Transcript of an oral interview with Mr. Iwashita. From his Japanese Naval Academy class of 360, he was among 120 selected for flight training. Upon completion, he was chosen to be an instructor. After eight months serving as an instructor, Iwashita was assigned to combat duty with the 301st Air WIng at Yokosuka. Iwashita describes using aerial bombs to destroy attacking American bombers.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Lent. He was born in Denison, Texas on September 14, 1920 and enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 15, 1941. Upon completing boot camp in San Diego in November, 1941, he was transferred to the Second Marine Division for duties as an Intelligence Specialist. He recalls that in July 1942 he was sent to a small island off Espiritu Santo in the Vanuatu Islands for a secret mission that involved mapping the island for the contingency of installing an air strip. He recalls his next experience during the landing of the Second Marine Division at Tarawa, when he spent ten hours under a pier evading Japanese machine gunners before finally reaching the beach and locating his Commanding Officer, Colonel David M. Shoup. He recalls the intensitiy of the firefight and being temporarily knocked uncnscious by a round that hit his helmet. He remembers that he transferred to an Air Observer Squadron, and after training in Honolulu, embarked aboard USS St. Lo (CVE-63) enroute to Saipan. He recalls several kamikaze raids during the transit. He recalls being launched off the carrier, flying over Saipan and landing at …

Transcript of an oral interview with Commander Douglas C. Davis. Davis joined the Navy in 1939 after having learned to fly as a civilian. He went through naval flight training at Pensacola, Florida and earned his wings in September, 1940. Upon completion of training, he reported to Pearl Harbor, his first duty station, in December 1940, where he was assigned to BP-22. Davis describes alot of his activities at Pearl Harbor prior to the outbreak of war. These included advance base operations, search and rescue, mapping operations and standard patrols. Davis shares anecdotes about his activities during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Davis's unit was assigned to dutyin the Southwest Pacific. He describes being attacked by Japanese planes while arriving in New Guinea. On 3 June 1942, Davis landed on Midway Island prior to the Japanese attack there. He was assigned to attack the Japanese flotilla headed for Midway from PBY armed with a torpedo. Davis describes his attack on the Japanese ships. Davis finished his time in the service at a post in one of the Navy bureaus in Washington, DC. He retired from the Navy in 1967.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Jacquet. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin August 29, 1918. He joined the Army Air Corps as a flying cadet in February 1940 and was assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group. He recalls arriving at Clark Field in early November 1941. After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, Jacquet flew B-17s conducting various missions between Luzon and Mindanao until his plane was too damaged to fly. He describes how he was then placed in command of a Filipino Reservist machine gun platoon in the village of Cagayan. Jacquet lived several weeks with the natives until he contracted malaria and was evacuated to Java in January 1942. He describes his escape from Java to Melbourne, Australia, where he was hospitalized with dengue fever. Upon discharge from the hospital, he was assigned to demonstrate the B-17 to several high-ranking Australian officers. He also recounts several bombing missions to New Guinea in the spring of 1942, including sorties to the Japanese Naval Base at Rabaul. He returned to the United States in December 1942. During the following year and a half he trained B-29 crews and was sent to Wendover, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bob McMahon. He enrolled in the Flying Cadet program while in college. After completing initial training in San Antonio, he was transferred to the 21st Pursuit Squadron at Hamilton Field in California where he trained in P-36s and P-40s. In November 1941 he embarked on the troop ship, USS Republic (AP-33) which was underway in the South Pacific on December 7. He arrived in Australia on December 21. In February, 1942 his squadron took off from Darwin to Indonesia when they encountered heavy weather and returned to the airfield, where he was attacked by Japanese fighter planes. He shot down three Japanese fighters before being wounded and forced to bail out of his damaged plane. He landed in a mangrove swamp and was rescued. McMahon watched hundreds of Japanese bombers destroy the Darwin airport and the adjacent RAAF field. The Australians evacuated Darwin and he was flown to Brisbane to recover from his wounds. After recovering, he joined the 39th Fighter Squadron operating out of New Guinea. He recalls escorting a B-26 during a flight out of Port Moresby, New Guinea on which Congressman Lyndon Johnson was embarked. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William A. Klenk. He enlisted in the Navy in May 1942. He was accepted into the Naval Air Cadet Program and received his commission in June 1943. He talks about his qualifying carrier landings at NAS Glenview. He was assigned to U.S. Carrier Air Group 80 Dive Bomber Squadron United States. Navy. Bombing Squadron 80 (VB-80) on the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). They joined the Third Fleet in Ulithi. He recalls various bombing locations in the South Pacific. He describes when the ship was hit by two kamikaze airplanes near Formosa. His air group was subsequently assigned to the USS Hancock (CV-19). He talks about making air strikes on Iwo Jima, Tokyo, and Okinawa. He describes making the trip back to the U.S. aboard various ships. He got out of the Navy in September 1945. After graduating from Penn State, he joined the Naval Reserve from which he retired in 1965. Kathryn Klenk remembers blackouts and rationing. She shares an anecdote about being married in bedroom slippers due to the rationing of shoes. William Klenk shares an anecdote about getting married despite the national holiday declared upon President Roosevelt’s …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wendell W. Fenn. Born in 1922, he enlisted in the Regular Army in June 1940. He was assigned to the 1st Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky. After his unit received one hundred motorcycles, he volunteered to take over the Motor Pool. He subsequently trained in the use of the cryptographic machine and was assigned to the Division Headquarters. He quickly advanced to the rank of Master Sergeant. He attended Officers’ Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He describes social refinement training after receiving his commission. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne, 327th Glider Infantry and sent to England. He shares an anecdote about using glider boxes for living quarters. He describes his glider training as well as his additional duties as a Military Police Officer. He talks about landing in a glider in Normandy immediately prior to the D-Day invasion. He describes the capture of Sainte-Mère-Église. He shares an anecdote about flying an American flag there. He returned to England via Omaha Beach. He speaks of the grave registration unit located there. He describes participating in Operation Market Garden. In November 1944, he was evacuated to …

Transcript of an oral interview with Al Flocke. He discusses his flight training and being the radio operator on a B-24 bomber which did raids on Guam, Turk, Iwo Jima and other islands. He also ancedotes about food, rations and living conditions on the islands.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jospeh Edward Robeau. While attending Texas A & M, Robeau joined the Army and was sent to Office rCandidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was commissioned in June 1944. In October, Robeau was assigned to a heavy weapons company in the 87th Infantry Division an dsailed for England. He was assigend to a 81mm mortar section and arrived in France in November 1944. He recalls the winter weather conditions during the Battle of the Bulge. In February, Robeau was wounded by German artillery. When he recovered, he was sent from the hospital in England back to Paris where he served on a courts martial board. When the war ended, Robeau returned to the US in 1946 and resumed his studies at Texas A & M.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ralph Moreland. Moreland joined the Navy in March of 1944. He served aboard the USS Hope (AH-7), helping transport wounded servicemen to hospitals from the battles at Leyte and Iwo Jima. Moreland was in charge of the loading stations, hoisting a platform up and down helping to get men from shore to ship. He shares details of a kamikaze attack on their ship. Moreland also served aboard the USS Texas (BB-35) during the Battle of Okinawa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leon Bruce. Bruce was born in Sayre, Oklahoma and joined the Merchant Marine Service in 1943. He was sent to Catalina Island, California for training. When he completed training he reported aboard the SS Schuyler Colfax (1943) a Liberty ship tanker. Bruce tells of his experiences while aboard the ship. In 1945 he went aboard the SS Mission San Rafael (1944). He relates the experience of being aboard as the ship carried high octane fuel to Biak, New Guinea where the fuel was off-loaded directly into vehicles of the 41st Infantry. The ship was later subjected to a torpedo attack and he recounts the actions taken to avoid being hit. After the war, Bruce became a minister and school teacher.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tom Krauska. Krauska was born 15 December 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri and attended high school in Cleveland, Missouri. He graduated from the University of St. Louis with a Law degree. He was drafted into the United States Army and assigned to the 329th Infantry at Shelby, Mississippi. After basic training, he was assigned to menial tasks such as kitchen police and guard duty. He was soon selected for the Aviation Cadet Training program and sent to a civilian flying school in Fort Worth, Texas. From there, he went to bombardier school at Midland, Texas. Krauska describes methods used to train bombardiers and the use of the Norden bombsight. Upon completion of this training he was sent to Casper, Wyoming for crew training in a B-24 Liberator. His crew was then sent to Langley Field, Virginia for training in low altitude bombing, which consisted of using radar and performing submarine search missions off of the east coast of the United States. Eventually, the crew picked up a new B-24 and flew it to Hawaii where they were assigned to the 11th Bomb Group, 425th Bomb Squadron. They went …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leonard Frame and William Houseworth. Both Frame and Houseworth were P-39 pilots in the Pacific during the war. Houseworth completed the Flying Cadet program in November of 1940, and received his wings and commission in the Army Air Corps in July of 1941. He remained in the US during the war as a tactical instructor for the training program. He was discharged in late 1945, and later participated in the Korean War, retiring in January of 1955. He continued in the Reserves. Leonard Frame joined the Army Air Corps in March of 1941, and graduated from flight school in October. He was assigned to the 35th Fighter Group, and served in Fiji and Guadalcanal for 22 months. After several assignments within the US and the Caribbean, Frame was discharged in 1945. He served in the Air Force Reserve and retired in 1976.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James McClanahan. McClanahan completed the Civilian Pilot Training program in the summer of 1940. He had received his wings and commission when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. He served with the Army Air Forces 35th Fighter Group. McClanahan primarily served in Fiji, Guadalcanal and New Caledonia, as a P-39 fighter pilot. He returned to the US and was discharged in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Douglas Canning. Canning was born in Wayne, Nebraska 4 July 1919. He attended Nebraska State Teachers College where he participated in the Civilian Pilot Training program. Graduating in 1940, he entered the Army Air Corps, training in various aircraft prior to being assigned to the 70th Fighter Squadron flying P-40 fighters. After gunnery training, the squadron boarded the USS President Monroe (AP-104) bound for Fiji. Upon arriving, the group was given instructions for flying P-39s. Canning was one of 14 pilots selected by Major John Mitchell to go to the 67th Squadron to Henderson Field from which he flew strafing and bombing missions. He tells of the primitive living conditions and the daily harassment by long-range Japanese Artillery and frequent bombardment by Japanese ships. On one occasion he flew divisionary tactics over a group of nine Japanese destroyers allowing accompanying TBF and SBD’s to attack and sink six of them. He witnessed the actions of a P-70 night fighter shooting down a Japanese bomber. Being selected as a member of Operation Vengeance, he tells of the detailed planning of the flight by Captain John Mitchell and the special …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert W. Conner. Conner was born in Pennsylvania on 8 September 1914. He attended Duke University prior to joining the 93rd Construction Battalion in 1941. Initial training began in Williamsburg, Virginia, after which the unit moved to California where they were trained in the use of arms. The unit was then transported to Green Island where they built two airstrips and support buildings. He tells of his admiration for the New Zealand people who were also stationed on the island. Following the surrender of Japan Conner’s unit returned to the United States and he discusses the joyous reception upon their arrival in Portland, Oregon.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Juliussen. Juliussen joined the Navy Seabees in March of 1943. He completed boot camp, gunnery school and additional Seabees training at Port Hueneme in California. Juliussen served with the 33rd Naval Construction Battalion. They traveled by freighter to the Russell Islands and had a Shellback initiation when they crossed the equator. They helped load an LST, and invaded the Green Islands, where they were attacked by Japanese Zeros. Their job was to build airstrips on the island, where Juliussen worked in the heavy equipment shop and in the crane and shovel repair group. From there they traveled to Hollandia, the Solomon Islands and Tacloban in the Philippines. They completed 4 airstrips and 1 Navy base. He provides vivid details of his work, the camaraderie with fellow servicemen and attacks made by the Japanese. He was discharged shortly after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Art Rankin. Rankin was born in 1924 and joined the Navy after he graduated high school, around 1942. He completed boot camp at Camp Perry in Ohio. In the fall of 1943 he traveled to Noumea, New Caledonia and Russell Islands, off Guadalcanal. Rankin continued on to Green Islands where he was assigned to sanitation details and mess cook duty. He traveled on to Leyte Gulf, Samar and Guiuan in the Philippines. His unit built an airstrip and a sawmill. Rankin had numerous encounters with the Japanese, and saw active combat in the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea and the Philippines. He shares many anecdotes of his time in the service and interaction with natives on the various islands he visited. He was discharged in late 1945 as a carpenter’s mate, third class.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Collins. Collins was born in Driftwood, Pennsylvania on 24 September 1920. In 1943 he joined the United States Navy and was sent to Camp Peary for eight weeks of boot training. He then went to Camp Parks, California where he was assigned to Company A, 93rd Construction Battalion. In October 1943 the unit boarded the USAT Perida, arriving at Noumea, New Caledonia on 1 November 1943. Just as the ship anchored in the harbor, Collins witnessed an ammunition ship explode at the docks. The accident resulted in many deaths. The battalion went to Banika Island where they built a hospital. They then went to Green Island Atoll where they built two air strips and a hospital. In January 1945, the battalion boarded the USS Cape Johnson (AP-172) and sailed to Samar, Philippines. He describes being under attack by Japanese aircraft. While on Samar, Collins’ unit constructed airstrips and warehouses. During October 1945, Collins returned to the United States and was assigned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. He had developed a serious ear infection while overseas and was sent to a naval hospital. After receiving treatment for two …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alvin Orsland. Orsland joined the Marine Corps in June of 1944. He went to Hawaii in November of 1944, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. In February of 1945 they participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima, which Orsland provides details of his experiences as a rifleman through the battle. He was discharged in July of 1946 as a Corporal.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rudolph David. David was born in Orange, Texas on 19 January 1918 and graduated from high school in 1937. In 1939 he entered Southwestern Louisiana University and in June 1941, was drafted into the US Army. He went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for basic training and Camp Callan in Torrey Pines, California for training field artillery training. Assigned to the 31st Infantry Regiment, he went to Manila, Philippines aboard the USS President Coolidge (1931). He recalls that following the fall of Bataan, he went to Corregidor where he remained until the Allied forces surrendered. As a prisoner of war, he was taken to Bilibid in Manila. During December 1942, he was taken to Osaka, Japan where he was made to do various jobs as a slave laborer. He also performed forced labor jobs at Kanagawa and Kobe, Japan. After the surrender of Japan, he was sent to Letterman Army Hospital, San Francisco, California. He also spent recovery time in Northington General Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. David remained in the Army and retired after thirty years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edwin Lee. Lee graduated from the Naval Academy in 1934. He served two years aboard USS New Orleans (CA-32). He received his wings in November of 1937. In May of 1938, Lee was assigned as an aviator aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6). He conducted observation missions, searching for submarines. In June of 1940, he was ordered to the Navy post graduate school, completing a course in aeronautical engineering, graduating in June of 1943. He oversaw the commissioning of the escort carriers (CVEs) in Astoria, Oregon. In early 1944, Lee rejoined the Enterprise, and assisted in striking the Japanese naval base at Truk. He later served aboard USS Marcus Island (CVE-77), participating in the Okinawa Campaign. After the war ended, Lee continued his service at Annapolis, and retired in July of 1964.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Earl Smyth. He discusses his time aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3) at the Battle of Midway, Guadacanal, sustaining two torpedo attacks and seeing Pearl Harbor three days after the attack.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Wright. Wright was born on a ranch in Nebraska in 1921. He participated in the Civilian Pilot Training program while attending the University of Missouri and quit school to join the Navy on 1 June 1941. He was undergoing flight training at Pensacola when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Soon thereafter, he had his final check flight with Joe Foss, who was awarded the Medal of Honor. Upon graduation, Wright became a flight instructor at Pensacola. After a period of time he received orders to undergo B-24 flight training. He was eventually relieved of B-24 duties and was assigned as a carrier pilot and trained in using rockets. He was involved in combat at Guadalcanal and Peleliu. He recalls three instances where his plane was damaged and explains the procedure for disposing of severely damaged aircraft. He describes the effect of extremely high angle dives on both the crew and the plane. Wright describes an on board landing accident in which he was injured resulting in hospitalization at Noumea, New Caledonia. He spent eight months recovering from the injury. He also tells of sinking three Japanese ships …