USS Ranger CV-4 aircraft in Operation Leader

[KRK4m]

In October 1943 almost four dozen of US a/c (20 Dauntless, 14 Wildcats and 10 Avengers) attacked the German shipping in Norwegian fjords near Bodo - just north of the Arctic circle. Several photos show the SBD-5s (no upper cowling air intake) with red-surrounded stars-and-bars and single- ot two-digit number on the fin.

The well-known photo of SBD No.19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Leader#/media/File:SBD-3_CV-4_Norway_1943_NAN10-1-45.jpg shows the plane in two-tone camouflage of Blue Gray and Light Gray - the undersides surely aren't white and there's no difference between the fuselage sides and top colour. Another photo http://www.airgroup4.com/la-plata-1.jpg shows starboard wing uppersurface decidely NOT in the NS Sea Blue (that should be darker than the sea below it), while next one http://www.airgroup4.com/leader-03.jpg shows the port wing uppersurface much lighter than Insignia Blue.

Nevertheless there's still another (well-known) photo of two SBDs http://www.airgroup4.com/skomver-lighthouse-norway.jpg where the undersides CAN be white, while the sharp border along the fuselage side below the cockpit suggests later three-tone USN camouflage.

So my question is whether could these VB-4 SBDs wear Atlantic three-tone camouflage of Dark and Light Gull Grays over White, introduced in early (April?) 1943?

It's worth of mention, that during the same raid the VT-4 Avengers still wore Blue Gray over Light Gray two-tone camouflage, OLD insignia (stars with no bars) and OLD numbers (e.g. 4-T-11) in black on fuselage sides. Another interesting question concerns Wildcat fighters. Most sources list F4F-4s here, while (following Ernest L. Crochet journal http://www.airgroup4.com/crochet.htm) since August 1943 all Wildcat crashes on the Ranger CV-4 are described as FM-2. Also the photo http://www.airgroup4.com/torch1.jpg taken (presumably) in mid-1943 show Wildcats taking-off from the USS Ranger deck as tall-finned FM-2s (four wing guns and lack of upper cowling air intake do stay for such conclusion too).

BTW what camouflage do these FM-2s wear? White number on the fin precludes two-tone Artlantic scheme, white undersides make two-tone Blue Gray/Light Gray (there were no FM-2s painted such AFAIK) also impossible. So which three tone: Atlantic Scheme One (of two greys over white) or standard scheme of two blues over white?

Edited March 21, 2016 by KRK4m

[Bengt]

Photos of aircraft from Rangers airgroup taken at the time of the strike, held at NARA shows the three types in two different camouflage schemes. The two tone Blue Grey/Light Grey and the three tone sea blue/intermediate blue/white. The Dauntless with the overpainted insignia on the upper surface of the wing was in the two tone, older camo. I have a copy of the original photo of SBD-5 nr. 19 (was shot down during the strike on Bodo harbour. It's engine and prop are found at the national aviation museum in Bodo) and the photo clearly shows the aircraft in the three tone camouflage. The Wildcats were of the F4F-4 type in both schemes. The Atlantic scheme appeared in two different forms and were used on aircraft in the anti u-boat role. Land based and carrier based. A narrative and reports from the strike is in catalouge ADM 199/1037A, held at the National Archive, Kew, London.

Bengt,

Bodo, Norway.

[KRK4m]

Thank you, Bengt, for your explanations. So there were two schemes present on Dauntless as I supposed.

• Do you have any idea, whether the two-tone machines were also SBD-5s or the older SBD-3/-4s? All three variants are listed in various reports all over the web.
• Do you have any photos of Avengers from this strike? Which variant did they represent: TBF-1, TBF-1C or TBM-1C?
• Do you have any photos confirming the presence of old (i.e. short-finned, R-1830-powered F4F) Wildcat above Bodo fjords? If so - did they wear the three-tone "blue" camouflage? That could be very interesting, as photos of such painted F4F-4 are very rare except for the (very few) training units within the USA.

The October 1943 extract from Ernest Crochet (then a CV-4 signalman) says, that the Wildcats were actually FM-2s - this could stand for this later camouflage:

Oct 2, 1943 -- Out with British Fleet on raid at 1100.

Oct 3, 1943 -- Crossed Arctic Circle.

Oct 4, 1943, D-Day -- Launched attacks early (all available planes). Remained at GQ all day. Planes attack Bodø, Norway with great success. Lost 4 planes. Two SBDs (one in drink). Men noticed swimming to raft. TBF hit by flak. Gunner and radioman bailed out but pilot made suicide dive on gun emplacement. (This preliminary report is in error. The pilot, Lt(jg) John H. Palmer, bailed out and was captured. His two crewmen, Joseph L. Zalom, ART/c and Reginald H. Miller, AMM/c went down with the plane. For details on this action, see Operation Leader: The German View,...) FM2 crashed in sea by British Destroyer Scourge (out of gas). Picked up pilot. FM2 with landing gear shot away made belly landing on flight deck. Perfect. This pilot shot in neck and leg. Also broken wrist. TBF crashed into Island. OK. All planes recovered by 1200 and steaming away at full speed. Ju-88 shot down by fighters. ...Heinkel torpedo plane shot down making run on Force. Snooper shadowing fleet.

Oct 6, 1943 -- Arrive Scapa Flow 0910. Ranger last ship in and cheered by all ships as we passed by. Received numerous congratulations. Adm. Frazier (C in C) aboard to congratulate crew. Capt. Rowe read all messages and Chaplains prayers.

(On or about) Oct 9, 1943 -- two FM2s were involved in a mid-air collision during aerobatics. Both pilots were killed--Lt(jg) Robert C. Cronin and Ens Ivan O. Johnson. [Lt(jg) Cronin was recovered and is buried at Fort Rosecrans Cemetery, San Diego, Ca. Ens Johnson was never located.])

Oct 14, 1943 -- Left Scapa Flow with 6 DDs and Anson, and Norfolk ... (British battleships).

Oct 16, 1943 -- Arrive Akureyri, Iceland 1520.

[Chuck1945]

It is possible Crochet's account is incorrect. According to Tillman in "Wildcat the F4F in WWII" VF-4 was equipped with 27 F4F-4s (VF-4's skipper had asked for FM-2s, hoped for Hellcats, but actually got F4F-4s. The first FM-2s didn't reach the Navy until September 1943 and Leader was 4 October and according to Crochet, the Ranger had departed US waters in August (before FM-2s started arriving) It is possible Tillman's listing of F4F-4s for VF-4 were in fact FM-1s and those were what Crochet was calling FM-2s.

[Graham Boak]

FM-2s should be distinguishable by the taller tail, as said above. However, that opens up the question of the dating of these photographs.

[KRK4m]

OK, maybe Crochet's account is incorrect and (perhaps) Tillman is right - all Wildcats had short fins, whether they were F4F-4s or FM-1s. It's quite possible, that these FM-2s on the Ranger deck were caught by camera in 1944 - in my opinion the insignia outline looks rather blue, not red. Ranger arrived at Boston on 3rd December 1943 and on 3rd January 1944 started air ops again. Athough F6F Hellcats arrived on 12th February, smaller Wildcats were kept at least until 21st April, when the deck was loaded with Army P-38s heading to Casablanca.

But the FM-2s photo by Bill Wade has been published in concern with Atlantic/Mediterranean operations of AG-4, as on 29th June 1944 the AG-4 was separated from Ranger that went via Panama to Pearl Harbor carrying F4Us, F6Fs, SB2Cs and TBMs. Thus early spring 1944 operations along US east coast were the last WW2 moments of Ranger this side of Panama where the Wildcats could be met on her deck - if Bill Wade took this photo there indeed.

[Bengt]

Here's a photo from a book a friend of mine tokk some years back. Dont know what book it is I'm afraid. The original is held at the Imperial War Museum. Check comments on markings and campouflage.

Once again a very poor photo from a book. Check out the Avenger at top left. Three tone camouflage. Photo from NARA.

And here's a photo showing an TBF-1 with the two tone camo.

Photo from my collection of SBD-5 nr. 5 and nr. 20 returning to USS Ranger after the strike on Bodø harbour. Three tone camo consisting of Non-specular Sea Blue, Non-specular Intermediate Blue and Insignia White. The star and bar had the short lived Insignia Red border.

The Air Group 4 had aircraft with a mix of the older two colour camo (Blue Grey and Light Grey) and the three colour camo. The aircraft with the two tone camo had originaly stars in six positions. Above and under both wings and on the fuselage. The one above starboard- and below the port wing was painted over to comly with new regulations. Could be seen on several photos. If all Dauntlesses were of the SBD-5 version, I'm not sure.

I was so lucky to meet Gerald W. Thomas (VT-4 pilot on this mission) and his son in Oslo back in 2001. He wrote a book about his experiences during WW 2 and also has a web site (http://www.airgroup4.com/index.htm).

Bengt

[KRK4m]

Great thanks, Bengt! While photo #4 (two SBD-5s, actually no.5 and no.22 over Skomver) has been widely published, photo #3 is also well known (not only for the two-tone TBFs, but also for the FM-1 Wildcats with four guns and coolers under the wings), photos #1 an #2 are great news for - I hope not only - me.

The TBM squad already in early September are of "plain Jane" type - just standard three-tone camo, red-outlined stars with bars and white digits in standard positions. But they do proof, that not all Avengers on the Ranger deck wore the 1942-era grey two-tone camo, so clearly visible on the photo #3 from Akureyri.

But first cut is the deepest Here we have two schemes on SBDs (perhaps two-tone camo was on SBD-3 or -4 "Torch veterans"), two on Wildcats (factory-fresh blue three-tone FM-1 and war-weary two-tone F4F-4 with bars added to the "Torch era" giant stars with yellow surround freshly overpainted). Especially the three-tone R-1830-engined short-finned Wildcat with #2 on the fin is very interesting.