144

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

1944-Contin ued

27 September Guided missiles were used in the

Pacific, as Special Task Air Group 1, from its base on

Stirling in the Treasury Islands, began a combat

demonstration of the TDR assault drone. The drones

had been delivered to the Russell Islands by surface

shipping and flown 45 miles to bases in the Northern

Solomons where they were stripped for pilotless flight

and armed with bombs of up to 2,000 pounds. For

combat against heavily defended targets, a control

operator in an accompanying TBM guided the drone

by radio and directed the final assault by means of a

picture received from a television camera mounted in

the drone. In the initial attack, against antiaircraft

emplacements in a beached merchant ship defending

Kahili airstrip on South Bougainville, two out of four

TDRs struck the target ship.

1 October Patrol Squadrons (VP) and

bombing squadrons (VB) were renamed

nated patrol bombing squadrons (VPB).

multi-engine

and redesig-

7 October A new Bureau of Aeronautics color spec-

ification went into effect which provided seven differ-

ent color schemes for aircraft depending upon design

and use. The most basic change was the use of glossy

sea blue all over on carrier based aircraft and on sea-

plane transports, trainers and utility aircraft. The basic

non-specular camouflage color scheme, semigloss blue

above and non specular white below, was to be

applied to patrol and patrol bombing types and to

helicopters. For antisubmarine warfare, two special

camouflage schemes-gray on top and sides and

white on bottom, or white all over-were prescribed

with the selection dependent upon prevailing weather

conditions (this had been used by COMNAVAIRLANT

since 19 July 1943). All aluminum was to be used on

landplane transports and trainers and landplane and

amphibian utility aircraft. Orange-yellow was to be

used upon target-towing aircraft and primary trainers.

Another new scheme, glossy red, was specified for tar-

get drones.

7 October Provision was made for the optional use

by tactical commanders of special identification mark-

ings on combat aircraft, such markings preferably to

be applied with temporary paint.

10 October-30 November Occupation of Leyte-

The opening blow of the campaign was struck (10

Oct) by Task Force 38 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher)

against airfields on Okinawa and the Ryukyus. This

force, built around 17 carriers hit airfields on northern

Luzon (11 and 14 Oct), on Formosa (12-14 Oct), and

in the Manila area (15 Oct), destroying 438 enemy air-

craft in the air and 366 on the ground in 5 strike days.

These and other strikes concentrated on reinforcement

staging areas and effectively cleared the air for the

landing (20 Oct) of Southwest Pacific Army troops on

Leyte. Fast carrier support of the ground campaign

was supplemented (18-23 Oct) by the action of 18

CVEs organized in three elements under TG 77.4 (Rear

Admiral Thomas 1. Sprague).

A major disruptive effort by the Japanese Fleet was

opposed by the Fast Carrier Force of the Third Fleet

(Vice Admiral William E Halsey) and by surface and

air elements of the Seventh Fleet (Vice Admiral

Thomas C. Kinkaid) in three related actions of The

Battle for Leyte Gulf (23-26 Oct). As the Japanese

Fleet, in three elements identified as Southern, Central,

and Northern Forces, converged on Leyte Gulf from as

many directions, Fast Carrier Force aircraft (24 Oct) hit

the Southern Force in the Sulu Sea, attacked the

Central Force in the Sibuyan Sea, sinking the 63,000

ton battleship Musashi and a destroyer, and was itself

under air attack resulting in the loss of Princeton.

Seventh Fleet surface elements turned back the

Southern Force in a brief intensive action before day-

light in the Battle of Surigao Strait (25 Oct), sinking

two battleships and three destroyers. The Japanese

Central Force made a night passage through San

Bernardino Strait and at daylight took under fire six

escort carriers and screen of TG 77.4, and was

opposed by a combined air and ship action in the

Battle Off Samar (25 Oct), in which Gambier Bay, two

destroyers, and one destroyer escort were sunk by

enemy gunfire and three Japanese heavy cruisers were

sunk by carrier air. At the same time the Fast Carrier

Force met the Northern Force in the Battle Off Cape

Engano, sinking the heavy carrier Zuikaku and light

Attack on Japanese cruiser, Battle for Leyte Gulf 470 l2