THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WORLD WAR II AVIATION
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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
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First-Hand Account Gives Pilot’s View of Doolittle Raid |
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Editor’s note: The Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942, was the first American air attack on Japan since its attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Eighty crewmen aboard 16 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, similar to the Museum's B-25J "In the Mood," were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. The mission was planned and led by world-famous aviator and reserve U.S. Army Air Forces pilot Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle.
The following first-hand account, edited for length, is by Lieutenant Edgar “Mac” McElroy (later Lieutenant Colonel, USAF-retired), pilot of Crew 13. Its target was Yokosuka. Read the full account here:
McElroy died April 4, 2003, in Lubbock, Texas, at age 91.
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…With the deck heaving up and down, the deck officer had to time this just right. Then I saw him wave Doolittle to go, and we watched breathlessly to see what happened. When his plane pulled up above the deck, Knobby [co-pilot Lieutenant Richard A. Knobloch] just let out with, "Yes! Yes!"
The second plane, piloted by [Lieutenant Travis] Hoover, appeared to stall with its nose up and began falling toward the waves. We groaned and called out, "Up! Up! Pull it up!" Finally, he pulled out of it, staggering back up into the air, much to our relief!
One by one, the planes in front of us took off. The deck pitched wildly, 60 feet or more, it looked like. One plane seemed to drop down into the drink and disappeared for a moment, then pulled back up into sight. There was a sense of relief with each one that made it.
We gunned our engines and started to roll forward. Off to the right, I saw the men on deck cheering and waving their covers! We continued inching forward, careful to keep my left main wheel and my nose wheel on the white guidelines that had been painted on the deck for us….
With the best seat on the ship, we watched [Lieutenant William] Bower take off in plane number 12, and I taxied up to the starting line, put on my brakes and looked down to my left. My main wheel was right on the [guide] line. Applied more power to the engines, and I turned my complete attention to the deck officer on my left, who was circling his paddles.
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Now my adrenaline was really pumping! We went to full power, and the noise and vibration inside the plane went way up. [The deck officer] circled the paddles furiously while watching forward for the pitch of the deck. Then he dropped them, and I said, "Here We Go!" I released the brakes and we started rolling forward, and as I looked down the flight-deck you could see straight down into the angry churning water. As we slowly gained speed, the deck gradually began to pitch back up. I pulled up and our plane slowly strained up and away from the ship.
There was a big cheer and whoops from the crew, but I just felt relieved and muttered to myself, "Boy, that was short!"
…As we began to near land, we saw an occasional ship here and there…. Then at 1330 we sighted land, the Eastern shore of Honshu. With Williams now on his guns in the top turret and [Lieutenant Clayton] Campbell on the nose gun, we came ashore still flying low as possible, and were surprised to see people on the ground waving to us as we flew in over the farmland. It was beautiful countryside.
Campbell, our navigator, said, "Mac, I think we're going to be about sixty miles too far north. I'm not positive, but pretty sure." I decided that he was absolutely right and turned left ninety degrees, went back just offshore and followed the coastline south. When I thought we had gone far enough, I climbed up to two thousand feet to find out where we were. We started getting fire from anti-aircraft guns. Then we spotted Tokyo Bay, turned west, and put our nose down diving toward the water. Once over the bay, I could see our target, Yokosuka Naval Base. Off to the right there was already smoke visible over Tokyo. Coming in low over the water, I increased speed to 200 mph and told everyone, "Get Ready!"
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When we were close enough, I pulled up to 1300 feet and opened the bomb doors. There were furious black bursts of anti-aircraft fire all around us, but I flew straight on through them, spotting our target, the torpedo works and the dry-docks. I saw a big ship in the dry-dock just as we flew over it. Those flak bursts were really getting close and bouncing us around, when I heard [Master Sergeant Robert C.] Bourgeois shouting, "Bombs Away!" I couldn't see it, but Williams had a bird's eye view from the back and he shouted jubilantly, "We got an aircraft carrier! The whole dock is burning!" I started turning to the south and strained my neck to look back and at that moment saw a large crane blow up and start falling over!... Take that! There was loud yelling and clapping each other on the back. We were all just ecstatic, and still alive! But there wasn't much time to celebrate. We had to get out of here and fast!
…We flew south over open ocean, parallel to the Japanese coast all afternoon…. Across the East China Sea, the weather out ahead of us looked bad and overcast. Up until now we had not had time to think much about our gasoline supply, but the math did not look good.
…In total darkness at 2100 hours, we figured that we must be crossing the coastline, so I began a slow, slow climb to be sure of not hitting any high ground or anything. I conserved as much fuel as I could, getting real low on gas now. The guys were still cranking on the radio, but after five hours of hand cranking with aching hands and backs, there was utter silence. No radio beacon! Then the red light started blinking, indicating twenty minutes of fuel left. We started getting ready to bail out.
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…At 2230 we were up to sixty-five hundred feet. We were over land but still above the Japanese Army in China. We couldn't see the stars, so Campbell couldn't get a good fix on our position. We were flying on fumes now and I didn't want to run out of gas before we were ready to go...
We kicked open the hatch and gathered around the hole looking down into the blackness. It did not look very inviting! Then I looked up at Williams and gave the order, "JUMP!!!" Within seconds they were all gone. I turned and reached back for the autopilot, but could not reach it, so I pulled the throttles back, then turned and jumped. Counting quickly, thousand one, thousand two, thousand three, I pulled my ripcord and jerked back up with a terrific shock. At first, I thought that I was hung on the plane, but after a few agonizing seconds that seemed like hours, realized that I was free and drifting down….
Looking for my flashlight, I groped through my bag with my right hand, finally pulled it out and shined it down toward the ground, which I still could not see. Finally, I picked up a glimmer of water and thought I was landing in a lake. We're too far inland for this to be ocean. I hope! I relaxed my legs a little, thinking I was about to splash into water and would have to swim out, and then bang. I jolted suddenly and crashed over onto my side. Lying there in just a few inches of water, I raised my head and put my hands down into thick mud. It was a rice paddy! There was a burning pain, as if someone had stuck a knife in my stomach. I must have torn a muscle or broke something.
…It was a cold, dark, lonely night. At 0100 hours I saw a single light off to the east. I flashed my light in that direction, one time. It had to be Knobby! I waited a while, and then called out softly, "Knobby?"
And a voice replied "Mac, is that you?". Thank goodness, what a relief!...
We walked together toward a small village and several Chinese came out to meet us, they seemed friendly enough….
…Well, the five of us eventually made it out of China with the help of the local Chinese people and the Catholic missions along the way. They were all very good to us, and later they were made to pay terribly for it, so we found out afterwards. For a couple of weeks, we traveled cross country. Strafed a couple of times by enemy planes, we kept on moving, by foot, by pony, by car, by train, and by airplane.
But we finally made it to India.
Story Credit: Rich Tuttle
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Museum Volunteer of the Quarter Kevin Bogan |
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You may come to the museum to see the aircraft and displays, but without the combined efforts of all our volunteers there wouldn’t be a museum to visit! |
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Behind the scenes our volunteers do many things -- aircraft restoration, maintenance and construction, library operations, retail development and sales (they create those awesome pieces in the gift shop!), security, event planning, exhibit and artifact coordination, social media, public relations, newsletter, and more. Those are the folks you don’t see; the ones you do generally include front desk, display demonstrations, docents, hosts, and of course the aircrew who make flying the aircraft possible. So, whether it’s a history lesson on the P-47 or finding that perfect lamp made from engine parts, it all happens thanks to our many volunteers!
Kevin Bogan was named Museum Volunteer of the First Quarter 2023 and was honored at an informal reception and lunch in the Museum's Hangar 1A.
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Kevin, who lives in the Denver area and has one daughter and two granddaughters, has been with the Museum family for four years. "Being part of this Museum is a blessing," he said.
The Volunteer Award plaque was presented by Harry Johnson, co-lead with Jack Humphrey of the Restoration Team. The team, which operates mostly out of Hangar 1, restores vehicles and other equipment, builds cases and displays (among other things), and maintains the Museum's buildings and grounds.
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Kevin started with Harry's team, and has moved to Bill Klaers' team of aircraft maintenance.
Story Credit: Rich Tuttle
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Japan Was Never Able to Successfully Use Massive,
Aircraft-Carrying Submarines in WWII
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Japan planned to use large submarines carrying up to three aircraft each to attack American cities, the Panama Canal, and a big U.S. naval base in the Pacific. But time was not on Japan's side as World War II was ending, and none of the missions took place.
Museum Docent Johnny Drury traced development of these unusual submarines, their planned use in the war, and their fate. He told an audience of about 200 during a March 11 presentation at the Kaija Raven Shook Aeronautical Pavillion that the idea of launching aircraft from submarines dates to 1915, when Germany conducted experiments. The U.S. and Britain checked out the concept in the 1920s but later abandoned the idea, which was to use aircraft for scouting beyond the eyes of the sub, Drury said.
Japan also ran experiments in the 1920-30s but did so continuing to see the aircraft’s conventional role as only for defensive/reconnaissance. By the time of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, it had deployed 11 frontline subs capable of carrying defensive aircraft. By the war’s end they had deployed 41 such subs.
However, the concept, design, and construction of the I-400 class greatly changed the idea of pairing submarines with aircraft. The aircraft then became the offensive weapon and the sub was relegated to mostly a launching platform.
This approach found its infancy shortly after Pearl Harbor. At a meeting on December 24, 1941, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in- Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet offered his senior staff the concept when he said, “If we send a submarine aircraft carrier to the U.S. mainland and drop bombs like rain over their major cities, the American people will surely lose their will to fight.”
In fact, a Japanese sub-launched aircraft did attack Oregon with the goal of starting forest fires. On Sept. 9, 1942, the sub I-25 launched its single float plane, which dropped two incendiary bombs near Brookings, Oregon. With wet weather and light winds, fires did not spread. A second attack by the I-25's air raft was carried out on September 29, 1942, with one bomb dropped near Port Orford, Oregon, but there were no fires.
Meanwhile, work was underway in Japan to build even larger submarines of the I-400 class, each capable of carrying three aircraft. The subs would be 400 feet long -- about 100 feet longer than the U.S. subs of the top-line Balao class, for instance. The beam would be 40 feet compared to 27 feet for the Balao subs; displacement, 6,670 tons compared to 2,450 tons; range, 37,000 nautical miles compared to 11,000 nautical miles; and a crew of 160 compared to 80.
The plan, Drury said, was to build 18 I-400s (numbered I-400 through I-417) and seven of the smaller AM Class subs (I-13 through I-19). They would carry Aichi M6A Seiran ("Storm from a Clear Sky") aircraft, 78 of which were to be built.
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Ideas for use of these subs included attacks on New York City, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and the Panama Canal. In 1943, following the shoot-down of Admiral Yamamoto in the Solomon Islands and a turning of the tide in favor of the Allies, Japanese leaders cancelled the planned attack on American cities. Instead, they decided to hit the Panama Canal to hopefully slow the Allied delivery of troops and supplies to the Pacific.
Four submarines -- I-400, I-401, I-13 and I-14 -- got the green light to attack the Panama Canal in May 1945.
But just days before departure from Japan, the subs got new orders: cancel the Panama Canal mission and attack the giant American naval base at Ulithi in the Pacific's Caroline Islands.
"What was happening at about this time?" Drury asked his audience. "We're talking June of 1945. Germany had surrendered. Now," Japanese leaders asked, "should we go after the Canal? What's the big reason we should do the Canal, because now the Allies are not only going through the Suez Canal, but they're going around the south of Africa to get to the Pacific."
Ulithi was the world's largest naval installation, and its strength was aimed at Japan. It was a symbol of the Allied advance across the Pacific in World War II; Japan had used another atoll in this same island chain, Truk, as its main central Pacific naval base earlier in the war. It was taken by the U.S. and Allies in September 1944, and bypassed.
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Japanese plans called for the smaller I-13 and I-14 to proceed to waters off Truk, some 2,300 miles from Tokyo and 1,000 miles from Ulithi. They were carrying older aircraft that were disassembled and stowed in crates in the hangars designed for the partially foldable Seiran planes. The subs would go to an area near Ulithi, reassemble the planes and launch them to reconnoiter the base for the I-400 and -401. They would check to be sure the prime targets, aircraft carriers, were there. The Japanese planes were painted in American colors, including the star-and-bars insignia -- an idea that offended the honor of the Japanese pilots, Drury said.
"The I-13 never made it," he said. "It was sunk leaving Japan by U.S. naval air."
The I-14 did make it, and successfully launched an aircraft which flew at least one or two reconnaissance missions, Drury said.
The I-400 and -401 sailed from Japan to the Ulithi area separately. They would first rendezvous south of the island of Pohnpei (formerly Ponape or Ascension), also in the Carolines, and about 1,300 miles from Ulithi. But as they sailed, Tokyo changed the rendezvous point. The I-400 never got the message and could not find the I-401. Each concluded the other had been sunk and prepared to attack individually.
Then came the message from the Emperor that Japan had surrendered. Both big subs, and the I-14, decided to go to Tokyo and surrender there. They dumped their weapons, as instructed by the Emperor, got rid of all classified material, and launched their Seiran aircraft without unfolding their wings.
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The I-400, I-401 and I-14 were ultimately transferred to Pearl Harbor and, after being carefully studied, were sunk by torpedoes. Information from the studies was kept from the Soviet Union. Construction of other I-400 class subs had already been cancelled, due in part to lack of materiel caused by American and Allied attacks. One additional partially completed smaller sub was lost in a storm.
The Allies knew these subs were being built, but thought they were intended to supply Japanese troops stranded on bypassed Pacific islands.
"They didn't even know the Seiran aircraft existed," Drury said. "In fact, it didn't even have an Allied code name." The Segundo party that boarded the I-401 "didn't realize it was an aircraft carrier" until prisoners were interrogated. The last remaining Seiran is at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington.
There have been several post-World War II attempts to capitalize on the idea of submarine-launched aircraft. One was the turbojet-powered Regulus cruise missile, which was launched by rail from surfaced submarines. Chance Vought studied the concept in 1943 but little was done until 1947 when the project was begun; it remained in U.S. Navy service from 1955 to 1964. Another such type is the current Tomahawk missile, used by the U.S. and Britain and launched by submerged subs, as well as by air and land platforms.
Story Credit: Rich Tuttle
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The Airfield
Grumman Tigercat F7F-3 BuNo 80374
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Come join us down on the Airfield, where this month's aircraft is one of the Museum's two 1945 Grumman Tigercat F7F-3's, BuNo 80374!
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Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation of Bethpage, Long Island, New York, built 364 Tigercats between 1943 and 1946 for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The type was fast, heavily armed and, in addition to dogfighting, it could fly ground attack missions.
The F7F came too late to see combat in World War II. Marine Tigercats "arrived at Okinawa [on Sept. 1, 1945,] the day before World War II ended," according to one account, but they did serve in a lesser-known peacekeeping role immediately in its aftermath. In October 1945, Tigercats of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing deployed to Peiping, China; there they supported the 53,000 U.S. Marines sent to China to keep the peace while millions of Japanese troops and civilians were disarmed and repatriated.
During the Korean War, armed with four 20mm AN/M3 cannons and an AN/APS-6 radar in the nose, F7F-3N’s served as night fighters with the “Flying Nightmares”, Marine Corps Night Fighter Squadron VMF(N)-513. The F7F-3N’s of VMF(N)-513 scored only two aerial victories, both versus antiquated North Korean Soviet-made Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes, aircraft that had been in production since 1929.
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The F7F holds the distinction of being not only the first U.S. Navy fighter designed with tricycle landing gear, but also the first Navy fighter designed with twin engines! Because of its large size and weight, however, it could only be operated on Midway-class aircraft carriers (the USS Midway, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and USS Coral Sea). As it turns out, only thirteen late F7F-4N variants ended up rated for carrier operations.
We're grateful not only to have two Tigercats, but, in an alignment of coincidences, two that came off the production line together as F7F-3's to which Grumman gave them construction numbers C116 and C117. The US Navy subsequently assigned the respective Bureau of Aeronautics Numbers (BuNos) 80374 and 80375 when they rolled off the assembly line in 1945.
Grumman originally signed a contract to develop the prototype XF7F-1 on June 30, 1941; its first flight came on November 2, 1943. The British considered acquiring the Tigercat, but turned it down; they were skeptical from the start. On March 25, 1944, the Royal Navy tested the twin-engine de Havilland Mosquito VI, already flying from land bases, and found that "it was patently clear that an single-engine deck landing with this machine was out of the question. Design efforts were made to solve this problem, but all were in vain," according to British test pilot Capt. Eric Brown.
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"The first such attempt was by the Grumman Tigercat, employing a hydraulically power-boosted rudder, but at a single-engine approach speed 9 knots (17km/h) above the normal deck landing speed, the aircraft had run out of both rudder and aileron trim," he wrote in his book "Wings of the Navy, Testing British and U.S. Carrier Aircraft."
Failure of an engine on takeoff was also an issue. Its minimum controllability speed in this circumstance "was 40 mph over the Navy requirement," according to former Grumman test pilot Corwin H. "Corky" Meyer. In November 1943, he wrote in his book "Flight Journal", Grumman knew that "the fin would have to be enlarged 29.2 percent to meet the single-engine [takeoff] criterion." But, he wrote, "in 1944 the war in the Pacific was still a long way from looking successful" and the Navy wanted the production of the Tigercat to begin as soon as possible.
Design, ground testing and implementation of the fin change into the production line took time. The 106th F7F-3N (BuNo 80365) was the first Tigercat to incorporate the change. It was delivered in July 1945, "two and a half years after the problem was known."
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A carrier-suitability problem in addition to the single-engine issues was insufficient structural strength at the point where wing and fuselage met. "As a result the Tigercat's wide main landing gear caused such high loads that in two carrier landings the wing broke at that point," according to Meyer.
The Tigercat also "required higher-capacity arresting gear than on 1944-45 World War II carriers," Meyer said. And, he said, in the event of a hook or arresting wire failure, the Tigercat needed a cumbersome-to-set-up-and-re-rig barrier that was specially designed for its tricycle landing gear.
"Although several isolated carrier landing demonstrations did provide satisfactory results at that time," he wrote, "the Navy wisely decided that the early F7F Tigercats should be removed from carrier operations and given to the U.S. Marine Corps for land-based, day, and night-fighter operations."
A structurally redesigned model, the F7F-4N, was ultimately cleared for carrier operations. The U.S. Navy wanted 1,250, but with the end of World War II, the order was chopped to 12, Meyer said.
The Tigercat was also slow to recover from spins, and the pilot's handbook prohibits spins and snap rolls. But, said Meyer, "Every pilot who flew the Tigercat readily forgave its lesser handling qualities for its many outstanding flight characteristics and fabulous performance. The only major problem that stuck with it throughout its military life was carrier suitability structural deficiencies."
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Tigercat 80374, according to official records, was delivered to the Navy in March 1945 in New York. It was assigned in May 1946 to Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-911 at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), California; VMF-912, Marine Air Group 91, and VMF-113 at Miramar; and Kingston, North Carolina -- these were place-holder, paper units only.
From June 1946 to December 1950, it was kept at various Navy/Marine storage sites.
From December 1950 to February 1952, BuNo. 80374 was assigned to Marine Night Fighter Squadron VMFN-531, a training unit, at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. From February 1952 to July 1956, it was kept at a Navy/Marine storage facility at Litchfield Park, Arizona. In July 1956, it was stricken from Navy/Marine records and became available to the civil aircraft market.
According to the website https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/, Tigercat 80374 was operated as a fire bomber by Cal-Nat Airways, Inc., at Grass Valley, California, with civil registration number N7629C, from August 24, 1960, until 1969. From 1969 to 1981, it was flown, again as a fire bomber, by Sis Q Flying Service, Santa Rosa, California.
In 1981, it went to the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia, where it was to be put on display. In 1991, BuNo. 80374 was then acquired by air-racer Darryl Greenamyer in Ocala, Florida. On July 13, 1998, the plane went to Iloc, Inc., Ocala, Florida.
On July 19, 2001, it was acquired by an investment company and was based at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, Thermal, California, where it was kept as a restoration project.
It then went to Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, California, for a full restoration in 2011.
On Nov. 13, 2014, a new certificate of airworthiness was issued for BuNo 80374, still retaining its original civilian registration number, N7629C.
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BuNo 80374 is not only on display here at the National Museum of WWII Aviation in Colorado Springs, but is flown quite often and is a visitor favorite! It was put through its paces for crowds of 30K+ during the 2022 Pike Peak Regional Airshow, and in December 2022 was flown round-trip to the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida, where it was invited to participate in the the Annual Vintage Weekend by Museum benefactor and Chairman of the Board, Jim Slattery.
F7F-3 Tigercat Specifications
Contractor: Grumman Aviation
Maximum Speed: 435 mph
Climb Rate: 4,500 ft/min
Service Ceiling: 40,400 ft.
Combat Range: 700 miles
Power Plant: Two 2,100 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp 18-cylinder radial piston engines
Length: 45 ft. 4 in.
Height: 16 ft. 7 in.
Wingspan: 51 ft. 6 in.
Guns: • 4 × 20mm (0.79-inch) cannon in wings • 4 × 0.50 caliber machine guns in nose
Torpedoes: • 1 torpedo under fuselage
Bombs: • 2,000 lbs. of bombs (1,000 lbs. under each wing)
Story by Rich Tuttle
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Founding Museum Volunteer Ed Mika Passes Away |
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Ed Mika, one of the first Museum volunteers, passed away in Saint Charles, Illinois, April 22 at the age of 83.
"Ed worked on everything" at the Museum years before it opened in October 2012, said Bill Klaers, President and CEO. In those early days, Bill said, Ed was helping out at WestPac Restorations, which moved to Colorado Springs from Rialto, California, in May 2008.
At that time, Ed was volunteering primarily at the Peterson Air and Space Museum on the other side of the Colorado Springs Airport, across from what would become the National Museum of World War II Aviation.
But then Ed began frequenting the early WWII aviation museum, with some of his trips involving the Peterson museum's restoration of a P-47N fighter. At one point, in 2007, the Peterson museum was working on "a pilot’s stick, stick well boot and throttle grip," according to an account in a Peterson museum newsletter of April 2007. It said that "WestPac Restoration loaned the museum an original stick and boot," a possible indication of Ed's growing relationship with WestPac. The newsletter also said Ed accepted an award for fellow "Ramp Rat" Jerry Kovach, who accompanied Ed on many visits to WestPac.
At our museum, Ed worked extensively in the interactive exhibits area, and received the 2016 Volunteer of the Year award. His nomination read in part, "Ed is one of the longest serving volunteers whose outstanding achievements over the years, even prior to the museum's opening, are too long to list." Two examples were cited -- the P2V patrol plane's nose and tail gunner positions. They are on display in Hangar 2. Ed loved working with young volunteers on these and many other projects, and will be sorely missed by his museum family.
Story Credit: Rich Tuttle
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Allies' Understanding of Magic Was Critical to the War Effort |
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The Allied break into the Japanese Navy’s JN-25 encryption system (“Magic” was the Allied code word for decrypted Japanese communications) in early World War Two was just as important a triumph as the breaking of the German Enigma code. Even though it shortened the Pacific war and saved lives, however, it has received far less notoriety. “Magic” was the Allied code word for decrypted Japanese communications. |
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JN-25, an Allied designation, did not use an enciphering machine. Rather, code books contained substitute groups of numbers for the thousands of terms used in operational messages. The code groups were then enciphered by adding random numbers from an enciphering book.
As with most complex encryption systems, it was broken because operators didn’t follow proper procedures. Because of its complexity, JN25 wasn’t cracked until after the Japanese December 7, 1941, attack. But as Allied cryptographers gained insights into it, their work yielded invaluable results.
By April 1942, about twenty percent of JN-25 messages were being decrypted; this proved enough to understand the Japanese plan to strike at Port Moresby, New Guinea by sea in May with aircraft carriers and an invasion force. The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Command took the risk that the cryptologists were right, directing two Pacific Fleet aircraft carrier task forces to confront the Japanese invasion force as it was rounding the east coast of New Guinea.
The resultant fight, known as the Battle of the Coral Sea, was the first naval engagement ever fought entirely by carrier-based aircraft without the opposing ships seeing each other. Both sides suffered heavy aircraft losses and carriers sunk or damaged. One result, however, was that the Japanese force turned north and the invasion of Port Moresby was called off. While it was a tactical tie, it was a strategic victory for the Allies as this was the first time that a major Japanese attack was turned back.
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While JN-25 was subsequently updated with different versions, Allied cryptographers read JN-25 with increasing effectiveness as the war progressed. JN-25 decrypts later yielded the Japanese plan for the Battle of Midway, resulting in a huge Allied victory that changed the course of the war.
Story Credit: Gene Pfeffer
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Curtiss SB2C-1A Helldiver Restoration Progress |
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We get a lot of questions about progress on the Curtiss Helldiver, so we thought we'd let some pictures speak for themselves! With the addition of the engine cowling (we could fire it up and run it today!) and great work being made on the skinning, it's definitely looking more and more like an aircraft that will fly again.
One question we often hear is, "How much of the plane is original?" Museum volunteer and pilot Scott Klaers answered that very question regarding the Helldiver on our Facebook page recently, saying, "Recovered fuselage; some original parts, some new old stock, some fabricated.Typical restoration these days." While everyone would love to see a 100% original warbird take to the air, that's just not possible 78 years after the end of the war! We do our very best to restore all our aircraft to as original a configuration as possible, and we think you'll agree that our talented group of volunteers do an amazing job of returning these aircraft back to airworthiness!
Stop by and see the Helldiver during your tour of the WestPac facility on your next visit to the museum!
Story and Photo Credit: George White
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Victory in Europe (V-E) Day |
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On May 7, 1945, 78 years ago this month, Allied forces of the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union forced the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. The following day, May 8, citizens around the world celebrated the news of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. The German High Command surrendered unconditionally all land, sea, and air forces at Reims, France. General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said, "The mission of this Allied force was fulfilled at 0241 local time, May 7, 1945." American GI’s in Europe and their families at home experienced both jubilation and relief.
In the air, the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 8th Air Force conducted its last combat mission on April 25, 1945. Nearly 600 bombers and 500 fighters attacked airfields and rail targets in Southeast Germany and in Czechoslovakia. Two weeks before peace came, six B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were lost, four were damaged beyond repair, and 180 damaged. Twenty B-24 Liberator bombers were also damaged. Nine airmen were wounded, and 42 were missing.
One of the lesser known “bombing” missions also took place in the closing days of the European war when American and British bombers dropped food rations and supplies to the Dutch people of the Netherlands. The Netherlands was stricken with a famine that, paired with a lack of heating fuel, led to an estimated 20,000 civilian deaths. With only half of the country liberated, many also suffered from continued occupation by German forces.
The Allies negotiated with German forces in the Netherlands for the relief missions, and the missions went off without significant problems. From April 29 through VE-Day, 5,500 sorties dropped 10,000 tons of food on the starving and grateful Dutch. One who benefited from the “bombing missions” was a malnourished teenager who later adopted the stage name of Audrey Hepburn. She went on to become the star of several movies of the 1950’s and 1960’s and was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for humanitarian work in her later years.
On May 8, the war in the Pacific was far from over. From April through June 1945, the Battle for Okinawa raged. U.S. Navy, Marine and Army combat units endured the bloodiest battle of the Pacific war. Kamikaze suicide pilots damaged 400 Allied, mostly U.S., vessels. Okinawa provided a fleet anchorage, troop staging areas, and airfields close to Japan that were to participate in the expected coming invasion of Japan. The use of atomic weapons precluded the invasion and brought the war in the Pacific to a rapid end when the emperor announced Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945.
Story Credit: Gene Pfeffer
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Special Presentation -- The Battle for Alaska
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Museum opens 8:00 a.m.
Presentation 9:00 a.m.
PBY Catalina Flying Demonstration following the Presentation (Weather Permitting)
In mid-1942 the continental territory of the U.S. was invaded by the Empire of Japan. Beginning on June 3rd, a small Japanese force occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands chain in the then-Territory of Alaska.
The remoteness of the islands and the challenges of weather and terrain delayed a larger American-Canadian force sent to eject them for nearly a year. Weather severely complicated operations and resulted in many accidents and losses of planes and aircrew.
The islands' strategic value was their ability to control Pacific transportation routes. The U.S. feared that the islands could be used as bases from which to carry out a full-scale aerial attack on U.S. West Coast cities.
The battle to reclaim Attu was launched on May 11, 1943, and completed after a final Japanese charge on May 29. On August 15, 1943, an Allied invasion force landed on Kiska in the wake of a sustained three-week barrage, only to discover that the Japanese had withdrawn from the island on July 29.
The campaign is sometimes called the “Forgotten Battle” because it has been overshadowed by other events in the war. It is also termed “The Thousand Mile War” because of the vast distances involved.
On June 10th at 9:00 am, Air Force veteran and Museum docent Don Miles, who has spent time in the Aleutians and has flown in the Alaskan Bush, will describe this important but largely unknown campaign in the future U.S. state of Alaska.
Weather permitting, the presentation will be followed by a flying demonstration of the Museum’s PBY Catalina amphibious aircraft. PBYs played a key role in the campaign.
8:00 a.m. - Doors Open
9:00 a.m. - Presentation
PBY Catalina Flying Demonstration following the Presentation (Weather Permitting)
Advance ticket prices are:
Adult $15
Child (4-12) $11
Senior and Military $13
WWII Veterans - Always Free
Museum Members - Included in membership; please call 719-637-7559 or stop by the front desk to make your reservations.
And of course, parking is always Free!
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We know that folks LOVE taking pictures of their favorite Museum airplanes, displays and events, and especially love to show off their best shots! Here's your chance to get that favorite photo in the newsletter for all to see, and it's as easy as emailing it in.
Here's the rules:
- Photo must be of a National Museum of World War II Aviation airplane, display or event
- There's no age limit to entrants; if you're old enough to take a photo, you're old enough to enter!
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Photo entry must include name, age and city of the photographer; when the photo was taken; and what event it was taken at. For example: Kanan Jarrus, 33, Manitou Springs, May 2023 Battle of the Phillipine Sea presentation. If you'd like to include any other information about your photo, please do!
- Photo must be a good quality digital .jpeg or .png file; the higher the resolution the better
- Photo can be horizontal or vertical format, color or monochrome, untouched or processed; get creative!
- Photos cannot contain inappropriate wording or images on clothing
- If photos utilize a model, an appropriate model release form must be provided
- One entry per person, per month. Send us your best shot!
- Deadline for entry is 12:00 p.m. MST on the 15th of each month
- The Museum Newsletter Team (that's our smiling mugs down below) will choose the winner. Between the four of us we have something like 175 years of experience in the writing, photography and publication business; we know a good photo when we see it!
- The winning photographer will be requested to fill out a Museum Photo Release Form and return it. There is no monetary compensation or other prize, but we think you'll be pretty proud to have your photo shown to over 4,000 newsletter subscribers!
Email your photos (and any questions) to us at museumnewsletterphotos@gmail.com. Don't forget, the entry deadline is the 15th of each month!
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Thank You to Our Sponsor, Perkins Motors! |
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We couldn't keep the aircraft in the air without the support of our sponsors! This month we'd like to give a shout out to Perkins Motors. If you've attended any of our special presentations lately, you've no doubt see the beautiful vehicles they've brought out for display; they make for fantastic photo opportunites! |
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Give Us Your Newsletter Feedback! |
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Do you really love an article? Did a photograph really wow you? Have a question about a story? Want to see more of a certain topic? Did something spark a memory that you'd like to share with us?
We'd love to hear your what you have to say about the newsletter; let us know by dropping the editor a message at george.h.white1@gmail.com !
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Gene Pfeffer
Historian & Curator
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Rich Tuttle
Docent, Newsletter Writer, Social Media Writer, Photographer
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John Henry
Lead Volunteer for Communications
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George White
Newsletter Editor, Social Media Writer, Photographer
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