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Thank you Mark,
any assistance or photographs/information on VC 38 would be greatly appreciated. I've finished the family history book and am now trying to close up the Tribute to VC 38, but I keep finding great info from others like yourself. VC 38 was based at Munda in late 1943 and then Bougainville in early 1944. It was comprised of 12 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters, 9 Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers, and 9 TBF-1 Avengers.
In fact, if anyone on this forum has info or photographs of VC 38 - please contact me - much,much appreciated.
A short history:
Composite Squadron 38 was commissioned June 12, 1943 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Charles E. Brunton. VC 38 trained with the Grumman TBF Avenger, a torpedo bomber plane, while at NAAS Otay Mesa Airfield (currently Brown Field airport) and NAS El Centro, California.
The squadron’s flight training in the TBF-1 planes included torpedo bombing, gunnery, night torpedo tactics, catapult take-offs from carrier decks, carrier landings, anti-sub bombing, and night oxygen flying. The squadron spent over a month training at NAS El Centro practicing night illumination, mine laying, carrier rendezvous, and glide bombing maneuvers, all while flying at night.
VC 38 squadron shipped out from San Diego, California, on August 1, 1943, aboard the escort carrier, USS Long Island (CVE-1), for Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu). VC 40 squadron was also aboard ship. The ship crossed the equator on August 14, 1943 and arrived at Espiritu Santo on August 25, 1943. VC 38’s torpedo bombing missions initially operated from Bomber #1 airfield, Espiritu Santo (code named: Buttons). VC 38’s first mission against the Japanese was on September 15, 1943, and was a bombing mission over Ballale airfield located a few miles southeast from the Island of Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
Lt. William R. (Lucky) Larson and his fellow VC 38 Squadron were part of the Solomon Air Offensive that began after the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal of November 13, 1942. The VC 38 Squadron flew missions with other Naval squadrons and U.S. Marine Fighting Squadrons and Scout-Bombing Squadrons throughout September, October, November, and December 1943, mercilessly pounding the Japanese airfields of Kahili, Kara, Buka, and Ballale, including Japanese supply areas of Tarlena and Kieta, Bougainville. VC 38 flew missions with VC-24, VC-40, VMTB-143, VMTB-232, VMTB-233, VMSB-243, and VMF-213.
Initially these bombing missions were large scale assaults including up to 126 aircrafts, consisting of TBFs, SBDs, and Hellcat fighter planes in a single attack. The VC 38 Squadron worked off both land-based air fields (Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, and Munda) and carrier-based operations (USS Breton and USS Saratoga). However, the majority of Lucky’s time was spent in bombing operations based out of Munda airfield.
The invasion of Bougainville (Bougainville Campaign) began on November 1, 1943 when the U.S. Marines (3d Marine Division and two attached Marine Raider battalions) landed on Cape Torokina, in central Bougainville’s Empress Augusta Bay. Lucky and VC 38 actually bombed the Japanese troops fighting the marines on November 14th and 20th, 1943 by dropping 100 pound bombs near the Japanese positions. Success at Bougainville setup the U.S. forces to finally reach the Japanese stronghold of Rabaul on the Island of New Britain.
Rabaul was the Japanese fortress of military power, which included a harbor and five airfields. The march up the Solomons chain, starting at Guadalcanal to now Bougainville airfield (Piva airfield), allowed Allied fighter aircraft to finally reach Rabaul within their operational range. VC 38 Squadron’s heroic actions during the Bougainville and the New Britain campaign’s from October 1943 to March of 1944 culminated in a Scorecard of 112 aerial missions, 3 night missions, and 37 aerial victories, with over 30 enemy ships sunk or damaged. VC 38’s military war power consisted of 12 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters, 9 Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers, and 9 Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bombers.
By all accounts, the TBF attack on Keravia Bay - Rabaul, on February 17, 1944 was astonishing. Several of the TBF pilots of VC 38, under a curtain of anti-aircraft maching gun fire, flew low on the water to “skip bomb” several key targets. These heroic tactics resulted in several Japanese ships being damaged or sunk; including a battleship, transport ship, and patrol vessel. The COMAIRSOLS STRIKE COMMAND TBF INTELLIGENCE REPORT for February 17, 1943 vividly details this event (included below and in Appendix D). I have been able to account for nine awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross to members of the VC 38 TBF squadron during this dive bombing attack, though there may be more. The list includes the following aviation officers:
• Cmdr. Charles E. Brunton – D.F.C
• Lt. Jack P. Scholfield – D.F.C
• Lt. Graham Tahler – D.F. C.
• Lt. Robert B. Giblin – D.F.C
• Lt. John A Leary – D.F.C.
• Lt. Robert F Regan – D.F.C.
• Lt. Arthur McDonald – D.F.C.
• Lt. Robert H. Behn – D.F.C.
• Lt. Bruce C. Bishop – D.F.C.
Following the return of VC 38 to the west coast, several members continued in the naval service and had distinguished careers. These include the following:
• Cdr. Charles E. Brunton – Rear Admiral
• Lt. Graham Tahler – Rear Admiral
• Lt. Robert B. Giblin – Commander of USS Lexington
• Captain Robert F. Regan – Command of NAS Corpus Christie (3 time D.F.C. recipient)
• Lt. Thomas Milton Gammage – D.F.C. as Section Leader of VT-47 (July 1945) at Honshu Island, Japan.
Several members of VC 38 also had distinguished legal careers, including the following:
• Lt. John A Leary – Judge of New York State
• Lt. Jack P Scholfield – Judge of Washington State
This list is likely incomplete, as my research was limited. Based on ARM 1/C Richard (Wag) Wagner’s War Diary, VC 38 departed the Pacific Theater of War on March 20, 1944 aboard the USS Long Island, was disbanded in May of 1944, and commissioned VT-38. VC 38 was one unit and one tour that contributed to the end of World War II within the Pacific Theater of War. By all accounts, they performed tremendously.
Thanks again,
Don
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