| Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless scout bombers, of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6). Composite photograph of 9 planes in flight, with USS Enterprise (CV-6) and a plane guard destroyer below. Note differences in ocean surface wave patterns between the upper and lower images, skillfully blended to combine the 2 photographs. Visible are side numbers 6-S-14, 6-S-2, 6-S-12, 6-S-7, 6-S-9, 6-S-16, and 6-S-17. In April 1941, Ensign Walter M. Willis (January 14, 1917 – December 7, 1941), wrote about the arrival of the new Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless airplanes in Scouting Squadron VS-6. “Got our new ships in commission and they certainly are sweet. Up high they move like a cat that has sat in a puddle of turpentine.” The plane did not treat him so well during 1 at sea period on board Enterprise. “This crack-up you’ve heard rumors about wasn’t even worth mentioning,” he wrote on November 16, 1941. “All that happened was my engine failed on a take-off from the carrier and I plopped into the ocean about a half mile in front of the ship. I was only wet up to my knees and got that while I was standing on the wing reading the instructions on ‘how to operate’ the inflatable life raft.” He also wrote of his assigned airplane, side number 6-S-15. “She’s my own while at sea and my pride and joy.” On the morning of December 7, 1941, while most of the ships of the Pacific Fleet lay silently at anchor in the waters of Pearl Harbor, the carrier Enterprise (CV-6) and her escorts were underway returning to Hawaii after delivering F4F Wildcats of Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 211 to Wake Atoll. When they had departed on their ferrying trip 10 days earlier, Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. had issued Battle Order Number 1 to his command, noting that they were operating under war conditions given the ominous signs that international relations with Japan were deteriorating. Nevertheless, on this Sunday morning few foresaw the hostilities commencing over the horizon, including the crews of 18 SBD Dauntless dive-bombers as they prepared to launch to search ahead of the carrier and then land at Ford Island. If anything, they were going to have the opportunity to go ashore before their shipmates arrived in port. At 0748, Kaneohe Airfield, Hawaii was strafed and bombed. At the same time Scouting 6 planes began to arrive over Oahu. To maintain radio silence, United States Navy Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) had not informed Pearl Harbor his location or of his reconnaissance patrol. When news of the attack reached him, his 1st thought was, “My God, they’re shooting at my own boys!” 1 of the 1st 2-plane sections to arrive was aircraft 6-S-16, piloted by Ensign Frank A. Patriarca (December 3, 1913 – October 17, 1987) with gunner Radioman 1st Class Joseph F. DeLuca (April 23, 1990 – May 13, 1992), and 6-S-15, piloted by Ensign Willis with gunner Coxswain Fred J. Ducolon (1912 – December 7, 1941). They almost made it to Ford Island. The 2 had passed Barbers Point, rounded Ewa Field, and were actually lining up on their landing approach when the attack began. They noticed the antiaircraft fire, but it was not until a Japanese Aichi D3A Type 99 “Val” dive-bomber winged over and flashed the rising sun insignia that Patriarca knew something was very wrong. At the same instant, tracers began whizzing past his plane. Immediately, Patriarca opened throttle, diving back toward the coast. He had decided to try and make it all the way back to the Enterprise when he realized he was alone. After searching for 6-S-15, his fuel was low, so he landed at Burns Field on Kauai. Mitsubishi 0 fighters led by Lieutenant Masaji Suganami (???? – November 14, 1942) from the carrier Soryu would later claim 3 SBDs. Willis and Ducolon’s SBD empennage (tail section) wasn’t found until 2008 off Ewa in 760 feet (230 meters) of water. The main wreckage of the plane, with their remains, has yet to be located. At about the same time, 6-B-3 and 6-B-12 approached Pearl Harbor. Ensign Manuel “Manny” Gonzalez (April 26, 1911 – December 7, 1941) and gunner Radioman 3rd Class Leonard J. Kozelek (November 1, 1918 – December 7, 1941) were in 6-B-3, and 6-B-12 was piloted by Ensign Frederick T. “Frank” Weber (February 4, 1916 – June 4, 1942) with gunner Seaman 1st Class Leroy E. J. “Lee” Keaney (April 27, 1916 – June 4, 1942). Their segment of the search had finished 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Kauai, whereupon they turned and headed toward Oahu and Pearl Harbor. No 1 knows exactly what happened to Gonzalez that day, but when the 2 planes were about 25 miles (40 kilometers) off Oahu, Weber noticed a group of 40 to 50 planes he thought belonged to the Army circling at about 3,500 feet (a 1,000 meters). Although he had been flying just 500 feet above and behind 6-B-3, when Weber looked back Gonzalez was gone. Gonzalez’s last message, which several other aircraft heard, was something like, “Do not fire. We are American aircraft,” or words to that effect. Moments later, Gonzalez was calling to his gunner to break out the rubber raft. Nothing else was heard from them, and no trace was ever found. It seems incredible that an aircraft could have shot down Gonzalez and missed Weber, but such may well have been the case, since Weber innocently began a search of the area and performed 4 or 5 slow “S” turns looking for his comrade. It was just Weber’s bad luck that he had told his radioman to change frequencies and get some homing practice on the approach into Pearl, thus missing Gonzalez’s last message. Still unaware of the attack and unable to spot S-B-3, Weber continued on toward Pearl until he noticed an aircraft about 2,000 feet directly ahead of him. Thinking it was Gonzalez at last, he increased speed and attempted to form up on him when the unknown plane suddenly turned 180 degrees and approached. Weber performed a slow, wide turn to help close on the approaching aircraft. Only when it was close off his starboard bow and finally made a flipper turn was Weber able to see the red circles that identified it as Japanese. He immediately increased speed and dove to an altitude of 25 feet. The Japanese pilot did not follow, and Weber flew on to Barbers Point where he formed up on 6-S-10, piloted by Lieutenant W. Earl Gallaher (May 9, 1907 – February 4, 1983), with gunner Aviation Chief Radioman 1st Class Thomas E. Merritt (August 8, 1919 – December 4, 1998) and began circling a few miles off the coast as other Enterprise planes were arriving. Weber described the Japanese plane as resembling a German Junkers Ju-87 Stuka type dive-bomber. Such a description would seem to describe the Japanese Aichi D3A Type 99 “Val” dive-bombers operating over Pearl Harbor. A Japanese report confirms that “Vals” from the aircraft carrier Shokaku were returning to sea after bombing Hickam Field and were 20 miles (32 kilometers) off Keana Point when they shot down an SBD. At about 0820 Hours, 6-S-14, piloted by Ensign Edward T. Deacon (September 29, 1914 – June 2, 1995) with gunner Radioman 3rd Class Audrey G. Coslett (February 14, 1921 – November 21, 1990), and 6-S-9 flown by Ensign Wilbur E. Roberts (April 17, 1915 – March 17, 2000) with gunner Aviation Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Donald H. Jones (September 11, 1911 – April 18, 1984), arrived off Kaena Point. There they noticed about 30 aircraft in a long column at an altitude of a 100 feet and only 400 feet away. Roberts saw their green camouflage and assumed they were United States Army aircraft. 1 plane came so close that the Japanese pilot even waggled his wings as he flew by. “The significance of the red circles on the wings did not occur to me until later,” Roberts later wrote in his after action report. The column of planes did not attack, and neither did the Dauntlesses. At the same time, the Dauntless pilots noticed the large amount of smoke and geysers of water produced by coastal antiaircraft guns. Dauntlesses 6-S-14 and 6-B-9 kept flying toward Ford Island until they heard the “Don’t shoot” call of Ensign Gonzalez. Then they charged their guns and climbed to 1,000 feet, observing about 20 Japanese fighters over Pearl Harbor. Worse, coming straight toward them were 25 dive-bombers that had just completed their dives. Both Deacon and Roberts dove to the water and headed for Hickam Field, flying directly over Fort Weaver. When the American pilots were just overhead at an altitude of 200 feet, Army gunners opened fire on them with 20 millimeter cannon and 50 caliber machine guns. Beginning to sputter and trail smoke, 6-S-14 turned back toward the water. 200 yards past the beach, Deacon splashed down in 2 feet of water. The fliers were still under rifle and machine gun fire when Coslett was hit in the right arm and neck. Deacon was nicked in the thigh, and another shot cut through his parachute harness. Stumbling out of the swamped dive bomber, he used a radio cord to tie off Coslett’s wound and broke out the life raft to escape. After paddling about a 100 yards from their plane, the 2 were picked up by a rescue boat. Meanwhile, aboard 6-S-9, Roberts and Jones had also noticed the tracers streaming upward but were able to land at Hickam even though their left wing was streaming gasoline. They stayed there until the 2nd wave of Japanese attackers arrived. Jones fired his rear-mounted guns until all his ammunition was expended. Lieutenant Commander Howard L. “Brigham” Young (November 23, 1901 – April 4, 1954), Commander Enterprise Air Group (CEAG), was flying with Lieutenant Commander Bromfield B. Nichol (January 18, 1904 – April 12, 1968), 1 of Halsey’s tactical officers, in the gunner’s seat. Young’s wingman was 6-S-2, piloted by Ensign Perry L. Teaff (April 20, 1916 – April 29, 1992) with gunner Radioman 3rd Class Edgar P. Jinks (May 11, 1919 – February 24, 1942). When they neared Barbers Point, they too saw a large column of “Army” planes and gave them a wide berth, continuing toward Ford Island. Teaff was above and behind Young, watching attentively as 1 of the Japanese planes winged over and attacked. Although he saw the fighters approaching from behind, he made no effort to maneuver. At a range of 75 yards, 1 of them opened fire. Teaff pulled to the right, allowing Jinks to get off a short burst as the plane passed them by and concentrated on Young. Neither Teaff nor Jinks was hit, but their plane was “liberally sprinkled” with slugs. Teaff even noted that a few were shot at such an angle that some of them glanced off his wings. Closing on Young, the Japanese pilot opened fire at close range. Young remembered that the cascade of bullets was instantaneous with his realization that Pearl was under attack. He immediately dove away and zigzagged. Again there was no damage. 2 American dive-bombers flying straight and slow had been attacked at close range by a veteran 0 fighter pilot who missed. Young and Teaff remained together. Since it was obvious they would be fired on no matter what direction they went, they continued toward Ford Island. At about 0835 Hours, both planes landed safely. Even though they had their wheels down and flashed recognition signals, they endured heavy antiaircraft fire all the way. Young recalled, “I was under fire until my wheels touched the ground on Ford Island — some of the guns being not more than fifty yards distance from me.” Even more incredibly, no 1 was injured, nor was either plane seriously damaged, though Teaff’s took a few 50 caliber slugs in the tail and the hydraulic system was hit. Since the Enterprise was still under radio silence when the men hopped out of their aircraft, the commander of Ford Island, Captain George Shoemaker, rushed to the pilots and shouted, “What the hell goes on here?” Only then was Young able to disclose the location of the Enterprise, the presence of the 18 SBDs, and their mission. The next planes to make contact apparently were 6-S-4, piloted by Lieutenant Clarence E. Dickinson (December 1, 1912 – October 4, 1984) with gunner Radioman 3rd Class William C. Miller (July 18, 1919 – December 7, 1941), and 6-S-9, piloted by Ensign John R. “Bud” McCarthy (March 1, 1918 – May 19, 1981) with gunner Radioman 3rd Class Mitchell Cohn (May 12, 1920 – December 7, 1941). At about 0825 Hours, they were approaching Barbers Point when they saw thick smoke from what turned out to be the stricken battleship USS Arizona (BB-39). Then they saw splashes in the water. Like the others, Dickinson thought the smoke was from burning cane fields and the splashes were just an Army gunnery drill. The firing was so wild that he thought, “Just wait. Tomorrow the Army will certainly catch hell for it.” Finally, he realized the harbor was covered with antiaircraft blossoms. Dickinson immediately ordered his wingman to close formation and climb to 4,000 feet, where McCarthy was attacked by 2 fighters. Together, the SBDs dove back down to 1,000 feet where 4 more fighters attacked. Looking aft, Dickinson saw McCarthy’s plane catch fire “from the right side of the engine and the right main tank. It lost speed and dropped about fifty yards astern and to the left. I could see it still attempting to fight as it slowly circled to the left losing altitude.” The plane lost speed and crashed. Dickinson saw only 1 parachute. McCarthy had managed to get out, although he broke his leg, presumably after hitting the rear stabilizer on the way out. Cohn did not make it. Meanwhile, Dickinson was still under attack by as many as 5 Zeroes. As he dove, his gunner returned fire and said, “Mr. Dickinson, I have been hit once, but I think I have got one of those sons of bitches.” When Dickinson glanced rearward, he saw a Japanese plane on fire losing altitude and speed. It was the 1st Navy aerial victory of the war. A few minutes later, Miller reported that all 6 cans of his ammunition were gone…and then he screamed. As the attacking fighter sped past, Dickinson was able to get in 2 short bursts from his forward guns, but they had little effect. The attacks continued, and he could only watch helplessly as holes began appearing in his wings. Amazingly, he was not hurt, but his ankle was nicked and there were horizontal cuts in his sock. Soon, his left fuel tank was on fire, he lost all control of his plane, and it began to slip to the right. As it started to spin, Dickinson called for Miller to bail out and then jumped at an altitude of 800 feet. He landed alone and unhurt near Ewa Field. Dickinson managed to get out of the falling plane; but Miller, either dead or so severely wounded that he was unable to free himself from the aircraft – remained with it until it crashed into a cane field. On the ground, Dickinson was able to catch a ride with an elderly couple in a blue sedan who had not quite realized what was going on. They were going to a picnic and did not want to be late. How unfortunate that the military was causing all this fuss. They finally figured things out when a van just ahead of them was rocked by machine-gun and cannon fire. Moments later, it careened off the road on flat tires, Coming to rest covered in dust and peppered with holes. Lieutenant Commander Halstead L. Hopping (September 25, 1902 – February 1, 1942) was piloting 6-S-1 with gunner Radioman 1st Class Harold “R.” Thomas (April 3, 1906 – February 1, 1942), while 6-S-3 was piloted by Ensign J.H.L. Vogt (September 18, 1915 – December 7, 1941) with gunner Radioman 3rd Class Sidney Pierce (June 2, 1922 – December 7, 1941). While on their patrol, Hopping spotted a ship and left Vogt’s company to investigate. When he returned, he was unable to locate 6-S-3 and continued alone. Landing at Ford Island during the dive-bombing attack, 6-S-1 endured heavy friendly antiaircraft fire. Miraculously, his aircraft was only hit once, a bullet in a battery that did not have any effect. Vogt, having been left by Hopping, continued alone and ran into a flight of Zeros probably led by Lieutenant Yoshio Shiga (1914 – November 25, 2005) from the aircraft carrier Kaga. Eyewitnesses near Ewa Field stated that Vogt’s SBD attacked and clung tenaciously to the tail of a D3A Type 99 “Val” firing constantly until it pulled up and stalled, causing Vogt to slam into it. The 2 planes fell entangled to the earth. Ensign Carlton T. “Misty” Fogg (August 19, 1917 – February 1, 1942) was piloting 6-S-11 with gunner Radioman 3rd Class Otis L. Dennis (March 25, 1913 – February 1, 1942), and 6-S-8 was piloted by Ensign Cleo J. Dobson (November 3, 1913 – April 18, 1967) with gunner Radioman 3rd Class Roy L. Hoss (July 19, 1914 – September 30, 1976). They tried to land at Ford Island, but realizing it was under attack, they returned to Barbers Point and joined up with the other circling Enterprise planes for about 45 minutes. At that time, they all tried to land at Ford but were met with such heavy antiaircraft fire that the formation scattered. Fogg turned back, while Dobson actually made it in. Having landed at Ewa, Fogg kept watch with a field phone from inside the metal scoop of a steam shovel during the 2nd attack wave. Dauntless 6-S-7, piloted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Hart D. Hilton (May 24, 1913 – September 27, 2000) with gunner Aviation Chief Radioman 2nd Class Jack Leaming (December 6, 1919 – August 5, 2013), and 6-B-5, piloted by Ensign Edwin J. “Bud” Kroeger (October 29, 1913 – September 29, 2002) with gunner Radioman 2nd Class Walter F. Chapman (August 10, 1916 – July 2, 1919), arrived off Barbers Point at about 0845 Hours. They could not see the attack at Pearl but did notice 2 large groups of aircraft. They circled with the others for a while and then tried to land at Ewa Field where “definite evidence of the attack was first noted.” They were immediately waved off for fear they would draw strafing Japanese planes, and the SBDs headed for Ford where they met heavy antiaircraft fire. Both planes broke off and returned to Ewa where they were refueled and loaded with 500-pound (226 kilogram) bombs. Dauntlesses 6-S-10, piloted by Lieutenant Gallaher with his gunner Merritt, and 6-S-5, piloted by Ensign William P. West (December 8, 1913 – May 20, 1942) with gunner Radioman 3rd Class Louis D. “Speed” Hansen (December 21, 1921 – June 4, 1942), also passed over Kauai as they approached Oahu from the northwest. Ensign West noticed approximately 10 monoplanes marked in bright colors but mistook them for Army observation planes. These Dauntlesses also continued along until they reached Barbers Point and saw what they thought were burning cane fields. Only when they got closer to Pearl did they realize the truth. With the others, they landed at Ewa and then left immediately for Ford Island. Among the group that departed Enterprise early in the morning for the run-in to Barbers Point, 7 SBDs were shot down, either from enemy action or friendly fire, 8 airmen were killed (3 pilots and 5 gunners) and 2 wounded. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2107.jpg |
| Image Size | 2.46 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 5609 x 4355 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | October 27, 1941 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | Pacific Ocean |
| Archive | Naval History and Heritage Command |
| Record Number | 80-G-6678 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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