Torpedo Squadron Four
A Cockpit View of World War II
by Gerald W. Thomas
260 letter size pages, 140 photos of ships,
airplanes, pilots, crew members, and air strikes,
36 chapters of World War II action from beginning to end,
852 index entries of people, places, and ships
Soft Cover - $28.50 plus $3.00 shipping and handling
This is a historical account of World War II as seen from the cockpit of an Avenger, the U.S. Navy's famous torpedo bomber and later rehashed in the ready rooms of three aircraft carriers. While the focus is on the activities of one squadron, Torpedo Four (VT-4) operated with Bombing Four (VB-4) and Fighting Four (VF-4) as a coordinated strike group designated as Air Group Four. In late December 1944, the dive bombers, because of heavy combat losses, were replaced on the Essex with two Marine fighter squadrons (VMF-124 and VMF-213). This historical account includes a part of the combat records of these additional squadrons who played an essential role in the effectiveness of all Air Group operations.
VT-4 was commissioned January 10, 1942, aboard the original USS Ranger while at anchor off Bermuda. It was the Navy's first torpedo squadron commissioned at sea. Serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of operation, VT-4 is credited with the destruction of more than 160,000 tons of enemy shipping and numerous shore-based military installations.
Torpedo Four was assigned to three different aircraft carriers during World War II. Initially, on the Ranger the squadron flew with six Douglas "Devastators." Later, VT-4 became a nine-plane unit flying some of the first Grumman TBF Avengers. Aboard the USS Bunker Hill and USS Essex in the Pacific, the Squadron operated with 15-18 TBMs.
Planes from Torpedo Squadron Four were on the flight deck ready for launch on November 25, 1944, when a kamikaze flew through heavy flak and exploded on the port bow of the USS Essex.
This brief history of Torpedo Squadron Four was compiled from declassified records in the Naval Archives, from personal journals, from interviews with pilots and flight crew, and from selected historical documents. The extensive quotes used, drawn directly from the debriefings after each mission, serve as a base for the factual history of strikes on the enemy. But it is the author's personal accounts that reflect the emotion, tension, frustration, and humor of squadron members.
Dr. Gerald W. Thomas was one of the pilots of Torpedo Squadron Four. Forty one months of active duty with the Navy during World War II earned him three DFCs, two Air Medals, two Presidential Unit Citations, as well as combat ribbons in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Theaters of War. Flying from three aircraft carriers, Lt (jg) Thomas survived several plane crashes and one splashdown in the South China Sea.
After WWII, Thomas was employed by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service in Idaho. He returned to graduate school at Texas A&M in 1950 under the GI Bill. He held teaching and research positions at Texas A&M, was Dean of Agriculture at Texas Tech, and was President of New Mexico State University. He is now an international consultant in natural resource management and world food production.
Dr. Thomas is the author or coauthor of three books and over 200 professional publications mostly relating to world food production or natural resource management. Completing a detailed history of Torpedo Four has been a lingering challenge since Thomas mustered out of the Navy in September 1945.
Some comments on Torpedo Four: A Cockpit View of World War II :
"Torpedo Squadron Four is amply illustrated with
photos and diagrams, many seen here for the first time in
print. It contains few errors and is a well written and
researched document. The text reflects the emotion, tension,
humor and fear of a young man during WWII."
Commander Dong Siegfried, for "The Hook: Journal of
Carrier Aviation", Bonita, California
"Rich in detail gleaned from interviews, letters, and
military records, the book serves as both a personal and
military history of the squadron which saw combat in the
North Atlantic and Pacific."
Robert Burnson, Las Cruces Sun News
"Shows WWII in a new light, makes the torpedo pilot a
real person - it will have broad appeal."
Dr. Thadis Box, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
"A major strength of this manuscript is that it is
based on so much primary material - prodigious
research."
Dr. Monroe Billington, New Mexico State University, Las
Cruces, New Mexico
"This book is meaningful to anyone even vaguely
familiar with World War II. Many pilots, crews and planes
were lost in terrible battles. Thomas does not dwell on these
aspects, good or bad. The record tells the story."
Barbara Funkhouser, El Paso Times
"My grade for your production goes off the scale
after 4.0."
Jack "Raider" Radford, VB-4 and VF-4, Belmont,
California
"Exceptional in every way. Well done!"
Leonard Watson, Fighting Four, Wright City, Missouri
"I'm always pleased to hear from a fellow flyer, and
I appreciate your sharing your work with me."
President George Bush, The White House, Washington, D.C.
"Extensive quotes are drawn directly from the
debriefings after each mission and serve as a base for the
factual history of strikes against the enemy. The narrative
is flavored b the human dimensions."
Frank Pinnock, Panorama News Writer, Las Cruces, New Mexico
"The
fact-continuity/humanism/realism/humor/tragedy...are
magnificently flow- controlled...interest binding."
David Van Sluyters, Bombing Four, Schenectady, New York
"I went through the book page by page and relived the
experiences. This excellent book served as a basis for my own
personal comments on WWII."
Page P. Stephens, Torpedo Four, Clover, South Carolina
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