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2021-12-01T04:46:33+00:00 · · Edited

Kimmel, though derided later as a backward thinking Battleship Admiral, knew enough about Air Operations to know that Army fighters were limited in their open water navigational abilities, for unlike Naval Aviators, Army pilots rarely trained in extended overwater patrols, and even the Army's Oahu based fighters typically only flew within a 20 mile radius over the sea, a virtually useless limitation in the vastness of the Pacific.  In addition, Army fighters would still have to be flown off his carriers, yet would in his message paraphrase to the Chief of Naval Operations be "frozen to the island which they were deployed" as they were not capable of landing back aboard an aircraft carrier.

Therefore, CINCPAC utilized the fighters of Marine Squadron VMF-211 for this mission. The squadron had only traded in their Grumman F3F-2 biplane fighters they deployed to Hawaii with in favor of Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat monoplane fighters in October. They were just getting the hang of flying those new machines, which were still painted in the original light gray camouflage scheme only recently replaced by a darker shade of non specular blue on the upper surfaces of Navy aircraft. These planes would go to Wake to be the first line of Defense between there, Midway, Hawaii, and the Japanese occupied islands of the Central Pacific.  Being designed as Carrier based fighters, the Wildcats of 211 could launch and recover aboard carriers as necessary, a useful flexibility in the uncertain times to come.

Enterprise's paint shops were busy spray painting the upper surfaces Marine fighters with the new non specular blue camouflage. Only 11 had made it aboard, one was left behind at Ford Island, so Enterprise's Fighting Squadron 6 was ordered to "sell" 211 one of their Wildcats.  In her wardroom, the officer pilots of VMF-211 were royally treated by their Navy counterparts.  Most of the Marine Aviators of the squadron had no idea they would be deploying to an island atoll in the middle of nowhere over 2500 miles away from Pearl Harbor.  They had brought only their flight gear, thinking their landing aboard Enterprise as little more than a carrier qualification exercise. Their counterparts aboard Enterprise made sure they wanted for nothing, a level of consideration squadron commander Major Paul Putnam wrote that made him think of "calves being fattened for their slaughter."

As the miles westbound from Hawaii increased, Enterprise became even more of a beehive of activity, as armorers belted endless yards of .30 and .50 cal ammo belts and planes were loaded with full wartime ammo loads. Those who managed to fly noticed the difference, for many it was their first time flying airplanes with fully loaded armament.  The passageways of the Enterprise echoed with activity as War Orders had been read out and everyone aboard was tense with anticipation for what would come to pass.

At the helm of this force was a man who influenced it as much as his Japanese counterparts influenced their commands. Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey was already a Navy legend. A Naval Academy class of 1904 classmate of Kimmel, Halsey had also circled the globe with the Great White fleet, then transferred to Destroyers, where he became known as a Destroyerman's Destroyerman.  Described as being like an incarnation of Neptune himself, Halsey was as salty a sailor man who ever sailed the seven seas.  A latecomer to Aviation, Halsey earned his Wings of Gold in the mid 1930s as a 52 year old Captain, the oldest man in history to become a Naval Aviator.  He commanded the U.S.S. Saratoga afterwards, being assigned the command in exchange for taking flight training by Ernie King, who at the time was running Naval personnel assignments.  This late start was part of establishing the policy that only Aviators could command carriers, a U.S. Navy rule which remains to this day.  His men loved his rough demeanor, and though tough, Halsey was also fair. Halsey ruled his fleet like a benevolent dictator, he let his Chief of Staff be his hatchet man, but woe betide any who defied him.  Halsey was under special orders to get out, probe, launch 211 to Wake then hurry back to Pearl Harbor as soon as possible.  He took his mission seriously, and was ready to sink even a Sampan if he saw one, little realizing that the most powerful carrier fleet in the world at the time was bearing down upon him.

The trailer for the film 1941 Errol Flynn Film Dive Bomber, filmed aboard U.S.S. Enterprise in early 1941.  Halsey and Errol Flynn apparently had no love lost for one another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaSK_NJGCIY
Flying scenes from same film, a cornucopia of Prewar "Yellow Wings" Naval aviation, transitioning in some scenes to the light gray camouflage adapted in early 1941.  The look on Enterprise's LSO during actual flight operations says it all, Enterprise was the rookie of the U.S. Navy till Hornet came along.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LhW42gzBXo

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As the Kido Butai steamed Eastbound, another Aircraft Carrier was Westbound on its secret mission to reinforce Wake Island. The U.S.S. Enterprise had stood out of Pearl Harbor at the center of its Task Force on November 28, 1941 and upon crossing the international dateline, reached that strange point on planet Earth where they crossed into Tomorrow. The Enterprise Task Force was on a mission not only to fly the 12 Wildcats of the forward echelon of VMF-211 to Wake, they were also probing the turbulent waters of the North Pacific, on the lookout for anything amiss. CINCPAC Kimmel had taken the Navy Department's CNO War Warning Message seriously, enough to countermand a plan hatched by the Brass in Washington DC to deploy Army Fighters to both Wake and Midway.

Kimmel, though derided later as a backward thinking Battleship Admiral, knew enough about Air Operations to know that Army fighters were limited in their open water navigational abilities, for unlike Naval Aviators, Army pilots rarely trained in extended overwater patrols, and even the Army's Oahu based fighters typically only flew within a 20 mile radius over the sea, a virtually useless limitation in the vastness of the Pacific. In addition, Army fighters would still have to be flown off his carriers, yet would in his message paraphrase to the Chief of Naval Operations be "frozen to the island which they were deployed" as they were not capable of landing back aboard an aircraft carrier.

Therefore, CINCPAC utilized the fighters of Marine Squadron VMF-211 for this mission. The squadron had only traded in their Grumman F3F-2 biplane fighters they deployed to Hawaii with in favor of Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat monoplane fighters in October. They were just getting the hang of flying those new machines, which were still painted in the original light gray camouflage scheme only recently replaced by a darker shade of non specular blue on the upper surfaces of Navy aircraft. These planes would go to Wake to be the first line of Defense between there, Midway, Hawaii, and the Japanese occupied islands of the Central Pacific. Being designed as Carrier based fighters, the Wildcats of 211 could launch and recover aboard carriers as necessary, a useful flexibility in the uncertain times to come.

Enterprise's paint shops were busy spray painting the upper surfaces Marine fighters with the new non specular blue camouflage. Only 11 had made it aboard, one was left behind at Ford Island, so Enterprise's Fighting Squadron 6 was ordered to "sell" 211 one of their Wildcats. In her wardroom, the officer pilots of VMF-211 were royally treated by their Navy counterparts. Most of the Marine Aviators of the squadron had no idea they would be deploying to an island atoll in the middle of nowhere over 2500 miles away from Pearl Harbor. They had brought only their flight gear, thinking their landing aboard Enterprise as little more than a carrier qualification exercise. Their counterparts aboard Enterprise made sure they wanted for nothing, a level of consideration squadron commander Major Paul Putnam wrote that made him think of "calves being fattened for their slaughter."

As the miles westbound from Hawaii increased, Enterprise became even more of a beehive of activity, as armorers belted endless yards of .30 and .50 cal ammo belts and planes were loaded with full wartime ammo loads. Those who managed to fly noticed the difference, for many it was their first time flying airplanes with fully loaded armament. The passageways of the Enterprise echoed with activity as War Orders had been read out and everyone aboard was tense with anticipation for what would come to pass.

At the helm of this force was a man who influenced it as much as his Japanese counterparts influenced their commands. Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey was already a Navy legend. A Naval Academy class of 1904 classmate of Kimmel, Halsey had also circled the globe with the Great White fleet, then transferred to Destroyers, where he became known as a Destroyerman's Destroyerman. Described as being like an incarnation of Neptune himself, Halsey was as salty a sailor man who ever sailed the seven seas. A latecomer to Aviation, Halsey earned his Wings of Gold in the mid 1930s as a 52 year old Captain, the oldest man in history to become a Naval Aviator. He commanded the U.S.S. Saratoga afterwards, being assigned the command in exchange for taking flight training by Ernie King, who at the time was running Naval personnel assignments. This late start was part of establishing the policy that only Aviators could command carriers, a U.S. Navy rule which remains to this day. His men loved his rough demeanor, and though tough, Halsey was also fair. Halsey ruled his fleet like a benevolent dictator, he let his Chief of Staff be his hatchet man, but woe betide any who defied him. Halsey was under special orders to get out, probe, launch 211 to Wake then hurry back to Pearl Harbor as soon as possible. He took his mission seriously, and was ready to sink even a Sampan if he saw one, little realizing that the most powerful carrier fleet in the world at the time was bearing down upon him.

The trailer for the film 1941 Errol Flynn Film Dive Bomber, filmed aboard U.S.S. Enterprise in early 1941. Halsey and Errol Flynn apparently had no love lost for one another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaSK_NJGCIY
Flying scenes from same film, a cornucopia of Prewar "Yellow Wings" Naval aviation, transitioning in some scenes to the light gray camouflage adapted in early 1941. The look on Enterprise's LSO during actual flight operations says it all, Enterprise was the rookie of the U.S. Navy till Hornet came along.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LhW42gzBXoAs the Kido Butai steamed Eastbound, another Aircraft Carrier was Westbound on its secret mission to reinforce Wake Island. The U.S.S. Enterprise had stood out of Pearl Harbor at the center of its Task Force on November 28, 1941 and upon crossing the international dateline, reached that strange point on planet Earth where they crossed into Tomorrow. The Enterprise Task Force was on a mission not only to fly the 12 Wildcats of the forward echelon of VMF-211 to Wake, they were also probing the ... Read More

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-30T16:50:49+00:00 ·

Kido Butai Part VI:  The Sons of the Concubine

Carrier Division Five were the newbies of the Kido Butai as Shokaku (Soaring Crane) had only been commissioned on August 8th 1941, and Zuikaku (Auspicious Crane) on September 25th, 1941.  Brand new sister ships, the Cranes of the Shokaku Class were the newest and largest aircraft carriers in the Imperial Japanese Fleet.  Displacing over 30,000 tons they were powerfully built ships, whose very names represented the traditional Japanese concept of cranes embodying virtues of fidelity, good luck, love and a long life.  CarDiv5 was commanded by Rear Admiral Chiuchi Hara, who was so much larger and stouter than most Japanese that he was nicknamed King Kong by his friends.

As the new kids on the block of the Imperial Fleet, the Cranes of CarDiv5 was regarded with the disrespect typical in any military organization towards newcomers.  They were nicknamed "The Sons of the Concubine" by the more senior Carrier Divisions, an insulting slight in a culture that made a virtual fetish out of protocol, honor and respect.  Still, as brand new ships, CarDiv5 and its Air Groups did lack the cohesiveness of the Red Castles and Dragons of the Kido Butai's more senior divisions.  It takes time to properly mold a new military organization into a proper fighting unit, and as spanking new ships only just put into commission, their aircrews were still in the process of melding into a warfighting force.  They were helped by a leavening of China Veterans, who provided the combat experienced core relied upon by fighting teams since the beginning of time.

Rear Admiral Hara himself was an enigmatic figure.  Through the mists of time we can sketch a picture of him and his personality as a commander.  Hara graduated from the Naval Academy at Eta Jima 85th out of a class of 149 in 1911.  That middling performance persisted throughout his career, though assigned to various ships from destroyers to battleships, Hara missed seeing any action during World War I and though rising through ranks as he attended the necessary schools and commands, Hara always seemed to lurk in the shadows of history.  His first command was the gunboat Ataka in 1932-33, a year of relative peace in China.  He served as Naval Attache to the United States in 1933-4, a brief assignment of only a year which saw him replaced by Rear Admiral Yamaguchi of CarDiv5, who served for the next three years.  Given command of the light cruiser Tatsuta from 1934-35, Hara then served in various naval staffs until being promoted to Rear Admiral on November 15, 1939. From there he would be appointed command of CarDiv5 with his flag aboard the Shokaku.

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Kido Butai Part VI: The Sons of the Concubine

Carrier Division Five were the newbies of the Kido Butai as Shokaku (Soaring Crane) had only been commissioned on August 8th 1941, and Zuikaku (Auspicious Crane) on September 25th, 1941. Brand new sister ships, the Cranes of the Shokaku Class were the newest and largest aircraft carriers in the Imperial Japanese Fleet. Displacing over 30,000 tons they were powerfully built ships, whose very names represented the traditional Japanese concept of cranes embodying virtues of fidelity, good luck, love and a long life. CarDiv5 was commanded by Rear Admiral Chiuchi Hara, who was so much larger and stouter than most Japanese that he was nicknamed King Kong by his friends.

As the new kids on the block of the Imperial Fleet, the Cranes of CarDiv5 was regarded with the disrespect typical in any military organization towards newcomers. They were nicknamed "The Sons of the Concubine" by the more senior Carrier Divisions, an insulting slight in a culture that made a virtual fetish out of protocol, honor and respect. Still, as brand new ships, CarDiv5 and its Air Groups did lack the cohesiveness of the Red Castles and Dragons of the Kido Butai's more senior divisions. It takes time to properly mold a new military organization into a proper fighting unit, and as spanking new ships only just put into commission, their aircrews were still in the process of melding into a warfighting force. They were helped by a leavening of China Veterans, who provided the combat experienced core relied upon by fighting teams since the beginning of time.

Rear Admiral Hara himself was an enigmatic figure. Through the mists of time we can sketch a picture of him and his personality as a commander. Hara graduated from the Naval Academy at Eta Jima 85th out of a class of 149 in 1911. That middling performance persisted throughout his career, though assigned to various ships from destroyers to battleships, Hara missed seeing any action during World War I and though rising through ranks as he attended the necessary schools and commands, Hara always seemed to lurk in the shadows of history. His first command was the gunboat Ataka in 1932-33, a year of relative peace in China. He served as Naval Attache to the United States in 1933-4, a brief assignment of only a year which saw him replaced by Rear Admiral Yamaguchi of CarDiv5, who served for the next three years. Given command of the light cruiser Tatsuta from 1934-35, Hara then served in various naval staffs until being promoted to Rear Admiral on November 15, 1939. From there he would be appointed command of CarDiv5 with his flag aboard the Shokaku.Kido Butai Part VI: The Sons of the Concubine

Carrier Division Five were the newbies of the Kido Butai as Shokaku (Soaring Crane) had only been commissioned on August 8th 1941, and Zuikaku (Auspicious Crane) on September 25th, 1941. Brand new sister ships, the Cranes of the Shokaku Class were the newest and largest aircraft carriers in the Imperial Japanese Fleet. Displacing over 30,000 tons they were powerfully built ships, whose very names represented the traditional Japanese concept of c... Read More

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-30T04:59:28+00:00 · · Edited

Kido Butai Part V: The Dragons

Steaming together as a nearly matched set of twins, the Aircraft Carriers of Carrier Division Two were the Samurai Carriers of the Kido Butai, Soryu and Hiryu.  The name Soryu translates to Blue Dragon, while Hiryu is the Flying Dragon, so naturally this pair ought to be termed the Dragons.  They were commanded by Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, widely regarded as the most Aviation minded Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.  His given name Tamon was the childhood name of Kusunoki Masahige, regarded as the ideal of Samurai loyalty back in the days of the Shoguns.  A member of the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima, Yamaguchi graduated in 1912, ranked 21st out of his class of 144.

After completing Naval gunnery and Torpedo Schools, he was assigned to the Destroyer Kashi, which deployed as part of a Japanese detachment of ships sent to the Mediterranean in support of their British World War I allies.  Yamaguchi saw combat in the Mediterranean while operating from the Royal Navy base at Malta.  Postwar, he studied American History at Princeton University from 1921 to 1923 before a series of assignments and staff schools saw him gradually rise in rank during the 1920s.  As a Commander he served in the Japanese delegation to the London Naval Conference in 1929-30.  Promoted to full Captain in 1932 after 20 years of service, Yamaguchi then returned to the United States from 1934-37 as Naval Attache in Washington DC.  After that assignment he commanded the cruiser Isuzu in 1936-7 and the Battleship Ise in 1937-8.  After promotion to Rear Admiral in November, 1938, Yamaguchi then commanded the First Combined Air Group, overseeing Japan's Naval Air War in Central China until 1940.

At that point he was appointed Commander, Carrier Division Two, with his flag aboard the aircraft carrier Soryu.  Paired with her newer and bigger half sister Soryu, the two carriers of CarDiv2 were led by a man who had experienced Naval combat in World War I, lived overseas in Western countries for 7 years, and led Japan's Naval Air war against China during the China Incident.  Widely regarded as a protege of Admiral Yamamoto, Yamaguchi was seen by many as the natural successor to the most Aviation Minded Commander the Combined Fleet ever had.  The Dragons of CarDiv2 may not have had the prestige Kido Butai's flagship CarDiv1 of Red Castles, but they were led by a man steeped in Samurai traditions who had the kind of intimate knowledge of his adversary that only someone who lived among them could have gained.  By the very nature of his technical specialties, Yamaguchi was a blend of ancient samurai traditions fused with expertise in wielding the most modern implements of war yet devised.

The Dragons were the fastest carriers in the fleet, being based on cruiser hulls.  They weren't as big as Akagi and Kaga, rather both were lean rakish vessels capable of housing an Air Group nearly as large their much bigger compatriots.  Under the command of Yamaguchi, the Samurai Dragons of CarDiv1 were the ninja of the Kido Butai, striking when least expected, from Pearl Harbor, to Wake Island, to the Indian Ocean, to their demise at Midway.  Let by Yamaguchi till the bitter end, the Dragons naturally saw themselves Yamaguchi did, the true Warriors of the Kido Butai, ready to step in to help save their more elitist colleagues of the Red Castle Division whenever they messed up.  The aircraft of CarDiv2 were distinguished by a single Blue Stripe on their rear fuselage for the Soryu Air Group, and a pair broad blue stripes for Hiryu's.  Like the red castle bands for Akagi and Kaga, these blue stripes made perfect sense as their flagship was the named the Blue Dragon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N37XVg-VuqQ

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Kido Butai Part V: The Dragons

Steaming together as a nearly matched set of twins, the Aircraft Carriers of Carrier Division Two were the Samurai Carriers of the Kido Butai, Soryu and Hiryu. The name Soryu translates to Blue Dragon, while Hiryu is the Flying Dragon, so naturally this pair ought to be termed the Dragons. They were commanded by Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, widely regarded as the most Aviation minded Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. His given name Tamon was the childhood name of Kusunoki Masahige, regarded as the ideal of Samurai loyalty back in the days of the Shoguns. A member of the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima, Yamaguchi graduated in 1912, ranked 21st out of his class of 144.

After completing Naval gunnery and Torpedo Schools, he was assigned to the Destroyer Kashi, which deployed as part of a Japanese detachment of ships sent to the Mediterranean in support of their British World War I allies. Yamaguchi saw combat in the Mediterranean while operating from the Royal Navy base at Malta. Postwar, he studied American History at Princeton University from 1921 to 1923 before a series of assignments and staff schools saw him gradually rise in rank during the 1920s. As a Commander he served in the Japanese delegation to the London Naval Conference in 1929-30. Promoted to full Captain in 1932 after 20 years of service, Yamaguchi then returned to the United States from 1934-37 as Naval Attache in Washington DC. After that assignment he commanded the cruiser Isuzu in 1936-7 and the Battleship Ise in 1937-8. After promotion to Rear Admiral in November, 1938, Yamaguchi then commanded the First Combined Air Group, overseeing Japan's Naval Air War in Central China until 1940.

At that point he was appointed Commander, Carrier Division Two, with his flag aboard the aircraft carrier Soryu. Paired with her newer and bigger half sister Soryu, the two carriers of CarDiv2 were led by a man who had experienced Naval combat in World War I, lived overseas in Western countries for 7 years, and led Japan's Naval Air war against China during the China Incident. Widely regarded as a protege of Admiral Yamamoto, Yamaguchi was seen by many as the natural successor to the most Aviation Minded Commander the Combined Fleet ever had. The Dragons of CarDiv2 may not have had the prestige Kido Butai's flagship CarDiv1 of Red Castles, but they were led by a man steeped in Samurai traditions who had the kind of intimate knowledge of his adversary that only someone who lived among them could have gained. By the very nature of his technical specialties, Yamaguchi was a blend of ancient samurai traditions fused with expertise in wielding the most modern implements of war yet devised.

The Dragons were the fastest carriers in the fleet, being based on cruiser hulls. They weren't as big as Akagi and Kaga, rather both were lean rakish vessels capable of housing an Air Group nearly as large their much bigger compatriots. Under the command of Yamaguchi, the Samurai Dragons of CarDiv1 were the ninja of the Kido Butai, striking when least expected, from Pearl Harbor, to Wake Island, to the Indian Ocean, to their demise at Midway. Let by Yamaguchi till the bitter end, the Dragons naturally saw themselves Yamaguchi did, the true Warriors of the Kido Butai, ready to step in to help save their more elitist colleagues of the Red Castle Division whenever they messed up. The aircraft of CarDiv2 were distinguished by a single Blue Stripe on their rear fuselage for the Soryu Air Group, and a pair broad blue stripes for Hiryu's. Like the red castle bands for Akagi and Kaga, these blue stripes made perfect sense as their flagship was the named the Blue Dragon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N37XVg-VuqQKido Butai Part V: The Dragons

Steaming together as a nearly matched set of twins, the Aircraft Carriers of Carrier Division Two were the Samurai Carriers of the Kido Butai, Soryu and Hiryu. The name Soryu translates to Blue Dragon, while Hiryu is the Flying Dragon, so naturally this pair ought to be termed the Dragons. They were commanded by Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, widely regarded as the most Aviation minded Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. His given name Tamon was the childhoo... Read More

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-30T03:51:24+00:00 · · Edited

Kido Butai Part IV: The Red Castles

Steaming in the rough North Pacific Swells, their fuel consumption plotted to the last liter by abacus, the six Aircraft Carriers of the Kido Butai represented a series of unique personalities that shape any organization.  The Japanese had mastered the concept of operating Carrier Divisions, the centerpiece of any Japanese Carrier Task force was not a single Aircraft Carrier but two.  Each would act as a kind of wingboat to the other, splitting tasks such as strikes and combat air patrols.  As the world pioneers of multi carrier operations the Japanese naturally innovated in ways that can be seen as modern to this very day.  For example, Imperial Japanese Navy carriers were equipped with an optical landing system that allowed pilots to follow a signal light down a visual glidepath to a safe approach and landing rather than a watching a Landing Signal Officer with paddles as American and British Carriers did.  This type of optical glidescope indicator didn't come into use in Anglo American Navies until the 1950s.

Each Carrier Division in the Kido Butai possessed its own personality and esprit de corps, shaped by their commanders and the very names of the ships.  Anyone who has been around ships and planes knows that these inanimate objects tend to have personalities all their own.  Carrier Division One was the Flagship Division, the elite of the fleet.  Akagi was not just Flagship of CarDiv1, she was the flag of the entire Kido Butai.  Akagi had a trait unique to the Japanese Navy by having an island on her port side, an anomaly explained by the fact that when steaming side by side, two ships of a carrier division could conduct simultaneous flight operations by flying opposite traffic patterns, with Akagi's circling to the Starboard side, while Kaga with her conventional island turned port.  The benefit to this type of operation was seen to outweigh the disadvantage of having the ships Island in a position where a sudden burst of power would cause an airplane's torque to veer it leftwards, towards said Island.  Both Japanese carriers with portside Islands did move them a bit further aft than their more conventional sisters in an attempt to reduce the possibility of such a collision in the event of such a go around.

The name Akagi means Red Castle in Japanese, and the recognition markings painted on the aircraft of Carrier Division One was logically a broad red stripe on the aft fuselage of their planes.  A Division Flagship had one broad stripe, its sidekick two.  The the other ship in CarDiv1 was the Kaga, a sort of ambling cousin to Akagi.  Akagi had been laid down as a battlecruiser, her original sister ship battlecruiser Amagi was originally supposed to be converted to a carrier as well, but was irreparably damaged in the great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.  Instead of a true Sister Ship, as Amagi would have been, the unfinished hull of Battleship Kaga was chosen for conversion and Akagi received a kind of impaired half sister.  As battlecruisers were designed to be faster than battleships, Kaga couldn't keep up with her flagship, usually trailing by a couple of knots, and managing a series of misadventures that hindsight shows made her a kind of Hard Luck ship.

Still compared to the rigid discipline of the flagship, the Kaga was apparently a happy ship, content to sail slightly behind Akagi and let the flagship call the shots.  As both Carriers of CarDiv1 wore red stripes, the logical nickname for this division is the Red Castles.  From his domain aboard Akagi, Vice Admiral Chiuchi Nagumo commanded the most elite group of Naval Aviators in an already elite force.  The leader of the entire Pearl Harbor Strike would fly from Akagi, Lieutenant Commander Mitsui Fuchida, in a Red Tailed Nakajima B5N Torpedo Bomber with three seats, with Fuchida occupying the middle seat while being chauffered around by his enlisted Pilot.  Nagumo was a conservative member of the Big Gun faction of the Imperial Navy, charged with commanding the attack and bringing his entire force back to Japan intact.  His caution and conservatism would guide the Akagi and Kido Butai's actions in the war soon to come.

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Kido Butai Part IV: The Red Castles

Steaming in the rough North Pacific Swells, their fuel consumption plotted to the last liter by abacus, the six Aircraft Carriers of the Kido Butai represented a series of unique personalities that shape any organization. The Japanese had mastered the concept of operating Carrier Divisions, the centerpiece of any Japanese Carrier Task force was not a single Aircraft Carrier but two. Each would act as a kind of wingboat to the other, splitting tasks such as strikes and combat air patrols. As the world pioneers of multi carrier operations the Japanese naturally innovated in ways that can be seen as modern to this very day. For example, Imperial Japanese Navy carriers were equipped with an optical landing system that allowed pilots to follow a signal light down a visual glidepath to a safe approach and landing rather than a watching a Landing Signal Officer with paddles as American and British Carriers did. This type of optical glidescope indicator didn't come into use in Anglo American Navies until the 1950s.

Each Carrier Division in the Kido Butai possessed its own personality and esprit de corps, shaped by their commanders and the very names of the ships. Anyone who has been around ships and planes knows that these inanimate objects tend to have personalities all their own. Carrier Division One was the Flagship Division, the elite of the fleet. Akagi was not just Flagship of CarDiv1, she was the flag of the entire Kido Butai. Akagi had a trait unique to the Japanese Navy by having an island on her port side, an anomaly explained by the fact that when steaming side by side, two ships of a carrier division could conduct simultaneous flight operations by flying opposite traffic patterns, with Akagi's circling to the Starboard side, while Kaga with her conventional island turned port. The benefit to this type of operation was seen to outweigh the disadvantage of having the ships Island in a position where a sudden burst of power would cause an airplane's torque to veer it leftwards, towards said Island. Both Japanese carriers with portside Islands did move them a bit further aft than their more conventional sisters in an attempt to reduce the possibility of such a collision in the event of such a go around.

The name Akagi means Red Castle in Japanese, and the recognition markings painted on the aircraft of Carrier Division One was logically a broad red stripe on the aft fuselage of their planes. A Division Flagship had one broad stripe, its sidekick two. The the other ship in CarDiv1 was the Kaga, a sort of ambling cousin to Akagi. Akagi had been laid down as a battlecruiser, her original sister ship battlecruiser Amagi was originally supposed to be converted to a carrier as well, but was irreparably damaged in the great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Instead of a true Sister Ship, as Amagi would have been, the unfinished hull of Battleship Kaga was chosen for conversion and Akagi received a kind of impaired half sister. As battlecruisers were designed to be faster than battleships, Kaga couldn't keep up with her flagship, usually trailing by a couple of knots, and managing a series of misadventures that hindsight shows made her a kind of Hard Luck ship.

Still compared to the rigid discipline of the flagship, the Kaga was apparently a happy ship, content to sail slightly behind Akagi and let the flagship call the shots. As both Carriers of CarDiv1 wore red stripes, the logical nickname for this division is the Red Castles. From his domain aboard Akagi, Vice Admiral Chiuchi Nagumo commanded the most elite group of Naval Aviators in an already elite force. The leader of the entire Pearl Harbor Strike would fly from Akagi, Lieutenant Commander Mitsui Fuchida, in a Red Tailed Nakajima B5N Torpedo Bomber with three seats, with Fuchida occupying the middle seat while being chauffered around by his enlisted Pilot. Nagumo was a conservative member of the Big Gun faction of the Imperial Navy, charged with commanding the attack and bringing his entire force back to Japan intact. His caution and conservatism would guide the Akagi and Kido Butai's actions in the war soon to come.Kido Butai Part IV: The Red Castles

Steaming in the rough North Pacific Swells, their fuel consumption plotted to the last liter by abacus, the six Aircraft Carriers of the Kido Butai represented a series of unique personalities that shape any organization. The Japanese had mastered the concept of operating Carrier Divisions, the centerpiece of any Japanese Carrier Task force was not a single Aircraft Carrier but two. Each would act as a kind of wingboat to the other, splitting tasks such as... Read More

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-30T03:17:53+00:00 ·

Kido Butai Part III: Kimmel

Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, a native Kentuckian, was a world traveling combat veteran who had circumnavigated the globe as a junior officer aboard the U.S.S. Georgia with Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. That voyage saw Theodore Roosevelt sending most of the battleships of the U.S. Navy on a journey around the world. This act announced the a Roosevelt was reputed to have told a Congress reluctant to fund the voyage that he would do it even if the fleet was stranded on the opposite end of the world. Roosevelt dared Congress to maroon America's battle fleet across the world, the funds were duly appropriated, and the world saw of America arrive as a Naval Power, complete with a John Phillip Sousa soundtrack from the fleet's Marine Bands.

In 1914, Kimmel took part in the U.S. Navy occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, an intervention which saw Navy landing parties deployed ashore as a kind of Boarding party stiffened by their Marine detachments. Future Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher won the Medal of Honor for rescuing a transport full of refugees, and fellow Kentuckian future Vice Admiral Willis Lee engaged in a series of sniper duals that he won thanks to an innate Kentucky marksmenship ability that led him to being the only person ever to win the both US National High Power Rifle and Pistol Championships in 1907 as a 19 year old, and 5 gold, 1 silver and a Bronze medal in the 1920 Olympics. Kimmel himself was wounded during that conflict, proof that he saw combat action and knew war as intimately as any Naval officer could at the time.

Upon his recovery, he briefly served as naval aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a connection he would benefit greatly from later in his career. Serving as Squadron Gunnery officer with Battleship Division Nine during World War 1, Kimmel deployed with them to the main British base at Scapa Flow, where those ships served as the Sixth Battle Squadron of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet, the most powerful fleet in the world at the time. Postwar service saw him serving in Washington DC, the Asiatic fleet in the Philippines, and as Captain of the Battleship U.S.S. New York. Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1937, Kimmel then commanded a Cruiser Division on a goodwill voyage to South America before being appointed Commander Cruisers Battle Force in 1939. From there he was promoted to Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet in 1941. Cruiser commanders were widely regarded as some of the best officers in the Navy, as their ships were considered the eyes of the surface fleet, a scouting force which would spot the enemy and keep them engaged till the Battle Line could finish them off. As such, his promotion to Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet was a appointment which was represented the absolute pinnacle of his 37 year officer career.

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Kido Butai Part III: Kimmel

Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, a native Kentuckian, was a world traveling combat veteran who had circumnavigated the globe as a junior officer aboard the U.S.S. Georgia with Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. That voyage saw Theodore Roosevelt sending most of the battleships of the U.S. Navy on a journey around the world. This act announced the a Roosevelt was reputed to have told a Congress reluctant to fund the voyage that he would do it even if the fleet was stranded on the opposite end of the world. Roosevelt dared Congress to maroon America's battle fleet across the world, the funds were duly appropriated, and the world saw of America arrive as a Naval Power, complete with a John Phillip Sousa soundtrack from the fleet's Marine Bands.

In 1914, Kimmel took part in the U.S. Navy occupation of Veracruz, Mexico, an intervention which saw Navy landing parties deployed ashore as a kind of Boarding party stiffened by their Marine detachments. Future Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher won the Medal of Honor for rescuing a transport full of refugees, and fellow Kentuckian future Vice Admiral Willis Lee engaged in a series of sniper duals that he won thanks to an innate Kentucky marksmenship ability that led him to being the only person ever to win the both US National High Power Rifle and Pistol Championships in 1907 as a 19 year old, and 5 gold, 1 silver and a Bronze medal in the 1920 Olympics. Kimmel himself was wounded during that conflict, proof that he saw combat action and knew war as intimately as any Naval officer could at the time.

Upon his recovery, he briefly served as naval aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a connection he would benefit greatly from later in his career. Serving as Squadron Gunnery officer with Battleship Division Nine during World War 1, Kimmel deployed with them to the main British base at Scapa Flow, where those ships served as the Sixth Battle Squadron of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet, the most powerful fleet in the world at the time. Postwar service saw him serving in Washington DC, the Asiatic fleet in the Philippines, and as Captain of the Battleship U.S.S. New York. Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1937, Kimmel then commanded a Cruiser Division on a goodwill voyage to South America before being appointed Commander Cruisers Battle Force in 1939. From there he was promoted to Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet in 1941. Cruiser commanders were widely regarded as some of the best officers in the Navy, as their ships were considered the eyes of the surface fleet, a scouting force which would spot the enemy and keep them engaged till the Battle Line could finish them off. As such, his promotion to Commander in Chief U.S. Pacific Fleet was a appointment which was represented the absolute pinnacle of his 37 year officer career.Kido Butai Part III: Kimmel

Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, a native Kentuckian, was a world traveling combat veteran who had circumnavigated the globe as a junior officer aboard the U.S.S. Georgia with Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. That voyage saw Theodore Roosevelt sending most of the battleships of the U.S. Navy on a journey around the world. This act announced the a Roosevelt was reputed to have told a Congress reluctant to fund the voyage that he would do it even if the fleet was str... Read More

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-30T03:08:53+00:00 · · Edited

Kido Butai Part II: Yamamoto

Steaming ever closer to Admiral Kimmel's command, the ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kido Butai represented a throw of the dice by Japanese Combined Fleet Commander Isoroku Yamamoto.  Imperial Japan's Navy was dominated by Battleship Admirals wedded to the Kantai Kessen Doctrine, a war plan designed to lure the United States Navy into a battle of Annihilation across the Pacific, sniping at the larger US fleet with submarines and aircraft until it could be met by the Imperial Navy's Battleship Line and annihilated in a climactic battle close to Japan.  They were building the largest Battleships the world had ever seen as the centerpiece of their Battle line.  For these Admirals, Victory would come the way it did in the 1905 War against Russia, with a numerically inferior but tactically superior Imperial Navy out fighting and annihilating a numerically superior enemy.

Yamamoto was a veteran of the climactic battle of this war, the Battle of Tsushima, which saw Imperial Navy Admiral Togo defeat the Russian Empire's 2nd Pacific fleet under the command of Russian Admiral Rozhdestvensky.  Yamamoto lost two fingers of his left hand in that fight and nearly lost his Naval career by losing them had he lost another.  A gunnery specialist, he broke with traditional doctrine and saw Naval Aviation as a means to expand the reach of the Imperial Japanese Navy.  He was one of the first commanders of the Aircraft Carrier Akagi, pride of Japan's carrier fleet.  Yamamoto was also against the Japanese Army's efforts to carve out its own private fiefdoms in China, he saw Japan's resources better used to create a powerful fleet to deter foreign powers, rather than fighting endless wars in Mainland Asia.  Having "studied" at Harvard, Yamamoto knew America's industrial capacity and understood that the United States would prevail in any long conflict with Japan.

Yamamoto's plan was audacious but brilliant.  Japan needed Oil to fight, the Western Powers had acted in concert to Embargo Japan's oil. Knowing that the Dutch East Indies had all the Oil Japan needed, and that they were vulnerable to invasion by a superior Naval Power, Yamamoto aimed to neutralize the threat of intervention by the U.S. Pacific fleet by sinking it at its base at Pearl Harbor.  Yamamoto also knew of the British success against the Italian fleet at Taranto, so when the chance came to use Japan's carrier force to do the same thing, he seized on the opportunity.  After the Oil Embargo, war was only a matter of time, so the Staff of the Combined Fleet endlessly wargamed different scenarios in order to come up with a viable operational plan.  Calculations on fuel consumption during these wargames were actually done by Abacus, an observation noted in a later American intelligence report after the capture of one of the Human Calculators involved in these games.  This data shaped the Japanese attack plan, which was endlessly practiced in the months leading up to the departure of the Kido Butai.

Tsushima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k__jr5uqjnA

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Kido Butai Part II: Yamamoto

Steaming ever closer to Admiral Kimmel's command, the ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kido Butai represented a throw of the dice by Japanese Combined Fleet Commander Isoroku Yamamoto. Imperial Japan's Navy was dominated by Battleship Admirals wedded to the Kantai Kessen Doctrine, a war plan designed to lure the United States Navy into a battle of Annihilation across the Pacific, sniping at the larger US fleet with submarines and aircraft until it could be met by the Imperial Navy's Battleship Line and annihilated in a climactic battle close to Japan. They were building the largest Battleships the world had ever seen as the centerpiece of their Battle line. For these Admirals, Victory would come the way it did in the 1905 War against Russia, with a numerically inferior but tactically superior Imperial Navy out fighting and annihilating a numerically superior enemy.

Yamamoto was a veteran of the climactic battle of this war, the Battle of Tsushima, which saw Imperial Navy Admiral Togo defeat the Russian Empire's 2nd Pacific fleet under the command of Russian Admiral Rozhdestvensky. Yamamoto lost two fingers of his left hand in that fight and nearly lost his Naval career by losing them had he lost another. A gunnery specialist, he broke with traditional doctrine and saw Naval Aviation as a means to expand the reach of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was one of the first commanders of the Aircraft Carrier Akagi, pride of Japan's carrier fleet. Yamamoto was also against the Japanese Army's efforts to carve out its own private fiefdoms in China, he saw Japan's resources better used to create a powerful fleet to deter foreign powers, rather than fighting endless wars in Mainland Asia. Having "studied" at Harvard, Yamamoto knew America's industrial capacity and understood that the United States would prevail in any long conflict with Japan.

Yamamoto's plan was audacious but brilliant. Japan needed Oil to fight, the Western Powers had acted in concert to Embargo Japan's oil. Knowing that the Dutch East Indies had all the Oil Japan needed, and that they were vulnerable to invasion by a superior Naval Power, Yamamoto aimed to neutralize the threat of intervention by the U.S. Pacific fleet by sinking it at its base at Pearl Harbor. Yamamoto also knew of the British success against the Italian fleet at Taranto, so when the chance came to use Japan's carrier force to do the same thing, he seized on the opportunity. After the Oil Embargo, war was only a matter of time, so the Staff of the Combined Fleet endlessly wargamed different scenarios in order to come up with a viable operational plan. Calculations on fuel consumption during these wargames were actually done by Abacus, an observation noted in a later American intelligence report after the capture of one of the Human Calculators involved in these games. This data shaped the Japanese attack plan, which was endlessly practiced in the months leading up to the departure of the Kido Butai.

Tsushima
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k__jr5uqjnAKido Butai Part II: Yamamoto

Steaming ever closer to Admiral Kimmel's command, the ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kido Butai represented a throw of the dice by Japanese Combined Fleet Commander Isoroku Yamamoto. Imperial Japan's Navy was dominated by Battleship Admirals wedded to the Kantai Kessen Doctrine, a war plan designed to lure the United States Navy into a battle of Annihilation across the Pacific, sniping at the larger US fleet with submarines and aircraft until it could be me... Read More

Battle of Tsushima (Empire of Japan vs Russian Empire) 13 Views

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-30T01:48:56+00:00 · · Edited

Kido Butai Part I: The Antagonists

As November 1941 ended, three very different Aircraft Carrier Task Forces were steaming towards one another with neither side knowing the existence of the other.  All had been dispatched on Secret Missions, two to reinforce, the other to Attack.  The differences between the forces were stark, in many ways mirror images of one another.  They were as different as Imperial Japan and the United States were as cultures and civilizations, with each representing the crowning technological achievements of their respective nations.

Steaming Eastbound from away from Japan, yet still operating on Tokyo Time, the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kido Butai, usually translated as Mobile Force, was the most powerful Aircraft Carrier Task Force the world had ever seen.  Six Aircraft carriers made up this majestic force, and as they bobbed and rolled in the long winter North Pacific swells, these ships represented the pinnacle of Naval Aviation Technical development at that time.  The Japanese may have had a limited industrial base, their islands may have been resource poor, their war in China an endless quagmire, but these ships were Japan's answer to a United States which had just embargoed Japan's oil in July, and convinced the Dutch East Indies to do the same in August.  Imperial Japan had only an 18 month fuel reserve, and as the oil embargo was conditional on Japan ending their conflict in China, the Japanese were backed into a corner nobody on either side saw a face saving way out of.  The Imperial Japanese Navy would strike the United States Pacific fleet at their new base at Pearl Harbor.  The fleet had been based out of San Diego, but in January 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt moved the entire to Pearl in order to position it to counter Japanese aggression in Asia.

The Japanese regarded the deployment of the fleet there as a provocation, Admiral Richardson who led the fleet there, considered Pearl Harbor to be a dangerously exposed landlocked duck pond.  The entrance to Pearl could easily be blocked by a sunken ship, and stationing the entire Pacific Fleet there required such vast infrastructure construction everywhere on Oahu that unemployment on Oahu was virtually nil.  Defense workers had poured in, creating bases which remain to this day.  Richardson also knew of the recent British attack on the Italian harbor of Taranto in November 1940, where the Royal Navy managed to cripple the Italian Fleet by torpedoing three of their battleships with their ancient looking Swordfish Biplanes.  Admiral Richardson's opposition to the move resulted in his being relieved by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who was promoted to the job from his previous role as Commander Battle Force Cruisers.

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Kido Butai Part I: The Antagonists

As November 1941 ended, three very different Aircraft Carrier Task Forces were steaming towards one another with neither side knowing the existence of the other. All had been dispatched on Secret Missions, two to reinforce, the other to Attack. The differences between the forces were stark, in many ways mirror images of one another. They were as different as Imperial Japan and the United States were as cultures and civilizations, with each representing the crowning technological achievements of their respective nations.

Steaming Eastbound from away from Japan, yet still operating on Tokyo Time, the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kido Butai, usually translated as Mobile Force, was the most powerful Aircraft Carrier Task Force the world had ever seen. Six Aircraft carriers made up this majestic force, and as they bobbed and rolled in the long winter North Pacific swells, these ships represented the pinnacle of Naval Aviation Technical development at that time. The Japanese may have had a limited industrial base, their islands may have been resource poor, their war in China an endless quagmire, but these ships were Japan's answer to a United States which had just embargoed Japan's oil in July, and convinced the Dutch East Indies to do the same in August. Imperial Japan had only an 18 month fuel reserve, and as the oil embargo was conditional on Japan ending their conflict in China, the Japanese were backed into a corner nobody on either side saw a face saving way out of. The Imperial Japanese Navy would strike the United States Pacific fleet at their new base at Pearl Harbor. The fleet had been based out of San Diego, but in January 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt moved the entire to Pearl in order to position it to counter Japanese aggression in Asia.

The Japanese regarded the deployment of the fleet there as a provocation, Admiral Richardson who led the fleet there, considered Pearl Harbor to be a dangerously exposed landlocked duck pond. The entrance to Pearl could easily be blocked by a sunken ship, and stationing the entire Pacific Fleet there required such vast infrastructure construction everywhere on Oahu that unemployment on Oahu was virtually nil. Defense workers had poured in, creating bases which remain to this day. Richardson also knew of the recent British attack on the Italian harbor of Taranto in November 1940, where the Royal Navy managed to cripple the Italian Fleet by torpedoing three of their battleships with their ancient looking Swordfish Biplanes. Admiral Richardson's opposition to the move resulted in his being relieved by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who was promoted to the job from his previous role as Commander Battle Force Cruisers.Kido Butai Part I: The Antagonists

As November 1941 ended, three very different Aircraft Carrier Task Forces were steaming towards one another with neither side knowing the existence of the other. All had been dispatched on Secret Missions, two to reinforce, the other to Attack. The differences between the forces were stark, in many ways mirror images of one another. They were as different as Imperial Japan and the United States were as cultures and civilizations, with each representing the... Read More

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-29T02:17:08+00:00 · · Edited

REFERRING TO OPNAV DISPATCHES (CINCPAC SERIAL 11-828) AND (CINCPAC SERIAL 11-830) X AT PRESENT THE WRIGHT IS AT WAKE DISCHARGING MATERIAL AND GROUND CREWS TO OPERATE ONE SQUADRON OF MARINE PLANES X FOLLOWING THIS SHE WILL LAND SIMILAR EQUIPMENT AT MIDWAY X ARRANGEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE TO SEND TO WAKE AND MIDWAY THE NECESSARY GROUND MATERIAL FOR THE TEMPORARY OPERATION OF 12 B-17 ARMY BOMBERS X THIS EQUIPMENT WILL LEAVE PEARL ABOUT 1 DECEMBER X ONLY 6 OUT OF THE 12 B-17 PLANES NOW ON OAHU ARE IN OPERATING CONDITION X THERE WILL BE NO SHIPMENTS ARMY BOMBS TO OUTLYING BASES FOR THE PRESENT BECAUSE OF THE ACUTE SHORTAGE BUT WITH MINOR ALTERATIONS NAVY BOMBS NOW AVAILABLE THERE MAY BE USED X THE USEFULNESS OF ARMY PURSUITS FOR INSULAR DEFENSE IS RADICALLY LIMITED BY THEIR DOUBTFUL CAPABILITY TO OPERATE MORE THAN 20 MILES OFFSHORE X THEY CAN BE USED BUT THEY ARE FROZEN TO THE ISLAND WHERE THEY LAND BECAUSE OF THEIR INABILITY TO LAND ON A CARRIER X THIS CURTAILS FLEXIBILITY OF DISPOSITIONS X ARMY AND MARINE DEFENSE BATTALIONS NEED ADDITIONAL AA GUNS THIS AREA X REINFORCING MARINES AT OUTLYING BASES WITH ARMY INADVISABLE AS LONG AS MARINES AVAILABLE BUT PLANS ARE BEING MADE FOR SUCH USE OF THE ARMY X ALL OUTLYING FORCES MUST BE EXCLUSIVELY UNDER NAVAL COMMAND X ON 28 NOVEMBER 12 MARINE FIGHTERS LEAVE FOR WAKE BY CARRIER X OTHER MARINE PLANES EXPECTED TO BE SENT MIDWAY LATER X ON ONE DECEMBER 12 PATROL PLANES AT MIDWAY GO TO WAKE AND 12 PATROL PLANES AT PEARL WILL GO TO MIDWAY X

Thus, the top U.S. Military commanders in Washington DC, who in previous messages had agreed to station Army fighters on Wake and Midway, were countered by Admiral Kimmel in this message back to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Betty Stark.  Kimmel, long derided Postwar as a Battleship Admiral unprepared for modern war, was actually husbanding his forces carefully, ensuring that Wake would be reinforced with aircraft that could be withdrawn as necessary.  Army Air Corps Pursuit aircraft in Hawaii were primarily Curtiss P-36 and P-40 aircraft.  However, as noted in this message their pilots were not trained for overwater operations and thus their ability to operate more than 20 miles offshore was considered "doubtful".   The phrase "frozen to the island where they land because of their inability to land on a carrier" is perhaps one of the best showcases of the flexibility inherent in Naval Aviation and Carrier capable aircraft.  It is also interesting to see only 6 out of 12 operable B-17s on Oahu within days of War, as nearly three times more B-17s than that were already in the Philippines.  The B-17s were not the best anti shipping aircraft as events there and off Midway would show.  The fact that Kimmel communicated these facts to his direct superior shows tremendous moral courage at a time when the entire U.S. Military establishment was on edge.  The 12 Marine Fighters sent to Wake by carrier was the forward echelon of Marine Fighter Squadron 211 (VMF-211).  Their time at Wake would soon become a Marine and National legend.  Finally, one can also see Kimmel playing a shell game with his PBY long range scout aircraft, shuffling those 12 on Midway to Wake and replacing them with 12 more from Pearl.  This gave the Navy double the scouting strength from those two outposts than the total number of the Army B-17s on Oahu.

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On this date 80 years ago, on November 28th 1941, the following Message Paraphrase was sent from the Commander in Chief of the Pacific fleet in Hawaii to the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington DC. The U.S.S. Enterprise would depart Pearl Harbor on this date because of this message, with a special delivery meant for Wake Island.

REFERRING TO OPNAV DISPATCHES (CINCPAC SERIAL 11-828) AND (CINCPAC SERIAL 11-830) X AT PRESENT THE WRIGHT IS AT WAKE DISCHARGING MATERIAL AND GROUND CREWS TO OPERATE ONE SQUADRON OF MARINE PLANES X FOLLOWING THIS SHE WILL LAND SIMILAR EQUIPMENT AT MIDWAY X ARRANGEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE TO SEND TO WAKE AND MIDWAY THE NECESSARY GROUND MATERIAL FOR THE TEMPORARY OPERATION OF 12 B-17 ARMY BOMBERS X THIS EQUIPMENT WILL LEAVE PEARL ABOUT 1 DECEMBER X ONLY 6 OUT OF THE 12 B-17 PLANES NOW ON OAHU ARE IN OPERATING CONDITION X THERE WILL BE NO SHIPMENTS ARMY BOMBS TO OUTLYING BASES FOR THE PRESENT BECAUSE OF THE ACUTE SHORTAGE BUT WITH MINOR ALTERATIONS NAVY BOMBS NOW AVAILABLE THERE MAY BE USED X THE USEFULNESS OF ARMY PURSUITS FOR INSULAR DEFENSE IS RADICALLY LIMITED BY THEIR DOUBTFUL CAPABILITY TO OPERATE MORE THAN 20 MILES OFFSHORE X THEY CAN BE USED BUT THEY ARE FROZEN TO THE ISLAND WHERE THEY LAND BECAUSE OF THEIR INABILITY TO LAND ON A CARRIER X THIS CURTAILS FLEXIBILITY OF DISPOSITIONS X ARMY AND MARINE DEFENSE BATTALIONS NEED ADDITIONAL AA GUNS THIS AREA X REINFORCING MARINES AT OUTLYING BASES WITH ARMY INADVISABLE AS LONG AS MARINES AVAILABLE BUT PLANS ARE BEING MADE FOR SUCH USE OF THE ARMY X ALL OUTLYING FORCES MUST BE EXCLUSIVELY UNDER NAVAL COMMAND X ON 28 NOVEMBER 12 MARINE FIGHTERS LEAVE FOR WAKE BY CARRIER X OTHER MARINE PLANES EXPECTED TO BE SENT MIDWAY LATER X ON ONE DECEMBER 12 PATROL PLANES AT MIDWAY GO TO WAKE AND 12 PATROL PLANES AT PEARL WILL GO TO MIDWAY X

Thus, the top U.S. Military commanders in Washington DC, who in previous messages had agreed to station Army fighters on Wake and Midway, were countered by Admiral Kimmel in this message back to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Betty Stark. Kimmel, long derided Postwar as a Battleship Admiral unprepared for modern war, was actually husbanding his forces carefully, ensuring that Wake would be reinforced with aircraft that could be withdrawn as necessary. Army Air Corps Pursuit aircraft in Hawaii were primarily Curtiss P-36 and P-40 aircraft. However, as noted in this message their pilots were not trained for overwater operations and thus their ability to operate more than 20 miles offshore was considered "doubtful". The phrase "frozen to the island where they land because of their inability to land on a carrier" is perhaps one of the best showcases of the flexibility inherent in Naval Aviation and Carrier capable aircraft. It is also interesting to see only 6 out of 12 operable B-17s on Oahu within days of War, as nearly three times more B-17s than that were already in the Philippines. The B-17s were not the best anti shipping aircraft as events there and off Midway would show. The fact that Kimmel communicated these facts to his direct superior shows tremendous moral courage at a time when the entire U.S. Military establishment was on edge. The 12 Marine Fighters sent to Wake by carrier was the forward echelon of Marine Fighter Squadron 211 (VMF-211). Their time at Wake would soon become a Marine and National legend. Finally, one can also see Kimmel playing a shell game with his PBY long range scout aircraft, shuffling those 12 on Midway to Wake and replacing them with 12 more from Pearl. This gave the Navy double the scouting strength from those two outposts than the total number of the Army B-17s on Oahu.On this date 80 years ago, on November 28th 1941, the following Message Paraphrase was sent from the Commander in Chief of the Pacific fleet in Hawaii to the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington DC. The U.S.S. Enterprise would depart Pearl Harbor on this date because of this message, with a special delivery meant for Wake Island.

REFERRING TO OPNAV DISPATCHES (CINCPAC SERIAL 11-828) AND (CINCPAC SERIAL 11-830) X AT PRESENT THE WRIGHT IS AT WAKE DISCHARGING MATERIAL AND GROUND CREWS TO OPER... Read More

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-28T05:40:27+00:00 · · Edited

The following is from a phone interview as related by Mr. Kemp on November 27, 2021.

I was flying a Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter in South Africa in the Mid 1970s, just after escaping from Mozambique with my life in a stolen Grumman AgCat after the Frelimo rebels took over.  It was an interesting time beforehand.  Mozambique had been going through a colonial war with the Portuguese, and when the Portuguese suddenly ended it by declaring Mozambique to be an independent country, the Frelimo rebals took over.  We called them terrs, short for Terrorists.  Before all that chaos happened life there was far from ordinary. The terrs regularly shot at at anything that flew.  One incident when I was shot at happened while spraying a huge cotton field.  I was doing ultra low volume spraying with a highly toxic chemical called Azodrine.  I was spraying an edge of the field that bordered low jungle growth. Flying a Piper Pawnee 235 I was at about 10' above the crop when I heard a popping sound.  My first thoughts were a magneto going bad instantly followed by the realization it was gunfire coming from the tall grass to my right. I made a fast pull-up and turn over the trees to block any observation or further gunfire.  As I flew at treetop level, I suddenly got pissed, very pissed, and dropped back into the field following the same path and watching for gunfire.  When I saw some terrs pop up and start shooting at me, I pulled up and made a sharp turn diving back towards them. I counted at least 6 who tried to hide in the tall grass. As I pulled up over them, I pulled the dump handle and dropped nearly 100 gallons of toxic chemical on them. I'm sure they got up after I pulled up and away, and began wondering what the milky looking liquid was.

No doubt they tasted it, and no doubt they got it in their eyes and on bare skin. That chemical would be absorbed thru the skin, and if ingested, directly to their internal organs. Of course what went into their eyes went directly thru the optic nerve to the brain. Zero doubt they were dead within hours if not minutes. Very toxic nasty stuff. i headed back to base and made a report to locals but I doubt they did anything about it. I learned later that I had a bounty on me. Oh well, it isn't real smart to pick a fight with a Marine. The pilots who worked with me were nervous of course and I obtained some sub-guns out of Rhodesia.  Each of us carried them in shopping bags along with several magazines of 9mm ammo. I only had to use mine once when a thief was sneaking around in our villa and my wife woke me up. I encouraged him to make a hasty departure thru a window with a short burst of the sub-gun.  I even got one for my wife who carried it everywhere in her shopping bag. The things the terrs did to women, families, and anyone else they grabbed were vicious, brutal, and just about sub-human.

To escape that environment, I had to steal that South African owned AgCat from its soon to be new operators and get out of as quickly as I could.  My plan was to return it to the original South African outfit which owned it.  The airplane had a dead battery, and I had to work out a way to start that thing while on a fuel stop in Rhodesia.  Took me an hour to figure out how to start that big 600 horsepower engine the old school way, and I ended up smoking a cigarette to try and sort it all out.  After being told not to smoke by a local Airport Staffer whom I told to buzz off, I managed to hand prop the thing and fly it all the way back to South Africa. The rest of the airplanes owned by that outfit were left in Mozambique and my AgCat was the only one which made it back from there.  Unfortunately they didn't have any other airplanes or openings for me, but the helicopter outfit across the street from them did, so that is how I found myself flying Jet Rangers down in South Africa.

I was ferrying a Jet Ranger from the area of Kimberly back to Johannesburg after 2 weeks of  providing helicopter transport to survey crews in the Karoo Desert. The area is much like west Texas terrain wise with steep cliffs, and large peaks of rock outcroppings called Kopjes. I had been flying for over an hour when I had the need to empty my bladder. Perhaps from the coffee I drank for breakfast at the last refueling stop. As I passed a kopje, I saw a gradual slope that looked safe enough to land on with only a slight slope. As I maneuvered to land, my skids spread when weight was settled on them and the right skid slipped into a crack in the rock. I froze the controls while still at power to avoid slipping any further into the crack. Well, there I was, delicately, VERY delicately holding the helicopter in a virtual hover while my skid was trapped in the rock. I forgot about taking a pee and was working hard to maintain a near motion free hover. I used very careful collective pitch to unweight the skids, and used the pedals to gently wiggle the skid out of the crack. I kept telling myself, "Relax, relax, easy on the controls .." as I taught my students when they were stressed. Finally, much to my relief, the skid slipped upward out of the crack and I was free.

I got off that rocky face and found some flat desert sand to land on. I locked down the controls and got out to ee and to inspect for possible damage. Fortunately, all I could find was some paint scraped off the black painted skid. The rest of the flight went without incident but with one more piece of knowledge to stick in my pilot bag of tricks. Lots of stories to tell about flying in that region including flying around in the huge crater that was a result of the diamond strike at Kimberly. It is known as "The Big Hole". Oh hell yes. Lots of stories of flying in Africa.

Rocky Kemp, USMC, The View from the Rock, Pensacola Aerospace Museum no. 1.

Rocky was a former colleague of ours at Flight Training of Mobile.  He resume speaks for itself; as enclosed in a recent email message to us.

USMC active duty 8 years, USMCR 2 years. Duties included Drill Instructor, Marksmanship Instructor,
Martial Arts and CQB Instructor, Aerial Photographer, Combat Photographer.

Many thousands of hours giving instruction in the military and as a Flight and Ground Instructor. I gave numerous weekend refresher courses to flight instructors that consisted of 16-20 hours of stand up instruction to fulfill their biennial requirements to remain active in accordance with FAA regulations.

FAA Airline Transport Pilot License (multi-engine), Commercial Pilot license for Helicopters (Instrument) Single Engine Land and Seaplane. Flight Instructor, Multi and Single engine, Helicopter, Airplane and Helicopter Instrument. Advanced and Instrument ground Instructor. More than 25,000 hours logged flight time. Pilot licensed in 15 countries.

I speak several languages with English and Spanish the most used. Former conversational ability in French, Portuguese (Continental and Brazilian), Japanese.  Swearing abilities in Russian.

Holder of the Distinguished Pistol Shot badge, member of Presidents 100 (pistol), winner of hundreds of competition shooting trophies and medals with both rifle and pistol. NRA Instructor for Rifle, Pistol, Hunter Safety, and several other ratings.

Aikido Black Belt, Sport Parachutist with 133 freefall jumps, licensed SCUBA diver, licensed hunting guide in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming.

Former Executive Editor for Ag Pilot International, Aviation Editor for Soldier of Fortune magazine, guest writer for several national and international publications. More than 100 articles published worldwide.

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This is the first installment of a column we are calling "The View from the Rock." It details the adventures of Mr. Rocky Kemp, a Korean War Veteran Marine who first served with VMJ-1, a Marine Corps photo recon squadron flying F2H-3P Photo Banshees under the command of Marine Corps WW2 Ace and Legend Lt. Col Marion Carl.

The following is from a phone interview as related by Mr. Kemp on November 27, 2021.

I was flying a Bell Jet Ranger Helicopter in South Africa in the Mid 1970s, just after ... Read More

Sunnie Chow Amazing man and story!

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Pensacola Aerospace Museum

2021-11-28T03:05:31+00:00 · · Edited

Serial Number 11-828, Dated November 27, 1941.

CONFER ON THE FOLLOWING WITH THE COMMANDING GENERAL AND ADVISE AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE X OPNAV HAS REQUESTED AND THE ARMY HAS AGREED TO PLACE 25 PURSUIT PLANES AT MIDWAY AND 25 AT WAKE X IF YOU THINK THIS FEASIBLE AND DESIRABLE X THIS WILL KEEP THE PLANES OF THE 2ND MARINE AIRCRAFT WING ON HAND FOR EXPEDITIONARY USE X YOU WILL HAVE TO TRANSPORT THESE PLANES AND GROUND CREWS BY CARRIER FROM OAHU TO THESE ISLANDS X ON ARRIVAL TO DESTINATION PLANES WILL BE FLOWN OFF AND GROUND PERSONNEL LANDED IN BOATS X NECESSARY SPARE PARTS TOOLS AND AMMUNITION WILL BE TAKEN IN THE CARRIER OR ON REGULAR TRIPS ON REGULAR NAVY SUPPLY SHIPS X ARMY KNOWS THIS OUTFIT MUST BE QUARTERED IN TENTS X SUPPLYING WATER AND SUBSISTENCE AND CARRYING OTHER SUPPLIES IS THE NAVY'S RESPONSIBILITY X NO INTERFERENCE MUST GE GIVEN PLANNED MOVEMENTS OF ARMY BOMBERS TO PHILIPPINES BY THE STATIONING OF THESE PLANES X IF NECESSARY LAY OUT ADDITIONAL PARKING AREAS PROMPTLY X IF ARMY BOMBERS GO TO OUTLYING POSITIONS FOR SUPPORT OF NAVY OPERATIONS CAN THEY CARRY NAVY BOMBS NOW AT THESE POSITIONS X

Serial Number 11-830, Dated November 27, 1941

FOR ADVANCED BASES WHICH YOU MAY OCCUPY THE ARMY HAS PROPOSED TO PREPARE GARRISON TROOPS IN HAWAII BUT AT PRESENT IS UNABLE TO SUPPLY ANY AA UNITS X THE ARMY HAS OFFERED TO MAKE AVAILABLE SOME INFANTRY UNITS FOR REINFORCING DEFENSE BATTALIONS NOW ON STATIONS IF THIS IS CONSIDERED DESIRABLE BY CINCPAC X IN YOUR PLANNING TAKE THE ABOVE INTO CONSIDERATION X ADVISE WHEN PRACTICABLE RECOMMENDED ARMAMENT AND NUMBER OF TROOPS DESIRED

These are fascinating documents on many levels.  First they show that the top Military Commanders in both Washington DC and Hawaii were aware that the Japanese were a potential threat even to Hawaii.  Therefore, this document is the direct military response by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) to the Navy Department's War Warning Paraphrase.  In this case the Sender of the Message is the CNO, who is ordering the Commander and Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) Admiral Husband Kimmel to confer with the Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces on Hawaii (CG USA Hawaiian Dept.), Lieutenant General Walter Short.  In this case CNO is ordering that CINCPAC request 50 Army Pursuit Aircraft as promised by the Chief of Staff of the US Army from the CG Hawaiian Dept in order to station these Army planes on both Wake and Midway in order to provide aerial defenses of those island on the eve of the rapidly oncoming war.  The question is also asked as to whether Army bombers sent there in support of Navy operations can carry Navy bombs presently there.

It is interesting to note the CNO initially wants to keep the aircraft of his Second Marine Wing in reserve for possible expeditionary operations.  As Marine Aircraft were for the most part carrier capable, they had far greater operational flexibility than Army aircraft.  The more versatile nature of Marine Aircraft will be noted in subsequent message traffic.  This message paraphrase notes how the Army Pursuit aircraft were to be flown off the carriers after being loaded on Oahu, with ground crews landed in boats.  Another fascinating tidbit of information is that this deployment not interfere with movements of Army Bombers on their way to reinforce American forces in the Philippines, which was seen as the front line in any potential war with Imperial Japan.  The second message notes that Army Infantry units have been offered to reinforce the U.S. Marine defense battalions stationed on those islands, and orders CINCPAC to advice what recommended armament and forces are available.  All in all these messages clearly show that the top U.S. Military Commanders in Washington and Hawaii were quite aware that War was on the horizon and were taking necessary steps to reinforce both Hawaii's outer Defensive Perimeter and secure their aerial route to reinforce the US Army Air Force's Bomber strength in the Philippines.

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On this date, 80 years ago on November 27, 1941, the following message paraphrases were received by the U.S. Naval Communications service of the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from the United States Navy's Chief of Naval Operations. These messages are transcribed exactly as they appear in all capital letters with X's for periods.

Serial Number 11-828, Dated November 27, 1941.

CONFER ON THE FOLLOWING WITH THE COMMANDING GENERAL AND ADVISE AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE X OPNAV HAS REQUESTED AND THE ARMY HAS AGREED TO PLACE 25 PURSUIT PLANES AT MIDWAY AND 25 AT WAKE X IF YOU THINK THIS FEASIBLE AND DESIRABLE X THIS WILL KEEP THE PLANES OF THE 2ND MARINE AIRCRAFT WING ON HAND FOR EXPEDITIONARY USE X YOU WILL HAVE TO TRANSPORT THESE PLANES AND GROUND CREWS BY CARRIER FROM OAHU TO THESE ISLANDS X ON ARRIVAL TO DESTINATION PLANES WILL BE FLOWN OFF AND GROUND PERSONNEL LANDED IN BOATS X NECESSARY SPARE PARTS TOOLS AND AMMUNITION WILL BE TAKEN IN THE CARRIER OR ON REGULAR TRIPS ON REGULAR NAVY SUPPLY SHIPS X ARMY KNOWS THIS OUTFIT MUST BE QUARTERED IN TENTS X SUPPLYING WATER AND SUBSISTENCE AND CARRYING OTHER SUPPLIES IS THE NAVY'S RESPONSIBILITY X NO INTERFERENCE MUST GE GIVEN PLANNED MOVEMENTS OF ARMY BOMBERS TO PHILIPPINES BY THE STATIONING OF THESE PLANES X IF NECESSARY LAY OUT ADDITIONAL PARKING AREAS PROMPTLY X IF ARMY BOMBERS GO TO OUTLYING POSITIONS FOR SUPPORT OF NAVY OPERATIONS CAN THEY CARRY NAVY BOMBS NOW AT THESE POSITIONS X

Serial Number 11-830, Dated November 27, 1941

FOR ADVANCED BASES WHICH YOU MAY OCCUPY THE ARMY HAS PROPOSED TO PREPARE GARRISON TROOPS IN HAWAII BUT AT PRESENT IS UNABLE TO SUPPLY ANY AA UNITS X THE ARMY HAS OFFERED TO MAKE AVAILABLE SOME INFANTRY UNITS FOR REINFORCING DEFENSE BATTALIONS NOW ON STATIONS IF THIS IS CONSIDERED DESIRABLE BY CINCPAC X IN YOUR PLANNING TAKE THE ABOVE INTO CONSIDERATION X ADVISE WHEN PRACTICABLE RECOMMENDED ARMAMENT AND NUMBER OF TROOPS DESIRED

These are fascinating documents on many levels. First they show that the top Military Commanders in both Washington DC and Hawaii were aware that the Japanese were a potential threat even to Hawaii. Therefore, this document is the direct military response by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) to the Navy Department's War Warning Paraphrase. In this case the Sender of the Message is the CNO, who is ordering the Commander and Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) Admiral Husband Kimmel to confer with the Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces on Hawaii (CG USA Hawaiian Dept.), Lieutenant General Walter Short. In this case CNO is ordering that CINCPAC request 50 Army Pursuit Aircraft as promised by the Chief of Staff of the US Army from the CG Hawaiian Dept in order to station these Army planes on both Wake and Midway in order to provide aerial defenses of those island on the eve of the rapidly oncoming war. The question is also asked as to whether Army bombers sent there in support of Navy operations can carry Navy bombs presently there.

It is interesting to note the CNO initially wants to keep the aircraft of his Second Marine Wing in reserve for possible expeditionary operations. As Marine Aircraft were for the most part carrier capable, they had far greater operational flexibility than Army aircraft. The more versatile nature of Marine Aircraft will be noted in subsequent message traffic. This message paraphrase notes how the Army Pursuit aircraft were to be flown off the carriers after being loaded on Oahu, with ground crews landed in boats. Another fascinating tidbit of information is that this deployment not interfere with movements of Army Bombers on their way to reinforce American forces in the Philippines, which was seen as the front line in any potential war with Imperial Japan. The second message notes that Army Infantry units have been offered to reinforce the U.S. Marine defense battalions stationed on those islands, and orders CINCPAC to advice what recommended armament and forces are available. All in all these messages clearly show that the top U.S. Military Commanders in Washington and Hawaii were quite aware that War was on the horizon and were taking necessary steps to reinforce both Hawaii's outer Defensive Perimeter and secure their aerial route to reinforce the US Army Air Force's Bomber strength in the Philippines.On this date, 80 years ago on November 27, 1941, the following message paraphrases were received by the U.S. Naval Communications service of the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from the United States Navy's Chief of Naval Operations. These messages are transcribed exactly as they appear in all capital letters with X's for periods.

Serial Number 11-828, Dated November 27, 1941.

CONFER ON THE FOLLOWING WITH THE COMMANDING GENERAL AND ADVISE AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE X OPNAV HAS REQUEST... Read More

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