Vol. 3—No. 49
U. S. NAVY PRE-FLIGHT SCHOOL, CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
Friday, August 31, 1945
32nd Anniversary
Admiral Mitscher
Pays High Tribute
To Naval Aviation
Carrier supremacy established
in the war just ended will be de
voted fully to insuring the peace,
Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher,
Deputy Chief of Naval Opera
tions (Air), declared in marking
the 32nd anniversary of Naval
Aviation yesterday.
Vice Admiral Mitscher, in
paying tribute to all Naval air
men, past and present, dead and
alive, for their part in winning
the war, outlined plans for Naval
Aviation in the postwar years.
The former commander of famed
Task Force 58, who played an
important part in the defeat of
the Jap Navy and the Jap land-
and sea-based air forces, said
that:
1. Aircraft carriers, including
new carriers of the USS Midway
class, the 45,000-ton giant mobile
“airfields” from which twin-
engined aircraft can be flown,
should be policing the oceans of
the world at all times.
2. A total of 4,300 Naval avia
tors and 2,600 aircrewmen
should be trained each year to
keep Naval Aviation a dominant
factor in world peace insurance.
3. It is estimated that at least
3,000 new planes should be
added during the next year.
4. New weapons, including
jet-propelled aircraft designed to
operate from carriers, have been
developed. At least two new
fighters and two radically new
dive and torpedo bombers are
under development. Most of
these are nearly ready for oper
ation.
5. A strong, aircraft industry
should be maintained, capable
by reason of ample orders and
an intensive research program of
(Continued on page 3)
m
CADET STAFF—Members of the new cadet regimental staff from
the 69th Battalion are, left to right, Donald D. Foster, Brecken-
ridge, Minn., regimental commander; Thomas Snapp, Monterey
Park, Cal., regimental sub-commander; James D. Wimpee, Bryan,
Tex., regimental adjutant, and Jack E. Tolar, Jr., San Antonio,
Tex., regimental commissary officer.
Former Cadet Stars in Dual Role,
Flying Both Wildcats and Avengers
Good Smoking News
Rationing of cigarettes, cigars
and smoking tobacco for naval
personnel stationed within the
continental United States was
cancelled last week. Ration
cards no longer are necessary to
purchase smoking items at ship’s
stores or other naval installa
tions where they have been ra
tioned since May 11.
Authorization for sale of to
bacco products to civil service
employees by ship’s service de
partments also was cancelled.
Leading pilot among the air
men of escort carrier-based Navy
Composite Squadron 93 who
doubled in brass at Okinawa
during their recently completed
Pacific combat tour is Lt. (jg)
Hatherly “Red Horse” Foster,
III, a member of the 16th Bat
talion h^re from Milton, Mass.
In the dual role of flying
Wildcat fighters one day and
Avenger torpedo-bombers the
next—first of this type of oper
ation reported from the Pacific
Fleet—Lt. (jg) Foster shot down
four Japanese suicide planes,
three of them by following the
Kamikazes down through ter
rific flak from American ships.
This 24-year-old ex-Cloud-
buster weighs 235 pounds, stands
six feet, four inches in height,
and has a great mop of red hair.
Understandably he has great
difficulty squeezing into the
small cockpit of a Wildcat fight
er. , Although he trained in
Avengers and was not checked
out as a fighter pilot until just
before his squadron left Guam
in February, the “Red Horse” is
today rated among the top Wild
cat pilots.
Flies Through Flak
April 6—the day on which Ja
pan flew hundreds of suicide
planes on one-day missions to
Okinawa in an effort to batter
our giant invasion fleet—was a
Wildcat day for Lt. (jg) Foster.
He got his first plane when a
Val, obsolescent dive-bomber
converted into a Kamikaze,
started a final dive on a de
stroyer escort from 3,000 feet.
The “Red Horse” got on the
Val’s tail. Flak was intense. At
800 feet, the Wildcat’s 50-calibre
machine guns hit a vital spot,
and the Val exploded.
Six days later on April 12 oc
curred another memorable effort
by the Kamikazes at Okinawa.
Lt. (jg) Foster was flying a
Wildcat again that day, and
splashed three suiciders in quick
order.
Number 1 was a Val, just like
the one he bagged previously.
The Jap was an easy target.
Bursts from the Wildcat’s 50-
calibre machine guns set fire at
the wing roots, and the enemy
plane dived straight into the wa
ter.
Number 2 was an Oscar fight
er, already in a 35-degree dive
on a destroyer when the Navy
pilot spotted him. The barrage
of anti-aircraft fire was heavy.
(Continued on Page 4)
Visitors Day’ Here
A special “Visitors Day” was
observed at this Pre-Flight
School yesterday, in observance
of the 32nd anniversary of Naval
Aviation. Invitation was extend
ed to the neighboring com
munity to observe Pre-Flight
activities throughout the day.
72nd Battalion
Leads Rivals
In Competition
Although both the 72nd and
the 69th Battalions have teams
entered in four of the Sports
Program finals tonight, Lt. G.
A. Bankston’s 72nd rules as the
favorite to win the regimental
title because of a 65 point ad
vantage compiled in other phases
of competition.
Already the top battalion in
Military and Class Athletics for
the past fortnight, the 72nd en
ters the Sports Program champ
ionships with an aggregate of
175 points, compared with 110
held by Lt. W. R. Holmer’s 69th.
The 70th Battalion, of Lt. C.
A. Robinson, winner in the prev
ious competition period, enters
the Sports Program with 100
points, while Lt. A. C. Bauer’s
73rd has 95.
In the ring Lt. J. G. O’Brien’s
72nd fighters will square off with
Lt. E. W. Brady’s 69th.
Wrestling will find Lt. (jg) G
M. Daugharthy’s 70th tangling
Lt. H. J. Burnell’s 69th.
On track and field, the 70th
coached by Lt. J. L. Peters, will
compete against the 72nd squad
of Lt. (jg) L. F. Heminger.
Soccer will find Lt. (jg) R.
Belka’s booters facing Lt. C. T
Jenkins’ 72nd.
In Kessing pool, Lt. (jg) F.
W. Russell will send his charges
against the 73rd, coached by Lt.
(jg) P. E. Lavietes, and at Wool
len gym. the 69th quintet of Lt.
W. W. Yarnell will oopose the
72nd of Lt. (jg^ W. M. Hughes.
Sub Goes Ashore
For Its Prey
(SEA)—Even Jap sailors on
shore leave weren’t safe from
U. S. subs!
The skipper of the USS BOW-
FIN recently sighted a Japanese
cargo vessel alongside a pier un
loading a liberty party. A bus
load of Japs was standing by.
When the smoke cleared from
the blast of the Bowfin’s torpe
does, little remained of the pier
and nothing at all of the cargo
ship and the busload of Japs.
‘E’ Award Totals
Washington (SEA). The
Army-Navy “E” Award was
granted to 4,044 eligible war
plants during the war. Plants
nominated by the Navy totaled
1,262 and by the Army, 2,782