Star
of the Seventh
Star
of the Seventh
|
The
story of Robert W. Moore, leading ace of the Seventh Air Force during
World War Two
One of those young men was Captain Robert W. "Todd" Moore of St. Matthews, Kentucky. Captain Moore, who came to the Pacific area in September 1942 was now, at age twenty-three, one of the most experienced pilots in the 15th Fighter Group. When "Todd" Moore arrived in Hawaii he was assigned to the 78th Fighter Squadron which was then a part of the 18th FG. The 18th had the responsibility at this time for the aerial defense of the Hawaiian Islands. However, the urgency of this mission was somewhat suspect since the Japanese defeat at Midway in June 1942 cast a real doubt on any future attacks on the Hawaiian Islands. As a result, the two fighter groups used much of their time in engaging in vigorous fighter combat training and developing new tactics based on the information fed back to them from the combat zones. The 78th FS's real opportunity for some very practical training came in January 1943. At that time the VIIth Fighter Command was beginning a massive reorganization, and the 78th Fighter Squadron was ordered to Midway Island to relieve the 73rd Fighter Squadron. Their first order of business was to get to Midway and, on 23 January 1943 the Squadron took off on an historic mission. This flight, in which Todd Moore participated, was a 1,300 nautical mile trip entirely over water. It was at the time, the longest over water flight by single engine fighters on record. Upon their arrival on Midway Island, the 78th FS assumed the responsibility for patrol duty over the island. For the next two months the 78th carried out this task in a very comfortable manner, and by the time the order came for their return to Hawaii, the squadron had developed into a crack unit. During its stay on Midway the 78th was transferred, on 16 March, to the 15th Fighter Group. The Squadron's assignment on Midway ended on 21 April, and on that day its twenty four P-40's took off for the 1,300-mile return trip to Hawaii. The mission took a little over seven hours to fly, and it was an excellent preparation for the missions to come. During the time that the 78th FS was on Midway Island the Joint Chiefs of Staff were planning Operation Galvanic, the Central Pacific campaign which would begin with an invasion of islands in the Gilberts chain in order to gain forward airfields. The 15th Fighter Group was one of the 7th Air Force units designated to take part in the upcoming offensive and, in March, its 46th FS was sent to Canton Island. In the meantime, the remainder of the Group remained in Hawaii and continued training. Shortly after the 78th FS joined the Group in late April several changes in command began taking place. One of the command changes that took place was to have an impact on Todd Moore's career. That change was the order which placed Major Julian "Jack" Thomas in command of the 45th Fighter Squadron. After assuming command of the 45th FS Major Thomas requested the transfer of some of the men who trained with him during the stay on Midway and Lt. Moore was one of them. In July the 45th received orders that they had all been looking for - the squadron was headed for a combat assignment. They departed Hawaii on 18 August 1943 and after a seven day voyage joined the 46th FS on Canton Island. The 45th's stay on Canton was a short one, though, and on 11 September, they headed for a new base on Baker Island. This new base put them within 600 miles of Japanese bases, and enemy contact was now a real possibility. The 45th's mission on Baker was twofold; they were to provide combat air patrol for the island, and to search for enemy submarines and surface shipping. Their only opportunity for aerial combat over Baker was a successful one. On 23 October an unsuspecting Emily fling boat was bounced by pilots of the 45th at a point south of Baker Island and Captain Gilmer Snipes shot it down in flames. On 20 November 1943 Army and Marine troops stormed ashore on the Tarawa and Makin Atolls in the Gilbert Islands and began the bloody task of securing these islands. These islands plus Abemama were secured by 28 November, and the 45th FS along with the 46th and 72nd Fighter Squadrons moved to their new forward bases in the Gilberts. The 46th and 72nd moved to Makin, and the 45th ended up on Abemama. During the month of December the bulk of aerial action was carried out by the 46th and 72nd FSs flying P-39s, while the 45th outfitted with longer ranged P-40Ns sat and waited. The missions to Mili and Jaluit were beginning to take quite a toll on these two squadrons, and finally in mid-January 1944 the 45th was brought into action. All but one of its Flights were moved to Makin for these missions, and the remaining flight stayed on Abemam for CAP. The 45th's first mission was on 17 January, and they attacked flak emplacements and barracks on Mili with bombs and stafing. Along with his squadron Lt. Moore got his baptism in fire on this mission. During the next several days the 45th continued their strafing missions against Jaluit and Mili. The purpose of these continuing interdiction missions against Mili and Jaluit was to render them totally useless to the Japanese. With the invasion of the Marshall Islands rapidly approaching the Navy could ill-afford Japanese air units on these islands. In the meantime B-24s and B-25s were striking at targets deeper in the Marshalls. These targets were beyond the range of our fighters and as a result the bombers were suffering heavy casualties. This situation was both frustrating and disturbing to the fighter pilots who wanted to protect the bombers and have a crack at the enemy fighters. The solution to this problem came about on 25 January because of a rescue mission. On that date a B-25 was downed in the waters off Arno Atoll, and any rescue attempt would require fighter escort. This atoll was beyond the normal operating range of the fighters, and though it was possible for the P-39s and P-40s to fly the 600-mile round trip it meant they would have to pass right over Mili. If any enemy was encountered, the fighters would have to drop their external tanks and this would prevent them from continuing on to Arno. Even if no enemy was encountered they could only orbit over the rescue area for about forty minutes. In spite of the odds against them the fighters did fly the mission successfully, and in doing so a plan for ambushing enemy fighters was born. It was known that the Japanese fighters would follow our returning bombers to at least this point because they had no fear of being intercepted by our fighters. With this thought in mind an ambush mission to take place over Arno Atoll was planned and carried out on 26 January 1944. This mission which Todd Moore now considers his most memorable mission began with the B-25s of the 41st Bomb Group heading out to hit Japanese airfields deep in the Marshall Islands. They would be unescorted over the target area and for a part of the return trip, however the B-25 crews knew that as they passed back over the Arno Atoll our fighters would be waiting for the unsuspecting Japanese fighters. As the B-25s passed over this point the Japanese pilots were to busy to notice P-40s boring in on them. Within minutes the Japanese force had been decimated. Ten enemy aircraft were destroyed, two more listed as probables, and none of our fighters were lost. One of those victories, his first, was scored by Lt. Moore. His flight was providing high cover for the squadron during the bounce of Japanese fighters. Lt. Moore saw several enemy fighters go down under the guns of his squadron mates before he had the opportunity to engage them, however his turn cane soon thereafter. Moore saw a Mitsubishi Zero trying to sneak away from the fight and went after it. As Lt. Moore approached the Japanese pilot saw him and turned for a head-on attack. Moore stayed with the Zero and fired a burst which hit its engine and wing root. As their planes passed each other, Lt. Moore turned and got on the Zero's tail. He recalled the rest of the encounter as follows: "As I closed in on the Zero, he turned slowly over on his back as though the pilot was already dead. I closed to about 700 feet and gave him a slight lead and exploded the fighter with a very short burst." It had been an exceptional mission. The 45th pilots had not only won a great victory in their first large air battle, but they had also demonstrated their skills as aviators by flying round trip of over 800 statute miles over water to accomplish the mission. Most of the P-40s had no more than 35 gallons remaining in their fuel tanks when they returned to base. The 45th FS tried their ambush technique again on 28 January but the Japanese pilots wouldn't even come close to Arno Atoll. In fact, the Japanese pulled their fighter units out if the area later in that same day, and the bombers never faced them again during the remainder of the Marshalls campaign. With the retreat of the Japanese fighter forces the 45th FS returned to flying interdiction missions against Japanese ground positions until the end of the campaign. On 10 March 1944 the campaign ended and the 45th returned to Hawaii to rejoin the rest of the group. When the 45th Fighter Squadron arrived in Hawaii they were re-equiped with new P-47Ds, and began preparing for the upcoming Palau Island campaign. However the combat assignment was given to the 318th FG instead of the 15th FG, and the frustrated 15th resumed flying training missions around the Hawaiian Islands. Shortly after his return to Hawaii, Todd Moore was reassigned to the 78th Fighter Squadron and promoted to the rank of Captain. For the next several months the 15th FG languished in a training role, and morale dropped to a new low. According to Todd Moore the only saving grace for the unit was the opportunities that Hawaii offered. Referring to the low moral he countered, "on the other hand flying from a fighter strip near Honolulu was not the worst duty in the world. There were a few unattached females, plenty of booze, and Waikiki Beach for the more athletically inclined." Finally, in November 1944, news of a new combat assignment sent morale soaring upward. Along with the alert the 15th FG received a new aircraft, the P-51D Mustang, and a hurried schedule of transition training began in earnest. The training came to an end in early 1945, and in February the Group found itself heading for a new base on the island of Iwo Jima. The Marines were still engaged in heavy fighting when the Mustangs of the 15th FG landed on Iwo Jimas airfield No. 1. The date was 6 March 1945, and the ground fighting would go on for another three weeks before the island was considered secure. The Group began operations immediately and, on 7 March, flew its first combat air patrol over the island. The next day they were called on by the Marines to provide close air support for them. For the first month on Iwo the Group continued the CAP over IWO as well as the ground support role. In addition to the missions on Iwo they were flying interdiction missions against Japanese airfield and other installations on nearby Chichi Jima. As the calendar was turned to April it was time to begin the mission which had brought them to Iwo Jima - attack the Japanese home islands. Heavy rains washed away any thought of missions during the first few days of April, but by 5 April the sun was shining again. With the break in the weather, preparations for the first VLR mission were begun. The mission for 7 April 1945 was to escort B-29s of the 73rd Bomb Wind to Tokyo. Their target was the Nakajima aircraft plant. The pilots of the 15th Fighter Group that were selected for this mission were veterans of 800-1000 hours flying time. Veterans of the Marshalls campaign like Todd Moore filled the positions of squadron and flight leaders. The signal for takeoff was given at 0655 hours and in pairs the Mustangs of Iwo Jima headed out on this historic mission. Things looked promising right from the start. The weather was pretty good as they left Iwo and continued to improve as they neared the coastline of Japan. The rendezvous with the Superforts was made right on time over Kozu Shima at 18,000 feet, and the combined strike force headed for the target. As they made landfall the Japanese flak gunners welcomed them with a heavy barrage over Yokasuka and Yokahama. Then a huge force of Japanese fighters appeared on the horizon. They were waiting at the usual bomber altitude of 30,000 feet, and dove to attack the B-29s. The 47th FS of the 15th FG was the first of the escort fighters to swing into action, but the 78th FS soon had its turn. Todd Moore was leading the forward flight of the 78th and for a moment he thought he head already passed the action. Most of the flight was taking place behind him, but as he approached Choshi Point another gaggle of enemy fighters was spotted. His flight was at 22,000 feet and from this vantage point Captain Moore looked down and saw several Japanese fighters heading for the bombers. One of those B-29s was burning and a flight of four Hamps quickly closed in and finished off the disabled bomber. Too late to save the Superfort, Captain Moore led his flight after the escaping enemy fighters. The faster Mustangs quickly closed in on the Hamps, and Captain Moore had them in his sights. He described the ensuing battle as follows: "The bomber exploded but I turned my flight into the Hamps anyway and joined their formation as number five man. I closed on number four, gave him a short burst from 600 feet and he exploded behind the cockpit. Then I gave my plane full throttle and closed on the number three man. I caught him at the bottom of their lazy eight, and gave him about a three second burst that hit his engine and cowling. Then I looked up for the number two man and saw the leader of the formation turning into me. I told the flight to give it full throttle and dive away." As the flight pulled away Moore's wingman reported that Captain Moore's second victim was falling totally out of control. The entire battle had lasted only fort-five seconds and Todd Moore had scored two confirmed victories. Shortly afterwards it was time to head back to Iwo Jima. The flights of the 78th arrived at the rally point and formed up immediately ( this was amazing in itself since the flights had made no attempt to keep flight to flight contact during the combat). The trip back to Iwo Jima was without incident, and by 1430 hours all of the 15th Fighter Group had landed safely. The mission had lasted 71/2 hours and had been an outstanding victory. The bombers had hit their targets, and their escorts had downed twenty-one Japanese fighters. Of equal importance, all of our fighters made it home safely. Seventeen of the days victories were claimed by the 15th FG, seven of which Missing a page as his plane lurched out of control. Another George tried to make a pass at Captain Moore but was driven off by the pilots of Red Flight. After the last enemy aircraft was driven off, Captain Moore then led his flight back to the rally point. En route to the rally point they were involved in one more brief encounter when Red Flight tried to chase off a Zeke which had attacked and heavily damaged Lt. R. S. Moore's Mustang. Captain Moore drove the Zeke off, but it was too late and Lt. Moore's P-51 fell to the earth carrying him along with it. Against the loss of one pilot and two Mustangs, the 15th Fighter Group scored fifteen kills, five probables, and damaged twelve others. With his three victories Todd moore passed Major Jim Tapp and became the Group's leading ace. The enemy fighter pilot could be tough and aggressive at times as seen in the missions of 7 April and 29 May, but to the VLR pilot the elements could sometimes be a tougher foe. Flying seven to eight hour missions in the cramped, uncomfortable cockpit of a single engined fighter was hard enough. In addition to that the VLR pilot had to face 1,00 miles of over water flight, treacherous wind currents, and horrendous storm fronts. They were exhausting missions, and because of this, the pilots were limited to six VLR missions a month. Todd Moore said of the missions, "The VLR missions from Iwo Jima were 7-9 hours duration. Needless to say the missions were exhausting from a physical standpoint, not to mention the mental anguish involved. We were issued Benzedrine pills to take after leaving the target. There was a tendency to relax too much after leaving the target and getting to a safe distance out to sea on the way back to Iwo. The Benzedrine, of course, would not let you go to sleep while flying, but had some real deleterious effects on sleeping at night after the mission. However, flying long missions over water in a single engine fighter is good for at least one thing. I guarantee you that when you have done this for three years, you will never run out of gas in an automobile." Even the three years of flying over the Pacific and experiencing its fickle weather couldn't truly prepare Todd Moore and his fellow pilots for the events of 1 June 1945. On this date Seventh Fighter Command dispatched 148 Mustangs from the 15th, 21st and 506th Fighter Groups to escort B-29s striking at Osaka. When they were about 250 miles out of Iwo they started to encounter layers of clouds, but the weather B-29 ahead of them said everything was okay so they continued on. Shortly thereafter the Mustangs encountered a solid front reaching, by some accounts, from the sea up to 35,000 feet. As they entered the storm front, the little Mustangs were tossed about like toys by the extreme turbulence. The decision was quickly made to abort and get out of there. Trying to maneuver a great number of planes while flying virtually blind compounded the problem, and as a result twenty-seven fighters were lost, ten of them by the 15th FG. One of the lucky survivors was Lt. Burry of Major Todd Moore's Red Flight, who was picked up six days later by a submarine. The mission of 1 June had been a sad and sobering affair. The loss of aircraft and life was the largest suffered by VIIth Fighter Command since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and graphically points out the natural dangers faced by the pilots of Iwo Jima. The Mustangs did not return to Japan until 7 June, and on this date the target again was Osaka. The escort was again provided by all three Mustang groups. The mission began badly for the 15th FG as one of the 47th FS pilots crashed on takeoff, and eight other planes had to abort en route to the rendezvous. At the point of rendezvous the gremlins continued, this time in the form of weather. A huge cloud cover which hung as high as 15,000 feet completely covering the target area. At this point the 15th FG climbed to a higher altitude and watched the bomber strike force as it flew through the clouds and flak bursts. In the middle of this show one Japanese pilot flying a twin engined Nick interceptor tried to make a pass at the bombers. For the Japanese pilot it was very bad timing, because within seconds he was spotted and gunned out of the sky by Todd Moore. Two days later the 15th FG was again headed for Japan. This mission was a fighter sweep of Atsugi airfield near Tokyo. Many Japanese fighters were up and were preparing to bounce the B-29s which were bombing targets in the Tokyo area. The Japanese apparently thought they were going to be attacking unescorted bombers, and were caught by surprise when the 15th FG jumped them at 15,000 feet. The 47th FS initiated the action and score a number of kills as the 45th FS was arriving on the scene. Todd Moore was leading the squadron and immediately notified his men to follow him into the fray. As they charged into the formation of Japanese Ki-48 Franks, Major Moore picked out his target and blasted the Frank out of the sky for his eleventh victory. Shortly after this mission Major Moore was rewarded with a month's leave for rest and recuperation. In mid-July 1945, Todd Moore returned to the 45th Fighter Squadron and assumed command of the squadron on 19 July. For the next few missions he led his squadron to various targets in Japan, but in these waning days of the war aerial encounters were getting scarcer and scarcer. It was not until 10 August that the opportunity would rise again. On this mission they were escorting bombers to targets in Tokyo. Just before reaching the target a handful of Japanese fighters tried to attack the bombers. Their attack was uncoordinated and poorly carried out, and did not hinder the B-29s. However, they left themselves quite vulnerable to our fighters, and four of the Japanese fighters were damaged by pilots of the 47th FS. Major Moore led his 45th FS in the second attack against the Japanese fighters, and in doing so destroyed a KI-44 Tojo for his twelfth and final victory of the war. Four days later the 15th FG participated in its last mission of the war. Rumors were already circulating that the surrender was coming, but the Mustangs headed for their strafing targets in the Nagoya area anyway. They were told to break off if they heard the code word UTAH and come back, but when they reached the target area it had not sounded. They struck at several targets including airfields, trains, railroad yards, etc., and drew considerable flak. Planes were hit, and as Todd Moore led the 15th FG back toward Iwo Jima numerous calls of "MAY DAY" were heard. Fortunately all of the pilots who went down were rescued by the Navy, and as the pilots were thirty minutes out of Japan on the way back to Iwo Jima, UTAH was sounded. The war was over. For Todd Moore the war had been a long one. He had served overseas for thirty seven months, flown 150 combat missions, and became the VIIth Fighter Command's highest scoring ace. His final score was twelve aerial victories, one probable, and three damaged. He destroyed an additional three enemy planes on the ground. His efforts earned him the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Medal with nine OLC's. He left the service shortly after World War Tow and returned to Kentucky to begin his civilian career in Business.
|