MARINE FIGHTING SQUADRON 222, MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 14
FIRST MARINE AIRCRAFT WING, FLEET MARINE FORCE,
C/O FLEET POST OFFICE, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

WAR DIARY

From

ANDERSON, leading ZANGER, MARSHALL, and GRIFFITH, took off on Rabaul Patrol and after dropping their bombs with unobserved results on two villages on Watom Island, they performed a negative patrol.

For the Record: 26 Sorties, 86.3 hours.

LANGLEY, leading McCALL, GILLESPIE, and BROWN, took off on Rabaul Patrol. They bombed an assigned target area on the western edge of the Kulon Plantation. One bomb caused a gray smoke fire and all lO0O# bombs exploded in the area. The flight also strafed this entire area in several runs with unobserved results. GILLESPIE returned early with BROWN whose flight landed early because of engine trouble.

For the Record: 20 Sorties, 66.5 hours.

DRIFTMIER, leading GRAHAM, HANSEN, and BOLLER, took off to Patrol Rabaul. After a vain attempt to get through the bad weather, which had built up west of New Ireland and over Rabaul area, they landed, with bombs.

For the Record: 22 Sorties, 59.6 hours.

SPURLOCK leading BARNETT, MATNEY, and DUGAN, took off to Patrol Rabaul. They destroyed five native type huts and one warehouse at Valavolo Mission with bombs and strafed a large truck loaded with supplies and from which two Japs ran who were probably killed by the strafing. The truck exploded.

For the Record: 10 Sorties, 27.8 hours.

CRAPO and LYNCH performed a negative local dusk patrol.

For the Record: 18 Sorties, 39.2 hours.

CHATHAM and MARKER took off on a local dusk patrol and returned with negative report.

For the Record: 21 Sorties, 36.6 hours.

MARSHALL, leading GRAHAM, DRIFTMIER, and ZANGER, took off to Patrol Rabaul. Fronted weather prevented them getting through and they turned to a secondary bombing the bridge across the Sae River on New Ireland. Two craters were put in the road at both ends of the bridge.

AMERINE, DAY, GAUVREAU, NELSON, SEME, WILDER, WRIGHT, and VITTITOE returned from health and recreation at Sydney this date.

For the Record: 19 Sorties, 66.7 hours.

ANDERSON leading ZANGER, MARSHALL, and GAUVREAU; and CRAPO leading LANGLEY. MARKER, CHATHAM, SCRIMGEOUR, and HOTT, took off to strike Pondo Plantation after going around a front over New Ireland and around Cape Lambert to the target, they arrived with good weather and bombed the two targets assigned. These were just area targets and were believed to have been effectively covered although no specific damage was observed. Only one flash of AA (probably 20 MM) was observed from a position on a hill back of the plantation and the entire area was thoroughly strafed after bombing. One small fire was started although the source was not determined.

MATNEY and DUGAN took off on local dusk patrol - negative.

BROWN, GILLESPIE, GRIFFITH, HANSEN, VAUGHN, LYNCH, McCALL, and McIVER leave for Sydney on health and recreation tour, this date.

For the Record: 18 Sorties, 62.0 hours.

SCRIMGEOUR and HOTT took off on Dumbo escort and covered him to Cape Archway and return, No distress calls received.
1710-1845 DRIFTMIER and SEMB took off on local dusk patrol negative.

For the Record: 21 Sorties, 63.6 hours.

MATNEY, leading BARNETT, DUGAN, and WRIGHT, took off to Patrol Rabaul. One plane took off without bomb but two dropped on a possible supply area 1/2 mile north of Vunakanau and one hit in the center of the hut area, damage unobserved. The third bomb hit in the hut area at Tawliua. More trucks observed but not strafed by this flight because of the areas they were seen in being heavily fortified to be worth the risk.

For the Record: 28 Sorties, 50.0 hours.

REEDER, leading VITTITOE, DRIFTMIER, and SEME, took off to Patrol Rabaul. One bomb was dropped on Mioko Island, no damage; another cratered the Rapopo runway at the north end; the other two were dropped at a large truck parked at Ralum but one missed by fifty feet, and the other failed to detonate. After bombing they covered the LCIs from Duke of York to Dunup Plantation and the remainder of the patrol was negative.

For the Record: 22 Sorties, 75.7 hours.

VITTITOE, BARNETT, and DUGAN took off on local dusk patrol - negative.

Major GEIGER returned from Sydney today and Lt (MC) POTICHA departed for Sydney on health and recreation tour.

For the Record: 16 Sorties, 29.5 hours.

DINGFELTER, HEILMAN, BOLLER, DAY, NELSON, VITTITOE, WILDER, WRIGHT, GAUVREAU, SEMB, and GRAHAM practiced night flying tactics.

For the Record: 24 Sorties, 38.8 hours.

REEDER, leading VITTITOE, DRIFTMIER, and SEMB, took off to Patrol Rabaul. The weather was building up badly and Rabaul was closed in so they bombed down the east coast of Gazelle Peninsula at Wat Wat where a serviceable bridge was undamaged by two bombs, and at Induna Island where a barge wee also missed by two bombs but was strafed, with three runs after bombing but would not burn. The remainder of the patrol was negative.

For the Record: 28 Sorties, 80.2 hours.

DINGFELTER, leading HEILMAN, PERU, and BOLLER, took off to Patrol Rabaul; one bomb was dropped on Waitavalo Mission and three on buildings and huts at Natava Plantation. Damage was unobserved from all explosions. Various places throughout the Rabaul area were strafed but no damage was observed.
Major SPURL0CK left for Sydney on health and recreation tour this date.

For the Record: 21 Sorties, 43.6 hours.

GEIGER, PETERS, SCRIMGEOUR, HOTT, REEDER, DRIFTMIER, ANDERSON, ZANGER, MARSHALL, PERU, LANGLEY, CHATHAM, and MARKER, took off to practice night flying.

For the Record: 29 Sorties, 44.9 hours.

GEIGER and PETERS performed a negative dusk patrol.

Technical Sergeant RIX returned from Sydney.

For the Record: 18 Sorties, 41.6 hours.

DINGFELTER, leading HEILMAN, PERU, and BOLLER, took off to Patrol Rabaul. Area hits by the four bombs destroyed between seven to ten huts at Waitavalo Mission where there was a concentration of Japs reported. The entire area was also strafed. A large truck was sighted near Vunakanau and when the driver observed the planes he pulled off into some trees into which the pilots strafed but damage could not be observed. The front seemed to half circle Green Island so this flight landed at Bougainville.

The remains of the Rabaul Patrols were cancelled because of weather and at 1615 the pilots at Bougainville returned landing at 1715.

For the Record: 12 Sorties, 32.8 hours.

CHATHAM and MARKER were scrambled over Green Island and were airborne in three minutes. They landed with a bad weather report, which cancelled the local dusk patrol.

H0RSLEY, MILLER, MOONEY, PAULIS, RUMMEL, RYAN, and SMITHEY, joined the squadron this day from Marine Fleet Air, West Coast.

BARNET departed for Sydney on health and recreation tour.

For the Record: 18 Sorties, 30.6 hours.

ANDERSON, leading ZANGER, MARSHALL, and GRAHAM, took off on a bridge strike. Three bombed the central bridge in Ramut Bay while s lone bomb was dropped at the bridge on the southern end of the bay. One was a direct hit on the central bridge but disappointing only knocked out a few planks. In addition to these bridges, various targets all down the west coast and back up the east coast as far as Borpop were strafed with unobserved results.

Foul weather cancelled all other flights this date except that early in the morning DAY and NELSON returned from Bougainville.

For the Record: 8 Sorties, 36.8 hours.

GEIGER, leading HOTT, MILLER, and RIX, took off on the first Rabaul Patrol. A bad front turned them back.
The front moved in over Green Island and the remainder of the schedule was cancelled.
For the Record: 4 Sorties, 4.0 hours

Flying secured because of weather, this date.

GRIFFITH returned from health and recreation tour at Sydney, this date.

MARSHALL, leading GRAHAM, ZANGER, and MOONEY, took off on bridge strike. One bomb was dropped cratering the approach to the bridge at Cape Roloss and the second missed a barge on the reef off Cape Roloss. The third on a camouflaged barge four miles north of Hunter Point. The fourth bomb was jettisoned along the west coast but no specific damage was observed.
1720-1850 DRIFTMIER and VERMILLION took off and performed a negative dusk patrol.

BROWN, HANSEN, VAUGHN, LYNCH, McCALL, and McIVER returned from Sydney health and recreation tour.

For the Record: 14 Sorties, 35.4 hours.

DINGFELTER, leading VAUGHN, McIVER, and BOLLER, took off to Patrol Rabaul. Frontal weather turned them back.
All other flying cancelled because of weather.

DUGAN, MARSHALL, MATNEY, ZANGER, HEILMAN, and PERU departed for Sydney health and recreation tour.

For the Record: 6 Sorties, 5.7 hours.