Crew One: A World War I I Memoir of V P B-108

By Dennis Scranton

Merriam Press World War 2 Memoir Series. Memoir by a radar operator/gunner aboard a PB4Y-2 Privateer of VPB-108 in the Pacific, stationed at Hawaii, Kwajalein, Truk, Tinian, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima, flying missions as far as the Japanese home islands. 33 B&W photos, 3 color photos, 1 map.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312471085

Book preview

Crew One: A World War I I Memoir of V P B-108

Crew One: A World War II Memoir of VPB-108

Dennis Scranton

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Military Monograph 67

Bennington, Vermont

2012

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Fourth Edition (2012)

First Edition published in 2001 by the Merriam Press

First eBook Edition published in 2014 by the Merriam Press

Copyright © 2001 by Dennis Scranton

Additional material copyright of named contributors.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

The views expressed are solely those of the author.

ISBN 9781312471085

This work was designed, produced, and published in the United States of America by the Merriam Press, 133 Elm Street, Suite 3R, Bennington VT 05201.

Book design by Ray Merriam

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WARNING

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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On the Cover

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The author’s PB4Y-2 Privateer, Z439.

Image created by author.

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Introduction

World War II officially began on December 7, 1941. This war actually began for many Americans as early as the year 1939. Europe was gradually being conquered by the aggressive Germans. Other parts of Europe were being conquered and occupied by the Russians and Italians. China was in its death throes due to the invasion of the Japanese which had begun many years before. America was not sympathetic with any of the above mentioned aggressors and had instead sent supplies and munitions to the many defenders under the Lend Lease Act. Many young men being aware of the inevitability of war had volunteered for duty against the aggressors, through neighboring Canada and the Chinese government. It was generally believed that Hitler had a pact with Russia and would unite in a common effort to defeat the world. It was only after Adolph Hitler made the same serious mistake as had Napoleon and invaded Russia, did Russia decide instead to side with the Allies.

America, eventually expecting to be drawn into these conflicts, had activated the draft in 1939 once again. Many young men reluctant to be drafted had volunteered for duty in the armed services. Many like myself were still students longing for manhood but still under their parents’ direct control. It was no surprise that when Pearl Harbor was bombed and war declared, that vast numbers of young men volunteered for active duty. They were enlisted and processed as fast as the existing facilities could do so. Many like myself had skills that were much in demand, and waiting periods were waived. All of us pretty much were of similar backgrounds. Although most expected and hoped to immediately get into the shooting war, many like myself due to extensive training were late in getting into active participation. All of us were somewhat naive with regards to being killed or injured. It was the American way to believe that one American was more than a match for five Germans or five Japanese. Italians were beneath consideration. After a time when more and more reports of deaths and injuries to former friends and relatives became known did the seriousness of war begin to sink in. Voluntary enlistment’s began to decline and the draft then filled the gaps.

As I was generally typical of the teenagers of this period I have elected to briefly portray many of my own experiences prior to becoming a member of Crew One, Bombing Squadron 108 of the United States Navy. I feel that this setting of the stage will make it easier to understand the activities of the crew members of Crew One and their motivations. Education played a vital role in the service one would be assigned to. A high school education generally placed a person in an enlisted category. Two years or more of college and one was eligible for Officers Candidate School. With the Depression only shortly behind, college students and graduates made up a small portion of the manpower pool. Women would not become a factor for more than a year after the beginning of World War II, other than graduate nurses and they were immediately accorded officer status.

Bombing Squadron 108 was unique in as much that one not only must volunteer for duty with this organization, but qualify as well. It was vitally important that additionally all crew members be compatible with each other. Friction with other crew members meant immediate reassignment. Thus Bombing Squadron 108 was a formidable collection of men with different skills united in a common purpose: the efficient killing of the enemy and their eventual extermination.

Bombing Squadron 108 like most similar well-trained killers was responsible for the deaths of large numbers of America’s enemies. Crew One aggressively killed their fair share as recorded in the following pages.

—Dennis E. Scranton

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Acknowledgments

All books have a beginning, some with careful well thought out intentional planning and some by chance, like this one. This book began as a result of an assignment in a Composition II class at Miles Community College, Miles City, Montana. Ms. Cathy O’Brien, MA, issued an assignment to the class of 1998 to present her with an essay with a basis in history. As the senior member of the class I was somewhat favored and accorded special privileges so I asked if I might write about some of my experiences while serving in the USN during World War II. Ms. O’Brien immediately granted permission. Most importantly, Ms. O’Brien is one of those rare people I refer to as more than a teacher, they are educators. An educator goes further in as much as they do more than teach, but additionally encourage and inspire their students to heights the students never dreamed possible. I did receive an ‘A’ for my essay and Ms. O’Brien informed me that a book was merely a collection of essays linked together. In short she suggested I write this book and long after the class was ended continued to give suggestions and advice until this book became a reality. Without her expert guidance this book would never have been possible.

Military books written by persons who were there do tend to over embellish events that occurred, as opposed to historians who usually write dull technically correct editions more prone to dates, times and places. This book was no exception and in its’ beginning I did have a tendency to over exaggerate. When Lt. Cmdr. A.C. Jeanguenat (Ret.) offered to critique my book I was delighted to receive his input. Jungle Balls, as he was affectionately known while a member of Crew One, did bring me down to earth on several events I had described, and additionally supplying me with much information that made it possible to include a great many more facts and episodes. Additionally he contributed many of the illustrations you will find within these pages. Ensign A.C. Malouf, co-pilot and navigator of Crew One, also contributed many more illustrations as well as did Don Pollard, Plane Captain of Crew One.

My thanks go out to all four of the above persons, as without their valuable assistance, this book could not have been completed.

—Dennis E. Scranton

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Foreword

The PB4Y-2 or Privateer was introduced into the Pacific War in early 1945. The awestricken Japanese referred to it as the Navy’s new four-engine fighter! Navy squadrons had been using the older PB4Y-1 or B-24 Liberator as a low-level attack bomber with a great deal of success for some time prior. The Privateer had been designed to increase the advantages of low-level strike bombing and strafing.

The original Liberator served as the prototype for the Privateer but with many exceptions. The four powerful Pratt & Whitney engines were increased by 200 horsepower each. Paddle wheel high altitude props were replaced with speed props. Nine feet was added to the length of the fuselage. The twin rudders were replaced by a huge single rudder which soared some 30 feet above the ground when parked.

To eliminate blind spots and increase firepower the Privateer was equipped with six motorized gun turrets containing twin .50-caliber machine guns. Although equipped with the standard Norden bombsight, this would soon be replaced by talented aircrewmen with two 20-mm cannon fixed forward and fired by the pilot.

The majority of the pilots chosen had prior combat experience with low level bombing in PB4Y-1’s. Many of the aircrewmen also had prior combat experience and had flown with these same pilots previously. The balance of the crews consisted of highly trained personnel who had expressed an intense desire to be found worthy of serving with such distinguished company.

I was in this latter category. Having volunteered shortly after Pearl Harbor, I had been shunted from one job to another but always short of the desired combat role. It was with a great deal of pride I was fortunate to not only be chosen to fly in VPB-108, but even more so to be picked to fly in the Commanding Officer’s crew.

Since my training and civilian background were pretty much typical of the members of all the flight crews, I begin this book with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and briefly follow my personal experiences until I was privileged to land an assignment with VPB-108. None were supermen, just a cross-section of loyal Americans from all walks of life with an intense desire to serve their country. It is intended that the reader get a feel of the everyday life of an enlisted aircrewman participating in daily strikes against the Japanese during the latter period of World War II. It is also intended for the reader to get a feel of how our great country reacted following Pearl Harbor and, of course, the lives of the volunteers upon reaching their early assignments. Crew One should accomplish these goals.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated in memory of Lieutenant Commander John Muldrow. [Photo via Jeanguenat]

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Aircrewman’s Creed

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I am a United States Naval Aircrewman,

member of a combat team.

My pilot and shipmates place their trust

in me and my guns.

I will care for my plane and guns,

as I care for my life.

In them I hold a power of life and death—

life for my countrymen, death for the enemy.

I will uphold my trust by protecting my pilot

and plane to the absolute limit of my ability.

So help me God.

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Chapter 1: Pearl Harbor

December 7th, 1941! A day of Infamy, as this date was so aptly described by President Roosevelt. In Coalinga, California, on that memorable day, it was one of those crisp clear mornings void of the morning fog which usually prevailed throughout the Central California valley during that time of year.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, I was a senior in high school. At seventeen years of age, I was a typical teenager of the times. Of average height and underweight, my football coach would find it difficult to remember me. Acne about my face discouraged any bids for most handsome in my class, and additionally had made me quite shy among the opposite sex. In particular, I was in awe of the very beautiful girl who now sat next to me in my aunt’s new car, and the close presence of the girl had rendered me nearly speechless. My Aunt Helen had recently purchased a new 1941 Chevrolet coupe which even had a radio. She had invited me to drive her to Coalinga to visit my older Aunt Ruth for the weekend, a trip of some two hours drive. The girl sitting next to me had been a friend who I occasionally had seen and played with, while visiting my Aunt Ruth in Coalinga. She and I had played together since we were both about six years of age. Suddenly she had evolved into a very beautiful woman. In an attempt to impress her, I had invited her for a ride and we now were parked on a low hill several miles from town. The radio had been playing swing with an impressive bass. The broadcast was abruptly interrupted, with the announcer’s voice describing the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. We both sat in shocked silence as the devastation of our fleet and the huge loss of life was related. Remembering I had recently been asked to assist in a plane watch group near my home I said, Eulalia, I have to leave for home right away.

Eulalia did not reply, she seemed deep in thought. Little did I know a few minutes later when we said our good-byes at her home, what the future would hold for me. We two would however, continue to correspond by letter.

My Aunt Helen and I left shortly after. Upon my returning home, I reported to another fellow ham radioman who was the organizer of the plane watch group. John Newkirk was a peach rancher and it was agreed that a team consisting of the two of us would watch and report all aircraft movement to San Francisco headquarters that night via telephone. From the large group of people who had responded to the late afternoon meeting, additional teams were formed and a schedule adopted. We were to sit on a wooden platform in John’s peach orchard, the platform having previously been used as a loading dock. A telephone line was hastily rigged. That night a few planes were observed and reported. Their lights had been extinguished, but we were able to determine the number of engines and the direction of their flight by means of their bluish exhaust flames. The two of us watched and reported, the entire first night. There was a real concern that San Francisco was in imminent danger of an attack. We were relieved the following morning, so it was only every few days that I had to again assist the plane watch crew. Helping in the war effort was an honor and a privilege, with no end to the volunteers.

Although short in physical attributes, my hobby of building and operating working amateur radio stations, and that I was licensed under the Federal Communications Commission, suddenly became of great interest to my country. A few days after Pearl Harbor, it would become illegal to make any further radio transmissions. Eager to be a part of the fight against Nazi Germany before the Pearl Harbor attack, I had been trying to gain entry into the U.S. Maritime School in the New England area. This project was soon forgotten as the services were now clamoring for licensed hams, the term used for an amateur radioman. I contacted the nearest Navy Recruiter that was in San Francisco, and I was informed that I was qualified for a rating of Second Class Radioman, if I had a high school diploma. I had little inkling at this time that eventually I would wear the coveted Wings of a U.S. Navy Combat Air Crewman!

Although a few older friends and relatives had earlier volunteered for active service, a classmate, Buddy Huddleson and myself were the two lone members of my class with a fervent desire to immediately be a part of the action. Buddy, too, was faced with the same diploma problem. He was hoping to be accepted by the U.S. Army Air Corps for pilot training. We joined forces and the conversation went something like this:

Felix [the first name of our principal], sure would be happy to get rid of the two of us, I said.

Buddy replied, Let’s try to con him into helping us convince the school board to graduate us ahead of time.

Meeting with Felix was immediately productive. Both Buddy and I had been before Felix on numerous occasions for disrupting classes and other minor offenses. He quickly agreed to research our credits and propose to the school board that we be released from further classes if the school board approved and if we had sufficient credits for graduation. Felix later found me to be a half credit short even though I took and passed the mid-term exams early. That problem was quickly surmounted by drawing ten plates for mechanical drawing in five days. My mechanical drawing instructor assigned simple projects which were quickly and easily drawn lightly in pencil. When going over them with the inking pens, I did smear some of the 16- by 24-inch paper drawing plates. Patiently, I would start over with a new plate, until all ten were completed. I received a C grade.

Buddy found he had exactly enough credits so the two of us were assigned to an empty classroom where we spent two days completing and passing our mid-terms prior to the other students. Following the favorable report by Felix, the School Board authorized him to issue a letter instead of a diploma for each of us, which simply stated we had completed our high school work, and Buddy and I would be graduated with our class the following June.

Time had passed swiftly; it was already January of 1942. Buddy, by contrast with myself, was an excellent football player, handsome with blonde curly hair, an infectious grin, and piercing blue eyes. Buddy