The astonishing saga of Air Group's momentous six-month combat tour in
the Pacific War.
The record of Carrier Air Group 15 in World War II is astonishing by any
measure: it scored 312 enemy aircraft destroyed, 33 probably destroyed,
and 65 damaged in aerial combat, plus 348 destroyed, 161 probably
destroyed, and 129 damaged in ground attacks. Twenty-six Fighting 15
pilots became aces, including their leader, Commander David McCampbell,
who became the U.S. Navy's "Ace of Aces." Twenty-one squadron pilots
were killed in action and one in an operational accident aboard the
carrier Essex.
The fighter squadron's partners, Bombing Squadron 15 and Torpedo
Squadron 15, scored 174,300 tons of enemy shipping, including 37 cargo
vessels sunk, 10 probably sunk, and 39 damaged. As well, Musashi, the
world's largest battleship, was sunk, along with a light aircraft
carrier, a destroyer, destroyer escort, two minesweepers and other
craft--plus the Zuikaku, the last surviving carrier that participated in
the Pearl Harbor attack. Incredibly, every pilot of Torpedo 15 was
awarded the Navy Cross, the highest award for bravery after the Medal of
Honor.
All of this took place between May and November, 1944. No other American
combat unit in any service came close to a similar score in such a short
time period. Air Group 15 participated in the two greatest naval battles
in history, the Philippine Sea--also known as the Marianas Turkey
Shoot--and Leyte Gulf, which saw the end of Japanese naval power. On
June 19, 1944, Fighting 15 shot down 68.5 attacking Japanese aircraft, a
one-day record unmatched by any other U.S. fighter squadron.
In documenting the saga of Air Group 15's momentous six months at war,
the author provides an intimate and insightful view of the group's
fabled combat tour, including details of daily life and human
interactions aboard the fleet carrier USS Essex during the busiest phase
of the Pacific War.
