Palau air raid

Fri Dec 05, 2008 5:38 am

Flight deck of American aircraft carrier filled w. whirling propellers as planes await takeoff during Palau air raid attack March 30, 1944 J. R. Eyerman

Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:13 pm

Any idea what carrier?

Fri Dec 05, 2008 1:29 pm

And the Japanese remarked as they spotted this group over Palau:

畜生

Mudge the impressed

ps "OH SH-T"

Last edited by Mudge on Fri Dec 05, 2008 3:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Fri Dec 05, 2008 3:07 pm

Reminds me a lot of this piece by Gareth Hector

http://www.aviation-arthouse.com/watermark2.php?i=61

Don't want to be on the receiving end of that bunch!

Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:41 pm

My father's log book says "participated in strike on Peleliu" in F6F-3 buno 40345 on 30 March -- 1.9 hour flight. That would be from the Yorktown in VF-5.

His log also says he was in the strike on Palau the next day, 31 March. (Peleliu is part of the Palaus -- so we're really talking the same thing here.)

As far as which carrier is pictured, dunno -- there would've been about six or so involved in two task groups. By 1944 the light carriers (CVLs) were no longer operating SBDs, as seen in the photo, so good candidates would be Enterprise or any of the early Essex class CVs.

Great photo! Thanks for posting. Can't prove anything, but I like to think my Dad's somewhere there in the pack! A 21-year old Ensign aviator, keyed up, adrenaline pumping..."I hope I can get an enemy plane on this one!"

Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:59 pm

How quickly could they all be launched? I would think the guys in back would wait a bit before starting their engines to save gas for the flight back.

Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:59 pm

b29flteng wrote:How quickly could they all be launched? I would think the guys in back would wait a bit before starting their engines to save gas for the flight back.

Kinda what I was thinking, about the guys in back.

Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:47 pm

Hellcat wrote:Any idea what carrier?

I found them here:

http://images.google.com/images?q=Deck+ ... ource:life

Heres some more from that sequence, some fantastic detail in some of them:

US Navy Navy SBD Dauntless in flight during Palau Islands air raid attack. March 30, 1944 J. R. Eyerman

Closeup of American SBD Dauntlless in flight during Palau air raid attack March 30, 1944 J. R. Eyerman

Crew gathered on flight deck of American aircraft carrier for two burial at sea funerals.March 30, 1944 J. R. Eyerman

Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:39 am

No gear cover on #5 first photo!

Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:45 pm

A2C wrote:No gear cover on #5 first photo!

Good catch! Now that you mention it, how about #27?

And -- for west-front, thanks for the additional shots -- incredible SBD shots! Should be able to track down which squadron from the insignia...

Sat Dec 06, 2008 3:27 pm

Llarry wrote:
A2C wrote:No gear cover on #5 first photo!

Good catch! Now that you mention it, how about #27?

And -- for west-front, thanks for the additional shots -- incredible SBD shots! Should be able to track down which squadron from the insignia...

Assuming these are from the same group they would be VB-5 .

Outstanding photos. With the Yorktown just up the road from me in Charleston SC it makes me want to take another trip up there soon !

Sun Dec 07, 2008 12:36 am

Strike photo from Palau attack

As you can see, this was a Yorktown photo. I don't know much else...taken by an F6F-3P? Or a hand-held camera? Anybody know how to read the legend?

I spent 25 years in the Navy as a Signals Intelligence guy...don't know nuthin' about no pictures except I like 'em. Especially Jack Cook's and ArmyJunk2's!

Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:14 pm

Another photo -- airfield at Palau