Warbird Information Exchange

VB-6 SBD Gunner William E. Hunt



Hello all,

Our close family friend received a letter from the navy last week about her Uncle that served on the USS Enterprise and was killed in World War II. I’m not going to mention the content of the letter here but we got together to look up any information we could about here Uncle and this is what we found so far…

Her Uncle AOM 3/c William Hunt was assigned to Bombing Group VB-6 in 1942 on the USS Enterprise. He was the Radio/Gunner for Pilot ENS John Doherty on a SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber under the commend of Lt Cdr W. R. Hollingsworth and Lt Richard Best.

On February 1, 1942 on the first Naval offensive VB-6 flew three missions on Kwajalein, against the air base that had supported the bombing missions against the U.S. Marines on Wake Island. Employing 500 and 100 lb bombs Lt Cdr W R Hollingsworth’s pilots first attacked the light cruiser Katori, and then returned to strike the airfield’s hangers.

Large numbers of enemy bombers were based on the Taroa airfield, which had not yet been hit. Hollingsworth was back in the air for the second time that day. Leading nine SBD’s with orders to destroy the Japanese bombers. Lieutenant Richard Best, also of VB-6 led another nine-plane formation off the Enterprise deck to handle whatever Hollingsworth missed.

He didn’t miss very much. Hollingsworth led this flight down out of the sun and personally destroyed seven grounded bombers with the three bombs. The other eight SBD’s wrecked hangers and more aircraft. Passing Hollingsworth’s formation outbound, Best’s small group had to fight its way through more Japanese fighters to reach the target. A few SBD’s became embroiled in dogfights with the enemy planes claiming ENS John Doherty and Gunner William Hunt who were last seen battling three A5M Claudes or Nakajimas fighters.

"Only Ensign Jack Doherty, who, at the tail of the formation, had fought and flown desperately to keep the fighters off the other planes, and then pressed home his own attack, failed to return. His last words as his Dauntless twisted and turned among three Nakajimas were: 'These goddamn Japanese will never get me.'"

It was a great Memorial Day looking up the information and the photo above on the Internet. One source was from Barrett Tillman’s book SBD Dauntless Units of World War 2

The family has very few photos of William Hunt being in the Navy and would like to find more if possible. If anyone has any photos or any contacts that I could pass on would be greatly appreciated.


Thank You,