History

WWII: 1943 to 1945

Original unit badge circa 1943

Air Group NINETEEN was established on 15 August 1943, consisting of VF-19 (Fighting), VB-19 (Bombing) and VT-19 (Torpedo). Initially stationed at Los Alamitos where it started to receive it's aircraft, the Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat, along with SBD-5 for VB-19 and TBM-1 for VT-19.

F-6F of VF-19 crash aboard Lexington, Nov. 1944.

NINETEEN boarded the USS Lexington (CV-16) in July 1944. The squadron saw it's first action on the 24 October during the Battle for Leyte Gulf - the climactic American naval victory over Japan. While the carrier came under constant enemy attack in the engagement in which USS Princeton (CVL-23) was sunk, her planes joined in sinking Japan's super-battleship Musashi and scored hits on three cruisers 24 October 1944. Next day, with Essex aircraft, they sank carrier Chitose, and alone sank Zuikako. Later in the day, they aided in sinking a third carrier, Zuiho. As the retiring Japanese were pursued, her planes sank heavy cruiser Nachi with four torpedo hits 5 November off Luzon.

During the action, the Lexington lost her island structure to a kamikaze plane. Within 20 minutes mayor blazes were under control, and she was able to continue normal flight actions, her guns knocking down a would-be kamikaze heading for the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) as well. On 9 November Lexington arrived Ulithi to repair battle damage and learn that Tokyo once again claimed her destroyed.

F-6Fs of VF-19 Lexington under attack, Nov 1944

Squadron notes

At Top in 16 Days. In just 16 days, Air Group 19 became one of the Navy's top-scoring carrier based fighting outfits. During carrier strikes on Formosa, the Pescadores Islands, Nansei Shoto and the Imperial Jap fleet, the air group destroyed more than 100 enemy planes in the air and rained desctruction on Nip surface units. In one day of the 16, pilots of this group were credited with sinking a submarine tender, an oiler, three medium merchantmen and three barges. Thirteen other ships were either sunk or damaged. On another day the air group sank or damaged 20,000 tons of Japanese shipping near ansan naval based in the Pescadores.

Navy Aviation News, March 1945

The squadron returned to the main land US, intialy to NAS Alameda to be be reformed, then to NAS Whiting Field, Florida. VF-19 was the first squadron to transition to the new Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat, reporting in squadron on June 1944. The Hellcat F6F-5 was last reported in squadron with VF-19 on 28th July, 1945. By the 4th August, 1945, the Hellcat had been fully replaced with the Bearcat.

The Bearcat never saw action during the Second World War, VF-19 aboard USS Langley, was on route to the Pacific when Japan surrendered on the 16th of August 1945.

Air Group 19 was one of the most decorated Air Groups of WWII, boasting eleven air aces, including:

Deployments

From To Carrier Aircraft Type Tailcode Theatre
Jul 1944 Nov 1944 USS Lexington (CV-16) Grumman F6F Hellcat N/A Pacific
Nov 1944 Dec 1944 USS Enterprise (CV-6) Grumman F6F Hellcat N/A En route to West Coast
Jul 1945 Aug 1945 USS Langley (CV-27) Grumman F8F Bearcat N/A En route to Pacific

Losses

PilotFateDate*AC BuNoFromDownArea
ENS S.E. SimonickKilled03/11/194440895PearlPuuneneECENPAC
J.R. MillerMissing04/22/194441454KahuluiMauiECENPAC
ENS William E. StrunkKilled07/18/194442095GuamGuamWCENPAC
ENS D.G. Deluce, jrKilled07/20/194442296GuamGuamWCENPAC
ENS B.M. WakefieldMissing08/04/194442356USS Lexington (CV-16Iwo JimaEMPIRE
LT H.R. BurnettMissing08/04/194442031USS Lexington (CV-16Iwo JimaEMPIRE

* US style date: MM/DD/YYYY

References

Artwork