My Essex Experience
John Eberhart ARM 2/C
I entered the Navy May 5, 1943, went to boot camp at San Diego, CA. then to NATTC Memphis Tenn. for Radio and Radar schools, then to Hollywood Fla. for Arial Gunnery school. I was then sent to NAS Opaloca Fla. and assigned as an aircrewman with K.O. Johnson to our pilot Ens. Joe Palermo for operational training. We stayed together as a team until the end of the war.
Our squadron leader was Lt. George Gay who was the only survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8 in the Battle of Midway. Needless to say we were all impressed with him and he was an outstanding leader. At the conclusion of operational training we were assigned to VT83 as part of CVG83. The airgroup did further training in Ayers, Mass. and NAS Punnene Hawaii until Feb. 1945.
The Air Group boarded the Essex at Ulithi 10 March 1945 and we immediately headed for Okinawa and Japan on our first combat cruise to provide pre invasion strikes on Okinawa and neutralize the airfields on Kyushu. After the invasion of Okinawa on 1 April we alternated between air support on Okinawa and strikes on the airfields of Kyushu and the chief Naval center at Kure, where the remaining Japanese carriers and battleships were anchored. This first combat cruise ended after 79* days on 1 June 1945 when we pulled into Leyte in the Phillipines to re-provision the Essex.
One of the most satisfying missions we flew was on 20 May, when the Army called for a close air support mission. They had been stalled for 3 days and had suffered 385 casualties trying to take a ridge. We landed at Yonton airfield and after a special briefing we took of and made extremely low level runs on the target, dropping 5 sec. delay fused bombs within 150 yards from our own troops. This mission was so successful that our troops were able to take the ridge without further casualties.
SECOND COMBAT CRUISE 1 July - 15 August we concentrated on the Home islands of Kyushu and Honshu, striking air fields and fleet units and merchant shipping. We were in the air en route to the Tokyo area when we received word to cease operations against the enemy the morning of 15 August 1945. In the period 16 - 31 August - participated in air operations leading to the occupation of Tokyo Bay Area. We also spotted several prisoner of war camps dropping them food and clothing.
* 51 of the 79 days spent in combat. Along with CVLG47 USS BATAAN; believed to be the longest unbroken period of action during the war. This first cruise cost CVG83 in casualties 27 pilots and 11 Aircrewmen.
Robert Sourisseau