A BIT OF HISTORY: "00AUG43--In August 1943, a Consolidated PB2Y-3 Coronado flying boat, flown by Lt. C. J. Alley of Squadron VB-104, encountered a Japanese Mavis four-engine flying boat in South Pacific. Despite heavy Mavis armament of guns and cannon, PB2Y-2 closed in to point-blank range, set aflame Mavis wing tanks..." "Golden Wings - A Pictorial History of the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Air" by Martin Caidin in co-operation with the U.S. Navy ISBN 0-405-03755-4.

02MAR98: "...In "A Bit Of History" the author states that Lt. Alley was flying a PB2Y-3. I would like to make a slight correction. Lt. Alley was flying a PB4Y-1 as a member of the first tour of VB-104. The Squadron was based at Henderson field, Gaudalcanal. The bow gunner who shot down the Mavis was Allie J. lymenstull who I had the privilege of flying with on the second tour of VPB-104. The type of aircraft can be confirmed in Henry J. Thompson's book, "The Buccaneers Of Harry Sears" which is a complete history of the first tour of VB-104..." Contributed by Fred Himsworth fredhvpb104@imagina.com

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...A Bigger Prize - Sometimes you don't know the score until the game is over" by CAPT Paul E. Stevens, USN..." FOUNDATION Volume 22 Number 1 Spring 2001 Page 22 through 27 [10MAY2001]

Bombing Squadron 104 deployed to Guadalcanal with its 15 new PB4Y-1 Liberators in August 1943. These were not green, inexperienced flight crews.

The squadron had operated as VP-71 flying "neutrality patrols" over the North Atlantic with PBY-5 Catalinas just before our entry into World War II. Once hostilities commenced, the squadron moved to the South Pacific and began combat missions in the flying boats. In March 1943 the squadron returned to Kaneohe, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It reformed as VB-104 and transitioned to the Liberator.

On 28 August 1943, Lieutenant Charles J. "John" Alley, the patrol plane commander for Crew 5, flew north-northwest from Carney Field, Guadalcanal, on a long-range search mission. The story of this patrol was published in The Buccaneers of Harry Sears, written by Henry J. "Horse" Thompson, a pilot in the squadron. It was written four years ago, prior to acquiring "the rest of the story:'

BAGGING A MAVIS

John Alley and his crew were flying Sector 2, along Bouganville. The day was clear and sunny with visibility 40 miles. At 1235, at zero degrees 20 minutes north latitude and 152 degrees 15 minutes east longitude, they sighted a Japanese Mavis flying boat. The large, four-engined airplane was on course 172 degrees true -the track from Truk to Rabaul -cruising at 8,000 feet at a speed of 150 mph. Alley was at 5,000 feet; the Mavis was 3,000 feet above and 15 miles ahead off his port bow. Alley climbed at an air speed of 170 mph and overtook the enemy plane. He did not lower the belly turret because he was going to attack from below, and the lowered turret would reduce his plane's speed and rate of climb.

Alley was concerned about the 20mm cannon in the Mavis' tail, because his gradual approach was in the cannon's cone of fire. As he maneuvered into his attack position from below, there was no indication that the Mavis' crew was aware of the PB4Y-1. Over the intercom, bow turret gunner A.J. "Lyme" Lymenstull called off the rings in his gunsight, giving everyone the range to the Mavis. Lymenstull, first radioman H.B. Tiliman in the top turret, and Plane Captain WG. Lloyd on the port waist .50-caliber gun saw that all of the gun hatches on the Mavis were closed. If any hatch opened, all gunners were ready to fire at it.

When 500 yards from the Mavis, Alley's gunners opened fire. Their bullets hitting the plane must have been the first indication to the Mavis' crew that an enemy plane was near them. Lymen - stull fired four short bursts from his bow turret -a total of 200 rounds. His first burst went into the No.4 engine, the second into No.3, and as the Mavis' starboard wing dropped, he got bursts into the NO.2 and NO.1 engines. Lloyd burned out the barrel of his .50-caliber. He was evidently so excited that he forgot short bursts were necessary. A year earlier, when Lloyd was flying in a PBY in VP-71, a Mavis had shot at him. He was eager to even the score.

It seemed forever for the gunners, but only seven seconds after the opening bursts, both starboard engines of the Mavis caught fire, flames trailing one plane length behind. The enemy nosed over and spiraled in smoke and flames until it crashed into the sea. It took only 150 to 200 rounds from each of Alley's three gun stations to down the Mavis.

Waist gunner F.S. "Moe" Mahaley was on the starboard waist .50-caliber and could not bring his gun to bear. Instead, he grabbed the K-20 camera that they carried and took one of the most famous sets of combat photos of the war. He shot 19 pictures from the moment. before the Mavis started burning until it hit the water. The attack was so dramatic and the pictures so good that an account of the shoot-down and three of Mahaley's photos appeared in the November 1943 Newsweek. There was also an article about this action in Liberty magazine.

The Mavis was a bit old-fashioned but a very serviceable seaplane used at this time largely for transporting important people. Scuttlebutt had it that there was a senior well-known Japanese admiral aboard the Mavis that Alley's gunners put into the ocean.

Having expended a lot of fuel chasing the Mavis, Alley's crew looked anxiously at the fuel sight gauges as they neared Guadalcanal. About 30 minutes from Carney Field, the fuel in the sight gauges would surge up a little and then disappear. Alley radioed the field that he was coming in low on gas and could not tolerate a wave-off. After a perfect landing, all four engines died at the end of the runway. A tractor pulled the PB4Y to its hard stand -fuel management to the last drop by a fine crew.

The squadron filed an aircraft action report dated 28 August 1943 that briefly described the shootdown. In the "damage claimed" column was stated: "Our plane opened fire, both starboard engines caught fire and plane crashed in water:' Officially, the squadron chalked up another.

CONFIRMING THE SCORE

Over the years, several members of VB-104 have acquired a considerable amount of information from Japanese records related to our aircraft action reports. An independent historian named Minoru Kamada, who does research at the National Institute for Defense Studies in Japan, has provided details from their records that have confirmed many of our claims of damage and destruction.

Recently an inquiry was made as to whether there were, in fact, senior Japanese officials aboard the Mavis on 28 August 1943. Indeed, a number of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy officers were passengers. The most senior officer on the plane was Major General Yadoru Arisue of the Japanese army. Arisue was the assistant chief of staff -third in the chain of command -of the 8th Area Army at Rabaul. Also on board the Mavis was Captain Kyosuke Mizuno of the Japanese navy, who until recently had been working at the Imperial Palace. The Mavis was also transporting several submariners when it went down, including Lieutenant Fumio Arima, commanding officer of submarine RO-lO1, based at Rabaul.

EPILOGUE

Bombing 104 returned to the United States in April 1944. Under the exceptionally fine leadership of the commanding officer, Commander

Harry Sears, it had been the most successful PB4Y-1 squadron in long-range search to date. The aggressiveness and competence of the crews were recognized when the squadron was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

The squadron was reorganized as Patrol Bombing Squadron 104 and returned to combat in November 1944. Again it was highly successful under the same brand of leadership in Lieutenant Commander Whitney Wright, and again the squadron was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. Of note was a shootdown during that tour of an Emily, a four-engined seaplane, carrying Vice Admirai Seigo Yamagata and his entire staff. This must be a record of some kind: one squadron bagging two flag officers during the same war.

Captain Paul R Stevens, USN (Ret.), began his career in 1939 in the college pilot training program. He entered the Navy as an Aviation Cadet in 1941 and served two combat tours in the South Pacific during World War II. Among his awards are the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. Stevens commanded an auxiliary ship, two squadrons and an air wing. He attended test pilot school and had two tours at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River Maryland.

After retiring from the Navy, he served as chief pilot for W.R. Grace and Company. He also served as chairman for the NBAA international operations committee for three years. Stevens later worked in the engineering department of Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.

Stevens maintains a home in Nashville, Tennessee, and a condominium in Pensacola, Florida, where he volunteers at the National Museum of Naval Aviation. He is a regular contributor to Foundation.

Dr. Henry I. Thompsons naval service was limited to the four years of World War 11. He began in the V-5 Pilot Training program and graduated from Corpus Christi in 1942 as a Naval Aviator and ensign in the Naval Reserve. He went directly to VP-71, a PBY Catalina squadron based at Kaneohe, Hawaii, operating from advanced bases at Midway, Canton and Johnston Islands. More rigorous operations followed: VB-104 in Navy PB4¥-1 Liberators in the Solomons and VPB-118 in Privateers out of Tinian, Iwo lima and Okinawa. From Tinian and Iwo lima, the squadron covered the Pacific shores of Japan. From Okinawa, operations were over China, Korea and the Sea of Japan. Thompsons decorations include the Silver Stat; two presidential Unit Citations and an undetermined number of Distinguished Flying Crosses and Air Medals.

After the war the GI Bill made it possible for Thompson to earn a doctorate in biology from Stanford University. For 32 years he worked as a professor of biology at University of California, Los Angeles. With his wife Joyce, he is now retired in Coronado, California. In the Optimist Club, with shipmates old and new, he serves the youth of the community.

Circa 1942

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...History of FAW-14 - History from 15OCT42-01DEC42 - Submitted December 22nd, 1944. Squadron's Assigned: VP-1, VP-2, VP-4, VP-11, VP-12, VP-13, VP-14, VP-15, VP-21, VP-23, VP-24, VP-33, VP-44, VP-53, VP-54, VP-71, VP-72, VP-81, VP-91, VP-101, VP-102, VP-103, VP-104, VP-106, VP-109, VP-111, VP-115, VP-117, VP-118, VP-119, VP-121, VP-122 and VP-202..." Official U. S. Navy Records (National Archives and Records Administration) via Fold3 http://www.fold3.com/ [06DEC2012]

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"VP-104 History Summary Page"

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