James A. Michener
Chronological Highlights15 AUG 1943 - Squadron Commissioned - N.A.S. Los Alamitos, CA16 NOV 1943 - ENS Franklin P. Hart and Theodore G. Scheck, ARM3 killed on dive bombing run near Seal Beach, CA 3-4 JAN 1944 - Carrier landing qualifications, USS Altamaha, off San Diego, CA 21 FEB 1944 - Entrained to Alameda for further transportation west 24 FEB 1944 - Departed N.A.S. Alameda, CA in USS Lexington (CV-16) for Maui, T.H. 28 FEB 1944 - Arrived Pearl Harbor 29 FEB 1944 - Transferred to N.A.S. Kahului, Maui, T.H. APR 1944 - Received first SB2C-1s for transition training MAY 1944 - Received SB2C-3s 11-13 JUN 1944 - Refresher carrier landing aboard USS Franklin 21 JUN 1944 - Departed Maui and boarded USS Intrepid for transportation to Eniwetok 30 JUN 1944 - Arrived Eniwetok 1-10 JUL 1944 - Moved to USS Bunker Hill 7 JUL 1944 - Refresher carrier landings aboard USS Bunker Hill 9 JUL 1944 - Embarked in USS Lexington for Combat 10-14 JUL 1944 - Provisioning and rearming at Eniwetok Atoll 18-21 JUL 1944 - First Comat Missions - Guam 25-27 JUL 1944 - Strikes on Palau Group 4-5 AUG 1944 - Strikes on Bonins - Kazans - Iwo Jima 10-29 AUG 1944 - Rearm - provision - Eniwetok 6-8 SEP 1944 - Strikes on Peleliu Island 9-10 SEP 1944 - Strikes on Mindanao, Philippines 12-14 SEP 1944 - Strikes on Visayans - Cebu - Mactan 21-22 SEP 1944 - Strikes on Luzon - Manila 24 SEP 1944 - Strikes on Visayans - Cebu - Negros 25 SEP - 7 OCT 1944 - Rearm - provision - Palau and Ulithi 10 OCT 1944 - Strikes on Okinawa 12-14 OCT 1944 - Strikes on Formosa - Pescadores 21 OCT 1944 - Strikes on Coron - Romblon 24 OCT 1944 - Strikes on Japanese battle fleet, Sibuyan Sea and on Luzon 25 OCT 1944 - Strikes on Japanese carrier force - Philippine Sea 26 OCT - 1 NOV 1944 - Standby at Leyte and provision at Ulithi Atoll 5-6 NOV 1944 - Strikes on Luzon 5 NOV 1944 - Hit by Kamikaze plane off Luzon 10-22 NOV 1944 - Repairs at Ulithi Atoll 23 NOV 1944 - Relieved on Station by Air Group 20 - transferred to USS Enterprise for transportation to Pearl Harbor 8 DEC 1944 - Aboard USS Long Island for transportation to San Diego 14 DEC 1944 - Arrived San Diego |
18 JULY 1944 - 8 DEC 1944 1,364 SORTIES FLOWN | |
Naval Ships Sunk2 Aircraft Carriers1 Heavy Cruiser 1 Destroyer Escort 2 Troop Ships 1 Submarine Tender Total Tonnage Sunk 67,500 | Naval Ships Damaged1 Aircraft Carrier3 Battleships 1 Cruiser 3 Destroyers 2 Minelayers Total Tonnage Damaged 112,000 |
Merchant Ships Sunk8 Tankers21 Cargo and misc. Total Tonnage Sunk 95,200 | Merchant Ships Damaged14 Tankers53 Cargo and misc. Total Tonnage Damaged 133.500 |
Airfields Struck - 28 spaceShip and Harbor Facilities - 10 Industrial and Military Targets - 301 Aircraft DestroyedIn the Air - 10spacewiderProbable in the Air - 1On the Ground - 105spaceDamaged on Ground - 17 |
Marianas Bonins / Kazans Palau Philippine Islands Ryukus | Guam - Saipan Chichi Jima, Iwo Jima, Haha Jima Peleliu Mindinao, Cebu, Leyte, Mactan Coron, Surigao, Luzon, Negros Okinawa |
Awards
| Lost Shipmates
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I Wanted Wings
lyrics by "the guys" MIDI format / MP3 format
Transfiguration (The Ballad of Bombing Nineteen)
lyrics by George H. Bowen MIDI format / MP3 format
music composed by Hugh Emerson 5/26/2001
Click on the picture for an even larger version
Click on the picture for an even larger version
Click on the picture for an even larger version
The following is a reproduction of the plaque presented to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, by Ben Buttenwieser.
The plaque now resides on board the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi Bay.
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Links |
Naval Historical CenterVB-19 in the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadronspage 261; see "VA-194". Adobe PDF file. |
The USS Lexington Museum |
Flightdeck Museum Store |
The Tailhook Association |
The National Museum of Naval AviationVB-19 in the National Flight Log |
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