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The Army Gets the Glory, The Navy Gets Its A** Ate Out

Peleliu Island is a small odd shaped, almost circular island located near the southern end of the Palau group. The island is mostly flat coral built up for about three fourths of the surface, but the north and west parts of the island had some rather high hills and steep ravines. The geological age of the northwest part of the island must have been far greater than the coral reefing. So much so that it was clay and lava and because of this, the Japanese having been here so long, had for years been preparing for the time when they would dominate and dictate the entire Pacific. They had an intricate system of caves and tunnels built and prepared prior to the arrival of the Allies. General "Howling" John Smith of the 1st Marines had taken this island, secured it after much Navy shelling, then had been relieved by the Army only to then be recalled and have to return to the island after being back aboard their ships. You will, in your own mind, have to come up with the adjectives used by the Marines when they re-landed. The Black Cats were here during this interim of time. The Japs had been able to reinforce their troops with the supplies in these caves and the use of the tunnels and the Army was too few and too inexperienced to hold back the Japs.

The Great United States Civilian Battalions (The CBs arrived about the same time the Black Cat got there). Believe it or not those boys reconstructed the Northeast-Southwest and the east-west runways. They did this work while the Marines were still firing mortar shells over their heads into the hills to the Northwest. Believe it or not, the writer and his crew took off under some of these mortar firings.

Believe it or not, here the Black Cats established the shortest Bomb Runs known of in the "big one" as Archie Bunker calls it. We were assigned this duty every third day for several weeks. With the help of our Patsu Group and our own crews we would place four 250 pound napalm bombs under the wings of the Cat, take off to the Northeast which was usually the prevailing wind, pick-up our wheels, bank steeply to our left. The pilot or co-pilot would "pickle" the bombs off - sometimes one at a time, selectively or all at once. Trying to place them on what ever we considered a cave or any movement. We were never more than 400 feet high. By the time the bombs were sway we were on the lower part of our down wind leg. We would lower the wheels while turning on final. The writer has made this run from the time of start of the runs for take off until we were touching our wheels down for landing in less than five minutes. I know that if we didn't kill any Japs, we got some of them mighty warm when we could just look up in the hills and see the fires after we landed. It took us much longer to talk about the Bombing Runs and reload the bomb racks with the four "fire" bombs than the actual bomb run. Our crew has made this run as many as eight times in one "daylight hour" day.

After such a day as this, or either on a long Search Patrol, we were given a day of rest and we idled the day and night away when we weren't asleep, we were writing letters home, eating or playing cards.

Then the next day would be our "Dumbo" or rescue stand-by. The Army was most powerful on Angaur, the island just south and west of us, with many B24's and B17's.

The island of Yap was a small island some 400 miles north and east of where we were. This was a beautiful island with a beautiful bay on the south side of the island and farm lands and hills back to the northwest and northeast. The Japs had many supplies in the port city in the bay but on this particular day, there were no ships in the port of any size. On the southeastward edge of the island of Yap, the Japs had a strip with tow hangars and there was a constant flow of Jap Zero's and other aircraft using this airstrip as a refueling and remain overnight before moving on south and eastward to Eniwetok, Truk or Kwajalein to enter into the real fighting.

Well, as the old saying goes, the Army was going to take some 50 or more B24's and B17's and go to Yap and completely annihilate the Yap airstrip. Our intelligence people, coast watchers and past experience told us this island was well fortified with plenty of men and also heave anti-aircraft. So all of us were suspecting the worst. Hoping for the best and praying that whatever did happen we could be up to whatever came.

As you know our speed was 100 knots in forced drafts and also with a head wind we had to do some timing to be on station to do effective "Dumbo" for the Army in case we had to fish any of them out of the water. My crew was off first on that 4 November, 1944 day and we had orders to fly at less than five hundred feet and do a rendezvous orbit 25 miles south of Yap and stand by.

John Love and his crew were to be some one hundred miles south on orbit rendezvous.

Gewin McCracken and his crew were to be one hundred miles south of the orbit that Love was to hold down. The idea was we would stay close to the water (low, out of possible radar detection) and be ready to come to the aid of any of our Army "buddies". Even at 100 knots, we would or should be able to get to any "downed" crew in 30 minutes or less.

Well, we were in orbit in plenty of time. We could hardly wait to see all those Army Bombers and the awful destruction that we would see. We suspected to see with all that bombing power the entire island of Yap to maybe just disappear or at least to be in absolute shambles.

1) Alex Csutoras was on our Radar - 2) John Gonzales was at the radio - 3) Lt. Arnold M. Christ was at the Nav table - 4) Grover Cleveland Smelley machine guns cocked and ready - 5) John Topalian was on our "powerful" single fifties in the Starboard blister and 6) Bud Latimer was at the Port blister and our plane captain was 7) John Trout who was up in the tower to keep his watch on all of the gas usage and wait for our lighted signals from off the yoke in the cockpit. 8) The writer was flying in the left seat and 9) Lt Harlie Johnson was flying in the right seat in the cockpit. This was Crew #10 of VPB 54.

Just imagine yourself in this position and then up through the cockpit bulkhead Csutoras is punching me on the leg, he was so excited he forgot the intercom. "My God" he yelled "I have never seen so many "blips" on a screen in all my life. Thank God their identification is friendly."

Then all of us were excitedly trying to find and actually see all of these planes in the air at one time, the most bombers any of us had seen at one time! The boys in the blisters sighted them first and after turning in on our orbit we looked up and there high in the air was the most beautiful war time sight you could ever wish to focus your eyes on. God, they were high - at least 20,000 feet and in beautiful formation.

And then we could see when the lead bombardier said "Bombs Away". Down they came, different sizes and shapes. Dozens from the bellies of those gallant fighting aircrafts. But somebody had miscalculated, screwed up, or fouled up in a very embarrassing moment. The bombs came down, what a moment with their beautiful arching trajectory and we were waiting, watching and expecting. We eyeballed all of them down and all our feelings were expressed in Smelley's one word description when he said "S***".

The bombs were in perfect pattern and had they been just one thousand feet east of where they exploded, there would have been nothing left of the Yap airstrip and much of the island would have been in shambles. Not a bomb touched anything.

Let me tell you something now about this Black Cat Crew. Not only were they smart, but they were gritty. They had been indoctrinated, drilled and grilled to want to kill Japs or anything that moved that they thought was a Jap or a friend of a Jap.

Now let me tell you what the writer heard over the intercom - First from Smelley "Hell, I can do better than that with these thirty calibers." Harlie is saying "Let's make a run." The intercom lines then jammed. Everybody in the crew wants and is saying something about us making a strafing run. The writers mind was made up when the confusion settles and John Trout says "With all those planes up there, those damn Japs are so far down in their caves or fox holes that they would not even be looking out to see us much less expect us."

So - Out to the west we took ole 48393 and climbed up into some fair weather cumulus clouds, turned toward the island and straight down toward the airstrip. We must have had the old yoke boat up to 180 knots and leveled of at 50 feet. Smelley and those "mighty" 30's in the bow was shooting before he saw the island and Trout was down out of the tower and back in the blisters. What a sight we must have been to our Army buddies up above and to those scared Yellow Bastards on the ground. At any rate, we left four aircraft burning and some gasoline drums afire.

Not a shot was fired by the Japs from the ground. And we flew off eastward of the island and went back up in one of the clouds.

Smelley, Latimer and Trout yelled all at once that they had seen to the north of the strip what thought was an ammunition and supply dump. "Let's go get it!" Harlie Johnson and the writer had been too busy with throttles and yoke and flying to observe too much, nothing had happened to us - Trout was saying "The bastards are still hid." So we turned and stayed in the clouds until we were back to the east tip of the island and further north than our first run.

Here we go again. Someone had gone to the aft twin thirties and opened up the hatch so they could get in on the shooting, even though we were going over as low as possible.

Trout and Smelley were wrong in their analysis of the Japs. They had moved out to see what "damn fool' could be doing what was going on. When we came out of the cloud this time "all hell broke loose" from the island. Some of the "slant-eyes" had gotten to their guns. The thing they did was scare Harlie and me to such a degree that we had that "ole yoke boat" up to 190 knots!

Well, Smelley says he did, Latimer, knew he did, and Trout was positive he had set the ammunition off and we left Yap smoking and popping and headed for Peleliu.

Gonzales, Csutoras and Christ had been in the radio Nav. Compartment. Gonzales said he had heard no cries of distress from any of the Army on the special frequency, we were getting low on gas so we proceeded southwestward. The B24's and B17's were much faster than we were, so they were soon out of our radar screen. John Love and his crew were orbiting and waiting for us and the three "Black Cats" landed back at Peleliu almost in formation.

As soon as we were on the ground the crew was out of the blisters and inspecting the airplane. Ole 48393 PBY-5A had sustained some wounds. Two holes in the fuselage and several in the wings. But what the hell, we had beat the Japs at their own game and the writer personally felt a great deal of self satisfaction and I was especially proud of that crew that put so much faith in me as a pilot, and had performed so well together.

I returned to my Army cot in that rope tied down tent and Christ, Harlie and I were just relaxing and unwinding from a most eventful PBY day.

Next thing, the Skipper's Yeoman, Eddie Ensslin drove up in the Skipper "Commander K. J. Sanger's" jeep. Eddie said "The Skipper says report to his Headquarter tent immediately!" The writer is

puzzled, usually we write up on our logs and debriefing the next morning. I had just got out of my flight suit, and with shorts, T-Shirt and sandals I stepped in the jeep and rode to the Skipper's Headquarters tent. There sat Anthony Bliss, our A & I Officer, Roy Johnson, our Personnel Officer,"Pappy" Couhig, our S. O. P. and the Skipper, at rigid and sour-pussed attention but associated were five Army Officers with very military and appropriate stern faces.

One Army man was a one star General. I never did know their names because no introductions were made. They had informed the Skipper that the PBY on station at Yap had interfered with their Primary Bomb Run and then had attacked the target preventing them from any further bombing and I guess they had told the Skipper I needed to be sent to Leavenworth to be able to help them cover up their mistake of missing the whole damn island.

Captain Sanger, being an Annapolis graduate and being aware of all officer protocol, proceeded to follow the orders of the higher rank or as he had learned S.O.P. So the Senior Officer Present (the Army General) had given orders that the writer be reprimanded. Maybe he should have - at the time it certainly didn't seem right.

Yes, at rigid attention, on a coral island 8,000 miles from home after flying over ten hours that day, dressed in shorts, t-shirt and sandals (no officer insignia) we took the "A** Eating" of our lives.

The writer was dismissed and Eddie was ordered to return him to his quarters and he was confined to quarters until further orders from Captain Kenneth J. Sanger, our Skipper.

After just sprawling on a cot, not even kicking off my sandals, there was a great deal of wonder in my mind. I dared not tell Harlie or Christ what happened. It was my a**, not theirs, but I was so mad I couldn't keep from crying.

It is my understanding that the Army had a big celebration on Angaur and every participant in this successful raid on Yap, from the Buck Privates to the highest rank was given a medal.

The Navy pilot got his a** eat out, even though, he had at least done some damage to Sons of ToJo.

There is a good ending to this story though. Eddie Ensslin came back to the tent in about an hour and he grinningly told all of us to come with him to the Skipper's Headquarters tent.

God Forbid - What next? Where were we to be sent, put in the Brig? What was forthcoming? Please God - This great and wonderful crew of mine was to be penalized - jackets written up - The flashes going on in my mind! Harlie Johnson and Arnold Christ were completely in the dark as to what in the hell was going on.

We enter the Skipper's office (tent). Roy Johnson, Tony Bliss and "Pappy" Couhig were still there. You could sense the atmosphere was not quite so intense and much more relaxed. The Army Brass was gone.

The Skipper was still stern and very military and he asked us to tell our fill side of the story. To the best of our ability we told exactly what had happened.

We were at rigid attention --

After what seemed an eternity the Skipper reached under his field desk and put a quart of Whiskey up on top. We all understood this order, "At Ease". He had somewhat of a wistful to come on his face.

All of us shall never forget what he said - "Let's all have a drink and relax and God damn Willie, I wish I had been there with you. We might have made a third run over Yap." Let it be said about Captain Kenneth J. Sanger, he meant what he said. He never missed many such situations like this after this and the writer has never know any grittier or more courageous flyer than our Skipper. The writer is too old and been out too long to be striking for any advancement in Rank. We all just knew what kind of a man he was, and because earlier in the way he had suffered being the Skipper of a ship that was sunk out from under him by a Jap Aircraft, he wanted to do anything he could to even the debt. Even with our old beloved Black Cats ---

This tale would not be complete without the limerick below that was written by A. M Crappie - Alias Arnold M. Christ, the night after we came back from the Skipper's tent.