|
|
|
|
|
Museum's Avenger
|
October 2013
|
|
|
TBM on Display at the Museum
|
The General Motors TBM-3E at Colorado Springs' National Museum of World War II Aviation is one of about 25 airworthy Avengers in the U.S. Another 15 or so are on static display around the country, and about 20 are being restored. Others are flying, on display or under restoration in a number of other countries. Still, since GM and Grumman produced nearly 10,000 during the war, these remaining Avengers are a pale shadow of the former fleet, and therefore are rare birds -- especially the ones that fly.
 The Museum's Avenger, which flies in occasional airshows, is jointly owned by Westpac Restorations and Chris Johnson of Fort Valley and Manassas, Va. It was built in May 1945, carrying the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics Number 91453. It went to Seattle, Wash., in August 1945, where it remained until 1947, according to warbirddepot.com. It was assigned to the USS Princeton in 1948, was declared surplus in 1957 and served as a fire bomber until 1984 when it was bought by James Williams of O'Brien, Ore., and restored to its present condition. In 1995, it was acquired by Jack Carson of Santa Barbara, Calif., who flew Avengers from the USS Bogue in the Atlantic during World War II. The Bogue and her escorts are credited with sinking 13 submarines. Carson sold the TBM to Klaers, Wojciak and Johnson in 1998.
It was kept at Westpac's Rialto, Calif., facility until 2002, when it was taken to the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Sevierville, Tenn. It remained there until 2008, when it was moved to Westpac's new home in Colorado Springs.
The TBM, N4170A, went to sea again in 1995, after 47 years, on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to participate in the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II celebrations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. A propeller problem prevented Carson from flying off the carrier with other vintage warbirds. Among the warbirds that did launch from the Vinson was the B-25J bomber "In The Mood", N9117Z, that resides at the Museum.
Avengers and B-25s were linked to another carrier in 1942. The Avenger part of the story, told by Commander Harry H. Ferrier (USN-ret.), begins with delivery to the Navy in Norfolk, Va., of the first 21 planes to Torpedo Squadron 8, or VT-8, in March, 1942. "We were all impressed with the new plane's speed, maneuverability and ruggedness," Ferrier says. It had made its first flight in August 1941. The Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, prompted the brand new carrier USS Hornet to depart Norfolk for the Pacific in March, immediately after her shakedown cruise. Aboard were obsolescent Douglas TBD-1 Devastators belonging to VT-8. The Avengers were flown shortly thereafter from Norfolk to San Diego, Calif., where they were loaded on a transport ship that sailed for Pearl Harbor. Hours after their arrival on June 1, Ferrier writes, the call went out for volunteers to fly six of the Avengers to Midway Island, 1,300 miles away.
Ferrier, a radioman on one of the six Avengers, says everyone at Midway could sense that a meeting the Japanese was imminent. Midway planes, including the Avengers, took off on June 4 and headed toward the formidable Japanese fleet, which included five carriers. Five of the six Avengers were shot down. The gunner in Ferrier's plane was killed and Ferrier himself was wounded. His plane made it back to Midway with heavy damage.
 | | Courtesy of Ernie Viskupic |
But an Avenger "had survived its baptism of fire and proved itself a rugged, worthy replacement for the TBDs," Ferrier says in retelling of a portion of the Battle of Midway. The Hornet, meanwhile, had arrived northeast of Midway with two other U.S. carriers, Enterprise and Yorktown. In the carrier vs. carrier battle that followed, all 15 of the Hornet-based Devastators of VT-8 were lost. Devastators of Torpedo Squadrons Three and Six also were lost, and four Army B-26s made futile attacks. But, as Ferrier says, these terrible losses sealed the fate of the Japanese carriers. The attacks allowed squadrons from the U.S. carriers to hit their Japanese counterparts when they were most vulnerable -- while rearming and refueling their aircraft. Japan lost four carriers. Yorktown also was sunk, but the battle was a major victory for the U.S. Navy.
The Avenger was so named after Midway "to recognize the mission and dedication of all torpedo squadrons -- to avenge the heroic sacrifice of their predecessors," Ferrier says.
The B-25 part of the Avenger-B-25-Hornet relationship centers on the famous Doolittle raid on Japan. After leaving Norfolk, the Hornet sailed to San Diego, where she arrived on March 20 to pick up other planes of Air Group 8. On March 31, she arrived at Alameda, Calif., where Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle's 16 B-25s were loaded onto the flight deck. On April 18, 1942, the Hornet launched the bombers against Japan. Minutes after the last B-25 was launched, the Hornet, accompanied by the Enterprise, raced to Pearl Harbor for refitting. They arrived too late to participate in the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7 and 8. But they were just in time for the Battle of Midway. Five months later, on Oct. 26, the Hornet was lost in the Battle of Santa Cruz. A key aspect of its legacy was the buying of time for the U.S. to gear up its industrial and technological might for the war.
 Although the Avenger did not shine in its first year of combat -- fighter cover was often lacking and Mark 13 torpedoes of the period were faulty -- it was ultimately quite successful. "Japan lost 19 aircraft carriers after it entered service, and the Avenger contributed to twelve of them." "The Avenger was also involved in the sinking of six of eleven battleships and nineteen of forty-one cruisers lost by the Japanese, as well as twenty five destroyers. The Avenger," which could carry 2,000 pounds of bombs instead of a torpedo, "also carried out numerous attacks on Japanese bases, ground attack missions to support Allied troops and anti-submarine patrols, both in the Pacific and in the Atlantic."
In the Atlantic, Avengers are credited with sinking 30 submarines -- 29 German U-boats and the Japanese cargo sub I-52. The latter was sunk on June 23, 1944, near the Azores by Avengers from Jack Carson's ship, the USS Bogue. It was carrying tungsten, molybdenum and other material critical to Germany in exchange for German radar, bombsights and other equipment.
  President George H.W. Bush was an Avenger pilot. His airplane was shot down Sept. 2, 1944, during an attack on Japanese installations on Chi Chi Jima in the Bonin Islands. His two crewmen were lost, but Bush, the Navy's youngest aviator at age 19, was rescued by an American submarine. The actor Paul Newman flew as a rear seat radioman and gunner in Avengers. Grumman Aircraft Engineering designed and built the first Avengers, designated TBF. The Navy's demand for the plane was so great that General Motors was pressed into service to build more, called TBMs. Together, between 1942 and 1945, they built 9,837. Westpac's TBM-3E, Construction Number 4358, bears the markings of Marine Torpedo-Bomber Squadron 232. |
|
Charles P. "Sully" O'Sullivan
|
 Col. Charles P. "Sully" O'Sullivan, 98, World War II ace fighter pilot took his last flight on September 20, 2013.
O'Sullivan began his aviation career in 1941 by enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He became a decorated fighter pilot in the air war in the Pacific, including action in the Bismarck Sea Battle. He also became a national news hero and example of determination by surviving a 30-day trek alone out of the jungles of New Guinea following an aerial dog-fight, crash landing and encounters with native headhunters.
 On September 20, 1943, while on a New Guinea raid, O'Sullivan's plane was shot up by a Japanese fighter. He eluded the fighter and crash landed in the jungle. He survived a 30-day trek, during which he encountered hostile natives.  After a dramatic evening around a campfire, he had a serious altercation with the natives and escaped to continue walking alone through the jungle with little to eat for three more weeks. He finally came upon Australian commandos, who helped him contact his home base. After catching a ride in a small plane, he experienced a second forced landing in the bush before arriving safely at his home airfield, having lost 40 pounds during his trek.
Fifty years later, in September 1993, O'Sullivan's crashed P-38 fighter plane was discovered in the New Guinea jungle. His World War II story is told in the movie, "Injury Slight, Please Advise."
Colonel O'Sullivan's decorations include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Order of Military Merit from the Portuguese government. In 1998, he was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame.
Many in the Colorado Springs community and all associated with the museum were privileged to know "Sully" who was a member of the 39th Fighter Squadron during World War II. His squadron included "White 33", the P-38 Lightening currently under restoration to flight status. Reuniting this WWII veteran aviator with an historic aircraft from his unit was a valued experience we shall never forget.
|
|
STEM Education
|
 Education continues to be the focus of our museum mission. The school visits on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are booking fast thru the end of the school year. Our teachers have a challenging schedule for the students where they learn principals of flight, elements of technology, and resource conservation techniques. Their experience at the museum is focused on developing new interest in science and technology. Our volunteers recently completed building a classroom for the students which includes computer projection and teaching aides. When not in use by the students, visitors are being briefed by docents on key factors during World War II which impacted the Home Front and the outcome of the war.  Volunteers can always be found hard at work on a new display which aids understanding of complex devices or concepts. Above is their most recent nifty display made from actual aircraft components. Perhaps you recognize this important device which impacted the war effort. We would love for you to come in and experience the tour. Your docent will answer your questions about this and other WWII technology you see.
|
Lieutenant Governor Joseph Garcia Visits Museum
|
 | |
L-R Vic Andrews, Deb Haase, Joe Garcia, Debi Klaers, Bill Klaers, Rich Tuttle, James Stewart
|
Colorado's Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia spent more than an hour meeting with with the Museum's educational staff, Board members, and Docents discussing the impact of the Museum's STEM focus on K-12 education in southern Colorado. Data presented showed K-12 teachers are fully embracing the hands on learning that their students receive while experiencing science and technology through museum demonstrations, experiments, and interactive displays. Our Lt Governor is also the current head of the Department of Higher Education and has served as a college president. He was complementary of our focus on Colorado education standards and presented several ideas around outreach to schools which the museum staff will pursue. Before leaving he was able to visit some of the key exhibits and closely examine our P-47 and TBM Avenger. The staff appreciated his visit and thoughtful exchange of ideas on the Museum's potential with the school systems in southern Colorado.
|
|
Meet Our Volunteers
|
 Mr. Gene Pfeffer is a docent with the museum leading tours and sharing World War II history and strategy. Gene hails from Saint Louis, Missouri, and earned degrees from St. Louis University, the University of Utah and Western New England College. He retired from the United States Air Force after 30 years of service in areas of weather, space operations, research, and development. His assignments included Cape Canaveral, Florida; Scott AFB, Illinois; Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts; RAF Orfordness, RAF Bentwaters-Woodbridge, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; and Peterson AFB, Colorado. After his military service, Gene spent 12 years in the aerospace industry. Until recently, he taught college courses at Pikes Peak Community College. Being a child of the WWII era, Gene has always found the war a fascinating subject. He has read and studied extensively about the war and traveled to many of the key battle sites of the conflict. He has authored magazine articles on important aspects of the war. You can find him most Saturdays creating memories for our visitors and conducting tours.
|
| Your Comments | Thanks for your great comments and suggestions posted through our website. We read every submission and work to implement your great ideas.
 In a previous newsletter, we mentioned that Trip Advisor was a way that many visitors find us during their vacation or travel in Colorado Springs. We began asking visitors to rate the Museum after their visit. The National Museum of World War II Aviation has moved to the #3 museum in Colorado Springs and our goal is to be #1. We are #18 out of 80 rated attractions in Colorado Springs and expect that the top 5 or 10 is within reach soon. Thanks to your support we are "Moving on Up". Tell your friends and visitors about the Museum, our flying WWII era aircraft, and our strong focus on STEM education.
  Recent tour groups include the Tailhooks Colorado Chapter, the 464th Bomb Group reunion folks who flew B-24s in Italy during WWII, Rustic Forward Air Controllers, and the Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts group with 23 Rolls Royce's dating from 1911 to 1926.
We have put in place an iPad where you can sign up for this newsletter during the check-in process. Some have asked about a membership program and we hope to have that in place in the next few weeks. Things are happening fast at the Museum as volunteers continue to build exhibits and displays.
The Museum does not have a Womens Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) or Tuskegee Airman exhibit and we feel it is critically important we address those pieces of the World War II history. If you or someone you know can help with artifacts for display cases, our docents and visitors would be most appreciative. We will followup on any lead you provide. The Facebook page for the Museum is a great way to follow the daily activities including veterans' visits, new artifacts, and warbirds that may be visiting and could be seen during your tour. The Facebook link is http://www.facebook.com/wwiiaviation or click on the link above. In the footer below, you will notice a link to Update Profile/Email Address. Please take a moment to update your information so we can personalize our contact with you. Spread the word. This is your tribute to the greatest generation and the opportunity to educate the next generations. For Twitter users, you can find us at www.twitter.com/wwiiaviation |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
