tried to keep its responsibil1ty to the News Letter by sending in a contribution. Under our present set up it is the duty of the "good ole HedRon~ to write

BUREAU COMMENTS
In connection with the squadrons request for Link Instrument Tra1n~rs at ou~lylng fields, shipment could be made from the contractor's plant starting in April. If equipment is urgently needed prior to that date a change in the current allocation list could be made. In any even t, upon receipt of the request statin~ the number of trainers desired together wi h the location of activities to which the trainers are to be forwarded, immediate ac tion wi II be t aken ,

This Bureau is interested in the devel~pment of the continuous feed for the single bow gun Ln the PBY-5Is. It Is hoped that information on this magazIne wIll be submitted to tbis bureau just as soon as the installations referred to have been completed. Th.e Aircraft A:rmament Uni t has compl!ted the development or a twin gun Lns t aLLe t tou for the bo'''' enclosure in PBY-5 type airplanes which provIdes continuous feed for each gun of 350 rounds with extra magazines totalini 1050 rounds for each gun. This installation, however, involves an increase in weight which milit.ates against the use of SUch an installation as a general rule. Th~s bureau has tberefore dec~ded to have this change incorporated only in PBY"'"5's operating In combat zones. Parts are being manu:factured by the Naval Air Stati.nns at San Diego and Norfolk and will be allocated when completed as necessary. A continuous feed system for the side waist guns Is in the process of deliver¥ at the present time. tt had been hoped that these units could be available to the Service during ~he month or November but difficulties in the procurement of materIal bad df!layed d'elfveries to such an extent that demands for production airplanes are barely being met. It Is believed that the situation Is clearing at the prese~t tIme and that by the time tbis .News

Letter Is issued to the SerVice deliverIes of these continuous feed syst~ms to various Naval Air Stations for issue to the Service will be well under way. The Bureau of Aeronautics is interested in the performance of windshIeld Wipers on naval aireraft and wIll greatly apprecIate receiving detailed r-ep oe t s regarding any defeo ts in thl-s equipment. It is understood from the manufacturer that the motors provided with the wipers delivered to Patrol Squadron Forty Two, are of the 24- volt variety but have the improper nameplate. Immediate action has been taken to have the defects in the wipers in service corrected in the near i'uture.

MCAS - St. Thomas, Virgin. Islands

This station has completed plans for the training or personoel to be assigned squadrons at this field. Plans for a training school :for free gunners have been made, with racilities for the 3A-2 trainer" a motion pic.ture training room, a lectu.re ball., a workshop and various mechanical training devices. Pilots attached to squadrons at thjs station are receiving a complete Link trainer course~ rixed-gunnery t.r a t n t ng (both s yn t he t.t c an d actual firing) and recognition training by use of cards and models.

WHEELS
WHEN

DOWN
!

LANDING

3'1 •

flk

GLORY Of IT ALL
Fi tzkidney ,Aerog.2c,USN

.I

ay Dracula

You've Been us in the Bar Booms and almost everywhere But welre seldom ever beard about cause no one aeema to care. Weather is a tiresome job that certainly must be aone , but it I S gell J let me tell you, when the storms begin to come. You start to file your weather when the rain begins to fall you change it to a special then, there ain't no rain at all. The forecaster is a' yellin' "Where the hell'd you put the map? Arid all the time it, 8 practically
J

a laying in his lap.

The teletype is garbling bad, the code won I tbreak: at all and you're constantly reminded l:ly- a notice 0.0 the wall That he who failB to do his job before he goes to bed, will sweat on extra duty till he wishes he were dead. When I think of how I left my home, my bed, and yes, my Wife, to wet burse a grouchy .forecaster for the rest of my natural life, I long to drown my troubles in cool draughts of gin and beer But the Lieutenant shakes his finger Says "none of that stuff over here". For twenty four hours every day and seven days a waek, this thing goes on indefinitely til you Ire llIuGhto tired to speak. So nowI've told you 'bout the life of a 'p()or obse:rver man, and if you should run ~cr088 one just help him al.l you can.

J\EROLOG-Y

PATROL WING TW0

Curtiss unhooking his hydroplane

after being hoisted

29

1911
o a.r-d the deck of the. Penn s'y luen fa

THE HYDllOPLANE

Thirty-two years ago this month, an event of great importance to naval aviation took plaee 1n San D~ego Bay. Inventor Glenn Curtiss, who before experimenting in aeronauticS had built motors for bicycles, constructed a pontooD attachment on an airplane. The device was perfected with th-e aid. of Lieutenant Ellyson,

USN.
the On February hydroplane 17, Curtiss brought down on water and

taxied a I o ng s Ld e the U.S.S. Pe n n= sylvania. The plane ~as hotsted aboard by R boat crane. It was then let dQ~n on the water again and flown
back to North Island.

The episode took place a month aftel'" Eugene Ely lahded on the imha r b o r , It followed by three months Ely's stunt In taking off the U.S.S. BirmIngham a t Hampton Roads, Va. Thus, in a very short time, it was proved conship,
clus~vely seaplanes vessels. that could both landplanes and be used aboard naval provised

in

San Francisco

carrier

deck

of

the

same

Today.

A plane is hoisted

on catapult

car

Kite Target
A boy's kite 1s about to be used
for a man t s work. More sJ.1eC"if1caJly~ a kite has been developed to serve as an air target .for gunnery pra.ctice. The kite is of the 2-5 tick Eddy type , diamond share and t at.Ll e s s , painted to r-es embl e a Japanese Zero. The heigh t and span are app r ox imately .five feet. It can be maneuvered in f'light over a horizontal arc or about 60 degrees and controlled for altitude by means of a SWivel bridle and two ~reins". The kite is adapted to use on the ground in a natural wind or from the rear of a mavjng vehicle or the aft deck of a vessel underway. The gunner is stationed near the kite ope r e t or and bis range depends on the length of the Lf n e , Abi 1 i ty to maneuver the kjt~ provides vractice irt the "lead"

assignments fo. a short per~od so they can see, first hand, the absolute necass i ty In beconrtng etpel't 1n Ins trument flying, aerology and navigation. Then they get a tour of special training in these subjects in Seattle, before they finally are ready for active duty 1n th~ fog-ridden area.. The necessity fol' expertness in these branches of flyJng is reiterated in practically all the communications from this area that come to the bureau.

Course Trains Women Mechanics

Women mechanits soon will be a familiar sight at NAS La~hur8t. Two groups totaling 46 female learners enrolled rOT training during the last tWo Weeks. The women will be trained at Philadelphia and upon completion of" the course will return to Lakehurst where they will be assigned wDrk similar to that done by men mechanics. The cour se has a three-fold purpose: to augment the staff of mechanics at the station, to compensate for the loss of men called into service and to accelerate the lighter-tban-ajr program at Lakehurst. The women, enrolled as mechanic learners, undergo an intensive program covering b I imp over-haul.and maintenance, and engine adjustment and repair. Actual p ar-t.r-c tpa ta on in the varied duties of a mAchanic will give the women a first-hand knOWledge of their subject. They will be called U])OJl for such tasks as patching and painting blimp fabriC, adjusting engines, and metal work.

"Princi111e so importa.nt

in gunn-ery.

~ost of the kite for mass production is about $2. According to the S~ecial Devices Section which developed the kite, undamaged parts can be sal vaged after it il as been sho t down and assembled into other kites. All tm I ts are s tandardi zed. 'I'h ki te has been tested under fire at the AViation Training Gvonery Unit at NAS Norfolk and reported eminently s a t t s r'ac t ory ,

A Tip From the Fog

Expertness in navigation, aerolog),,, and instrument ~lylng are primary needs of naval fliers operating in the Alaska area. This information is the result of s~fting the experience numerous pilots Who have flown through the North Pacific fog. So specialized 15 the flying in this area that a system of special trainIng for Pensacola and Corpus Christi graduates has been worked out by Patrol Wlng 6. The training includes prov1ding the newly arrived pIlots W:lth'third =p t Lo t

or

Iowa Pre-flight
It may cost the Navy '27~OOO to train each of its fighting fliers,

but it also can make them work it out at tbe prevailing rate for manual labor. The aviation cadets at the Iowa City Pre-Flight School feel that they are writing off a part of their expense. The approximate market

31
Value of the manua.l labor which 1.8 compulsory for all Pre-Flight cadets o t.a.l s about $1,000. This physical craining activity is in addition to their instruct~on and tr4inlng in
s po.r t s such as football, basketball,

entanglements, emplacements.

camouflage,

and gun

Lakehurst, N. J.
Class 70 of' the Lakehurst Par achut.e Material Sc hoo l is waitin~ for the s ecand jump ()Jat will m.ean graduat t on and the awarding of ca.i..t.,~ rOf' the 31 st.ude nt.s , In their IS trenllous 16-week oourse t6 qualify as riggers, the men a] ready have rnaue one jump. t>i,umber2, which has been delayed by inclement weather, will he made in accordance with the recent ruling r e q u Lr f ng two

equIpment.

labor is set up in the program for its definite contributIons to physical condition and for its t~alnlng in the use of manual tools--piQks, axes, shovels, sledges--whlob might be demanded In a future em~rgency. At the same time, t,bese labor details have made their mark on the Iowa School's pbysical plant. Cadets have built the famed obstacle course, c Le ar-ed tWQ playing fields" and will fill in two more. They have cLea red lawn areas fOr sodding, built walks, and all this in add! tiOD to the routine de tail 0 f ke ep lng the bas e sh i p- shape ; raking leaves; shoveling and clearing snow; uncratil1.g, moving, and cleaning
Pre-Fl~ght

and boxing. Manual

jumps

Pr-evt ous Ly fic t en t ,

fo r c omp 1 e t i on of' the course. one parachute jump was suf~

UPOIl graduation" tllem'en ..... ill be awarded third-class parachute riggep1s r a Lings. Tile i r kn owLedge will inc 1 Ude not only the propel' procedure for the

rigging and up-keep of parachutes but

a.lso Ule co rr e e t meUlods to De eW'Ployed in the maintenance of' aViation li1'esaving e qu I pmen t and f'ligbt clothin.g. The iuitial jumps bi the class were made frQclill a station airship, the ins true tors bal] Lng out with the.!r men ,

In the future, cadets w~ll be introduced to the eonstrnct10n or fox holes, ~ntrenehm$nts, barbed wire

PBY-:ia's are do ing plenty of 1'1 shing these days---' not Lo catch but to siok---Axis underseas raiders. Depth charges are ready for release.

T'arget spottedl Only a white streak 01' 1'08J1l on the surface traced by all enemy 'p er t s cope . Telltale evidence, so boys let go with a d ep t h charge. TlThere she blows.!! A triple-pronged jet of spray reaches skyward. A terrific explosion shakes the sea, ;i ts detonation deadly. Tally another score fo'r Uncl e Sam.

33 f\{(}rthCarolina Pre flight

Killing three birds with Qne shovwithin 15 minutes." The print must be olear, and must 1'u11'i1 the requirements of a USeable mi'li tary print, OJ' tbe student i& required to keep repeating the a.ssignment until he deI1vers such a prlnt. Speed and precision are soon r-ou.t.f.ne. A recently invented training device which provides the student with synthetic aerial practice has shortened by hours the time needed to learn aerial ~apping tecbnique. Students are r e qu i r-ed to take, a four-hour check in this machine before they attempt actual aerial work. Pensacola's first auxiliary air base is now an Auxiliary Air Station. Corry Field, commissioned as a base in December, 1934, becamet.he third auxiliary air station of the Naval A1r Training Center last month when Commander John F. Moloney, U.S.N.. (re t ,) assumed command. Bronson and Barin rields recently became auxiliary b a.s e.s, leaving only two auxiliary bases to become separate commands. The new station will house s quad ron VN- ,8.. hoe instructors school, and

el,

Ii Victory Garden this spring, as part of their training at the orth Carolina station. It was painted out by Commander John P. Graff, commanding officer of tLe school, t l.a t t i Ll Ln.g tile soil was OHe of' the best muscle b\lllding, and 'b ody conditioning exercises kn own to man; that in working the garden the cadets would learn the rudiments of & valuable occupatlon.;and that the fruits of the garden will add to the nation's food supply. The fourteen-acre tract which the cadets will cultivate was loaneu to tLe Navy by Or. William C. Coker, of the University of North G~folina faculty. The activity will be under the direction of Lieutenant Commander H~rvej J. Har~an, D.S.N.R., dlrec~or of athletics. Ensigu Warren H. Chivers, 1I.S.~.R'J head of Labor Engineering at the school \'i,ill direct the work.

the Chapel Hill Pre-Flight eadets will plant and cultivate

School

Pensacola
The naval scn oo l of "photography at Pensacola Air Station has increased its output of trained photogra~hers by enlarging its plant to accommodate 40Q a.dditiona] students. The new building which houses the additional classrooms 15 a brick addition to the old photography building. Intensified tr'aining includes practical as s Lgnmen t.s Cor students during thelr second mon th of training. The student works under stop-watch timing, and is required to photograph an object, print and deliver the wet print wi thin 15 minutes. Some of the faster workers have cut the time to 12

YN.r...JJBC,

a transport

unit.

Five Piper Cub ambulance planes recently have been places in operation here. The additional service will facilitate the movement of patients and bring medical aid to scenes of accidents with greater speed. The ambulances wl1] operate from thema1n station and auxf Lf ar-y base f1elds.

Minneapolis
The base has experienced considerable difficulty in the first winter operation or N2S trainers. The Usual winter equipment was found to be insufficient as the all breather
lines froze at all temperatures below freeZing. The breather line to the tank was lagged and the b.reatber line running down the left landing gear strut was re-routed to come aft of Mo. 0 c~ltnder, which eliminated that

minutes.

"RAre 1s a j ready camera I," the instructor will tell a student. "You have priority on dark room No.2. Step outside and get a p t c t ur e of the first pa~~ed automobile you see, and put a wet ~r~nt of it on this desk

trouble
later brake

planes

(covered by R.D.D.M.). The have & neoprene covered hose in place of the former

34
rubber covered hose. The neoprene does not stand up ~n cold temperatures (covered by R.U.D.M.). Due to the exhaust collector ring being in back of the cylinders, the R-670 engine was found to run much cooler than the R-7BO. One plane ~as rigged for test purposes, a cone being placed over the front of the motor extending out to the heads of the cylinders. This Was found to raise the CJlinder head temperature about 50 to 70 degrees. WithQut the cone, the temperature was 50 to 70 degrees, and with the cone ran 100 to 120 degrees with consequent less danger of motor failure after glides. Lagging of 011 tanks raised the 011 temperature ~O to 25 degrees. Unavailability of parts and miscellaneous repairs have laid up about 20% of our trainers, and with an additional 10% Qut for checks, only about 70% of our aircraft nave been in operating condition during this period. During t~e recent cold wave~ a frozen nose and cheek was the unIform of the day for students until face breather line difficulty. would like details of tube mentioned. VN-Des1gn speaking

the

Epitath
(Be cogn

i t ion

'Depa

r t.men t)

Here lies Lieutenant Hayseed Hendley. Las t words: "J thought the p La.rre was friendly'. "

17- Year Olds Now EUgible

Young rren of 17 who are graduates or high or secondary schooIsJ or who are currently enrolled as seniors no~ are eligi~le for en]lst~ent in the Naval Reserve if qu aLt f t e d , 8S candidates for flight training.

~asks
base

we.e procured

locally.

Thjs

heartily agrees on the new gosspeaking tube developed at he Glenview base to help eliminate the face mask. It was used here last year with good results. A paste preparation to prevent "steam" ~nd frost from collecting on the eyepieces of goggles has been used effectively here. A small quant,ity of' the paste 1s applied to the inner surface of each eyepiece and spread over the entire lens area with the tips of the fingers. The lens 1s then po11shed by rubbing l~gbtly in a circular motion with a dry cloth. One application of the paste 1s effective for a period of about two weeks. The paste is manufactured by the Mine Sa~ety Appliance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is tbe same as used for the gas mas k lenses. Bu r e a u Comment: A service_ b u LLe t Ln will be issued to correct the engine

port

FollOWing the Navy'S lOng standing practIce of enlIsting 17-year-olds WIth consent of parents, the service YI111 enlist selected applicants as apprentice ~he~
seamen, V-5 classliicatlonJ U.S.N.R. they beco~e 18 years old ~nd have graduated frOID high or secondary schools

the~ will be eligible

for

transfer

to

35
the Aviation Cadet prograw merrt to ac t rve duty. and as s r g ugf'fectiv;:> self-pres r v a t t ou uud e r wartime COftditiofls -- ra t Ire r t han the p e r I'e c t Lo n n f' ,rOrlll alHI t cLnique _ is tlte end
also

A l~re]ted Dumber of cadets wIll be accepted monthly. The) Dust have schoiastlo standIng In the upper balf of the .g r adu a t Lng class, must be llhye1cally and psychologically qualIfIed
for r t i ga
t

pur-pose.
ma ke s

Tile
Lise n1'

p.i c Lu r-e

Ld te saving d r y laud ex-

tr ar n tng,

and

must

be

re-

commended
s cho o l •

b)

the

princlpal

of

their

ercises, Ullde.r-water sho t.s anti l:>ur.rac2' s Ln t s to e xp I a Ln arid d emo.n s Lr a t n tLPpro ac ne.s , carries, b l o o ks aud parries. l:nttJ r11lt1s are JIOW a va I l ab Le for disor t bu t Lon ,

phySlCql examlnat10n of cadets will be identical with that given to Nav a 1 II v i a t 1 0 n c tl de t, s ~ ex c e p t t hat welgbt down to 115 pounds will be acce.p t l:I b 1 e pro 'I ide d VIe i g h tis HI proportion to heIght. CandIdates will be intervIewed and e1amined by the Naval AVIatIon Cfld~t Selection Boards. Final selection \\111 be based upon potentIal offIcer qualIfica t.Lons and aptitude for fligllt trebling.

Ihe

Hit JEm Where It Hurts

job La g,et young il..lllerto forbe t s pOl' t s marrs h I l' fllHi ":fight dir'Ly!11 but you can't give a ,faT' all e v e u break B.lldexpec t ttl keep beal Lliy.
lc ' s ~ln easy i~aIIS. ;l'bnt's c ome all whj Ikalld-t.o-halld
combat has

be-

Lnrp

o.rt.a n t

Tlart.

of

t h e .Navy's

Pre-Fligilt t r a Ln i ug , Navy Trl:Liniug Film, M;'o;-27 "Hand to Hand Combat," is d es Lgued to speed t.h e teac hf.ng of simple

y 1, effect.ive rough-and-tumble Jut j t t su , 'Wrestling_. boxing,

f'e n c i.ng , and

fighUng. s-ava te ,
are u.s eu

football

tac

tics

a I ong wi
SllOW5

til

ad e qu ate

fouls.

Slow mot Ion

SWim and Live

War over
able skills

the water

calls

Lng , At the Schools, future flying o f'f Lc e r s are given the PI know ho w " they need to get away fr om a sinking shiT'." to s u st a.Ln themselves ill the water until picked up ... and to lend an assisting hand to t ho se in need nt' lie l p ,

in swimming an d ,'iaV.)! I s Pre-f'ligJ!t

for worklife sav-

The swimming, experts Acaderuy have supervised

01'
the

the t.javal production

of two

training

motion

pictures

that

are bei/lg; used to s up p Le men t in-thew ate I' i 11 S t rue t 1 0 n : M ~ 1 3 19 a [I a sic TeclHliques of Open Water SwimminiS, arid M~ 1319bElellientary Tactics of LifeSaving. • The swim1DiHg filul 1s divided into t nr e e parts, rW15 about forty-rive minutes, a.ud Ln c 'l ude s dry land exe r c Ls e s to develop 'Proper breatlling and leIS and arm movements.

IJ(1W to cut a big mall d own to your o wu size. O['~ if he is o n e of t h o s e little so-and-so's, bow to slice him up w t t.n a knife or dagger •... throttle, garrotte, or beat his brains 3U1. with a club •..• 01' kiJl h I m witl! tbe business or butt end of your pistoJ. Nearly all !J our ill I eJlgth J t hi s Navy t r a.Ln t ng, f'i Lm a Ls o shows you what to do, a.ud how to do it, when the other fellow is armed atld you aren!t. "Hanu to Hand Combat'! was made under the s une r-v Lon of' n av a l officers Ls at our Pre-Flight Schools who are making a grim and s.e r t o u s b u s t n e s s o:f this sort of' tJliHg. It is the best audiovisual aid we ~IOW f'or tbe liquidating of Ln.s Ld i.o u s little men "tbe master race~ and Mussolini's "Inviucibles".

PICTURES, TOO? to have glanced at for publication in NEWS LETTER.

Ye S, sand 1em along to tone up copy material you'd like

\.
~\

37
Norman, Okla.
is noll'in o"per'aof 28.8 XC and at present 1s monitoring 3105 Ke. In the near future it will monitor 4495 and 6210 XC. This station operates on 15 watts power, 100% modulation with normaJ coverage of a 25-mile area. However, good reception bas been recorded from so £ar as 75 miles. Many essential parts for tbetransmitter were not available, and it was necessary to construct a composite transmitter from parts of an old highfrequency transmitter. Two seamen are expected to return soon from Fort Robinson, Neb., with e1gh t sen try dogs. The me n were aen t to the special school for dog handJing several weeKS ago, and will be in charge of the canine sentries uTlon their return.

t Lon on a frequancy

The N orman

tower

'»:
,

lr'-' ,

':""

,'
(

( t'

"\

_.

.'

.., ~,

,1 ;

ST

Jacksonville
news items in the Bureau letter regarding grQund loops, and ijureBu's comments thereon and tha rRcent diScuSsion of how to prevent ground loons contained in the BurAau News Letter of December 1, 1.942, have been not.ed with interest at tbis station. Mjsuse or controls in contr-olling landing run-outs and in t.axiing has become p re v aLen t, in the Navy. Much of this is believed to have res u I ted from emph aa Is in recent years upon use of the rudder in order to save rubber tJlres and braking sur r'aces and from not teaching the student to use his brak 5 properly in primary pl anes , The iwportance of the rudder in preventing a ground loo~ has been greatly ove.r=empn as t.zed , It has never been known in the history of this s t ati on for a ground loop to s tart immediately on ]anding. Experience has clearly demonstrated that the only way to prevent ground loops is THE PROFER USE OF BRAKES. During a 1 nndi ng the rudde r is fun c L ion a] on ly im~AW~

Recent

a carrjer. The precedence given in the BuAero News Letter of December 1, 11342, s hou l d be changed t'rom ""'throttle"l "rudder"~ a n d "brakes" to "brakes~. "brakes", and more "brakes"

properly app1jed.

mediately
the

after the wheels have

touched

ground. The brakes t on the other han d , are functional during the total run out of the plane, from the first touch of the wheels to the end af the ru~. For this reason, it is felt that the ~roper teaching procedu~e would be to ease the feet up on the rudder nedals until the ~edal is in the aTch of the £oot and the toes ,re on the brakes immedia.tely after straightening out in the glide to the landing. If this is done, required braking may be ap p l led the Ln st an t the plane starts to swerve f~om its heading. Tests have shown that an airplane l118.y be landed with brakes non~ lind s t t Ll, have no tendency to nose up until 20% of the run has been completed. KatuTally, such procedure should be discouraged when making landings aboard

CO}{Jt(ENT - To use or not to u se the brakes during a landing has gone on ever since the day brakes first a.ppe a.r-ed on aircraft, and it continues. There are many of us who no longer ago than 1929 arguert s t r anu ou sLy against the adoption of brakes for thQ very t: ea.s on that th e y w-ould ;, reeze II during f a landing with a resulting crash ---and that did happen at Lbe beginning. Hut, who 01' us today would be willing to give up brakes? I t is TIT obab I e tha t no two pilots use the identical procedure Whether it be in flight or in the use of brakes. Both pilots may be the best with never a ground loo~ entered in their log. One may use brakes while the other may rarely use brakes during the landing run. This doesn't prove that both are correct nor that both are wrong. It merely proves that in their landings they k~ep their eyes ahead and take whatever action 1s required to keep their plane running in a straight lIne until tbey have slowed down to a controlled taxi speed. Before the advent of runways it nearly always was possible for the ~ilot to land exactly into the wind with the probability that, if he were

BOREAl]

39

carefulJ he would not groundloOTl. Now, however, conditions are such that it is desirable and generally necessary that
runways be used. As a consequence~ crosswinds frequently must be accepted with thr increased possibility of grounrlloops. The answer appears ~bvious. S tuden ts mu s t beta u gh t to land in a straight line. To do this they must remain alert w~th their eyes sufficiently far ahead of the plane to permit tnem to anticipate ... grQund Loop , If such a thing begins to indicate t ts eLf', they mu s t take a p p r-c.p I a te r action to stop the incipient groundLcop, J\s sum lng t:ha t th e tail whee 1 is locked, a burst of gun may be of assistance and certainly the brakes Will helTl_ It isn't to be expecte~ that the F~lot will use his brakes to

dayli,gh t I as ts , Prompt disciulinary action has been taken in the case of a l@cal Dilbert who just couldn't resist the t emp t.a t Lo n to "flat-hat'" over his own home in an early s taf!;e f ILls training. 0 Spinning out of' a climbln~ turn, he crashed between twn houses 70 feet apart. Result.: Plane-completely Wrecked; Dilbert, s~veral bruises. An enlarged pictu.re of the wre:cka,ge has b en p Laced in all cadet ready-rooms as a measure of nersuasiveness.

Dallas
!Iput j t all t.he favor! te expression Rena.i r Department.
IDenJ;; .jig h as

igor lias b e c ome tl1e of th e As s e.mb J and l The f'uselage aLigJlt uv a Lu a.o j a , To

ah extent that they wear thin, nor that he will turn the ~lane over on its back. But, the use of brakes when they are necessary, is more desirable than a plane in need of overhauJ.

proved

San Pedro
MelL of' this s t a t io n are making a thor ough check 011 tlle I r gas masks t hese

da ys ,

All

n I' e.q u Lpm au t p os s e s s o r of

Lns ne c t I on of this 1'/111 be held

a

Vital
SOOIL

piece The

d.a t.e ["i ve fuselages have beeu k' e t.ur nad to service that f(lr'Il'erly could not have b e.e repairea u by t[.is a c ti vi t y , Tile jig n ot only {,olds t.na f'u s e l a g e f1rOll), wldle faulty members are replaced, but a l s o indicates ally parts. t ha t are out. of line . .It is d e s Lg ued to take cite covered fuselage in Qrder tliat repairs can be carried 011 s a f'e l y wiUJOut. r emov Iug t.ne fabric. I'L s jl!;;. t was developed am! des Lgn l er

mask must S110W t:.llat it bears LLe -proper i Jell tit' ic a t ion tag,aod t.lra he is keeping, it ill good condition. t

ad bjo on jig

La t t on

has

and men will be required to pas s through a gas-filled! cna.rnher to test tlJeir masks to d e t er m Lue if they are in good repair and. fit for use

Of~ficers

Anacostia
Plans for the future include developing another outlying field and fur t.her decentrali z a ti.on of ops e.e.t i.ona I auxiliary services. Recently added to tbe Hyde Field installations are a Link trainer room, radio classrooffiJ cadet ready-room, ship!s service canteen, sick bay, enlarged bunkrodm, ad di ti anal h a njr ar fa c iIi ties, and several wells. Schedules are COTItlnuously being revam-ped to pro vi d e II ~aximum numbet Qr hops as long as

of' a f f'Lx t ur-e as well a s an aligning j t g, Tw o rn rt can com p Le Le tile metal e ~ork 011 a d a ma g ed :-.2Saileron ill &11Tlroximately five I.nur s , Wit.1" five jigs during, one week ill uec emue r , $4 ,~2S a i'l e r ons were r e pa-Lr d. Detailed. drawiH~s or t h e above .i t g s )l:i I I be f'ur n Lshed IlH)O'ne i:nterested.

output 1. Iding

pers o nu e L, Tile aithan doubled tbe I e r on a , It serves as tl.

more

WHEELS

DOWN

LANDING

40
Elizabeth City
A visual education program ror enlisted personnel and reserve office,s 111:\5been launched here. The station's new 16 mm. s ound motion pIcture equipment 11&S been put into operation for showing films £rom the Navy library. The training series was opened with "Prelude to War." blood generQusly and we still have a 1a r gel is t a f v 0 I U I) te e r s • I tis our purpose tobu1_ld up B. reserve not only for our own needs, but also to send a large number of uni ts of plasma to some foreign station or fighting sh;1p. An interesting exercise recently ~as staged to give a praetical demonstration of the asbestos suit under fire. First, a hot bonfire was built. Then, with the crash truck crew on band~ several members donned asbestos suits and walked into the flames, remaining there for a period of five to seven seconds at a time. With suits m good condition, there was adequate ~rotectlon from the heat. However, ahe ~uit had worn thin, par tic u 1 a r1 y a t th e h eel S J an d a s a result one man was slightly burned. A regular check of sui ts is e ss en t La.I for safety" The gunnery department is busy attempting to design a moving target frame to use in deflector training. The object is to develop 8. moving target which will give aviation cadets deflector trainjng with .30 caliber r i 1'1 es • I r any on e has any sugges tlon s , offIcers of the departm~nt will be glad to receive them.

JacksonviHe
Prolonged lectures on the use of the torpedo director are now a thing of the past ~n the VTB section of VN16. A link trainer equipped with the instrument just forward of the hood now is used. A ship model superi~posed on a compass-rose is placed on a high table and the student Is given its heading and speed and tben completes the problem with the director. Althougb not working under the exact conditions or a dummy run or actual torpedo attac~ this particular innovation bas proved extre~ely practical and a great time saver as far as instruction 1s concerned. All efforts are being bent toward completing training in the Intermediate specialized Carrier Squadron, VN16, by Fehruar~ 28, 1943. The Squadron averages between 850 and gOO flying hours during daylight hours daily and at this rate, wi th the grace of good weather, It Is believed there wl~l be no more flying cadets at NAS, Jacksonville~ by Uarch 1, 1943.

Paris Island (MCAS)

All hands are anxiously awaiting the s tart of operations at this operational traini:ng base. Thus far, operatJlon of two ut1lity SNJ's has been the extent or a c t.Lv t y , Pr-e s e n t a-t t Lcn of a Navy Gross was made to Lieut. Turner F. Caldwell, Jr. at ceremonies au Jan. 9. :l'wo days Later a Gold S tar in 11eu of a Navy Cross a r r-Lve d for him and another presentation ceremony Was he Ld ,

Memphis
The blood plasma bank is no longer

a dream.

We now have

an available

supply to meet any emergency. Reports f~om all areas of fighting activities stress the great role that plasma Is playing in saving lives araong wounded and burned personnel. An adequate S irp p I y is ke p tat this s t a tion, an d a large supply in the frozen state at the Methodist Hospital in Memphis. Orricers and men have donated their

Vero Beach, Florida

Expansion of' the Ordnance Department has neceSsitated moving of synthetic training devices to separate quarters. Regular classes now are being held in gunnery and ship and "plane recognition. A recognition device has been installed in the hangar to give men a chance for 1dentlfying planes at all times.

•
EAGLE MOUNTAlt-l LAKE

41

This s La t ion is r e c e Lv t ng valuable assistance from the Civil Ae r on au t fe s Admillistrat.ioll in training control tower o ne r-at o r s , Fo u r Marines of this s t.a Lo n are t attending a si.:x ",eeks' course ill Fort Worth which started au 0 u t tw 0 wee ksag o. T II c 0 u r s e 0 f' e training includes the use of a miniature airport and model airplalles to s frnu La t e a c t u a l control of aircraft,

Atlanta
We have heard of "Bats in the Belfry"~ but never before have we heard of "Rats in the Brake-Drum." It would seem tb&t the state of af~airs had gotten in a ~retty sad condition when a rat Causes an excellent plane like an -F4F4 to ground loop allover the place. That is

just what happened to an F4,F4 on its way west from the factory. The pilot of this -plane was not Ii member of the fairer sex and did not allow the aceldent to happen due to" fright caused by the s 19h t, o:f the 11 ttl e pes t. After making 6 normal landing, tbe plane ground looped to the lef"t as Ii res u I t of the right brake fa~ling to hold properly. Upon examination~ it was found that the little rodent had exexercised "Squatters' rights" in the rigb t wheel~ obviously above the Mason and Dixon line, and had worked himself between the brake 11ning and drum. When the pilot applied th~is b ra ke ; the body of the rat seryed as Ii good lubricant between the lining and drum, leaving its e~es bulging out one side-and its tail dangl Ln g fol'lornly from the other. This happened to be the end of the rat and also the end of thIS tale.

\.

,I

r,'

",
'I

0_'"

' .III,,//0//,,_,_
... ,:...

~~

.....

One Itty-bitty Slug

How an ordnanceman and free gunner earned the thanks of Hi r-oh Ito by putting Ii TBF Qut of action is told in Ii recent report f'roma West Coast st-a t cn . t Probably no medals will be forwarded from TOKYO, due to the fact that they failed to kill or wound a radioman in the: radiO compartment of the TBF. It was the old, old story of the "unloaded" gun. The gunner was told to check the turret and swing the gun ana TBF parked on the line. He trained the gun on another TBF directly aft and touched the trigger. Here is What the s rngl.e .50 al1bre slug did: "Passed t hr eugh the lower starboard cowl flap, the lower starboard side of the engine mount fairing and the starboard bomb bay door hinge arm. The channel of tbe outboard bomb bay door was also damaged at this point. "Ttlen passed through the rear stanchion on the underSide of the main fuel tank, where the jacket was stripped from the bullet. Pieoes of the jacket dented the web of thr box member at station #95, then punctured an electric conduit and the channel in the lower left hand corner of the after end of the bomb bay. The b omb e r r s b u.Lk-« head was also punctured by the jacket. "The bulle t broke t.b end e o f'f' the

Flight Medicine
Research in fl1~ht medicine 1s being f'urthel"ed on both sides of' the AtlantiC through employment of the Link Trainer. Medical officers point out that actual fli.ht conditions can be simulated in the trainers, and controlled experiments In fatlgue~ effects of stimulants on pilots~ and other subjects of scientific interest can b~ carried on. Such experiments can hardly be controlled in actual

fl igh t,

Semaphore Gone Native

Any navy man, whether he serves

on

the deck or in the air, should

fuel vent. tube at station #70 and passed

through the stanchion at station #90 both webs of the box member at station #Y5, and the bulkhead o:f the r-ad o comi partment at station #105. There i broke two hydraulic tubes and a radio cab] e, be! fig fi nally s topped by the radio receiver. n It is fine thai this second of carelessness din not kill the man working in the radio compartment, but it cost plenty of man-hours of labor for repairs to the TBF. And anyway! that bullet was meant for the Axis!

expert on reading signals. forced down in a strange land frequently finds h Is way to his own lines by being able to handle himself in a friendly manner among the natives. For this reason, the rollowing description of a code discovered among the Hindu residents of the various islands of the West Indies: nA red pennant with a fringe of white (flying from a bamboo pole in front of the Hindu's home) means that the family has a virgin daughter of marriageable age. The whi te signifies chastity. "Sometimes you may see a red pennant witbout the white fringe and 10U can imagine what that means , Occasionally the red pennant minus the white fringe fli~s with a smaller red, _bite trImmed :flag underneath it. That means the family has a non-virgin daughter of marriagable age with a daughter born out of wedlock. If the smaller flag is *hite, it mew.s that she has an illegitimate baby boy. "An orange flag flying before one of these Hindu homes means that the head of the house is willing to swap ~ jaugbter or two for a son. A purpljsh colored pennant is practically

be an An aviator

44
an SOS. I t me an s tha t the old man wants to get rid of some of bis daughters for coLd , hard cash." That, according to Yank, t.he Army wee):ly, is exactly wbat these s· g,nals mean, and there's no use trying to read any other meaning into them. Yank also says the Army is getting set to issue khaki underwear to combat troops. The color w:ill be used not only on the summer cotton shorts, but on the heavy long-handled woolies. Reason: white linenS waving from the w aah I Lne make for bad camouflage, and can be spotted miles away from th e air.

Do Drop Inl

'

lap Fighters
An interesting comment on the quality of some of th.e Jap pilots being me t by our own men in the Solomons comes from a Marine dive bomber just returned. He and another Marine flyer - b~th £lyi-ng SBD -3' s - were jumped by 22 Jap Zeros and pract~cally gave themselves

np.

~rf those Japs had been Amer1can fighters," t h Ls Marille says, "we wouldn't bave lasted five minutes. But these fellows were no good. I'm not telling you bow good the other M&~lne and I were - I'm telling you these Japs made every mistake in the book. My rear gunner got two, the other pilot got two and the other gunner got two. J go tone. I aLs 0 got about 163 bullet holes in my plane and four wounds in my left leg. nOut there, we've discussed the difference between these Japs and the ones we met at MidWaY. The carrier fighters were~ frankly, swell flyers; they knew what they were dOing and th~y really laid it on. Maybe these fellows in the Solomons, being land based, are .l ap Army flyers, and their Navy got the cream. But Whatever they are - they're lousY taetloians. "If they weren't - I wouldn't be bere
now. " f'avor t t es good!

In a recent issue of' the Chioago Tribune, appeared a letter signed "North Shore". In tbat letter the unidentified writer made a bitter complaint about low flying activities of "single motored airplanes swooping over North Shore Villages 150 to 300 reet up. f! Mrs. Ru th Eng e L, Whose h ome near PalatineJ Illinois is "painted cream color", wrote the Tribune an answer. She understands why some low flying is essential in the training of future Navy pilots and that the job being done at Glenview is potentially more important than occasional annoyance or bother to some civilians. She sent a co~y of her letter to the commanding officer and it was p~inted in the Exhaust, station weekly, with the following comment: "Ca,.detsWllO read this will of course realize that Mrs. Engel's invitation to 'knocK off a few bricks from the chimney or roll their wheels along the roof" must not be taken literallYJ and that prescribed regulations regarding low flying must be strictly adhered at all times. They will apprecia t e , however-, the friendly spirit her letter." The letter follbWS:

or

The Chicago Tribune Voi~e of the People Chicago, Illinois

Column

EditoriaL

Gomment:

Let's play no . assume they a l L are

In answer to the party that signs themselves .NORTH SHORE in your column, THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE, in regards to allowing planes to fly so low over the bouses along the GOL.D COAST, please. allow me to ~egister a complaint of these planes also. I am a housewife living in a small three robm house situated about two blocks from an a.uxiliary landing field known as Buffalo Grove Field, where these pilots practice landings during the day, ~articularly when the wind bloWs from the south. These planes fly over our home ab OU t 150 f'eet high J (my guess of course) and I want to say this to the Commander and the s turtent Pilots

4f
at Glenview, that this is too high to sult me. If' in their training it wl1l help them, they are welcome to see if they can knock a few bricks off our cn tmnay or roll their wheels a l ong vth e if they de Lr-e , of -with utmost safety to themselves. As you see, I have come to realize what an excellen t, symphony the roar of motors is becQmjng a.s they grow in nurnbe.r s over my home each day , And these J mind you, are our own planes and QUI' own pi 10 t s , who Without a second thought would chase a ZERO or MESSERSCRMITT away .from my home to ,poteet it, even at the cost of their own lives if necessary -- and no questions asked afterward. These young men who pilot our -planes were once o wn e d by a good fa the I' a.n d mother, who unselfishly have given them' to selfish people such as this NOR'" SHORF. resident, who even wants to deny ~em th~ air over their so called homes because they might hurt a roof or so. It might be in good order now to direct such letters as they write to the Jap"~ or the Nazi courst r f e s, wpo might honor such a request; who in that respect honor all requests 6",S scraps Of paper, So roy complaint, to the Commander at GlenvieW is to suggest that he pull all the planes f'ro·m the North Shore and fly them from Buffalo Grove auxiliary landing fleld, over my h ous s, even if the wind don't blow from the south. And if they land and wan t to s top in for a good cup of scarce coffee ~nd a sandwich they are welcome. If any of our neighbors ever complain of the noise and danger from thes'B planes, insul t.s from me w 11] be in good order. For purposes of identi.fication our h om e 1s pa t n t e d cream color.
rObf so s e our-s e

WHEELS
WHEN

DOWN

LANDING

t
I

-published "To r p e do Junction", Cas-ay as th e resu It 01' his trips aboard a cruiser in the Midway and SoiOllJon actions. Mr. Casey is. a veteran. artilleryman of the First World War, and has not lost interest in the ma.1 orGeal iber guns. He was discussing artillery rire with a Marine gunnery sergearlt who commanded An anti-aircra.ft battery abo ar-d the cruiser. "The trouble with this war 1s," the Marine gunne~ said, nthere is too much blankety-blank high school algebra and not enough peeping through Sights.~
by Rob e r- t J.

recently

WAVES. No, this isn I t Hollywood. . . • It's s till the NavYI Fi rat it's dame a i now it's slacks. And there seems to be no doubt about it. .' Both are here to stayl Latest dope on WAVE und f'o rra s, and no easy job is the one of keeping up w~th constant innovations in the gear of our sisters in Navy blue, reveals that slacks may be worn wi th tbe matching unif'orfll jacket (wool for winter, cotton gaba:rdine for summer). Bowever, t h rs is to be only ¥f'hen the type of, work being done by Women ReserVists actual1y demands that trousers be worn, and in addition they will be subject to tb~ approval of the commanding oi'ficer. Other new articles of uniform for WAVES include an aviation ceverall and working smock. These, like the tailored slacks, are to be worn only when they are performirtg duties _hich if' handled :by m{iJ.e perso nnel woul d call for dung ar e.es , Bon voyage, boys, the girls areready to takeQve r I

lsi

Yours truly MRS. Ruth

Engel

'P.O.

Box 236,

RFD #1

Palatine,

Illinois

Mar.ine Gunners' Opinion

I'i

Views on the war that flndpractlc'8.11·y an ALNAY .note o f s ympa t he t t e ooderstandlng are reCorded in the

46 Lone Pilot Captures Airport B.R.C.

Imagine the embarrassment Nation, R.N.I of' Lieut. "Blida aerodrome is placed disposal of the Allied, Armies. n

at the

NO TOOTHPASTE

TUBES REQUIRED

Singlehanded, he captured an important-North African airport. Then he had it on his hands until ground forces could arrive and take over. Flying an American-built p Lan e on relief patrol assignment during the ear 1 y days of' the Uni ted Nations' iQvasion of Nortb Africa, the British Fleet Air Arm officer saw crowds standing on the hostile Hlida field, all waving white handker-c.hf.er s , The anti-aircra.ft fire had stopped, so Lt. Nation landed and was handed this astounding note by a French general:

A pilot of a carrier-based plane Was forced to bail out during the Nort!: African invasion. He was arrested promptly and slapped into the bas tille during the conflict. The jail was j us.t a block from the harbor, where all the action was taking place, a~d every explosion rocked his cell. That bothered the pilot not at all. He had bther troubles. Banging on the cell door, he finally got the jailer. !'I demand my international rights", he said. "I want a tube of toothpaste". An d he got it. AP P a. r en t 1 y, ;i n Africa, you don't have to turn in an emptv.

Navy personnel--civilian and military--invested a total of $104, 3~O.245. 25 war savings bond s in 1942. r:l'olJping off the year with $18.805,137.50 in December:!: the Navy carried its total of savings bond purchases since the start of the campaign in September, 1941, to $107,274,976.50. On the basis of the efficiency index, Washington led all the Navy Yards, with Norfolk a close s ee.orid ; the 'Fourteenth Naval Das r.r Lc t was first wbile the Ki.gntn was second among the districts; Corpus Christi was first amoug the air stations, with Pensacola a short d r s t.artee behind.

in

the

The following tabu1ation efficiency index:

shows

the

st.an d.l ng of' Naval

Air

Stations,

based

on

OECEM:3ER

SALES

"E" BONDS
Corpus
Clll"i$t:l

PAYROLL

EMPLOYEES

PER

CENT QPol

IlER CENT

PLAN

ELIGIBLE P!XROLL PAHT

2:3.2
22.4-

EFFICIENCY
INDEX-DEC.
166.1
156.0 133.7

an, ass. 7 5
283~106.25 190. 5:;l6. 25

90.1
79.2 9.5~8 84.2 ~2.:J 75.3

Pensacola.
SllIl Dleg'o

JB.cksonville
Quonset Sorfolk AJ 8lIIed 8 Po Ln t

1:14,4-75.00
80.. 100.00
137,906.25

16.1 16.4
13.6 15.0

128.8
Jj~.

1.16. B

119,100.00

83.2

12.9

nO.7

If You Gotta Go . • •
Our Britjsh commended the

R.ubber company has produced

an

entirely

The Hydraulic System Works

cootemporapjes recently

ingenu1ty of ~ Coastal Coremand pilot ~ho used two pin~s of coffee to replace deficient fluid in the bydraul1c system in order to pump ~ enough pressore to get his wheels down and land. Th t s in'venti"Veness has s Ln e s be(:!:n topped by anatner Coastal Command
p Ll o t , now de s rgne ted as cap t.a tn of the head. Near his base at Gibralter, he found n1rnself unable to lower wheels and rlaps due to ioss of oil ~ressure. Ei~ unblushin~ report follows! "No pressure could be built up b~ the manual puttp. The captain Invest~g a ted the tr cubI e a nd found a 0 oil lea k on the floor. The measuring stick of th e S e rv Q pump rea d z e r 0 • B ~ t r. en

tire tread known as ~Polar G~ip.n This tire has a soft crepe rubber tread that gives a more positi¥e grip on sno~ and ice than the conventional airplane tire. The many ffexibleJ finger-like projections of the soft tread grip firmly on Snow and ice prov~ding a firm, sure brak'ng action and a resistance to s Ld e skid-

new type of airplane

lUng.

Dr oppahle Life Raft

The followin~ data, on releasing a (Type b) Droppable Life Raft frorn an airplane in flig-'bt, has been r e c e r'v ed
from

the

s ar'v e : Lc

for

ordered the crew to urinate 1n their thermos flaSks, and these were poured lnto the oil surr~. Pressure at once built up, with the use of the hand purrp, to 90 lbs. and the undercarriage was sUccessfully lowered and locked.» BUREA U CO)lMf,}{1.The e n g Ln e e r t.n g branch of the MaterIal Division says it's feasible, but flush thoroughly efterwards. Eng i.ne oil is preferable,
If

available.

Six Blade Propeller

Aeroproducts Division of Qeneral Motors recently ha~ completed a new du aIr 0 t a t ion pro p e 11 e r J IN h i chi L says is the first t~ be built as a self-contained uhit with its own hydraulic system. The prop is equipped with hollow ribbed-s t e e.I blades an d. is of automatic constant speed wit~ controllable pj_tcb design. It cousists of two tb~ee-bladed, entirely self-cant ained units, turning in ollposite directions.

smOke light for reference. Attach a stron~ 11ne from the raft inflation handle to the plan~. On the next pass, fly directly Up~iDd, ~aintaintng about 200-200 foot altitude and slow speed, and ~hen approximately ]00 yards past the su~vrvars, tbro~ ou t, the raft. For droppln~ from an 092U type plane, the following met hod requires sto .... of age ~~e raft in a pan aft of the radlomBn's seat. This necessitates removal of the free gun. The raft inflatlo~ tandle should face forward with one end af a 25-foot length of strong line attaohed
to the handle and the other end to the gunne.'s scarf ring. This l~ne is the stat1c ripcord, and the slack should be flaked through the carryin, case handles of the raft: On approaching surVIvors, keep altitUde and speed as low as posslble and in a position slightly u~wlnd

dropp~n~ ~nlnflated is as follows: Locate survivors accuratel, and drop suoke 11~ht for refer~nce. On the next p as s :fly d i r ec t Ly upwind, keeping altitude and speed as low as poss1ble, and tbrow raft do~nward from tne tunnel ha t ch , For droppln~ lnfLated: L0t;ate sUrvi"Vors accuratel}' and \:Jl"ap

From a PE~

type plane,

the technique

T IRE TREAD FOR ICE For Americafl war planes in icebound t a rr ito r y , the Fir est on e 'I' ire and

48

•
in accordance with Navy Aero Spec. U-567 are being probured for issuance to servi,c·e activities. It is expected that these lights will be available 1.0 e..pproxlmately six weeks. Activities interested in using this deviee should obtain the lights by requistt16n from the nearest supply point. The signalling 11ght is &lmilar to that being used by the Merchant Marine, and employs a small dry-cell b~ttery for f'urnislling illumination. A clasp is provided on the light case fo~ attachment to the life jacket, and a cotton lanyard also is attached to p re ve.n t loss. A keying but.ton is on the bottom of the case, so that the light can be used for signalling in Morse code. Instructions for operating the keying button are stencilled. on the case. The Bureau will apPTecia.te :rec.eivlng
comments as to whether this be stocked as a standard item. devIce

WHEELS
WHEN

DOWN
.1

LANDING

fro~ the deslre~ landing spot. Drop raft dver the s1de when plane is .ir. proper position arid designated
droppinj!" area is in view. i.n

c r on-

piIl~ the raft, the fo r ws r d pB'rt of the after slidin~ batch is opened and the gunner's e e a t svti'veled 91)0 to the left. From thls pos~tion, the raft is readil, accessible. ~eleas~ raft, securin. straps Bnd grasping carryin~ case handle ~ith left hand and for~ard end of case ~ith right hand. Rem6ve fParr pan and bold dver
port side o~ plane~ keeplnp inflation hand le up and drop the -raft • 'Cl:le . static ripcord ol1ens the cO_2 valve, and the raft inflates ~bile d~oppin.-

Instrument Publications
The Aviation SuppIy Officer, Nav&l Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia, has been authorized to d.ls~ribute to the service all maintenance and over~aul

B 0 REA 0 C 0 JOt E N·T ~ An S 0 G and SON bulletin has be eri prepared clarif'ying the wording of' tbe a..-igi .n81 ch Mge, re. garding the use of life tafts when these plane,S a re used as seaplanes.
The

planes painted

Bureau has no ob j ee t t ons to seacarrying life rafts. It has out on ocoasions, however, that the weight of the raft ~hould be considered When determining the loading condition of the plane. No ihf'orma:tion 1s ~vailable regarding the rate of drift. It will vary greatly under the various CQnditions encountered and it , directed to him. is pr-ob anLe that an as tima te of drift will have to be made on the s~otJ EXhaust Collector Clamps taking into consideration the condition Several SODMls ha-ve been t'eeelved and typ~ of plane, st~ength of wind, recently concerning fal1ures of exsea oond Lt I on , as wel.l as a knowledge haust collector clamps and attachments, of the current in the area invo.lved. wi tb r.ec:ommend.a tl ons tlla t these 'Parts

publications for Federal St.andard St.ock ea talog Cl ass 88 ins t rumen ts . Req ues ts for installations, ope.ration and maln-_ tenance instructions, parts and price lists, and overhaul ins true tions should theref·ore be fo·r·wa,rded direc t to tbe Aviation Supply OffIcer, Na.val .!il'craf't Factory. The AViation Supply Officer Is also r~spon£ible fOT the distribution of the Handbook of AircrQ.f't Instruments and requests for that publication should be

stock them.?
An expe,rlmenta.I rai't and life-jacket

be of 11fe-

rede$ignad
lnstr~ctlons

or

strengthened. tbe exbaust

quant1t.y
signalling

lignts

a certain
left

genera1ly state that amount of slack should be

when

assembling

49 •
sys tem to alloW
less this Is

for expansl on. Unfailures of 1'i ttings are apt to occur. When this type of trouble 1s encountered~ it 1s suggested that this point be checked. In tbe cases of collectors attaohed to the engine cylinders by mea.ns of a f'La nge d connection, 1 t Is recommended that the stud nuts be tightened evenly and with equal torque to prevent misalignment. Individual stacks may be ins taIled wi thout gaskets if the exhaust stack fl~ges are grQund to a true surface. The elimination of gaskets generally tends to mininize stud failures and exhaust gas leakage.
done,

instruments from stock. The defective l~struments removed should,be forwarded to th~ nearest major overhaul shop for refin1shing of the dials and pointers.

Don't Get Tangled Up

(Advice lssued by AAF which
mieht well
a i rmen ]

be heeded

by Navy

Installed on Helicopter

Two-bladed Main Rotor

Seeking further simplification Df the Vougnt-8ikorsky 'VS-.'300 experimental bel~copter, eng1neers recently designed and installed a t~0-bI8ded main rotor to replace the three-bladed unit previGusly in use. It Was found that the two-bladed roto~, durin~ Its temporary Jnstallation brougbt about a simplification of structure control, and storage. stopping the rotor fore and aft over the ship, the VS-!300 helicopter can be stored in a long narrow space witbout foldin_ up the main rotor blades. Fll~ht tests proved that the substitution of the t~o-bladed main rotor involved no sacrifice of ~he helicopter's previously-demonstrated excellence of control ~nd stability characteristics.
J

B,

. Whenever articles su o n as microphones, fla.shlights, oxygen mouthpieces, etc., are dropped in a cockpit tnere is an immediate danger of jammed controls. AI] ~ersonnel using microphones, head sets, oxygen tubes~ or other accessories in aircraft are cautioned to make sure that they are replaced and securely seated in the carrying hooks or other receptacles provided. In the case of articles such as hand miCrophones, the extra length of wire will be taped to a convenient part o~ the airplane in a manner that will prevent their tangling with any part 01' t.he controls if they are dropped.

DONjT GET TOO "WRAPPED UP" IN YOUR WORK.

Faded Dial Markings

Reports ha.ve bean received regarding the difficulty of reading the fluorescent markings on instrument dials at night. Some instruments now in service are mar ked with luminescent materia.ls which darken under certal'n atmospher1c conditions a.nd fall to respond to ultraviolet light. Steps have been ta.ken to eliminate this trouble 1n 11e.• pr odue tdcn instruments. -It is recommended that. instruments whose markings faU to respond to ul trav~olet light be replaced by satisfa.ctory

50
GWl Heating
individual contact electrical heaters. The power is taken directly from the ~enerator and the hea,ters function unless disc0nnected at the gun com.partment connection. The wiring provisions and heater units are installed in all airplanes by the contraotor prior to delivery.

Fighter Type Aircraft

The policy of tbis bureau is to have provisions for heating tHe guns in all Models of VF type airplanes. This Is in aCcordance with standardization requirements w-hich have been established jointly between the Ar~y, Navy, and British. Operating experience h~ indicated that gun heating is not ~quired in certain theaters of operation when guns a.r e maintained in an ab s o.i t e Ly clean u condition. Tests have shown that guns will fire under cold conditions when kept completely free from ol~. This requires very strict maintenance to pre~ent corrosion throughout the gun. Conversely it has been determined that heating of the guns permits ope~ation under condl tlons 0 f 1 ess s tri ct maintenance and improves the cyclic rate where oil may be present at cold temperatures. Enumeratad below are the gun heating provisions provided in current fighter types:

It is anticipated that in the fUture the heater units_, both combustion type and electrical, will be ~rocured in limited qu~ntjties rather than for all airplanes of a eont rae t , They then will be placed in stock at deSignated $upply bases for issue to operating units as required.

Minneapolis
The A. &B. department at NAS Mi..neapoljs has devised a set of racks to speed up fabric covering and cloping procedure. These racks are used to su spend W 1ngs, fus e I ages, and ai 1e r ons so a unit may be worked on from all sides by revolving it around the longitudinal axis from which it is suspended. separate racks are used for the fuselage and Wings. The wing rack also can handle ailerons and later wi] 1 be used for elevators, rudders, stabilizers, and vertical rins. The fuselage rack consists of two, three-wheeled tripods Joined at the base by a heavy ~ipe. Each tripod has a s~ecial fitting from which to attach either the tail end to the t&il assembly brackex, or tbe nose end to the engine mount bolts, thus suspending the fuselage a t each end of i t s longi tudinal axis. The fuselage together w:1th the nose and tail fittings is allowed to revol.e iv a 360 degree movement, thereby allowing men to work on the unit on the top, bcttom or sides without the useo! ladders or stools~ merely by revolving ~he assembly around its

Model F4F-3. Airplanes

-3A,

-4. and

-48

Kadel FH-l Airplane

Same

Ducted h~ating of the gun compar tmen t s wi th bo t ai l' taken 'from the engine exhaust manifold. The equipment is sUllplied separately by the cpntractor for each airplane to be installed by the service as required. The gun compartment is insulated.
as for t.heModel F4F series.

Hode l F4[]-:Z.

F3.A-1. an d. FG-l

Keating of the gun nnmpartments by means of individual combustion heaters. The fuel air mixture for the heate,l's1s taken from the high pressure side of the engine blower. The equipment is supplied separately by the contractor for each airp ane to be installed by the service as required.

K ode l F6F-9 Ai rp l an es Heating of each gun receiver

by

axis. 1~e wheel-casters ~hich make the whole assembly portable are rubbertired ~o eliminate the danger of

51

END IIIEW

TIILL SWIVELING !2VIJQ£R ml.E{) WH££LS N/IV6E ./

C£AI'fP roN /fEV""Y/NtJ rVSE£A6E

THIs PIPE CCWtYt"C75EN{) ml-p0/)5

\.-.:.,~-

IlfIBIJOl. 17RED· lPHES.s

(;EfLLL

SlYIY~L)

AlrvrtANE MWUE

A5S£/1U1l'(

AND EI'IO

nmNG

---

••

IJ"

....

-.:.:.._-..

__

-= __

.J __

~~__ _' __

.'•• _"""... __

52
rOOE. Racks for is similar to the fuselage rack e~cept for the method of mounting. This Is done by fitting the Wing .1th a bar attached to the strut fittings and also ODe attached to the spar fittings at the inboard And of the wing. These bars are mounted all the longitudinal axis bar of the rack So as to allow the wing to revolve in the s a in e man n era s the f use 1 aJ!; • e The ~ilerons are mounted on the same type of ~ack ~lth the exception of the fittings (or attachment. In e~ch set-up the fuselage, wing or aileron mar be worked on one aide and imfIediately t u rne d ov e r before it is dry and worked on tbe opposite side th eraby e11101D8 t Lrig the n e c e ss I ty of waiting for one side to dry beiore doping the other side. It bas been foubd that a sbving of at least an, in time may be made by the use of sparks in the dope these devices. The e c c empe n y Ln g drawings will furtber explain the construction and operation of the Tacks.

wings and ailerons

Power Plant Design

Supplies of air craft engine lubricating oil may become crit1cal due to the great expansion in aircraft activities planned. The BuAer Manual, paragraph 14:506, and Technical Order No. 24-41 encourage the use of grade 1100 for all en,gines Jf limiting 011-10 temperature 1s not consistently exceeded and alsu p~ovided a beavier 011 is not required on account of' scavenging troubles. It 1s desired to re-emphaslze the importance of' the use of' grade 1100 011 instead of grade 1120 oil since this increases th~ total availability of airoraft engine lubricating 011.

FALLING

BOMBS

WORRY YOU?

PERU,

INDIANA

Would you like to knoW how to dodge a bomb? This is a method reported by capt. Reade Tilley of the Army Air Force Who returned recently from Mal t a :
"You bold up a pencil on as tra i g h t If y~u sight along the pencil at the falling bomb, and hold the sight, the path of the bomb can be checked. "If you see the bomb again, drifting off to either side of the pencil or over the top J then you can reI ax , That bemb will miss you, falling to the side or behind. I1But if you dOD I t seethe bomb aft·er a little bit, if th~ pencil masks it off, the b omb is falling in line witb you. It may nit in front of you. And it may smack the very place where you are 5 tanding. Anyway, it's a good idea to go away then sort of quick. "

stick.

A course indicator is now being installed on the operation tower, which will indicate by a varied sequence of lights, the one of eight different courses to be used for landing. The equipment has been needed for some time and completion of this installation will Kteatly benefit aur flYing personnel. A job survey of each department bas been recently completed by the personnel department. The purpose of the survey was to determine the exact duties o~ all personnel and, i1' necessary] to make changes and r-e ar ra ng e work programs so the services of each man will be utilized most efficiently. It also provided information to determine whether additional personnel is needed in particular jobS that are now being bandIed by others as collateral d u ties.

53

m:bt 1!)errengrtmli1l5
By Flight-lieutenant F, Ogilvy I've Rabbi, Archbishop and Pope All agree on one thing, in their loathing Of Slap H ppy Herman, the Dope. 1'm the garrulous Goebbels Gremlin, The third Reich's dirtiest tcngue, A flap-eared, club-footed hunchback, The lustiest liar unhung. ['m the pimp to the plots of the Party, I brandish the bludgeon, of blitz Or prattle of pea e and appeasement-sWho cares if it's true, if it fits. I'm the hypocrite H imrnler Gremlfn, Still a schoolmaster, bland, benign, With some lovely estates in the eountry-iDacnau's a favourite of mine. There 1 educate wrong-minded persons uch as Communists, Jews and Poles. It hurts me more than them what I have to Do for the good of their souls. Boys, I'm the rubber-stamp Ribbentrop Gremlin, On the shelf till hostilities cease When r hope to be photographed signing More Pacts 0:( Perpetual Peace. Meanwhile lest the Party go thirsty, My fortunes I further entrench Black-marketing champagne I purchase With Indemnity Francs from the French. Envoi We're the National-Socialist Gremlins, The Apostles of Orders New. Which means everything nice for the Nazis And everything nasty for you!
-ROYAL AIR FORCE: JOURNAL alt J)[SIlIC\' l'. (', r, But the true-blur, original (-;rC'llllill:> Were suckled un )1uuidl beer 'We cut our first lel'th on till' :-p;ul!;mh, We cockf:tl ,Iur first srrunk br the Rlunc.
III': III \\

YOU

nln

ho~~1uf

','(1I1f

Engh":'IH'(

("1.'1111111",

got Wings but I'm nobody's angel;

You ran

And we carne to our ,~ll..lri(_111s manhood On the 3rd uf the f)th, '..lg. We're the National- ocralist Gremlins Of Nonh European blood Which has grown progr~~s~ively Aryan Since not long after the Flond. Tall, dolichocephalic Bloodies, Blue-evcd without ever a trace Of Alpine Eurasiatic Or Medit.erranean rac-e While ethnologicaUy Gremlins Should conform to the rules as above, Yet rules must be proved by €'xc.:eptlons.Even Herrenvolk can't resist Love. And who better to prove the exceptions, 'v\ Ih) fitter tu et the style Than rbe Rulers who made up the Rules? Meet the Quinquumvirate 1 Heil ! Fuehrer Gremlin Whom the Fates and The Furies perplex, Vegetarian chewer of carpets, Teetotal eschewer of sex. It was I drew the blood-bath of millions, I t was J built the Swastika crOSS For humanity's last crucifixion, I'm the bloodiest. Boys, I'm the Boss I I'm the gluttonous Goering Gremlin Of gawdy, ga.rgantaan girth, I'm plastered with hundreds more medals Than anyone else on earth.

I'm the Four-flushing

55 AIR WARFARE
Jan. 20-21

DIARY

northwest of Guad e.l e ane.I airfield) in the New Georgia group. The o pe r-a ions we re s uc cess fully t co.mp Le t e d and fires from ex p Lo.s f.o ns of fuel and arn mun f b Lo n dumps indicated that the area.w!ls com-

D. S ... airoraft ca rr Led on t, several ha r ess lng ntgh t at taoks on Ballale Is land off the ne r t be as t COBS Ii of' Shortland Island. Results were not obse rved. A. J ap an es e pi an edropped several bombs On Espiritu S8~tOj ~3fi nautical east of Guadalcanal There were sonne 1 and our not damaged. miles south0.1r£1eld. to perWeTe

Jan.

25

no 1l8sualties

pletely burned out. U. S". aircraft intercepted and attaCKed a large £orce of JapllDese dive bombe r s , twin-engine b omhe r s and 'fighters, which WIll, he ad ed for Guadalcartal. Result: four japan es e ZEROS were shot down; enemy planes were driven or£ and no bombs were dropped on V. S. positionSj no U. S. planes lost. Two unir,,,, of tl. S. ground f(1rces

415 t.nl La tl ons

Jan. 22

During

the

mo ..in~ n

a FLYING FOR-

TRESS bombed Japanese positions at Rekate. Bay and started sevePBI fires. Single enemy planes again dropped bombs in tbe vicinity of the airfield at Guadalcanal. lIJnor damage to iflstaJlo.tions was reported Bod one and three wounded. meT) were killed Anti-aircraft

jolneQ ~t Ko~bona

on GUa~lcanHl

J!ID.

23

ftre shot do~n one enemy plane. U. S. positions on ESllirjtu Santo Isloud ~er~ bombed tbe nights the 22-nd find 23rd. Details were no t re-p 01' ted. Ttre following attack mf s s f ons were ac compl Lshe d, aga ms t J apanese ins tallatio~s at .Munda: }._ CATALINA,

after one unit had entered the village rrom along the beach to the east and the other hlld encircled a strong enemy pocket and entered Kokumbona from the sout1;l. The maneUVer resulted in giving O. S. fOTces unrestrlcted use of .Kokumbonll and thli' beach the to

Dr

eas t , Two hundred ntnety~hr~e Japs were k,illed and five pr,isomers were taken during the o per a t Lon , In the Pacific ar-ea, O. S. aircraft were attacked by eight Jap ZEROS d-urlng 8. reconnaissance mLs s Lon over Wake I$land. Two ZEROS are belleve~ to b8.ve been destroyed. A] 1 U. S. -p 1 an e s ret urn e d • Jan. 26 At dusk a formation of FLYING FORTRESSES he 8\1 11Y bombed the J ap at rfie-ld on Ba.llale Island and start'ed fires in the revetments. Weak anti-aircraft fire was encountered. During the morning, enemy dive and
by

on e a r Ly morning patrol, 'bombed tbe enemy-held area. A large explosion resulted~ 1ndicatihg hits on an amntun f t.Lon dump. At noon
WILDe.AT

force _ARAUDERS with and AlRACOBRA e s co r- t attao. ked and s 11 en [led enemy tI'nt ial I' C raft. bat te-l' ies. Early after8

or

noon attacks by FLYING FOBTI\ESSES, with LIGHTNING escort, resulted tn a number of' enemy f11'es. During even~ngJ ~ARAUDERS, with AJ!HACOllRA escort, c s r r Le d out II f 0 u r t hilt t -a c k , U. S . Il ire r 6 ft bombed and d8JJllli!ed a large Jap-l.lJlese destroyer and !l cargo ship in the the

Jan. 27

high-level fighters, canal. U. S.

bombers" escorted ap p r-o a ch e d GUadlal:fIghters engagi!"d the

Jan.

24

Short land Is land area. Enemy planes raided U. S. positions on. Guadalctl.nl!l dur.fng the ni_ghts of Jan. 23rd and 24th. U. S. all' and surface forces bOIDb ,.rded enemy positions on Kolumb ang a ea Island (190 nautical miles

planes and prevented any being dropped. Incomplete rep 0r t s in.di c a te d tha t n me ZEROS ",ere des troyedand sil( others probably destroyed. Four u. S. planes are miss Ing, A force of JilARAUDERS" with AIRACQBB! escort. bombed enemy lnsta~1 Ii t f ons on Xv 1 omb anga.J' 8. Is 1 a,nd starting a large fire. All our
~ombs

enemy

56
pl.ane s r-e tU'I'ned.

bomb a roree

hits

1e£t

a BflrRo ship
Orle or

and
t.he

During

the

evefllna,

of

tan ke r de ad 1n the w R te r+

DAUNTlESS and AVENGEIlSwith WIlllqT escort littacked. an enemy d,es:troyer and Reargo snip in the Velle Gul r. Two d I re e t hi ts~e 1'e S cor-ed on the ell rge ship w'h i'CIlwas le.ft sinking. Smoke was ob s e r-ve d from the d.ec Lose bombing. Jep ~hips 15 miles northeast of Kolomba.ngll.ra Island 1O'e.ret.he target o I' an afternoon attack by a ·forc·a of DAUNTl.ESS a n d .AVE"NGERS LIGHTNING escort. Torpedo wi th and

four ZEROS whIch intercepted 1'.5 shot down. All our 5,hips retur·ned,. U. S. 511 ips ope ra t tn I!; to the weB t.1'I1>ro of ou r po s d t i on s in tIle 61eutjan Islands were Bltacked

by

s troye r B,S a r es ul tor Jan. 2S

two flDat-type Jap planes but no d amag e w-as sut'fffreo. Results were hbt reported on the b oeibt ng of' Kahil1 til the SliDrtl and

a r e a by
TRKSSES.

a force.

of

FL1:ING

F'OR-

~,

-_

at