Albert O. Vorse Jr. served in early fighter squadrons with legendary figures like Butch O'Hare and this World War II naval aviator that developed what combat flight formation
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Albert O. Vorse Jr. Albert Ogden "Scoop" Vorse Jr. was an accomplished World War II naval ace who participated in some of the most prominent actions of the Pacific Theater, including the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Guadalcanal Campaign. Vorse served in early fighter squadrons with legendary figures like Butch O'Hare and Jimmy Thach. Rising in rank throughout the war, he would act as Executive Officer and Operations Officer in different squadrons before being given command of his own squadron, VF-80, the eponymous "Vorse's Vipers". Vorse ended the war as commander of Air Group 80 and ultimately achieved Rear Admiral status before his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 1959.
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John Thach John Smith "Jimmy" Thach (April 19, 1905 – April 15, 1981) was a World War II naval aviator, air combat tactician, and United States Navy admiral. Thach developed the Thach Weave, a combat flight formation that could counter enemy fighters of superior performance, and later the big blue blanket, an aerial defense against Kamikaze attacks.
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William Bostock Air Vice Marshal William Dowling (Bill) Bostock, (5 February 1892 – 28 April 1968) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During World War II he led RAAF Command, the Air Force's main operational formation, with responsibility for the defence of Australia and air offensives against Japanese targets in the South West Pacific Area. His achievements in the role earned him the Distinguished Service Order and the American Medal of Freedom. General Douglas MacArthur described him as "one of the world's most successful airmen".
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828 Naval Air Squadron 828 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed in September 1940 as a torpedo spotter reconnaissance squadron. It operated in a number of the theatres of the Second World War, carrying out a number of attacks on enemy targets including the "Tirpitz" in Norway.
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Naval Aviation Photographic Unit The Naval Aviation Photographic Unit was a group of military photographers in the United States Navy during the Second World War, under the command of Edward Steichen.
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Lance C. Wade Wing Commander Lance Cleo "Wildcat" Wade DSO, DFC & Two Bars (1915 – 12 January 1944) was an American pilot who joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II and became a flying ace. He remained with RAF until his death in a flying accident in 1944 in Italy. He was described as a "distinguished American fighter ace who epitomized perhaps more than any other American airman the wartime accords between Britain and the United States."
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15th Carrier Air Group The 15th Carrier Air Group of the Fleet Air Arm was formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS "Venerable" for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 814 Naval Air Squadron flying the Fairey Barracuda and 1851 Naval Air Squadron flying the Vought F4U Corsair. It was disbanded in 1947.
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Dornier Do 214 The Dornier Do 214 was a proposed large long-range flying boat, developed by Dornier in World War II.
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USS Langley (CV-1) USS "Langley" (CV-1/AV-3) was the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier, converted in 1920 from the collier USS "Jupiter" (AC-3), and also the US Navy's first turbo-electric-powered ship. Conversion of another collier was planned but canceled when the Washington Naval Treaty required the cancellation of the partially built "Lexington"-class battlecruiser s "Lexington" and "Saratoga", freeing up their hulls for conversion to the aircraft carriers "Lexington" and "Saratoga" . "Langley" was named after Samuel Pierpont Langley, an American aviation pioneer. Following another conversion, to a seaplane tender, "Langley" fought in World War II. On 27 February 1942, she was attacked by nine twin-engine Japanese bombers of the Japanese 21st and 23rd Naval Air Flotillas and so badly damaged that she had to be scuttled by her escorts.
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VF-8 (1943-5) Fighter Squadron 8 or VF-8 was an aviation unit of the U.S. Navy, originally established on 1 June 1943, it was disestablished on 23 November 1945. It was the second US Navy squadron to be designated VF-8.
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Liaison pilot A liaison pilot was a World War II United States enlisted pilot, whose wings bore an "L" in the center. They flew light single engine liaison aircraft. Included were many enlisted aviation students who washed out of pilot training after having soloed and were given the opportunity to become liaison pilots. Flight training consisted of about 60 hours of flying time and stressed such procedures as short field landings and takeoffs over obstacles, low altitude navigation, first aid, day and night reconnaissance, aerial photography, and aircraft maintenance. Unarmored and unarmed—except perhaps for a .45 pistol or .30 carbine—these men in 28 different squadrons flew low and slow with wheels, skis, or floats. They flew varied and often hazardous missions in nearly every theater—medical evacuation from forward areas; delivering munitions, blood plasma, mail, and other supplies to front lines; ferrying personnel; flying photographic or intelligence missions; serving as air observers for fighters or bombers; and other critical yet often unpublicized missions.
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John T. Eversole John Thomas Eversole, born 17 April 1915 in Pocatello, Idaho, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1938, and after duty at sea received aviation training. On 7 May 1941, Eversole joined Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) in  , and with many others of his squadron, gave his life for his country in the opening phases of the Battle of Midway 4 June 1942, in an attack on Japanese carriers made through heavy opposition. Lieutenant (junior grade) Eversole's determination in this action was posthumously recognized with the award of the Navy Cross.
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VF-45 (1963-96) Fighter Squadron 45 or VF-45 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. Originally established as Attack Squadron 45 (VA-45) on 15 February 1963, it was redesignated VF-45 on 7 February 1985 and disestablished on 31 March 1996. It was the third US Navy squadron to be designated VA-45 and the second US Navy squadron to be designated as VF-45. The squadron adopted the "Blackbirds" nickname and insignia of the second VA-45.
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782 Naval Air Squadron 782 Naval Air Squadron (782 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It initially formed in November 1939 as an Armament Training Squadron but disbanded in December to provide personnel for 774 Naval Air Squadron.
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4th Air Group The 4th Air Group (第四航空隊 , Dai Yon Kōkūtai ) was a land-based bomber aircraft unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The unit was formed on 10 February 1942 and flew the Mitsubishi G4M "Rikko" Navy Type 1 Attack Bomber aircraft. That same month, the 4th Naval Air Group (NAG) deployed to Rabaul, New Britain and supported Japanese operations during the early stages of the New Guinea Campaign, first as part of the 24th Air Flotilla and from April as part of the 25th Air Flotilla. The newly arrived unit took heavy losses on 20 February during an action off Bougainville, losing 15 of 17 bombers sent to attack a United States Navy aircraft carrier task force.
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RAF Coastal Command during World War II RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). Founded in 1936, it was to act as the RAF maritime arm, after the Fleet Air Arm became part of the Royal Navy in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive the resources it needed to develop properly or efficiently. This continued until the outbreak of the Second World War, during which it came to prominence. Owing to the Air Ministry's concentration on RAF Fighter Command and RAF Bomber Command, Coastal Command was often referred to as the "Cinderella Service", a phrase first used by the First Lord of the Admiralty at the time A V Alexander.
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Vought F7U Cutlass The Vought F7U Cutlass was a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber of the early Cold War era. It was a highly unusual, semi-tailless design, allegedly based on aerodynamic data and plans captured from the German Arado company at the end of World War II, though Vought designers denied any link to the German research at the time. The F7U was the last aircraft designed by Rex Beisel, who was responsible for the first fighter ever designed specifically for the U.S. Navy, the Curtiss TS-1 of 1922.
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Blue Angels The Blue Angels is the United States Navy's flight demonstration squadron, with aviators from the Navy and Marines. The Blue Angels team was formed in 1946, making it the second oldest formal flying aerobatic team (under the same name) in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931.
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Vought F-8 Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass, and for the French Navy. The first F-8 prototype was ready for flight in February 1955. The F-8 served principally in the Vietnam War. The Crusader was the last American fighter with guns as the primary weapon, earning it the title "The Last of the Gunfighters".
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VH-2 (Rescue Squadron) VH-2 (Rescue Squadron 2) was one of six dedicated (VH) Rescue Squadrons of the U.S. Navy during World War II. A more comprehensive write-up on the VH squadrons can be found in the history of Rescue Squadron 3 (VH-3), which was the US Navy's most active VH squadron. VH-2 was established in August 1944 and disestablished in November 1945. Unlike the other VH squadrons, VH-2 mostly employed the PB2B Catalina during its wartime operations. Late in the war, the PB2B Catalina was no longer used for open sea rescues, since it had proven less rugged in the open sea than its successor the Martin PBM Mariner. Thus VH-2's primary mission was to "spot" survivors in the water and direct other craft to the site to effect the rescue. On at least two occasions, VH-2 did effect rescues with open sea landings. VH-2 was credited with the initial spotting, direct rescue, or assistance in the rescue of 96 downed bomber crewman. After the war, they were assigned the Martin PBM Mariner.
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Cornelia Fort Cornelia Clark Fort (February 5, 1919 – March 21, 1943) was a US aviator who became famous for two aviation-related events. While conducting a civilian training flight at Pearl Harbor, she was the first US pilot to encounter the Japanese air fleet during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and narrowly escaped a strafing attack after landing. The next year, Fort became the second member of what became the Women Airforce Service Pilots, and was working as a ferry pilot when she became the first female pilot in American history to die on active duty.
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Lofton R. Henderson Lofton Russell Henderson (May 24, 1903 – June 4, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps aviator during World War II. He commanded Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241) at the Battle of Midway and died while leading his squadron to attack the Japanese carrier forces.