Description: WORLD WAR II MARINES SOLDIER CPL ROBERT B BORRELL, 1ST MARINE AIR WING, VMD-254, AT EMIRAU AIRFIELD IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA ----- MENTIONS WORKING WIT BAZOOKAS, ROCKETS, COMBAT PHOTO OUTFIT, DIVE BOMBERS, 500 POUND BOMB, IT WORKS TOO, I HAVE SEEN IT DONE AND PHOTOGRAPHED IT AR PART OF AN ASSIGM\NMENT, ETC, ETC, ETC. -- Marine Photographic Squadron 254 (VMD-254)United States Marine Corps (USMC)BackgroundOn April 1, 1942 organized as Marine Photographic Squadron 2 (VMD-2) in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). On September 15, 1942 redesignated Marine Photographic Squadron 254 (VMD-254). Wartime HistoryOn October 13, 1942 the forward echelon departs NAS San Diego bound for the South Pacific (SoPAC) to Espiritu Santo and was later joined by the rest of the squadron. Flying the PB4Y-1 Liberator from Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal, the squadron flew over 300 photographic reconnaissance missions over the Solomon Islands. On January 26, 1943 a PB4Y-1 Liberator from the squadron photographs Puluwat Atoll, the first U.S. plane to enter the Truk area. On November 28, 1943 while flying on a ferry flight bound for the South Pacific, PB4Y-1 Liberator 32144 piloted by Lt. Col Edwin P. Pennebaker crashed at Palmyra Airfield killing two crew: Sgt William A. Lowe, Jr. and Sgt John V. Fryslie. One of the squadron's most important missions was to photograph the Japanese anchorage at Truk. On February 3, 1944 during the night, PB4Y-1 Liberator piloted by Major Christensen and PB4Y-1 Liberator piloted by Capitan Yawn took off from Stirling Airfield on a 12 hour flight to perform a photographic reconnaissance over Truk. On February 4, 1944 at dawn the pair arrives at 23,000' and photograph the anchorage at Truk Lagoon including Musashi, a carrier, cruisers, destroyers, submarines and many cargo vessels. Cloud cover prevented complete photographic coverage of the entire Truk Lagoon area. Although they achieved surprise, they were quickly targeted by anti-aircraft fire and chased by fighters. Afterwards, the photos from this flight were studied by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) at Pearl Harbor for photo interpretation and ship designers conclude the huge battleship must displace at least 60,000 tons and be armed with 18" guns. The photographs taken are used in the planning for "Operation Hailstone" during February 16-17, 1944. Their photographs of this important enemy base were used to create detailed surveys of its airfields, islands, and even the construction of a scale, three dimensional map of the area. On July 10, 1944 the squadron moved to Emirau Airfield and continued flying photographic reconnaissance missions against enemy targets in the region until October 8, 1944. Afterwards, the squadron rotated back to the United States. On March 28, 1945 the designation Marine Photographic Squadron 254 (VMD-254) was given to a new squadron at Greenville Field (Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Kinston) operating the F6F-3P Hellcat and later the Grumman F7 Tigercat for photographic reconnaissance missions. On July 22, 1945 the first echelon departed for Miramar and was embarked aboard USS Appling (APA-58) when Japan surrendered. PostwarAfter the end of hostilities, the squadron moved to Guam. During February 1946 moved to El Toro and performed large scale photographic mapping of southern California. On November 30, 1949 decommissioned with a portion of the squadron personnel and equipment transfered to Headquarters, Marine Air Wing 1 (MAW-1) to form a smaller photographic section. and was transitioning to the Grumman F7 Tigercat for photographic reconnaissance when the Pacific War ended.- -- SEE PHOTOS !!! NO RESERVE, SHIPPING AND HANDLING IS $2.00 IN USA, OR $4.00 FOREIGN. I COMBINE SHIPPING COSTS ON MULTIPLE ITEM TO SAVE YOU MONEY.
Price: 19.99 USD
Location: Oceanside, New York
End Time: 2024-12-11T19:05:41.000Z
Shipping Cost: 2 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Place of Origin: United States
