Late September 1944

9-23-14

More from Frank Studenski’s diary:

September 22, 1944:   Early this morning as e were going to dawn general quarters, the other task force was firing at Jap planes.   A couple of planes trying to get away from the other task force, ran into us.   We opened fire but did not get them, a couple of fighters got them later on.   About a half hour later a group of planes sneaked through our fighter screen and then everything started popping, dive bombers started at us and we opened fire and they dropped their bombs, but it was short of the carriers by a couple of hundred feet.   They were pretty lousy pilots.   One plane started to make a run in on us, but never finished it.   We started opening fire and he just turned around and went as fast as he could in the opposite direction.   None of the ships were hit.   One Jap plane started strafing the carrier Hornet and two men were killed and several wounded.   It was pretty quiet for the rest of the day.

We had to leave the area in the afternoon on account of a typhoon that was headed our way.   This is the season for typhoons.   The total damage done to the Japs in one day and a half was 15 ships sunk, 3o damaged, drydocks destroyed, 250 planes destroyed, we lost 15 planes.

September 23, 1944:   Today we refueled and are heading back to the Philippines Island.   Army troops landed on Ulithi Island today.

September 14, 1944:   Planes took off this morning to bomb Leyte, in the central Philippines.   So far it has been pretty quiet, nothing was seen all day.

September 25, 1944:   Planes continued hitting targets on Leyte, it has been quiet all day.

September 26, 1944:   Today we are heading back to Eniwetok, after completing one of the longest operations at sea.

September 27-30, 1944:   We are anchored at Eniwetok atoll to take on provisions and ammo.   We go ashore in LCVP or LSM Landing Crafts.