| Original caption: “Crewmen lifting Aviation Ordinance Mate Kenneth Bratton out of turret of TBF on the USS Saratoga (CV-3) after raid on Rabaul.” United States Navy Lieutenant Julius “Julie” Bescos (April 12, 1912 – May 23, 2009) and others extricate Aviation Ordinanceman Kenneth C. Bratton (December 17, 1918 – April 15, 1982) of Oxford, Mississippi, from the turret of his Grumman TBF-1 Avenger after raiding Rabaul to suppress the Imperial Japanese Navy 2nd Fleet. On November 1, 1943, the United States I Marine Amphibious Corps landed at Cape Torokina on Bougainville. Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Mineichi Koga (September 25, 1885 – March 31, 1944) dispatched the 2nd fleet with 7 heavy cruisers – Takao, Maya, Atago, Suzuya, Mogami, Chikuma, and Chokai – under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita (April 28, 1889 – December 19, 1977) to Rabaul to attack the beachhead. United States Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959), Commanding Officer of the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), had limited options, as most of the Pacific Fleet was preparing for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. He ordered Task Force 38, consisting of fleet carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and light carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23), and their escorts, to attack Rabaul on November 4. The carriers reached their launch point the next day, 230 miles (370 kilometers) from Rabaul. Task Force 38 launched 97 aircraft – 33 Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters, 16 Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo planes, and 22 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from Saratoga and 19 Hellcats and 7 Avengers from Princeton. Photographer United States Navy Lieutenant Wayne F. Miller (September 19, 1918 – May 22, 2013) part of Commander Edward Steichen’s (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, was assigned to Saratoga’s Air Group Commanding Officer, United States Navy Commander Henry H. Caldwell (October 3, 1905 – March 22, 1985), on Rocklin, California, flying a Grumman TBF-1 Avenger from Torpedo 12 (VT-12). Bratton was Caldwell’s gunner. Aviation Radioman 1st Class Robert W. Morey (February 1, 1907 – June 9, 1981) of Los Angeles, California, was assigned the 3rd seat. That morning, Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Paul T. Barnett (October 9, 1913 – November 5, 1943) knocked on the door of Miller’s cabin. As an enlisted man, he wasn’t supposed to be in “officer’s country” without a duty to complete. Barnett was due to rotate home soon, and he asked Miller if he could switch places with him in Caldwell’s TBF. Miller, who had gone on several missions, felt he couldn’t say no. Barnett crammed his body behind Caldwell in the cockpit while Morey and Bratton took their positions. Flying 50 miles to Rabaul, the strike achieved complete surprise, which was necessary since Rabaul had approximately 150 operational Imperial Japanese Army and Navy aircraft. The aircraft held formation, much to the surprise of the Japanese, who had interceptors hoping to pick off stragglers who they hoped would go after bait aircraft lingering just outside the flight. The Dauntless dive bombers hit Maya, causing hull damage; Takao, on her main deck; Atago was near-missed 3 times and peppered with shrapnel; Mogami was hit forward between her turrets, forcing the flooding of her magazines. The TBFs had less luck; only 2 torpedoes hit, and they were both duds. As Caldwell observed the mission, Japanese Zeroes attacked him and his escort of Hellcats. A 20 millimeter shell hit the F6F Hellcat flown by United States Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Stanley K. Crockett (July 30, 1971 – August 10, 1978) of Ogden, Utah. He lost power and went out of the fight. Ensign Carlton B. Roberts of Riverside, California, was hit over 200 times; his armored seat kept him alive. His instruments were shot out, and he nursed his F6F Hellcat back to Saratoga. Caldwell fared much worse. A Japanese 7.7 millimeter (.303 caliber) hit Barnett in the head, killing him. The last photograph in Barnett’s camera was a single frame of the 0, heading straight at Caldwell’s Avenger. Bratton was struck in the legs and near the base of his spine by shell fragments. He survived the flight back to the Saratoga by applying tourniquets to stem the flow of blood. Caldwell assumed he was the only man aboard alive until Radioman Morey handed him a note saying the other 2 were “out of commission.” Only 1 of the aircraft’s landing gear was functioning, the pilot had no use of his flaps, and his radio was out. He elected to land on the carrier rather than ditch in the sea because the seriously wounded Bratton might not be able to escape from the rear gun turret. As Caldwell approached the carrier, he made a pass over the ship he held up 2 fingers for the land signal officer to show that he had 2 wounded aboard. The engine began to sputter, and the plane dipped almost into the water, but the engine caught just in time, and Caldwell went around for a final approach. As he came in, Caldwell kept the plane level and made a “fantastic” 1-wheel landing, coming to a stop as the Avenger plowed into a barrier designed to stop careening aircraft. “I’m ok, but I hurt like hell,” Bratton said as Bescos and the deck handlers began to pull him free. Bescos and Bratton never saw each other again in person, just in Miller’s photo. He was on deck waiting for the strike aircraft to return and took a series of photos of removing Bratton and Barnett’s body from the TBF Avenger and bringing them below. Bratton was taken to a rehabilitation hospital in California; a metal plate was surgically implanted in his knee. He had a small indentation in his back. It was his impression that the shrapnel in his back was just inches from killing him. He applied to return to combat with Torpedo 12, but was denied. This photograph made Bratton a national hero. He was sent on war bond drives and appeared with vocalist Kate Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986), the “First Lady of Radio,” on her popular radio program. He also toured with Mary Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990). Bratton enlisted on December 20, 1941, and was honorably discharged on December 1, 1944. After the war, Bratton attended the University of Mississippi for a year before returning to the Navy. After his final discharge, he worked for the Hill-Behan Lumber Company. Occasionally, he had trouble with his knee. He died of colon cancer. Bescos, a basketball, football, and baseball star while in college, graduating in 1934, was inducted into the University of Southern California Hall of Fame. After World War II, he worked for StarKist Foods for 40 years. United States Navy Lieutenant Wayne F. Miller (September 19, 1918 – May 22, 2013) later photographed the devastation at Hiroshima. The recipient of 2 Guggenheim Fellowships in 1946-1948, he photographed for LIFE, Magnum Photos, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1551.jpg |
| Image Size | 1,004.79 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1887 x 2490 |
| Photographer | Wayne Miller |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 5, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Rabaul |
| State or Province | New Britain |
| Country | Bismarcks |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-415477 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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