Air Group 87 combat action reports - USS Ticonderoga CV-14

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2-3 June 1945:
Kokobu and Ranchi Airfields, Kyushu, Japan (See Map Insert #3). These airfields and others were already subjected to thousands of B-29 sorties should have been bombing industrial complexes and factories that manufactured the weapons for war. But they were diverted from direct attacks on these industries to the Kamikaze airfields in Kyushu’s Ranchi and Kokobu Airfields. Towards the end of 1944 Japan was converting its fleet of fighter aircraft to Kamikaze mainly due to the superiority of American fighters. American fighters had more training and the average training of US Navy pilots were about 650 hours and towards the end of the war the Japanese were only provided over about 100 hours.

2 June 1945:
Weather– (Summary) Flying conditions average to good.
General – At 0608 25 VF each loaded with one 260 pound fragmentation bomb an two photo planes with two escorts were launched for a sweep against Kokobu and Ronchi Airfields at the head of Kagoshima Bay in Southern Kyushu. The planes found low cloud cover in the target area and only the photo planes reached Ronchi. Only 13 planes were able to drop their bombs on the targets, which were the enemy aircraft in the dispersal areas at Kokubu. The area was also strafed. The results of the attack were unobserved. No airborne enemy planes were encountered but intense accurate Auto AA damaged one photo plane and one photo escort over Ronchi. The photo plane was subsequently forced to land in the water after returning to the Task Group but the pilot was recovered. Another of our pilots was forced to ditch because of engine trouble 20 miles north of the southern tip of Kyushu in Kagoshima Bay and was picked up after 8 ½ hours on the water in a spectacular rescue by a Dumbo PBM. 32 CAP, 4 DADCAP and 8 RAPCAP were flown over the Task Group.

3 June 1945

Weather(Summary) Flying conditions average.
General– At 0557, 24 VF and one photo plane with 3 escorts took off for a second attack on Ronchi and Kokubu Airfields. The 12 planes, which had been, assigned Kokubu as a target ran into a heavy from en-route to the target and returned to base. The other 12 and the photo section found perfect weather at Ronchi and the enemy planes in the dispersal area on the north end of the field were strafed and hit with 10 fragmentation bombs. No airborne opposition developed but two enemy planes were destroyed on the ground. Anti-aircraft fire was light and inaccurate. 32 VF in two flights of 20 and 12 planes each were ordered to the vicinity of Amami O Shima as a Barrier Patrol to intercept enemy planes that might be coming south to attack the Task Group or our forces in the Okinawa area. The planes did not reach the assigned area, which was closed in, and no contacts developed. 28 CAP, 8 RAPCAP, 4 DADCAP and a 4 plane Dumbo CAP were also flown with negative results. The ship was at General Quarters from 0940 to 1715 because of a reported enemy snooper but relaxed after a short period of time to Condition Able modified.

4 June 1945

General – – Two target CAP and one of 8 VF and one of 12 VF were launched and ordered to the area north of Okinawa in support of our operations on Okinawa. No enemy contact was developed. 24 CAP and 4 DADCAP were also provided for the Task group. As it become apparent that the Task Group was in a typhoon area all planes were recalled, everything aboard the ship was securely lashed down, and the Task Group commenced a retirement to the eastward in an attempt to avoid the typhoon.

5 June 1945

Sunrise 0525 Sunset 1901
1200 Position 24-07 N 130-32E
Weather – – Overcast of nimbostratus early in period changing to 2/10-3/10 cumulus in later part of period. 3/10-5/10 altostratus, altocumulus from mid-morning on, ceiling of 500-3000 feet during morning changing to generally unlimited for the rest of the day. Visibility ranges from 14 miles in heavy rain to 12 miles most of the afternoon. Wind of hurricane intensity between 0200-0800, changing westerly 7-15 knots later in the day, very high sea occasionally mountainous. Flying conditions undesirable to average.
General – Heavy weather during the forenoon made flight operations impossible. When the weather moderated 8 CAP for the Task Group were launched. No damage was incurred by the Ship as a result of the typhoon.