Warbird Information Exchange

I am seeking information about the loss of a TBM Avenger of Torpedo Squadron VT-86 on June 18, 1945. The squardon was flying from the USS Wasp enroute to Hawaii from the west coast after battle damage repairs. I believe two TBMs were lost that day, BuNo 85976, pilot Ens. Frederick Cafner (or Gafner) and BuNo 85955, pilot Lt. James Eliyah Burk. A relative, AMM3c Robert Joseph Guariglia was lost as aircrew that same day.

Does anyone have additional information on the loss of these aircraft? I have the book "Carrier Air Group 86 in World War II" but it does not discuss the loss of the aircraft. The loss was near Hawaii, as the squadron flew off their remaining aircraft to land ashore on the next day, June 19.

Any information will be helpful.
Thank you in advance,
Bob Birmingham

I found some additional information by searching the date and Wasp. From the squadron commanding officer to the family of a different crew member:

"…We were out on a practice flight early in the morning just a few hundred miles from Pearl Harbor. His division was diving down through the clouds on a bombing target and his plane had a mid-air collision with another plane…both planes had gone into the clouds at a safe distance apart and with a good interval, but evidently lost track of each other in the cloud. As they emerged from below the cloud, both planes converged on the same target and collided an instant later…Both planes immediately crashed into the sea and all personnel (3 in each plane) were lost."

From another web site:

"However, our take-off, along with half the air group, went well. We climbed to 10,000 feet to obtain an attack altitude and into a position behind the fighters and dive bombers, and commenced our attack. Just as John pushed over the two T.B.F.s directly in front of us collided in mid-air. The only action available to me was to slam our bomb bay doors, and put our bombs on safe. I looked out hopefully for chutes, there were none. Just two wrecks burning on the water below marking the graves of six men I'd never get to know."