THE HELLCAT PILOTS OF VF-2 onward PATROL OVER A DEFEATED JAPAN quick LEARNED THAT A NUMBER OF THINGS COULD BE DONE TO THEIR FORMER ENEMY THAN from MERELY SHOOTING AT THEME! Fifty-eight years! Where in the hell did all the time go? If I shut my eyes.

THE HELLCAT PILOTS OF VF-2 onward PATROL OVER A DEFEATED JAPAN quick LEARNED THAT A NUMBER OF THINGS COULD BE DONE TO THEIR FORMER ENEMY THAN from MERELY SHOOTING AT THEME!

Fifty-eight years! Where in the hell did all the time go? If I shut my eyes, I can still hear the glossy drone of that powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial pumping on the outside 2000-hp as our Grumman Hellcats and Vought Corsairs cruised hack and forth above the Empire of Japan, inspecting airfields and looking for prisoner of war camps.

The war was through and the Rising Sun had just place for the last time.

Actually, it didn't just put -- it went down with undivided hell of a bang.

A not many days after flying top mask for the signing of the give over documents aboard the LJSS Missouri, we springed to fulfill a pledge we had made forward the way to Japan. Our pawn was called Operation PO-TEP (Piss in succession The Emperor's Palace) -- after all we were the "Tall Dog!"of VF-2

Now our mission might entire just a bit out of line these days unless we were still a wee bit pissed not on at the Japs! So, we launched 36 Hellcats and flew a liberate formation over the Holy One's residence at an altitude of around 500-ft Since it was around six in the morning, we went to cloyed low pitch as we used our relief tubes to scatter an early morning gold-colored mist over the palace -- just a profitable old Navy wake-up call.

We confident felt better after that -- perhaps relieved is a better word. They say the Emperor's horse acquired a malleable yellow glow for a tie of days. We didn't proceed back to check. For about reason, the brass just didn't trust us -- can you imagine? They ordered masking tape to be propose over our .50-cal guns. If we came back from our patrols with the tape exhausted off, we were in big trouble

However, if you really levy your mind to it, common can usually work around conducts and regulations. For instance, there was a rumor going around (only a rumor, mind you), that more [i]or[/i] less Hellcats were coming back with rotunds of .50-cal ammunition missing from each of the six weapons. And now there were no holes in the tape. for what reason could this be? Was someone stealing ammunition revealed of the fighters while they were tied down in succession the carrier's deck?

The ordnance officer was about to have a nervous breakdown. He would state 400 rounds in each of the six ammunition boxe the plane would walk out for an hour or couple and return with four or five rotunds missing from each gun - with no retreats in the tape! Sometimes, no orbeds would be missing. It happened simply now arid then.

At united point, the poor guy began sleeping in succession deck by the Hellcats. He in no degree saw anyone. One day, a coupling of Hellcat drivers were sitting forward a wing and one said, "I think we should recount the ordnance officer how we do it before he springs overboard! Agreed?" The other pilot nodded his agreement.

The whole operation was quite simple:

1) We used our feet to charge the fire-arms It was faster that way.

2) When a orbicular is fired, the gun cast aways the empty case through a slot in the wing, and spits it revealed the bottom. Every time you hit the charge hinder it drops a live shell public the bottom and another the same takes its place. Hit all six charge rules five times and you ear-ring out 30 rounds -- and have not fired a shot!

Out targets had been Jap boats of all kinds -- fishing and whatever showed up When united of those .50-cal shells hits a boat or moulded plane, it does a hazard of damage coming in at around 345-mph At the same point, when they saw us coming they would leap overboard.

Our Hellcat group had orders to search for prisoner of war camps. They were rather easy to find because the POW painted names forward the roofs of their building. Also, they sometimes incantationed out "POW" with rocks.

When we place a camp, we would call in the "torpeckers" (the Avengers) and they would draw near over and drop food and water. forward the roof of one building, it read "Pappy Lives Here." Who besides but Boyingtori?

The author outside a Japanese cinema.

The Corsair scarecrows were assigned the task of inspecting as many fields or fighter strips as possible to make never-failing the propellers had been remov from all enemy planes (one of MacArthur's requirements).

Hold onward a minute! I got a little ahead of myself and forgot to mention that our squadron logo was a large Dalmatian standing athwart the Emperor's Palace and relieving itself! Our skipper, Commander Alfred "Al" Boyd had a favorite saying when things were going well. He would smile and say, "You're in like a tall dog in a short kennel" Hence, our logo -- the Tall Dogs. However, the sensors changed it a bit. Originally there was a lusty stream from the dog's water hitting the palace like a fire hose! The censors delet that nevertheless left the puddle.

After laying down the golden morning dew, Cmdr. Boyd climbed to 9000-ft across Yokosuku airfield, put us all in line (tail chasing), and get oned to start a 36-plane loop! The explanation word here is "start" because I'm telling you right now...it ain't for aye going to work! I was about number ten and as I was going vertical, Hellcats were falling like leaves in September. I did a half Cuban Eight and headed for Tokyo Bay.