Late in 1940, the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, issued a proclamation which stated that our nation was is a state of "Limited Emergency," therefore among a number of conditions pertaining thereto, was the authority of the President and the Congress of the United States, which froze all officers and enlisted personnel of the United States Armed Forces for the duration of the Limited Emergency, and that certain classes of the armed forces reserve were ordered to active duty.

This Presidential proclamation caught a great number of the military units with their pants down, with no real concrete plans for their preparation for war.

Naval photography was in no better condition than most of the other organizations of the Navy. There were no plans in effect or proposed for the utilization of photography in war time conditions. There were no plans for the use of photography in the war plans division of Naval operations, or in the Photographic Division of the Bureau of Aeronautics.

Therefore in late 1940 several of the U.S. Navy photographic officers and enlisted photography ratings who had some 15 to 20 years active service in Naval photographic operations, started asking questions as to our role of employment and utilization of our science in time of war.

Most of the Naval officers and key Naval enlisted photographic personnel had no real concrete plans for war time photography. Lots of speculation and confusion existed not only in Naval photography, but also in other branches of the Navy which were closely related to photography.

The few remaining months of 1940 passed and we entered into the year of 1941, during which time no great amount of progress was made toward the utilization of Naval photography in time of war by the appropriate Navy Department Bureaus and offices.

During the period from Oct 1940 to Oct 1941, The U.S. Naval photographic people took steps to provide some sort of a plan for the use of photography in war time operations.

LCDR. Robert S. Quackenbush, Jr., USN went to England, where he observed and studied how the British were using aerial photography for a war time operation. CDR. Quackenbush returned from England and shortly thereafter established the U.S. Naval School of Photo Interpretation.

LCDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN from Nov. 1941 to Sept. 1942 served on the staff of Commander Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Force, U.S. Fleet at the U.S. Naval Air Station, San Diego, Calif. where he was the chief planning officer in the fleet air organization, who formulated the mission plans and the organizational requirements for the U.S. Naval photographic reconnaissance aircraft squadrons for World War II Pacific Ocean operations.

LT. A. D. Fraser, USN early in 1941 relieved LCDR. Robert S. Quackenbush, Jr., USN in the U.S. Navy Department Bureau of Aeronautics, where he took over the duties as officer in charge of the U.S. Naval photography section then under the Director of the Bureau of Aeronautics Flight Division.

Mr. W. L. Richardson, photography scientist and chief photographer J. M. Haynie, USN were busy with problems in connection with photographic laboratories and photo supply equipment for the U.S. Naval aircraft carriers then in operation and the ones being constructed and the ones that were in the planning stages.

Chief Photographer George A. Carroll, USN was then engaged in the planning stages for the U.S. Naval photographic Science Class "A" Laboratory at Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Naval Photographic Class "B" Laboratories which were to be constructed in certain areas of our defense system.

Plans were in preparation to expand and modernize the U.S. Naval School of Photography at Pensacola, FL. under Chief Photographer Lyman E. Goodnight, USN, who was then the chief instructor of the photo school at Pensacola.

Chief photographer D. J. Farrell, USN was at San Diego, California where he was the technical photography assistant to LCDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN who was planning for the mission and operational requirements of the U. S. Naval photographic reconnaissance-photo interpretation operations in the Pacific Ocean area.

During the period Oct. 1940-Oct. 1941, the U.S. Marine Corps Fleet Aviation unit at N.A.S. North Island, San Diego, California formed a photographic unit which was called "Beach Reconnaissance Group" under the command of Major Bill Lemley, USMC and Major Ray Hopper, USMC.

The unit consisted of a mixture of Naval and Marine Corps personnel. They had a big total of three airplanes consisting of SPDs and F4F fighters, which they were trying to utilize for photo reconnaissance operations from U.S. Naval Aircraft carriers, as the Navy or the Marines had no large land based airplanes for photographic operations.

This beach recon group spent several months at North Island trying various methods of installing various types of aerial cameras, testing, making trial runs and the instruction of carrier qualified pilots who were in and out of San Diego with the Naval aircraft carriers, USS SARATOGA, USS LEXINGTON, USS YORKTOWN and USS ENTERPRIZE when suddenly we were hit by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

This beach photo recon unit at San Diego was placed aboard the carrier USS SARATOGA on Sunday night December 7, 1941 which proceeded to Pearl Harbor on December 8th, 1941, and upon arrival, being put ashore at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Ford Island, where they stayed for three or four months working with any carrier based aircraft squadrons which had airplanes in which a camera could be carried.

This unit at Pearl Harbor had no real plan of photo recon operation, lots of ideas but no real concrete plan having the approval of the top military commander of the fleet forces in the Pacific. There was much confusion, so in March 1942, the unit was sent back to San Diego where it was placed out of operation and was then promptly superceded by an organization called the Fleet Air Photographic Unit, commonly known as "FAPU."

This "FAPU" unit was under the command of LCDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN with Chief Photo D. J. Farrell USN as the chief photo planner.

The airplanes assigned to the fleet air photographic unit were some old model airplanes that no other Naval air squadron had any use for, so they gave their junk airplanes to CDR. Dyson to use as best he could.

CDR. Dyson and his small staff of Naval and Marine officers and enlisted men complained frequently and loudly from San Diego to Washington, D.C.

Late in 1941 and during the year of 1942, a group of about 150 enlisted men of the Hollywood, California Naval Reserve Unit, that had been organized by John Ford (motion picture producer-director) reported for duty to LCDR. H. J. Dyson at the Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, California for training as Naval photographers in a photographic-reconnaissance squadron.

This group of Hollywood studio personnel for the most part, had never seen an aerial camera, and had little or no knowledge regarding the operations of an aerial photographic-reconnaissance unit that was being formed at San Diego for overseas duty in the Pacific Ocean area.

While most of these Hollywood people were highly skilled in their specialized motion picture production functions, they were eager to learn how to be effective in the new Naval air squadron then being put together under LCDR. H. J. Dyson and Chief Photographer D. J. Farrell and a small number of regular U.S. Navy enlisted photographers.

The efforts of CDR. Dyson, Chief Photographer Farrell and the small group of Naval photographers at NAS North Island in 1941-1942 were most effective in the development of an outstanding self-supporting Naval air unit, that successfully completed a very intense course of training in which the Fleet Air Photo-Recon VD One Squadron became a cooperative team of officers and enlisted men, who landed on the jungle island of Guadalcanal where under frequent Japanese air attacks while living in pup tents, eating out of boxes of "K" rations, cleared out a camp site in the jungle, built their living quarters, drilled their own fresh water well, unloaded their ships, transported their equipment and supplies from the landing beach to their jungle camp, while coping with the tropical heat, tropical insects such as malaria mosquitoes, 10" long centipedes, large size tropical bats, heavy tropical rainstorms, frequent Japanese bombing attacks which caused some delay in the unloading of their ships and the loss of sleep that resulted from the "Washing Machine Charlie" night bomb attacks.

The first few weeks on Guadalcanal lacked all of the comforts of home back in the good old United States. However, the entire group of officers and enlisted men worked as a team building their jungle camp support facilities without any help from the seabees.

Many of the VD One Squadron personnel had never used a hammer, shovel or a pup tent with a piece of canvas for a mattress on the bare ground, never driven a truck or operated a diesel powered generator. They washed their own clothes using a small bucket or their helmet for a water container.

There were a number of things that had to be accomplished by trial and error, by men who were highly skilled in some profession in the production of motion pictures in a Hollywood studio.

Rear Admiral Howell J. Dyson, shortly before he passed away, told the writer that it was amazing how this large nucleus of Hollywood people gave their very best effort in participating in the World War II survival training programs that were held at San Diego and in the Hawaiian Islands which he said was "team work" that was the major contributing factor in the overall successful operations of Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD One Squadron in the SOuth Pacific-Solomon Island areas.

The multitude of problems encountered by Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance Squadron One and the action that was taken to correct or ease the burden of these problems toward an effective mission goal of a self-supporting fleet air photographic-reconnaissance squadron in the Pacific Ocean area was recorded and reported back to the appropriate U.S. Naval-Marine Corps Commands via joint intelligence group Pacific Ocean area of the Commander in Chief Pacific Ocean Area Headquarters in the Hawaiian Islands.

This type of information was passed on to the commanding officers of the other fleet air photographic reconnaissance squadrons in 1943-1944 and 1945 during their formulation and training periods.

CDR. Dyson and his unit spent a lot of time and effort in trying to develop a workable photographic reconnaissance unit at San Diego, with three old airplanes on which nothing worked and multiple other problems unrelated to the airplanes.

Early in July, 1942, the Bureau of Personnel approved the advancement of enlisted Naval photographers to commissioned officers of the regular Navy.

The first enlisted Naval photographers advanced to USN officer ranks were:

George A. Carroll to Lieutenant Junior Grade
Daniel J. Farrell to Lieutenant Junior Grade
John M. Haynie to Lieutenant Junior Grade

During the summer of 1942, due to the efforts of Admiral Ramsey, Captain H. W. Taylor, Captain C. T. Durgin, Commander R. S. Quackenbush, Commander H. J. Dyson and Lieutenant Commander A. D. Fraser, plans were approved for procurement of PB4Y-1P (liberator) airplanes for use in fleet air photographic reconnaissance squadrons.

The PB4Y-1P airplanes were the Navy version of the Army B-24 four engine landplanes. The PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) was built by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, and was fitted with special camera mounts in the bomb bay for four to six aerial cameras, and space for a sizeable number of film magazines. The electrical system of the PB4Y-1P was powered to accommodate the required current for operations of the aerial camera in place of the old wet cell batteries.

The PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) was powered with four supercharged engines which permitted the aircraft fully loaded to be flown to an altitude of around 25,000 feet. The aircraft had a flight range of about 3000 miles with a crew of 12 on board, which consisted of aircraft commander (senior pilot), co-pilot, navigator, radio operator, aircraft mechanic, two aerial camera operators and five machine gunners. The PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) could remain in flight for about 16 hours with a normal load of fuel, 50 cal. machine gun amo, six aerial cameras, food, water and emergency survival gear.

The PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) had 50 cal. twin machine guns in the nose, top side, tail, belly ball turret, and port and starboard waist hatches. This photographic reconnaissance airplane also could carry a night aerial camera and six to ten aerial photo flash bombs each having two million candlepower illumination capabilities.

By Oct. or Nov. 1942, based upon the experience in the South Pacific by CDR. Robert S. Quackenbush and Col. Bard, USMC, the U.S. Naval fleet air photographic aerial reconnaissance unit at the U.S. Naval Air Station under CDR. H. J. Dyson and CDR. Robert J. Stroh, developed a comprehensive mission plan and the necessary organizational set up for a complete self supporting land based fleet air photographic reconnaissance squadron for operations in the Pacific Ocean area.

By late Nov or early Dec. 1942, Fleet Air Photographic Squadron VD-One had eight PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) airplanes at San Diego, California.

During the period Sept. 1942 to March 1943, the Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-One Squadron, under the command of Commander H. J. Dyson, and with LTJG. D. J. Farrell as photographic officer went through various stages of training in preparation for their assignment to a forward area operation in the South Pacific Ocean Area.

The officers and enlisted personnel of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One, were a mixture of regular USN and USN reserves, but mostly Naval Reserve personnel.

The photographers assigned to the squadron were mostly from a group of about 150 Hollywood Naval Reserve photo unit, most of whom had never seen an aerial camera until they arrived for duty in VD-One Squadron at NAS North Island, San Diego, California.

The types of Fairchild aerial cameras and the various focal length lenses and the type of film that was to be used for obtaining visual information in regard to just what, where and how much the Japanese had on the various islands in the Pacific, were developed into practical operational procedures by the officers and enlisted men of Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One, and based upon the actual experience and the results obtained by this photo recon squadron in 1943 to 1944, other photo recon squadrons were later commissioned and placed into operation in the Pacific Ocean area during World War II in 1943, 1944 and 1945.

The aerial cameras carried in the PB4Y-1P liberator airplanes were Fairchild K3B, K-17, K18, K-19 and F-56 models with lens focal length ranging from 12" up to 40", picture sizes from 7" X 7", 7" X 9", 9" X 18" with a selection of light sensitive emulsions of black and white, color and infra red. For night aerial photography they used a Fairchild K-19 aerial camera, black and white film that was exposed to the light of a 25 lb. photo flash bomb which was dropped from the photo plane and upon explosion lighted the ground area with its two million candle power light which triggered the aerial camera in the PB4Y-1P Liberator by action of the photo sensitive cell that was pointed toward the photo flash bomb illumination.

Photo Recon Squadron VD-One at San Diego Calif, from Oct. 1942 to March, 1943, were very busy training their crews for a complete self supported aircraft squadron especially equipped for photo recon operations.

Also during this period the squadron personnel were quite busy assembling a vast amount of equipment and supplies that had to be tropical packed, and made ready for shipment to their forward area via ship. LTJG. D. J. Farrell, USN spearheaded the task of the equipment and supply assembly-tropical packaging, identification in readiness for transportation via ship.

Some 1500 tons of squadron equipment and supplies under the direction of LTJG D. J. Farrell, USN were loaded aboard ship for transportation from San Diego to the Guadalcanal Area, all of which arrived and was unloaded intact and in good condition at the beach head adjacent to the Koli Point air field on Guadalcanal in April, 1943.

During my taped interview with the late Rear Admiral Howell J. Dyson in 1974-75, he mentioned that all of their 1500 tons of equipment and supplies arrived at Guadalcanal in good condition and that they were able to use everything that had been shipped from the states.

The late Admiral Dyson told me that during the last two days, unloading the ships at Guadalcanal, they experienced several Japanese air bombing attacks, which caused some delay in the unloading operations, however, outside of some anxious moments, frayed nerves, and some increase in blood pressure, the VD One Squadron officers and men worked in two 12 hour shifts around the clock unloading the last ship load of equipment and supplies which they carried by truck to the VD One squadron camp area under armed guards because in this last shipment was some 3000 cases of beer and 100 cases of whiskey, all of which was stored in a special compound near the commanding officers quarters in the camp site.

The ships carrying the VD-One ground personnel and the squadrons aircraft equipment, photographic equipment-supplies and the various items of camp equipment, transportation vehicles, power generators, water purification equipment and a generous amount of construction materials arrived at Guadalcanal on 19 April, 1943 which were unloaded on the beach and then trucked to the VD-One Squadron operating area at the Koli Point Air Field.

The VD-One Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron was a complete self supporting unit with the necessary personnel and equipment needed to build and operate a camp for some 450 to 500 people in addition to the service requirements for the eight multi engine land planes.

VD-One Squadron had to build their own water supply system, by first operating a diesel powered distillation unit which produced one gallon of fresh water for each one gallon of diesel oil used.

The appropriate assigned crew got busy and drilled a 180 foot deep well from which they got a flow of 300 gallons per hour of pure fresh water which needed no treatment for human consumption or photographic laboratory requirements.

The officers and enlisted personnel of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One, shortly after their arrival at the Koli Point Air Base, got busy clearing out the jungle growth where they built their living quarters, galley, equipment storage, photo lab, photo interpretation, fresh water supply system, electric power distribution system, communication system, sanitary toilets, etc., most of which was lower than the ground area of the Koli Point Air Base near the Malimbiu River.

Therefore, most of the living quarters, photo lab and other structures had to be erected on 50 gallon drums filled with sand and dirt in order to raise the floor levels above the flood level of the Malimbiu River.

The officers and enlisted men of VD-One Squadron had to clear out the jungle adjacent to Carney Field, Guadalcanal for their camp area, during which time they lived on "K" rations and slept in pup tents in an area that was infested with bats and mosquitos. The latter were carried in from the interior island jungle.

All hands of VD-One Squadron had to wash their own clothes in a bucket of water with soap and hand power, until they got their power driven washing machines set up and into operation.

During the period of building their camp and operating facilities at Kuli Point, the Japanese Bettys frequently bombed the area, during which time the personnel at Kuli Point took cover in fox holes from which they could see our P-38 Army and Marine fighter airplanes intercepting and shooting down a number of the Japanese Betty bombers in the Koli Point area.

VD-ONE FLIGHT, SAN DIEGO TO GUADALCANAL.

On 16 March 1943, Fleet air VD-One Photo recon Squadron of eight PB4Y-1P liberators under the command of CDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN, took off from the air strip at Camp Kearney Mesa near San Diego, Calif, on their non-stop flight from the California coast to the Hawaiian Islands.

The eight PB4Y-1P airplanes flying in a loose formation at an altitude of about 10,000 feet and about 700 miles west of San Diego, when one of the PB4Y-1P (photo liberators) reported to CDR. Dyson that he was having trouble with one of his engines. CDR. Dyson directed the pilot of that airplane to return to San Diego for repair of his engine and was instructed to rejoin the squadron at NAS Barbers Point at a later date. The crippled PB4Y-1P managed to get back to the air strip at Camp Kearney on the three operational motors.

The seven PB4Y-1P photo liberators of VD-One Squadron continued their flight toward the Hawaiian Islands with flight conditions normal. With some strong head winds about midway from the California coast to the Hawaiian Islands.

After the seven PB4Y-1P photo liberators had been in the air some 15 hours, the navigator in the nose of CDR. Dysons airplane reported on the intercom "Land Ho" dead ahead. CDR. Dyson from his pilots seat looked ahead but could not see anything that looked like land, lots of clouds, so after straining his eyes for some 10 minutes trying to pick up the sight of land, CDR. Dyson asked his navigator for a position report, with his navigator reporting that he did not know. So CDR. Dyson got out of his pilots seat and crawled down into the nose of the aircraft along side of his navigator, asking to see the navigator's chart board. The navigator showed CDR. Dyson his chart board which had been completely erased by the navigator shortly after he had reported the sight of land.

CDR. Dyson hurried his return to his pilot's seat where he promptly sent a message to his squadron of PB4Y-1P photo liberators. The message was "suspect all planes running low on fuel, no land in sight, all planes prepare for ditching, proceed on course, report fuel remaining on board."

The flight of the PB4Y-1 photo liberators continued on toward the Hawaiian Islands for about another hour when Dyson reported land, the seven airplanes closed their formations and proceeded to land at an Army air field near Hilo on the Island of Hawaii, with about 400 gallons of gasoline on board each of the seven PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) airplanes.

After the photo liberators had been refueled at Hilo, they then proceeded to fly to the Naval Air Station, Barbers Point on the Island of Oahu, which was about 1-1/2 hours flight from Hilo.

Needless to report, none of the VD-One photo liberator squadron's navigators ever erased their navigation chart board until they were safe on the ground at their designated air field.

The eighth PB4Y-1P photo liberator that had to return to the Naval Air Station Camp Kearney, got a new engine installed there and after satisfactory tests were made, departed from the San Diego area bound for NAS Barbers Point on the Island of Oahu, where they rejoined Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-One Squadron.

CDR. Dyson and his eight PB4Y-1P photo liberators remained at the Naval Air Station, Barbers Point, where they continued their training-familiarization flights until 5 April 1943, when they departed for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, South Pacific, via several Pacific Islands where they made refueling-rest stops, such as Johnson Island, Canton Island, Samoa and then to the Island of Espiritu Santo where they remained for about four weeks awaiting orders to proceed to the new Koli Point Air Field, then being completed by the seabees construction unit on Guadalcanal.

During the four weeks stay at the air base on Espiritu Santo, three of the PB4Y-1P (photo liberators) had wing tip damage, due to the airplane wing tips hitting the palm tree branches during their taxiing along the taxi strips, which were designed to handle carrier based type airplanes, which had shorter wing spread than the PB4Y-1P (photo liberators).

The wing tip damage to the PB4Y-1P airplanes were repaired and all of the pilots of the photo liberators were ordered to taxi their airplane at a very slow speed.

The Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-One Squadron of eight PB4Y-1P (photo liberators) arrived at the Koli Point Air Field on Guadalcanal on 19 April, 1943 and after a day or so of rest and reconditioning of their airplanes, they began making photographic reconnaissance coverage flights over various Japanese held islands in the Solomon Island group in the South Pacific.

The flight crews of the VD One Photo Recon Squadron practically lived in or near their respective PB4Y-1P airplanes for several weeks on the alert for impending Japanese air attacks and whenever the area was alerted to an approaching Japanese aircraft, the flight crews of the VD-One Photo Recon Squadron would take to the air and remain clear of the area under attack by the Japanese planes, and after the all clear was sounded, the photo planes would return to the Koli Point Airfield. Therefore no PB4Y-1P photo planes had any damage from the several Japanese bombing attacks on or near the Koli Point Air Field at Guadalcanal.

Most of these Japanese air raids were at night which really did very little damage in the VD-One Squadron Koli Point Airfield area, however it did cause the photo squadron personnel to take to their fox holes, loss of sleep and a few bouts with the jungle bats and mosquitoes.

During the period from late April 1943 to December 1943, Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One made a number of aerial photo reconnaissance flights from Koli Point Air Field Guadalcanal over the various Japanese enemy held islands in the Solomons in addition to making some low level oblique aerial photo coverage, thus furnishing daily photographic intelligence information of the various Japanese held areas in which our military operations were then in progress.

U.S. forces succeeded in driving the Japanese out of the Solomon Islands and secured the area for forward movement toward Japan, which in mid-1943 not only seemed a long way off, it was literally several thousand miles removed from the Guadalcanal area and some two years time to go for our fighting forces in the Pacific.

VD-One Photo-Recon Squadron made a number of night photo flights over several Japanese held islands on which the Japanese forces had air fields.

The night photo flights were made sometimes in company with the Air Force high altitude bombers with the photo plane usually being a little ahead of the Air Force bombers at 20,000 to 25,000 feet altitude from which they could spot the air field target area by seeing the leaking glow of a few Japanese search lights with their shutters closed, and when the PB4Y-1P photo plane upon dropping its photo flash of two million foot candle power from each of the five photo flash bombs, the Japanese would open up all of their search lights which were located along side and at each end of their air field, presenting a perfect target for U.S. high altitude bombers, which in turn planted their bomb loads with great accuracy causing great damage to the Japanese forces and their equipment.

These night aerial photos were made with a Fairchild K-19 aerial camera mounted in the camera rack located in the middle section of the bomb bay. The PB4Y-1P photo plane carried five magnesium powder photo flash bombs, each having two million foot candle power peak light upon detonation. These five photo flash bombs were dropped about 20 seconds apart preset to detonate at about 5000 feet above the ground and as each photo flash bomb illuminated the ground, the photo sensitive electric cell aimed at the flash would electrically operate the camera shutter and wind up the film for the next exposure.

The five vertical night photographs had an overlapping image of the target area, which when viewed in pairs on the stereo viewer, provided a depth perception view by which one could measure ground objects to determine size, kind, quantity, etc.

Capt. Jack Eady, USN, retired, recorded on tape his U.S. Naval photographic operations which he sent me in 1972 for use in my preparation of U.S. Naval Photography History.

Jack Eady was a LCDR. USN Naval aviator assigned duty as operations officer in Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-One Squadron. Eady was one of the senior pilots in the Squadron and flew one of the PB4Y-1P photo planes as the aircraft flight commander from San Diego to Guadalcanal. CDR. Eady and his crew made a number of photo flights from Koli Air Field, during which time they made daylight and night aerial photographs of various Japanese held positions in the Solomons.

The following narrative is a description of a night photo mission by Jack Eady flying from Koli Air Field to a Japanese held target area some 400 to 500 miles from Guadalcanal in 1943.

The PB4Y-1P photo plane assigned to a night photo-recon coverage of a Japanese air field on the Island of Munda, with a crew of 13 people on board and a full load of gasoline, full load of 50 caliber ammo for the ten machine guns, rations and emergency ditching gear, would rev up the four engines at the end of the take-off runway, then release the brakes, advance throttles for full engines RPM and start rolling down the take-off runway that was covered with "Marston steel matting" which, due to its movement and friction, caused the heavy airplane to use most of the length of the runway in its take off.

As their air field target on Munda was over 400 miles from Carney Field, the heavy loaded PB4Y-1P photo liberator spent its first hour in flight at a low altitude, climbing slightly to consume fuel in order to be able to attain an altitude of about 25,000 feet upon reaching its assigned target area.

Jack Eady stated that a night photo flight was something like flying into another world.

In order to minimize detection by the Japanese, the PB4Y-1 photo plane was flown with a minimum of red instrument panel lights in the pilots compartment so that with this very low level of red lights from the instrument panel and the shafts of blue flame protruding from the four engine super charger--powered by the hot engine exhaust gases, produced an eerie glow, which by the time one had reached 18 to 20,000 feet in the darkened airplane over an ocean-island area where there were very few reference points, except for the stars in the heavens (some of which appeared to be on fire, others flickering like candles), and with no apparent relative motion, one felt that you were hung up there in the night sky in some sort of a device that wasn't going anywhere. You just had to fly your airplane on instruments with little or no ground references, and upon approaching the assigned target area, the pilot and his crew had to visually search the ground area for the target. So with the various people on board the airplane in positions, such as tail gunner, top gunner, nose gunner, belly gunner, waist side gunners, pilot, co-pilot and navigator, all of whom were literally burning their eye balls in their search for their target, and at the same time on the lookout for any Japanese airplanes that might be bent on attacking the photo plane, it was not infrequent for someone in the crew to become "star crazy" from searching endlessly, looking into the maze of stars and blackness, when they would report what they thought was the glow from the engine of an enemy airplane closing in on the photo plane. Needless to say, when such a report was heard over the intercom, it really kept the flight crew on edge for several minutes as all hands searched the star lit sky for an enemy airplane.

Most of these types of reports on a night photo flight were more imagination than fact, as no enemy aircraft came within sight or made an attack run on the PB4Y-1P photo plane.

The target air field was usually spotted by moon light, or by the faint glow of the numerous Japanese search lights, which had their Iris light shield closed, but leaked enough light that could be spotted from 20 to 25,000 feet altitude.

The pilot of the PB4Y-1P photo plane by being guided by the plane's navigator could place the photo plane over and between the two rows of search lights which the Japanese normally had stationed on each side along the air field, and even sometime at each end of the air field, therefore under normal conditions, it wasn't too difficult to get the night photo plane directly over the Japanese air field and when the night photo plane was in an overhead position, the Japanese would open their search light full blast of light from the several search light positions pin pointing the PB4Y-1P photo plane in the cross beams of light, so brilliant that one could read a newspaper inside the photo plane. At this point of the night photo mission, the crew of the photo plane knew that they would soon be under fire from the Japanese anti-aircraft guns, and that shells would soon be bursting nearby.

There were a few minutes in which the entire flight crew of the photo plane was in a highly apprehensive state, until they observed the Japanese anti-aircraft shells bursting, far below, far ahead and below and far behind and below.

The Japanese anti-aircraft gunners in the Solomon Islands were not very accurate, however occasionally a shell or two would burst fairly close to the photo plane's altitude.

As the PB4Y-1P photo plane got close to its photo position over the target area, the five two million candle power photo flash bombs dropped from the photo plane started bursting at their preset altitudes to illuminate the target area for the five vertical overlapping photographs.

The illumination from the photo flash bombs triggered the aerial camera operation by the photo electric cell device which was pointed toward the photo flash bomb burst.

After the flash explosion of the last photo flash bomb, the pilot of the PB4Y-1P (photo Liberator) would put the aircraft in a nose down position, with all engines at full RPM to attain maximum speed in order to quickly leave the target area on a pre-determined course back to the Koli air field on Guadalcanal, some 400 or so miles from the Island of Munda.

The high altitude assignment at which the PB4Y-1P (photo Liberators) were normally operated proved to be a boon, safety wise, because the Japanese anti-aircraft fire was very poor, plus the inability of the Japanese fighter airplanes to attain the photo planes' altitude, because by the time that the Japanese fighters could take off and fly to the altitude of 20 to 25,000 feet, the PB4Y-1P photo plane would have completed its mission over target and was headed for its home base at its highest speed. Therefore there were no encounters with Japanese fighter planes during the several night photographic reconnaissance missions flown by Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One operations in the South Pacific.

Most of the night aerial photographs made by Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One over the Japanese air fields in the Solomon Island area almost always revealed a larger number of airplanes on the ground than what the daylight aerial photographs revealed.

When the night photo planes returned to the Koli Point Air Field, the film was rushed to the photographic laboratory for processing, in order that the photographic interpreters could make their intelligence evaluation, the results thereof were promptly reported to the senior command in the theatre of operations, who issued orders to the appropriate units to conduct aerial bombing and surface ship shelling action on the Japanese air fields and its perimeter to reduce the enemy's aircraft capabilities.

Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One aircraft flying daylight photo missions over Japanese island targets encountered some Japanese fighter attacks on the photo plane.

Some of the PB4Y-1P photo planes had close encounters which resulted in some damage to the airplane, but none so bad that any of the PB4Y-1P (photo liberators) were lost in the Solomon Island area.

During a taped interview with Rear Admiral H. J. Dyson in the early 1970s, he described some of the encounters that his photo liberators had with some Japanese fighter aircraft in the Solomon Island area in the South Pacific.

During a daylight photo mission over the Island of Mauru, the PB4Y-1P photo plane came under an attack by a Japanese zero fighter during which time one of the PB4Y-1P propeller blades on the outboard starboard engine was hit by a Japanese bullet causing the engine to windmill, with the result that the airplane could not be flown in a straight line. In their attempt to land at Koli Point Air Field, the photo plane had to ditch in the ocean off Guadalcanal which resulted in a serious injury to LT. Reed, co-pilot, two enlisted crew member were killed and one of the Naval photographers, an aerial camera operator, had broken ankles in the crash landing.

During one of the photo coverage missions of Kauli Field on Munda, one of the VD-One photo-recon squadron airplanes was assigned to make a daylight low 150 foot altitude fly by pass using K-24 aerial cameras making a panorama overlapping picture coverage of the Japanese airfield.

During this fly by pass, the PB4Y-1P was flying at maximum speed with the four engines at full RPM at 150 foot altitude, the two Navy photographers were operating the two K-24 aerial cameras looking out from the waist side openings of the fuselage.

While making this photo coverage run, the PB4Y-1P airplane came under attack by two Japanese fighters who did not hit out photo plane. The PB4Y-1P photo plane returned to Koli Point Air Field undamaged.

Photographs of the Japanese air field revealed 250 Japanese fighter aircraft on the ground, with the result that the Japanese Kauli Air Field on Munda became a prime target for U.S. Bombers and strafing aircraft.

CDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN, senior pilot and commander of the flight crew in a PB4Y-1P photo mission over Kolombangara Island, when his photo plane became engaged in combat with seven Japanese fighter planes, one of which was shot down by tail gunner Brooks.

When CDR. Dyson and his crew first observed the Japanese fighter planes in their area, Dyson reported by radio to the Army Air Force fighter protection command that his photo plane was under imminent attack by seven Japanese zero fighter aircraft.

The U.S. Army air corp fighter airplanes arrived in the area of the PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) shortly after the photo plane tail gunner had shot down one of the Japanese fighter airplanes. The air corp fighter made fast work on the other six Japanese zero fighters by shooting down all of them, permitting the PB4Y-1P (photo liberator) to return to Koli Air Field on Guadalcanal without any further trouble.

Commander Howell J. Dyson USN was awarded the "Distinguished Flying Cross" for his operation in the South Pacific Area which reads as follows:

For heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as commanding officer of a photographic squadron operating in the South Pacific Area from April 27, to Nov. 21, 1943. Braving heavy anti-aircraft fire and fighter opposition while leading his squadron deep into hostile territory on a vital photographic mission over southern Kolombangara on July 25, 1943, CDR. Dyson boldly countered the attack of seven Japanese fighter aircraft, skillfully maneuvering his plane for maximum striking power and enabling his gunners to destroy one and probably two additional attacking enemy aircraft. Although his own plane receive five hits during the fierce engagement, he returned safe to base without injuries or loss to personnel. Performing another photographic reconnaissance over the strongly defended Island of Nauru, CDR. Dyson displayed expert navigational skill in carrying out the mission although constantly under heavy Japanese anti-aircraft fire during the prolonger over-water flight of approximately 1400 miles. His superb airmanship, brilliant hazardous operation flights throughout this important period directly contributed to the success of our forces in this area and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

During the period from April 1943 to June 1944, the PB4Y-1P photo liberator airplanes of Fleet Air Photographic Squadron One operating from their main base "Koli Air Field" on Guadalcanal and from air strips on various islands in the Solomon Islands-Bismark archipelago-New Guinea-Marshall Islands in their comprehensive aerial photo reconnaissance-photo intelligence coverage of the Japanese held islands. The photo recon-intelligence information obtained by photo reconnaissance squadron throughout this South Pacific Ocean area provided valuable information to the various commanders of the allied fighting forces as to where, kind and how much the Japanese force had, which was of invaluable aid to the allied fighting units in the South Pacific Ocean Area.

In May to June the South Pacific Command was preparing to attack the Japanese forces at Rendova-Munda in the New Georgia group islands.

Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One flew photo coverage over this target area prior to and during the assault operations by the allied armed forces.

Shortly after the allied forces had made their landing and secured a beach head area at Rendova-Munda, they encountered intense opposition from Japanese forces in the jungle interior area of Rendova-Munda.

The allied commander of the Rendova-Munda operation requested the services of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One for daily close aerial photo intelligence coverage by having the area frequently photographed by aerial photography, and the exposed film dropped by parachute from the photo planes to the mobile ground photo lab on Munda. The mobile ground photo lab unit would process the film, make prints from the negatives, photographic interpreters would look at the photos and prepare military intelligence information with maps and sketches which were delivered to the commander of the forward area combat operations by armed protected couriers.

This Naval mobile ground photo laboratory unit was the first and only one that was placed into operation close to the fighting area in the South Pacific during World War II.

LTJG. Daniel J. Farrell, USN, the photographic officer of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-one was designated by the Commanding Officer of VD-One to be the officer in charge of the forward area mobile photo lab unit that was sent to Rendova-Munda for close support operations.

The following is the log of LTJG. D. J. Farrell, USN which he wrote in long hand during the period 29 June to 12 July 1943. After LT. Farrell had been lost in action with the enemy on 16 July 1943, his log was typed by LT. John R. Hubbard, USNR, who was the air combat intelligence officer of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One.

LOG OF LIEUT. (jg) D. J. FARRELL, U.S.N.

June 29, 1943

Our orders read to go aboard LST 398, 0800 today and head for Rendova.

1930 The LST finally arrived and I went aboard and reported to the captain, was assigned a very nice stateroom and my men were given a whole compartment to themselves.

1830 So far all I have aboard are my two small trailers, a water carrier and a generator and some Marine Major is saying no provisions were made to take me. I've been waiting all day while they load all their heavy guns and right now I'm loading, come hell or high water.

2000 We're aboard. Boy, what a job, had to back the trailer and truck aboard and must have taken an hour getting up the gangway, shoving the trailer up, etc. so the bottom wouldn't be ripped out. The thing is too low slung. Some Marine Captain persisted we were not to go even as we were going up the gangway but I told him to get out of the way and he knocked off his horse shit.

2330 Finished loading and laid off dock.

June 30, 1943

1200 Took aboard some army troops

1700 Assigned all my men to life rafts.

1800 Underway - This tub sure rolls.

July 2, 1943

0600 Rendova Harbor - Very uneventful trip. We are going inside harbor but will not unload today.

1230 I go ashore to look over the landing conditions and contact the headquarters group. Lord, the mud. How'n hell will we get that trailer off. And where will we put it to work? Cats are stuck and trucks can't move. Found out 68 Japs were killed on yesterday's raid. The Marines beat the Army in.

1300 Lord God. Our planes cover shoved off somewhere and 18 Jap bombers came in and started dropping bombs before we knew what was happening. Did I hit the mud.

1600 Hope I never see a thing like this again. They hit us plenty hard. Dead and wounded are all over the beach and ships. Those little bastards didn't get away we hear. Our planes intercepted them up the line supposedly. Everyone is plenty jittery and I'm like a girl at a dance. I can't get over seeing all those people dead and wounded. Bouchillon stood by his movie camera throughout the shot pictures.

July 3, 1943

0200 General Quarters - red alert. We watched a sea battle outside Rendova Harbor entrance.

0600 Docked - Now the job begins. I'm to take my gear off and load it in a Higgins boat and move it 3 miles down beach to the mouth of the Searoco River.

0700 The 155's ahead of us are having trouble getting off and I've already had trouble trying to get a Higgins boat because I don't know where the hell the spot is we are to go to.

0800 Got the stuff off O.K. by sharing up plenty - Got a cat to spot me in hip deep mud close to the Higgins boat beach. It looks like we'll never get aboard on this rocky beach, but will try. The beachmaster is giving me 2 Higgins boats to get rid of me he says He's a Commander - USN.

1230 We got the stuff on those blasted Higgins boats finally. Now to find a place to set up.

1600 Damn this trailer for being so low slung. We have to shore up every place we go to keep from tipping the bottom out. Then everyone is so damn jittery from watching our own planes come over. (The Japs never got in to bomb this day although they tried hard). Saw some swell dogfights and one of our pilots came down nearby in his chute this morning (Was saved).

1700 We're located in a nice spot - the front lines are 100 yards away, but the river is perfect for our set-up. Turned up the trailer and through some miracle nothing is broken and the temprite is O.K.

1800 Total blackout - and I mean blackout.

July 4, 1943

0600 What a night. Everyone is trigger Happy and all night long they shoot at anything. Several of our own (Army and Marines) men have been killed in just that manner. These soldiers sure live like mud turtles. What a life.

0700 It turns out we have a couple of fair cooks - Royle and Martin. Some of the men bummed a crate of fresh eggs from the ship and we had eggs and hotcakes. Sure was good as we'd had no chow for 24 hours.

0800 Reported to Colonel Gibson. He was wounded yesterday but is still going. Headquarters was right in the middle of most of the damage yesterday. He's sure hepped up on our being here.

1420 This fourth of July will never leave my mind. Those bastards came over with 16 bombers and our anti aircraft caught two with one burst and before they could drop their bombs. They dropped their bombs and in 10 minutes all 16 had been shot down in flames. 12 by antiaircraft and 4 by F4U's. What a sight to see. But what a scare. The antiaircraft falls all around and the bombers look like they're right over you when they let go bombs. Guadalcanal is a May procession alongside this place. I jumped in the river and got under the overhanging bank. At least my watch is waterproof. Don't know how many casualties this time, but all our men are O.K. We're digging a man sized fox hole pronto. These little baby army type ones aren't so hot. Wish we had some of those fancy ones in Guadalcanal about now. The Zero's strafing today did more damage than the bombs and it's harder to dodge too.

1600 We get mail. It was dropped before we got off the ship. Colonel Gibson says we're the envy of the island. Har.

1800 They were to drop some stuff at 16 - 1700 but never did. Don't know why the Army sent word to drop at that time. I'm going to send word to drop anytime. I have a watch on all day.

July 5, 1943

0600 Another bastard of a night. Why don't those soldiers get over their itchy trigger fingers.

0800 #67 flew over our camp. They are apparently going on a mission. Hope they drop something today. The Army interpreters are to live with us and work in the trailer. A phone will be rigged from here to hdqtrs as it would be suicide to try and walk 1/2 mile after dark. Colonel Gibson says this is the first actual time a trailer has been used in combat conditions. The interpreters want us to move away from the 90 MM battery as they think we'll be bombed, but, the location they picked is where snipers hide. Har. Which is worse?

0930 Our own planes scare hell out of us but it's sure good to have them around. The Japs tried shelling from the sea two nights ago but they fell short.

1100 I asked Captain Murtha of General Mulcahy's staff to send word that we are ready and have a watch on at the beach with markers and aldis lamp during daylight hours. (The Army seems a little screwed up and don't impress me as being able to get things done - we'd still be on the beach at the first landing if we'd depended on them). Sure don't know what I'd do without Plunkett, however. The men with me are all 100 percent O.K. in fact. It was a very good move for the skipper to send an ordnanceman along as he is kept busy nearly all day cleaning guns. It rains every few minutes and the mud is knee deep all around this coconut grove.

1300 Run in our new fox hole plenty this afternoon. There was 60 Japs around but our fighters put the run on them and our 90 MM put up a hell of a barrage.

1700 No film yet. Wonder what's the matter? The Army keeps asking me if any has come. Damn the mud.

July 6, 1943

0200 Jap Bombers Over.

0600 Jap Bombers Over.

1400 Our fighters chase away bombers.

1600 First pictures dropped (5 drops). Worked all nite. The Interpreters used the trailer and it worked out fine. Film slow drying, however.

July 7, 1943

0500 Jap bomber dropped bombs.

1230 Film dropped (4 drops).

1300 Big raid - lot of dogfights overhead. Japs dropped bombs. An Army trailer (Photo) is sure bogged down in mud. They broke their nose wheel off.

Munda has been taking a lot from our 155's. Wonder how they stay alive. The Navy has been shelling them at nite too, which makes all hands jittery as hell.

2100 Jap bomber shot down from 2400 feet, and thru cloud. His bombs landed on an island. Munda still gets it from ships now.

July 8, 1943

0530 Low flying bomber - did not drop bombs. Think he tried picture taking. The Army is very happy with our photo service.

1200 #79 is trying to drop and we have an alert on. They dropped 4, one stuck in a tree finally.

1300 Jap bombers over. No bomb tho. Munda still takes a slapping from our 155's.

1700 40MM got 2 Jap dive bombers.

2400 Just secured and red alert - drove Japs away.

July 9, 1943

0130 Japs over

0200 Sniper scare - our plane strafed hills behind us.

0400 Red alert.

0500 What a racket. 5 destroyers shelled Munda - Jap dive bombers bombed them.

0800 About 75 of our planes bombing Munda.

1500 A bunch of Jap dive bombers tried to get 2 LST's about 100 yards from our camp, but were driven away by Ackack and fighters. The strain on all hands is pretty tough. Everyone is jumpy as hell from little sleep and continued bombing. The Japs never learn it seems. Our own 155 batteries bang away all night too, and no sleep can be had from that end either. The damn alerts slow us down as we have to cease work in the trailers, but the Army is sure happy with the results we've been handing in. The 2 interpreters are about worn out however - wonder where the Navy interpreters are? (The Army is still screwed up on my estimation, likewise the Marine Battery (90 MM) Commanders) Har.
Boy, but are they trigger happy.

July 10, 1943

0800 Just finished the seventh alert for last night. Dive bombers at tree top heights. All hands are pretty groggy from lack of sleep. Munda still catching it from all angles.

1800 Have had several alerts today with one reported group of 75 bombers and fighters trying to get in but were turned back by our fighters.

2200 Red alert. Charlie dropped his bombs and left.

July 11, 1943.

0800 We got a good nights sleep last night for the first time since arriving.

0900 Red Alert

1230 - 1530 Long time Charlie tried to get in with fighters and bombers but was turned back each time.

2100 Red Alert. The bastards have made a couple dozen runs on us and keep dropping all around. The 90's and everything has been really going but they're persistent as all get out. We've had 4 red alerts in an hour. They go out and in like a subway.

2215 Secure again. Those bombs were big that time. We heard the whoosh each time one dropped, then a hell of a bang.

July 12, 1943

0800 We had about 6 alerts after midnight and there were about 8 Jap planes approaching one at a time from different altitudes and directions and just letting go., It sure has a demoralizing effect. At 0300 our ships opened up on Munda. Following that our 155's shelled it. Following that came a dive bombing attack so we didn't sleep last night.

0900 Red Alert. No planes over, however.

1430 Red Alert.

1730 - 2100 We got 3 of them but they dropped bombs.


On July 13, 1943 LTJG. D. J. Farrell, USN proceeded to Guadalcanal for a meeting held by CDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN, commanding officer, Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One.

After the meeting, LTJG Daniel J. Farrell, USN departed from Guadalcanal on an LST bound for Randova. The LST spent the night of July 15 at anchor in Segi harbor a short distance from Randova.

On the morning of July 16, 1943 the LST got underway and was at sea outside of Segi Harbor when it was hit by a torpedo fired from a Japanese submarine. The LST was blown apart and sank with a heavy loss of life.

LTJG. Daniel J. Farrell, USN was lost in the explosion and sinking of the LST, his remains were never found. LT. Farrell was last seen shortly before the torpedo explosion, in the ships wardroom seated at a table writing a letter presumably to his wife Marge and his young son Daniel, Jr.

Chief Warrant Photographer Roy Plunket, USN who was the assistant photo officer of the forward area photo unit at Randova took over the duty as photo officer of the forward area mobile photo lab at Randova.

Shortly after the loss of LT. Farrell, a relief officer was ordered to duty as photographic officer in Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One at Koli Point Air Field, Guadalcanal.

LT. George Waters, USNR, a graduate of the U.S. Naval School of Photography, who at the time of the loss of LT. Farrell was on a photographic duty assignment at the headquarters of the Commander South Pacific Forces at Espiritu Santo was ordered to Guadalcanal as photographic officer, VD-One Squadron.

Upon LT. Waters reporting for duty in VD-One Squadron, CDR. Dyson, commanding officer, gave LT. Waters a four page typed document, which outlined the function of the squadron's photographic operations, and the duties-responsibilities of the photographic officer.

LT. George Waters spent a few hours studying his new duty assignment, and several hours with the leading chief petty officer photographer, with whom he made an on site inspection of the squadrons photographic facilities, and after talking to several of the section leading photographers, he suddenly realized that, there he was in a cleared jungle area along side of the Malimbiu River on the island Guadalcanal where he was the officer in charge of a self supported Naval photographic unit of some 200 men and over a million dollars worth of professional equipment and was engaged in a 24 hour around the clock seven days per week operation whose function was to provide aerial photographs obtained by the highly trained PB4Y-1P photo liberator crews of assigned Japanese held island areas by which the specially trained photographic interpreters would actually determine military intelligence information as to what the enemy had, how much, what kind and the location of.

This new duty assignment of LT George Waters was a sudden awakening to the fact that he was responsible for the operation of a highly complex sophisticated application of several photographic systems from which military intelligence information on the Japanese held South Pacific Island areas was being forwarded to the immediate South Pacific Commands and also to the Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas Headquarters in Pearl Harbor.

Mr. George Waters stated in my taped interview with him in 1981, quote "My duty assignment as officer in charge of the photographic operations in Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance-Photographic Interpretation Squadron VD-One at Koli Point Air Field, Guadalcanal in 1943, was the most delightful, rewarding and educational experience of my life." unquote.

The aerial photographic reconnaissance operations in the South Pacific area by Fleet Air Photo-Recon Squadron VD-One flying PB4Y-1P Liberators became the "Hallmark" of the U.S. Naval aerial photographic-reconnaissance, which, due to the team efforts of the officers and enlisted men of the squadron, rapidly developed the use of the science, that was passed on to the other fleet air photo-recon squadrons that later followed in the U.S. Naval operations in the Pacific Ocean areas, such as the Gilbert Island, Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, the Marianas, the Volcano Islands, the Ryukyus Islands. The operations of the other Fleet Air Photo-recon Squadrons, VD-3, VD-4, VD-5 are outlined later in this history of U.S. Naval photography

The photography division of the Fleet Air VD-One squadron was staffed with one photographic officer, five or six chief photographers and about 200 other enlisted men, most of whom held photographer ratings.

The photography division was divided into two basic operations, one group was the base photo laboratory set-up for the processing of the exposed aerial photo-recon films, identification indexing, recording of the film rolls, drying facilities of the aerial roll films, printing of the aerial roll films, developing-fixing-washing-drying of the prints from the aerial roll film negatives, dupe negative of the aerial roll film original, and all of the usual photo lab equipment items for the handling of large volume aerial roll film processing and printing.

The second basic operation was the aerial camera repair-maintenance, roll film loading of magazines, installation of the camera units in the camera racks in the bomb bays of the PB4Y-1P Liberator airplanes.

The job of installing camera units in the PB4Y-1P airplanes became quite a chore, especially when there were multi-plane operations scheduled, such as five or eight photo plane coverage assignment for a photo flight of five or eight airplanes making one pass over their target area, which in the case of eight airplanes, there would be at least 32 aerial cameras installed in the bomb bay of the photo planes, plus extra roll film magazines, depending on the size of the target area and the altitude assignment of the aerial photo group which usually was somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 feet.

One interesting aspect in regard to the aerial camera operations and maintenance in the tropics was that the aerial cameras would become very cold at 20,000 to 25,000 feet after the bomb bay doors were opened, which did not cause any major problems at the high altitude, but as the photo airplane descended to lower altitude in preparation for returning to its home base, the air temperature would rise and the humidity would increase to such an extent that condensation would form inside of the aerial cameras, which had to be promptly emptied of the moisture collection after the airplane had landed at its home base, and the camera-magazine units had to be dried out.

It was not unusual to pour one or two quarts of water from an aerial camera after being very cold at 20,000 to 25,000 feet altitude at minus zero degrees Fahrenheit, and upon landing at their home base where the air temperature was in the upper eighties to sometimes above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity of some 70 to 95 percent.

Therefore it was necessary to get this moisture collection out of the aerial camera as soon as possible, and to place the camera-magazine units in a heated space for drying, and then each camera unit would be checked and made ready for future operations.

If the aeriel camera-magazine unit were not thoroughly dried out, fungus would form on the camera lens and the moving parts of the camera would become corroded, both of which would impair the proper operation of the aerial camera units.

The business of aerial camera repair-maintenance procedures had been pretty well developed by the time Fleet Air Photo-Recon Squadron VD-One arrived at Guadalcanal.

Prior to World War II, we in Naval aerial photography operations in a number of tropical area mapping assignments, learned how to cope with the problems of aerial camera-magazine repair-maintenance.

In 1942, the services of Mr. Herb Meade from the Fairchild aerial camera corporation were obtained. Mr. Meade set up the first aerial camera repair maintenance facilities in the South Pacific at Espiritu Santo where he first maintained the aerial cameras that were used by "Quackenbush's Gypsies," who were flying in the U.S. Army Air Force B-17 bombers in their operations in the Solomon Islands.

So from previous experience, LT. Farrell and his photo crew along with some help from the seabees built a room for the drying of aerial cameras-magazines which was heated by electric lamps that were powered from the camp's diesel powered generators.

Shortly after VD-One Squadron had arrived at the Koli Point Air Field on Guadalcanal in April 1943, the entire personnel of the squadron got busy and cleared the jungle area for their camp site near the Malimbiu River, they had to build their own water supply system by drilling a fresh water well 180 feet deep which delivered some 300 gallons of fresh water that needed no treatment.

The squadron had a small water distillation unit which was used only for a short time after their arrival. The unit consumed one gallon of Diesel oil for each gallon of fresh water produced, therefore it was imperative that a well be dug for the expected total requirements of the squadron and the photo laboratory operations.

The entire VD-One squadron at first had to live in pup tents and eat out of a box of "K" rations while they were clearing out the jungle and building their camp facilities.

The living quaters were wood floor, canvas covered wood top frame, supported on 50 gallon drums which were filled with dirt or sand in order to raise the floor level of the living quarters above the Malimbiu river flood level. This really paid off later when the Malimbiu river flooded Kuli Point Air Field under one foot of water, which at the time there were 150 airplanes parked at the air field.

During my taped interviews with Rear Admiral Howell J. Dyson and later with Mr. Geroge Waters, both of whom mentioned a five plane photo-recon flight over Burke Island which was near Rabul.

All of the five photo planes returned to Koli Field safely where they were reporting coverage of their assigned target areas.

George Waters and his photo lab crew were proceeding to process the aerial roll film made during the Buka Island coverage, when one of the film processing men reported to Waters that he had made a mistake and had placed the undeveloped aerial roll film loaded processing reel in the hypo fixing bath first and after several minutes when no images showed up, he then realized his mistake which by that time, the particular roll of exposed aerial negatives was ruined.

LT. Waters was reporting the processing mistake to CDR. Dyson who upon hearing the report by Waters, was just blowing his top, in fact he was seriously considering giving Waters and his film processing man a court martial, when suddenly the camp fire alarm sounded, the Galley was on fire. CDR. Dyson immediately left his office in one helluva hurry, thus leaving Geroge Waters dnagling on the hook as to the possibility of a court martial.

The fire at the galley took quite a while to get under control, with CDR. Dyson personally in charge of the fire fighting crew, and the procedures that followed for the preparation of food for the photo-recon squadron group of some 450 people.

By the time CDR. Dyson had the five problems under control, he had some minor injuries from the fire and also had calmed down regarding the error in film processing, so by the time it was discovered that this particular roll of aerial film coverage wasn't too important as some of the other photo planes pictures at least partially covered the target area.

Therefore CDR. Dyson forgot about the court martial. Needless to say that the proper film processing procedures were strictly adhered to from that day on.

George Waters reported that on another occasion the photo lab crew had printed several thousand 9" by 18" prints from the aerial negatives of a Japanese island target area.

The prints were in the print washers when the fresh water system became inoperative due to the collapse of the wood structural support of the wood storage tank, due to termites which had infested the structure, causing it to collapse.

As these particular aerial pictures were urgently needed for the photo interpreters to make their first phase interpretation to go along with the military intelligence report to COMSOPAC, and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Area, the photo lab crew of a few men formed a small dam along the edge of the Malimbiu River where they were more or less washing the prints by hand in the slowed river water current, when due to a cloud burst or heavy rainfall up the Malimbiu River in the hill country, the river suddenly at Koli Point flooded the print washing basin to such an extent, and so fast that a number of the aerial photo prints got loose and were carried down stream.

Each of the aerial photo prints revealed the name of the aerial coverage, the date made, the altitude at which the photo was made, the type of camera, the lens focal length, the VD-One Squadron photo plane number, and last but not least, it carried in plain english the caption classified "secret."

It was bad enough to lose a few of the prints to the flooding of the river, but to put the problem into high gear in the area, Some of these prints were recovered by some military people downstream who turned them into the COMSOPAC Guadalcanal security, who just raised holy hell and caused quite an investigation regarding the handling of classified security matters in the combat theatre.

George Waters at the time could see court martial coming in his direction, however he did get some going over in regard to the procedures for the handling of classified matters in a war zone but no court martials. Needless to say, the VD-One photo lab crew never washed any more classified photo prints in the Malimbiu River from that day on.

In addition to the Fleet Air Photo-Recon Squadron VD-One operations from Koli Air Field, Guadalcanal, in 1943-1944, the U.S. Marine Corps photo squadron VMD-254 with LTCOL. E. P. Pennebaker conducted aerial photographic reconnaissance coverage of Japanese held islands in the South Pacific area and some of the central Pacific Islands.

One of VMD-254 photo-recon flights was a long one, from Guadalcanal to Truk in the Caroline Islands and return to Guadalcanal where their aerial roll film was processed by the VD-One Photo Lab Crew under LT. George Waters.

The U.S. Marine Corp's VMD-254 squadron had PB4Y-1P photo liberators which were especially like VD-One squadron airplanes equipped for aerial photography with four or more cameras mounted and operated from the bomb bay of the aircraft.

On or about 15 August 1943 CDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN received orders as Group Commander of Photo Group One, in addition to Commanding Officer Fleet Air Photo-recon Squadron One all of which was under the direct command , Commander Aircraft Solomons Island Area.

Fleet Air Photo Group One at Guadalcanal was composed of Fleet Air Photo Recon Squadron VD-One; Fleet Marine Corps Air Group Photo-Recon Squadron VMD-254, and Photographic Interpretation Squadron One, which had some sixty qualified photo interpreters.

The entire photo group one had a total of some 500 officers and enlisted personnel of which 200 were strictly photographic people under LT. George Waters.

On 24 Nov 1943 CDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN, Commanding Officer of Photo Group One - Fleet Air Photographic - Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One was relieved by Commander, John McElroy, USN who was the commanding officer of the group until early May 1944, when CDR. Ro. O. "Red" Green became the commanding officer of the group.

CDR. Howell J. Dyson, USN on 16 December 1943 reported for duty to the Commander in Chief Pacific Ocean Area at Pearl Harbor, T.H. Dyson was assigned duty as the officer in charge of "PRISIC," Photographic Reconnaissance Interpretation Section INtelligence Center, Pacific Ocean area, which was then located in the Eastman Kodak Building in the downtown area of Honolulu.

At that time there were some 150 qualified photo interpretation officers in the Honolulu unit.

The Intelligence Center of the Pacific Ocean Area was then under Rear Admiral Forrest Sherman, USN who reported directly to C in C, Pacific Ocean Areas, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, USN.

Early in 1941, Rex Hardy was a junior grade Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve Hollywood Motion PIcture Unit under CDR. John Ford, USNR, and as there wasn't much action in the unit being called up for duty in the Navy, Rex Hardy requested active duty assignment, which was approved whereupon he received orders to duty at the U.S. Naval Air Station at North Island, and upon reporting for duty was assigned to the Fleet Air Photographic Laboratory. After a short period of duty at NAS, North Island, he received orders to duty aboard the U.S. Naval aircraft carrier, USS SARATOGA where he spent the summer months of 1941 aboard the SARATOGA as a junior officer under instructions in various aspects of life on board a Naval aircraft carrier.

In Oct. 1941 LTJG Rex Hardy was ordered back to NAS, North Island where he joined a photographic unit then being put together by Major Bill Lemley, USMC and Major Roy Hopper, USMC.

This photographic unit was called "Beach Reconnaissance Group," and manned by U.S. Naval and U.S. Marine Corps personnel.

At that time, the mission of the Beach Recon Group was to devise methods of installation of fixed mapping cameras in SPDs and F4F fighter airplanes including operational techniques for using the camera equipment.

Also they were trying to develop training methods for carrier aircraft pilots, with the thought that aerial photographic reconnaissance would have to be done by aircraft from Naval aircraft carriers, as the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps had no large land based bomber type airplanes that could be used for long distant, high altitude aerial photo reconnaissance missions.

The PBY Catalina Flying Boats were thought to be too slow and were somewhat restricted for high altitude-long distance flight that was considered a positive requirement for aerial photographic reconnaissance missions.

Therefore the "Beach Reconnaissance" group at NAS San Diego spent the fall months in 1941 with a small joint Navy-Marine group working out the methods of installing cameras, testing, making trial runs, and training some of the aircraft carrier pilots who were in and out of San Diego with the Naval aircraft carrier pilot training group stationed at NAS North Island, San Diego, California.

During this fall training period, Rex Hardy spent a short period of time with the Fairchild Camera Corporation and with the U.S. Army Air Corps at Wright Field where he was apprised of what Fairchild and the U.S. Army Air Corps were doing in regard to aerial photo reconnaissance.

Rex Hardy returned to his unit at NAS North Island in late November 1941, where they were busy in their training program, when suddenly on Sunday December 7, 1941, the Japanese made their surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, T.H.

The U.S. Naval-Marine Beach Photo recon unit at NAS San Diego was immediately ordered aboard the U.S. Naval aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA. The unit reported on board the carrier SARATOGA early in the evening of December 7, 1941. The aircraft carrier SARATOGA departed from San Diego early on the morning of December 8, 1941 bound for Pearl Harbor, T.H. at a speed of about 30 knots.

Rex Hardy remarked during out taped interview on 28 January 1976, quote "I don't think anyone had any idea as to what we would do, but here was a photographic reconnaissance group in being, a unit, maybe they would need some of this." unquote.

Upon the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA at Pearl Harbor, the photo reconnaissance unit was put ashore at NAS Ford Island, where nobody quite knew what to do with them.

The unit was there with Major Lemley, USMC in charge, who finally did work out some sort of a plan to get some cameras aboard a PB-2Y Catalina, and one or two of his people did fly out to Wake Island before the island fell, where they made a few aerial photos of the island.

In the meantime, the remaining personnel of the photo recon unit remained at NAS Ford Island for two or three months where they carried out the training program working with any of the aircraft carrier airplanes in which they could fit an aerial camera for the training of pilots and machine gunners.

However during this period, Dec. 1941, Jan. and Feb. 1942 there was so much confusion about everything, and there were no real plans, so in March 1942, the photo recon unit was returned to NAS North Island, where the unit was de-commissioned, and the Naval personnel and equipment were placed in an organization then called the Fleet Air Photographic Unit, a unit that was then commonly call FAPU.

This FAPU organization was taken over by LCDR. Howell J. Dyson USN. The U.S. Marine Corps personnel departed from San Diego for duty assignments in the South Pacific.

In March-April 1942, LCDR. Howell Dyson had chief photographer Daniel J. "Mickey" Farrell, USN and a small number of Naval photographers and a few Naval aviator pilots who had been through the U.S. Naval photography school at Pensacola.

Rex Hardy was assigned the principal job at that time to organize and conduct a training course for the Naval aviator pilots who were going through the advanced carrier training at NAS North Island.

Rex Hardy and his small group of Naval photographers took the pilots into classes, where they were taught what was going on with the camera mounted in the back of the airplane, how to turn it on and off, how to set the intervalometer, how to run aerial photo strips, how to make them overlap properly, and how to compute for the necessary picture to picture, and photo strip overlap, as well as a little photo interpretation work.

As this training work was proceeding, Rex Hardy surmised that this type of aerial photography-photo interpretation was something that would have to be greatly expanded and as far as Rex Hardy was concerned, he was in a Navy organization and was assigned to a non-flying job, and as he had a private pilots license dating from his college days, and had done some aerial photography, he requested flight training at Pensacola Florida which was approved and official orders were issued for Rex Hardy to proceed to NAS Pensacola, Florida where he successfully completed the regular U.S. Naval Aviator Pilots Flight Training Course.

Upon his graduation and being designated a Naval aviation pilot, he was ordered to NAS Jacksonville, Florida where he spent a few months flying patrol and operational training airplanes until CDR. A. D. Frazer, USN (then assistant Director of the U.S. Navy Photography Division in the Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department, Washington, D.C.) received information that LT. Rex Hardy USNR was a qualified Naval airplane pilot with a background in aerial photography in civilian life before his entry into the Naval Reserve and his operational photographic reconnaissance training at NAS North Island with the Beach Reconnaissance Group and the "FAPU" Fleet Air Photographic Unit. Therefore as the U.S. Naval photographic organization needed qualified Naval airplane pilots for duty in the Pacific Ocean area as airplane pilots assigned to the urgent business of aerial photographic reconnaissance operations.

LT. Rex Hardy received official orders to the NAS Miramar, near San Diego, California where he was to take the multi-engine landplane training course then in operation at NAS Miramar for the PB4Y-1P (consolidated Liberator Airplane) especially equipped for high altitude, long range photographic reconnaissance assignments.

Late in November or early December, 1943, LT. Rex Hardy and LT. George Fairbanks received orders along with their flight crews to the Convair plant in Kansas where they took delivery of two new PB4Y-1P photo liberator four engine landplanes, which they flew back to NAS Miramar, where they refueled and loaded the two new PB4Y-1P airplanes for a flight from NAS Miramar (a few miles north of San Diego) to NAS Barbers Point T.H. with a fuel overload of some 3000 lbs, both PB4Y-1P airplanes made the flight in 16 hours.

After a couple of days rest at NAS Barbers Point, LT. Rex Hardy and LT. George Fairbanks with their flight crews departed from the Hawaiian Islands bound for Koli Point Air Field on Guadalcanal, a five day trip with refueling stops at Johnson Island, Palmyra Island, Canton Island, Funafuti Island, and then to Koli Point Air Field at Guadalcanal, where they reported for duty to CDR. John H. McElroy, USN commanding officer of Fleet Air Photographic Squadron One, commonly known as VD-One, "Victor Dog One."

Shortly after their arrival at Guadalcanal the crews were briefed and familiarized with the Solomon Island area, and were instructed in the operational procedures and in a few day they became an active unit in the U.S. Naval aerial photographic-reconnaissance coverage of various assigned target areas in the Solomon Island areas, such as Bougainville, Raboul, Munda, etc.

Rex Hardy mentioned in his taped interview that they made a lot of flights that were invariably to single islands, just to see what the Japanese might have, where located and how much. The island of Naurer was one of them, which was at that time heavily fortified, therefore this island got a lot of aerial bombing and shelling from our Navy surface ships, resulting in almost daily aerial photo-recon coverage which was required for the photo interpreters to evaluate and report their findings to the top military commander of the theatre of operations, on to ADM. Nimitz staff headquarters at Pearl Harbor T.H.

The four engine PB4Y-1P photo liberators of VD One Squadron made some very long distance flights from Koli Point Air field, many of which were around 15-16 hours air flight time.

As a general rule, the PB4Y-1P crews would fly one day, next day on the ground at their operating base, reconditioning their plane for their next operation, the third day at their operating base, they were on standby operations and on the fourth day, they would make their assigned aerial photo recon flight over an assigned target area.

In 1944 the war action in the south and central Pacific Ocean area was moving up quite rapidly toward the Phillipines, so as the various islands were secured by our forces, several of the VD-One photo recon airplanes would move up and operate from these advance bases several hundred miles or so from Koli Point Air Field.

These advanced bases were used for various lengths of time. Rex Hardy reported that he and his PB4Y-1P airplane and crew spent several weeks on Green Island before returning to their base camp back at Koli Point Air Field on Guadalcanal, where they had a chance to clean up, recondition their airplane and equipment, process the aerial photographs, etc.

At these advanced bases, the PB4Y-1P photo Liberator crews lived in pup tents, some of the crew would sleep aboard the airplane, meals mostly were from a small water proof box which contained what was known as "K" rations, sometimes they were lucky and were able to get some hot food from one of the forward area field kitchens which served what was known as "C" rations which came in one and five gallon containers.

Living conditions in the Solomons and the various islands north and west of Guadalcanal were no picnic, many of these islands were covered with heavy tropical jungle, loaded with mosquitoes, ticks, lice, bats and in some area several types of tropical snakes.

Rex Hardy reported that they were on Green Island for several weeks and then they moved up to a place called Wakde Way up on the northwest coast of New Guinea, where they did some aerial photo-recon operations, west and north as far as into the Dutch East Indies.

Late in 1943 the U.S. Marine Corps VMD-154 sent some of their PB4Y-1P photo Liberators from Koli Point Air Field on a nonstop flight up to the Japanese held island of Truk where they made aerial photo reconnaissance pictures of the area for military intelligence information as to what, where and how much the Japanese had at Truk.

The VMD-154 photo plane returned safely to Koli Point Air Field, with their films processed at Guadalcanal in the VD-One photo lab. The photo interpreters at Guadalcanal scanned the photographs and reported that the Japanese Naval vessels were not at Truk as had been previously believed to be the main base for the Japanese Naval fighting ships, so at that time, our allied air forces along with out own Army, Naval and Marine forces were on the lookout for the Japanese forces which had disappeared from Truk.

The various islands in the upper Solomons were checked and rechecked frequently over a period of two or three months and still no sign of the Japanese battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, etc.

Therefore the top commanders of the allied fighting forces in the Solomon area suspected that the Japanese had moved their main surface fighting ships up to the Island of Palau which was some 1400 to 1600 miles northwest of the Markham River Valley on New Guinea.

The U.S. Army Air Force had photo recon units operating from their air fields at a place call "Nadzab" in the Markham River Valley area on New Guinea.

Their photo recon airplanes did not have enough flight range to cover the Palau Island area, so they requested the assistance of the U.S. Naval Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance, VD-One Squadron.

In March 1944 LT. Rex Hardy USNR was assigned to the mission with two PB4Y-1P photo Liberators from VD-One Squadron at Guadalcanal to fly up to the Army Air Force base at Nadzat, where he reported to Col. Marion Cooper, who informed LT. Rex Hardy that he was to report to the U.S. Army Air Force Commander with his two Navy PB4Y-1P photo-recon liberators, and to assist them in the problem of obtaining aerial photo reconnaissance photos of the Palau Island area then under the control of the Japanese.

After LT. Rex Hardy had reported to the U.S. Army Air Force Commander, they started looking over their maps and charts covering the area from New Guinea to the Japanese held Islands of Palau, from which it was apparent that there was just no way they could successfully make a photo reco coverage flight from the "Nadzat" base up to Palau, and return to the Nadzat base with the VD-One squadron PB4Y-1P photo liberator airplanes.

After much discussion between LT. Rex Hardy and his two Navy airplane crews, and the U.S. Army Air Force people, the Air Force commander along with his staff finally hit upon a plan.

The Air Force had a fairly old PB4Y Liberator bomber airplane, which they told LT. Rex Hardy and his Navy people, strip it down, put in extra gas tanks and plan for a night photo reconnaissance mission to the Japanese held island of Palau, as it was considered almost impossible to make the photo recon coverage of Palau during daylight hours, because of the very probability that the photo plane in a daylight pass over would come under anti-aircraft fire, but also they could expect that the photo plane would encounter Japanese fighter plane attacks.

LT. Rex Hardy along with his two PB4Y-1P photo Liberator crews and with help from the Air Force people, stripped the old Air Force PB4Y Liberator by removing the flack shields in the pilots compartment, removing all of the machine guns except the tail guns and the top side guns and various other gear to lighten the load of the aircraft.

They installed three 400 gallon self sealing rubber gas tanks in the forward bomb bay area, removed all of the bomb bay bomb racks, installed one K-17 Fairdchild night photo aerial camera, and made provision to carry five night photo flash bombs, each of which would light up the target area by its two million foot candle power light when it was triggered to explode over the target.

LT. Rex Hardy and his Navy PB4Y-1P photo Liberator crews prior to their scheduled flight to Palaua, experimented with trail fins attached to the photo flash bombs to make sure that the photo flash bomb would be trailing the photo plane to explode and light the target area far enough to the rear and below the photo plane so that the camera lens was not picking up the direct two million foot candle power light.

So after they had completely stripped the old PB4Y bomber, and thoroughly checked all flight operations by actual flight tests, they finally loaded the old PB4Y bomber with some 3400 gallons of gasoline which included the 3 to 400 gallon tanks in the forward area of the bomb bay.

The flight crew actually assigned to the night photo mission over Palau, consisted of LT. Rex Hardy as the pilot and aircraft commander of the flight and inasmuchas the flight was under the direct command of the U.S. Army Air Force at New Guinea, the Air Force assigned Col. Miller as co-pilot of the night photo flight to Palau; Ensign William Berry, navigator; one Navy photographer as camera operator-machine gunner; and one Navy radioman-machine gunner; a total of a five man crew.

LT. Rex Hardy, along with his Navy PB4Y-1P flight crews and the U.S. Army Air Force people worked out a flight plan for the PB4Y photo plane to be flown from the Manza Air Force Field (which was a far forward Air Force base in New Guinea) late in the afternoon around 5pm, which would permit the photo plane to arrive over its Palau target area somewhere around 3am the next morning while the area was still in darkness, and hopefully while the Japanese would be asleep.

The flight plan called for one pass over the Palau target area at 25,000 feet, dropping the five photo flash bombs with a time interval between each drop so that the target area would be illuminated by the two million foot candle power photo flash bomb light in each of the five vertical overlapping pictures recorded by the K-17 aerial camera, which they hopefull expected to reveal whether or not the Japanese fleet was at anchor at Palau, and also if and how many and what types of Japanese aircraft might be resting on the air field at Palau.

LT. Rex Hardy and his reduced flight crew in the old Air Force PB4Y bomber were air borne at about 5pm on March 26, 1944, with the airplane very heavily loaded with some 27,200 lbs of gasoline.

The first few hours of the flight were spent climbing to the 25,000 foot altitude, using the fuel from the three 400 gallon tanks in the bomb bay in order to lighten and equalize the load in the airplane.

During the flight toward Palau from New Guinea, they managed to find their way through the night, encountering some clouds which upset some of their celestial navigation, however around 3am the next morning they found that they were in the Palau Island area, in which they started a square search which almost immediately revealed the islands, all in darkness of the early morning hours in which very little could be seen from the photo plane except the surf outlines around the Palau Islands.

LT. Rex Hardy pointed his photo plane on a north to south course over what they thought to be the main island and harbor area, and as they flew across the target area, they dropped the five photo flash bombs in their predetermined intervals for the overlapping aerial photos from 25,000 feet altitude. The five aerial photos were made by the camera shutter being triggered by the photo electirc eye cell pointed in the direction of the five photo flash bomb bursts.

Very shortly after the first photo flash bomb burst, just about every light on the Palau Islands went on, plus the lights on the Japanese ships anchored in the harbors, and their anti-aircraft guns started firing their shells at the photo plane, none of which exploded close to the photo plane.

After the fifth night photo was made, Rex Hardy set his course, heading his photo plane toward New Guinea, nose down, full motor RPM, giving the airplane its maximum air speed.

Prior to the photo planes departure from Manza Field on New Guinea, arrangements had been made for the homing transmitter on a place called Memote on one of the Admiralty Islands, to be transmitting a homing signal which the night photo plane would pick up and proceed to the air strip on Memonte.

The photo plane radioman strained his ears, twisted his equipment dial with no luck in getting any homing signals from the Admiralty Islands, so after an hour or so in flight from Palau, LT. Rex Hardy ordered that the photo plane be stripped of anything that could be lossened and jettisoned in order to lighten his load, thus permitting him to reduce his engines' RPM, using less gasoline, while reducing his altitude with the aircraft almost coasting as a glider on a course heading to the Manza Air Field on New guinea.

LT. Rex Hardy did not think that he had enough gas to get back to the Manza Air Field, however in his communication with the Air Force command on New Guinea, he was told to keep headed toward New Guinea, and thay they would send out a PBY "Black Cat" rescue airplane (Catalina Flying Boat) to meet the photo plane off the coast of New Guinea. Meanwhile the navigator, radioman and the photographer chopped away everything that would come off inside of the PB4Y bomber, throwing out their 50 caliber machine guns and mounts, their ammunition, and aerial camera after the photographer had removed the exposed aerial film. Almost everything that would come loose was thrown overboard.

The PB4Y bomber photo plane was straggling along with two engines - prop feathered and the other two engine propellers scarcely turning to save fuel, airplane nose down, gradually lowering the airplanes altitude with a heading toward New Guinea, when in due time the "Black Cat" appeared in sight to escort the photo plane back to the Air Force base on New Guinea, and also to provide some protection in case they ran into Japanese aircraft which were reported to be infesting the northern coast of New Guinea.

When the PBY bomber-photo plane got in closer range of the coast of New Guinea, all of a sudden a flock of U.S. Army Air Force fighter airplanes closed in and around the returning photo plane and the escorting "Black Cat" which presented quite a procession with the PB4Y Liberator-bomber-photo plane leading with the Cataline"Black Cat" flying boat trailing and Air Force fighters all over the sky.

LT. Rex Hardy and his crew on the night photo reconnaissance fully expected to run out of gas before they reached New Guinea and were prepared to ditch the photo plane and take to their rubber raft from which they expected to be picked up by the "Black Cat," however they were told by the Air Force command on New Guinea to keep coming, which they did and finally they approached the New Guinea coast very near where the Japanese force had a hold. Not far from this Japanese held area was an Air Force fighter stip called "Saidor" where LT. Rex Hardy decided to land by making one approach to the strip and lowering his wheels when his plane was nearing the landing strip.

They made the landing at the Saidor Army Air Force air strip with 20 gallons of gasoline left in each of the four wing tanks, a total of 80 gallons. The flight time logged for the night photo reconnaissance from New Guinea to Palau and back to the Saidor air strip on New guinea was 19.8 hours.

During the planning for this photo recon flight from New Guinea to Palau and return to New Guinea, it was considered that the ultimate limit of the flight to be 16 hours. As the flight turned into a very lengthy 19.8 hours, you can be sure LT. Rex Hardy and his small crew were very tired, but very glad to get back without encountering any Japanese airplanes and further, they were happy to learn that upon the processing of the night aerial photos a substantial number of Japanese ships showed up anchored in the Palau Harbor.

The night aerial photographs made on March 26, 1944 by LT. Rex Hardy and his small crew flying their stripped down PB4Y-1 Air Force bomber, converted into a photo recon airplane flight over the Japanese held Islands of Palau were processed by the U.S. Army Air Force forward area photo unit in New Guinea where the first phase interpretations were made and a report made thereof to the appropriate allied military commands in the South Western pacific Ocean area, and to the commander in Chief of the Pacific Ocean Area headquarters at Pearl Harbor, T.H.

The military intelligence information obtained from the night aerial photos of Palau caused the Commander in Chief Pacific Ocean area war plans officers of Fleet Admiral Nimitz to formulate the task force plans for a major assault on the Palau Island area in early Sept. 1944 which put the Japanese out of the war business in the Palau Island area.

The military intelligence information obtained from the night aerial photographs of Palau were delivered by air to the Commander of Fast Tasks Force 58 as this group of fighting ships passed Green Island enroute to their assault mission on Palau.

Shortly after LT. Hardy and his photo-recon PB4Y-1P photo Liberator crew had completed their photo mission over Palau, they returned to Koli Point Air Field on Guadalcanal, where they resumed Photo-reconnaissance assignments along with the other VD-One Photo-recon Squadron flight crews in the Solomon Island Areas.

Late in May 1944, Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One with Commander R. O. "Red" Green, USN, commanding officer flying as co-pilot to LT Rex Hardy in their PB4Y-1P photo Liberator, was the leader of a flight of eight PB44Y-1P photo planes on a non-stop flight from Guadalcanal to the Island of Eniwetok in the Marshall Island group, where they joined up with the U.S. Army 7th Air Force bomber command, for the purpose of making a combined bombing-photo reconnaissance flight over the Island of Guam in the Marianas which was then held under the control of the Japanese.

At Eniwetok plans were developed for the eight PB4Y-1 photo-Liberator airplanes of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One in their mission over Guam to be accompanied by 16 Air Force B-24 bombers on the combined bombing-photo recon mission over the Island of Guam.

The plan called for each photo-recon plane to lead two of the Air Force bombers which would be flying a loose vee wing slightly astern of the photo plane during approach to their Guam target, and for them to maintain this position for fighter protection over the target and upon leaving the area.

The formation of the eight PB4Y-1P photo liberators with their two Air Force bomber escorts spaced about 1/2 mile apart at an altitude of 25,000 feet, so that as they passed over the Island of Guam, vertical overlapping aerial photographs were made that were on a flight line parallel to the adjacent photo-recon plane and its two B24 bomber escorts, thus resulting in the formation of the eight PB4Y-1P photo liberators and their accompanying sixteen B-24 Air Force bombers making one pass over the Guam Island target and heading for home with complete overlapping aerial photo coverage of the target area of Guam recorded on the film carried in the 32 aerial cameras used in the eight PB4Y-1P photo Liberators.

There were four cameras mounted in the camera rack in the bomb bay section of each PB4Y-1P photo-Liberator. Lens focal length ranged from 12" - 18" - 24" and 40." The film used in the cameras was Eastman Aero Panchromatic (black and white) and Eastman Aero Infra Red.

Very early on the morning of May 29, 1944 the eight PB4Y-1P photo-recon planes accompanied by 16 Air Force B-24 bombers took off from the air field at Eniwetok bound for their target of Guam where they arrived about six hours after leaving Eniwetok.

Over their assigned Guam target at 25,000 feet in a wide spread formation with all flight personnel wearing their oxygen masks and electrically heated flight suits, and as they were approaching the edge of the island of Guam, the two Naval photographers in each of the eight PB4Y-1P photo Liberators started their electrically operated cameras which had been present for their 60% picture to picture overlap. The cameras kept clicking photos until after the photo recon formation had cleared the other side of the island of Guam.

This photographic-reconnaissance-bomber group caught the Japanese Air Force on Guam by surprise, however the Japanese anti-aircraft started shooting their shells at the formation about the time the group was passing over the shoreline.

The crews of the photo-recon-bomber formation could see Japanese fighter airplanes taxiing out to take off in an effort to attack the photo-recon-bomber formation. The Air Force B-24 bombers dropped their 500 lb. bombs on various Japanese targets as the photo-recon-bomber group passed over the island of Guam at 25,000 feet.

Rex Hardy reported that they could see Japanese Air Force fighter planes taking off from the Guam air strip and in a space of five to six minutes later, they were above the photo-recon-bomber formation that had by that time completed their aerial photo coverage of Guam and were in the process of taking a course back to their home base, when the Japanese fighter planes made overhead fighter plane passes on the eight photo-recon-bomber three plane section which was broken up fairly effectively because the Japanese fighter planes were using phosphorous bombs, which was a surprise to the crews of photo-recon-bomber airplanes. They hadn't heard about that kind of fighter plane activity by the Japanese Air Forces.

These Japanese fighter airplanes would approach fairly close overhead of the photo-recon-bomber formations where they would pitch out one of their phosphorus bombs which would explode in front of the PB4Y-1P and B-24 airplane formations. Their bombs left a trailing ribbon of phosphorus, through and into which several of our planes flew, causing quite a few holes in the airplanes, however all aircraft of the photo-recon-bomber group returned to base safely except one Air Force B-24 bomber which caught fire and was lost from the formation, presumably going into the ocean some 50 to 70 miles south of Guam.

The Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-One Squadron of Eight PB4Y-1P (photo Liberators) under the command of CDR. R. O. "Red" Green, USN flying as co-pilot with LT. Rex Hardy as pilot of the lead photo airplane, with each photo plane carrying a crew of three officers and eight enlisted men, made the entire flight from Guadalcanal to Eniwetok-Guam and return to Guadalcanal via the Island of Manus in the Admiralty group, without the loss or serious injury to the flying photo-recon group.

Shortly after leaving the Guam area and no longer under phosphorus bomb attack, the Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-One Squadron was ordered to fly to the Island of Manus, where they were to refuel and then fly back to their Koli Point Air Field at Guadalcanal.

The 7th Air Force B-24 bombers which had accompanied the photo-recon planes returned to their air field at Eniwetok.

The aerial film was processed and printed at the Fleet Air Photographic VD-One Squadron photo lab at Guadalcanal where first phase interpretation was made in regard to military intelligence as to what, where and how much the Japanese had on the Island of Guam.

A very comprehensive report was made along with dupe negatives-prints, and marked maps which were sent to Joint Intelligence Group Pacific Ocean Area (JIGPOA) at the Pearl Harbor, T.H. headquarters of Fleet Admiral CHester Nimitz, USN, Commander in Chief of Pacific Ocean Area.

The aerial photo reconnaissance photographs made by VD-One squadron on their May 29th 1944 flight over Guam and other photo-recon-bomber flights made by Photo Recon Squadron VD-4 under the command of LCDR. Charles L. Clark during the summer and fall period of 1944 provided valuable military intelligence information to the invasion war planning officers on the staffs of Admiral Nimitz and the staffs of the various task forces that were used by our forces in their assault on and our retaking of Guam from the Japanese late in 1944.

LT. Rex Hardy was eventually advanced to LCDR. USNR and was later awarded the "Distinguished Flying Cross" which reads as follows:

THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
WASHINGTON

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS to

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER REX HARDY, JR.
UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

"For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight as Patrol Plane Commander in Fleet Air Photographic Squadron ONE, during reconnaissance missions over Japanese- held positions in the Caroline and Marianas Islands on March 26 and May 29, 1944. Executing a night photographic and reconnaissance mission over Palau Islands on the first assignment, Lieutenant Commander (then Lieutenant) Hardy traversed a great distance and remained in continous flight for approximately twenty hours. Leading a flight of eight Photo Liberators over Guam on the second assignment, he directed the successful photographic coverage and safe return of the planes in spite of enemy antiaircraft fire. By his professional skill, airmanship and devotion to duty, Lieutenant Commander Hardy contributed materially to the success of our subsequent operations and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

For the President,

/s/ James Forrestal
Secretary of the Navy

Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-one operating from Koli Point Air Field on Guadalcanal during the period of April 1943 to October 1944 as their main base, and as various islands in the Solomons and the Bismark archipelago were secured by the allied forces of the the South Pacific, VD-One Photo Liberators would fly up to advanced air fields on New Georgia, Bougainville, Green and Manus from which they flew advanced photographic reconnaissance coverage of Japanese held islands that had been by-passed by our assault forces in order to keep tabs on the Japanese military operations as their support from Japan had been cut down to a trickle, therefore from a military intelligence information standpoint, this frequent aerial photo-recon coverage proved to be extremely useful to the planning officers on the staff of the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Ocean area at Pearl Harbor and later at his advanced headquarters at Guam. During the period of April 1943-October 1944, Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One conducted extensive aerial photographic coverage for military intelligence purposes of Japanese held islands in the Solomons and the Bismark Archipelago, such as: New Georgia, Bougainville, Munda, Rendova, Russel, Green, Vangunu, New Britain, Manus, Buka, Nauru, Kolombangara, Vella Lavella, Treasury, Shortlands and a number of very small islands in the Solomons-Bismark area.

During this same period, the progress of the allied forces in the South Pacific made great advances up through the Solomon Islands - Bismark Archipelago areas in which a number of the Japanese held islands were bypassed by our fighting forces.

These bypassed islands along with some of the other Japanese held islands which had been invaded by the allied forces were frequently photographed by the Fleet Air Photographic - Reconnaissance Squadron VD-one, mainly for the purpose of keeping a close watch for any enemy activity.

As time went on, we observed from the aerial photographs and other military intelligence information that the Japanese shipping into the South Pacific island areas had greatly decreased, and in some cases the Japanese armed forces on some of the islands had been completely cut off for many months.

Intelligence information obtained from aerial photographs and from native cost watchers on a number of the bypassed islands revealed that some of the Japanese military units had left their original bases, and had actually moved back into the interior areas of the island and were attempting to live off the jungle with the natives.

Later military intelligence reports show that a number of these Japanese jungle units did not survive.

On Feb. 4, 1944 aerial photo-recon pictures were made by Fleet Marine Air Squadron VMD-254 with LTCOL. E. P. Pennebaker flying PB4Y-1P Liberaotrs from Koli field Guadalcanal to the Japanese held island of Truk.

The VMD-254 photo recon PB4Y-1P Liberator flew from Guadalcanal to Torokina Bougainville where it was refueled and then flown on a 1700 mile photo-recon coverage of the Island of Truk.

The aerial reconnaissance photographer of the Truk area revealed a number of land targets, and also at anchor in the Truk Harbor was one Japanese battleship, six Japanese heavy cruisers, four Japanese light cruisers, 20 Japanese destroyers, 12 Japanese submarines, two Japanese carriers and a large number of Japanese marus.

This Japanese force was the combined fleet of Admiral Koga, less the Nagato, Furo and some other ships which had departed for the Island of Palau.

The military intelligence information obtained by the U.S. Marine Fleet Air Squadron VMP-254 photo-recon flight on 4 Feb 1944 was used by Task Group 50.9 for their attack on the Japanese held Island of Truk.

Task Group 50.9 consisted of two battleships: USS NEW JERSEY and USS IOWA; two heavy cruisers: USS MINNEAPOLIS and USS NEW ORLEANS; four destroyers; and one aircraft carrier: USS COWPENS.

Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One was the first Naval photographic squadron to be awarded the "Navy Unit Commendation" for their aerial photographic reconnaissance operations in the South Pacific Ocean area during World War II.

The "Navy Unit Commendation"

From: Secretary of the Navy

To: Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron One

For extremely meritorious service in support of military operations in the Pacific Ocean areas, from April 15, 1943 to September 9, 1945. Flying constantly over uncharted territory and through adverse weather, Fleet Air Photographic Squadron One rendered pioneer service in furnishing the photographic reconnaissance necessary to convert the passive defense action into a powerful offensive.

With evasive tactics impossible while maintaining a straight level flight at steady altitude over the target to be photographed, the pilots and crews of Squadron One boldly penetrated the accurate fire of antiaircraft guns and fought off aerial opposition to complete their vital assignments. Despite air raids, floods and primitive jungle conditions, the ground echelons of this squadron have operated consistently with troops in the most forward battle areas, processing and finishing the films dropped to them by parachute and aiding in the delivery of the prints as expeditiously as possible to ground and fleet units, operating first from Guadalcanal, and later from Guam, Fleet Air Photographic Squadron One provided photographic reconnaissance in almost every major campaign in the Pacific, with both air crews and ground personnel many times experiencing the dangers of actual combat with the enemy.

Consistently maintaining the high standard of teamwork ne6cessary to carry through assignments requiring the utmost in courage, skill and perseverance, this fearless and aggressive squadron obtained and made available photographs of inestimable value in prosecuting the war with Japan and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

In late Sept. and early Oct. 1944, the Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron One was ordered back to the states.

The PB4Y-1P (photo Liberators) were flown by their regular flight crews from Guadalcanal, staging through various islands in the central Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands, and then back to the Naval Air Station, Miramar, California, a few miles north of San Diego.

All of the PB4Y-1P (photo Liberators) arrived at NAS, Miramar without any major problem, except LT. Rex Hardy, who was flying his original PH4Y-1P (photo Liberator) that he and his crew received at the Convair factory in 1943, when several hundred miles from the Island of Tarawa they lost power in one of the airplane's engines, which caused them to make an emergency landing on the air field at Tarawa.

After several days at Tarawa, they got a replacement engine installed, and then proceeded back to the states via NAS Barbers Point, T.H. arriving at NAS Miramar well behind the other seven VD-One squadron airplanes.

The PB4Y-1P (photo Liberator) airplanes of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-One, were reconditioned at San Diego and made available for the Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance operational requirements in late 1944 and early 1945.

ADDENDUM TO PART ONE

Biography of Rear Admiral Howell Jesse Dyson, USN (ret.)

- "IN MEMORIAM"

Rear Admiral Howell Jesse Dyson U. S. N. ( ret) 1903- 1976

Admiral Dyson was born on March 14, 1903, at Pineville, Louisiana, the son of Charles V. Dyson and Mrs. (Olive Adele Johnston) Dyson. He received his early education from the Pineville and Montgomery, Louisiana public schools, and attended the Bobby Werntz Preparatory School, Annapolis, Maryland before entering the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in 1922. While a midshipman he won the block "N" in wrestling, being a captain of the Academy's team in his first class year. He was Company Commander of the Color Company - 5th Company - in 1927, and the present Mrs. Helen Dyson was the Color Girl. Upon graduation 2 June 1927 he was commissioned Ensign in the United States Navy. Subsequently he was advanced to the rank of Captain United States Navy on March 20, 1945. He was retired with 30 years active service on 1 July 1957 with the rank of Rear Admiral, U. S. N. (ret).

After graduation from the USNA and a short course of Naval Aviation instruction at Annapolis in the summer of 1927, he was assigned duty in the Gunnery Department of the Battleship U. S. S. West Virginia until March 1928. Then he returned to Annapolis to train for the 1928 Olympic wrestling try-outs at Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was eliminated in the semi-finals. Ensign Dyson then returned to the U. S. S. WEST VIRGINIA and performed duties as Junior Watch Officer and Division Officer in the Engineering Department until March 1929.

At that time he reported to the U. S. Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, for flight training. He received his naval aviator flight wings December 21, 1929. From 1929 to 1957 he served in various Naval Aviation Units and he accumulated about 5,000 flight hours.

His first flight duty was in Utility Squadron one attached to the U. S. S. WRIGHT. Then came Scouting Squadron two, one of the squadrons of the old Carrier, U.S.S. SARATOGA (CV-3).

In the late summer of 1930 the Pacific Fleet Forces were engaged in war game exercises along the California Coast during which a mock attack was conducted on the coastal defense sectors of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Aircraft Carriers U. S. S. SARATOGA and the U. S. S. LEXINGTON with their aircraft squadrons deployed about 400 miles west of the San Francisco Bay Area, from which, during the night, they closed in at high speed and launched their aircraft squadrons for attack under a fog covered ocean about 150 miles from the Bay Area.

In this aircraft attacking force of some 140 airplanes were nine Vought 02U-2 single engine airplanes from Scouting Squadron two from the SARATOGA, whose mission was aerial photographic reconnaissance of certain target areas in the Bay Area. The attack aircraft were launched in time to be over their assigned targets at 1200 and to make a converted attack as scheduled.

Ensign Dyson was one of the photo plane pilots from VS-2 Squadron assigned to cover the Golden Gate south shore from the Cliff House to and including the Presidio-Crissy Field sector. When the mission was completed and the aircraft had landed aboard their respective carriers, the Naval Photographers aboard the SARATOGA processed the film and made prints from the negatives. Ensign Dyson along with Lieutenant (j. g.) George Mundorff spent most of the night working with the nine Naval Photographers in preparing the photographic mosaics of the target areas.

The results of this photographic aerial coverage proved to be most interesting because the photographs clearly showed ground personnel running toward the various coastal gun positions, and the various Army airplanes on the ground at Crissy Field and Mills Field (now San Francisco International Airport).

Photographic mosaics were delivered within 24 hours of the strike to the Chief Umpire aboard the Flagship of the Pacific Fleet.

Ensign Dyson was so impressed with the results of the photographic reconnaissance operation that he became one of the very few U. S. Naval Officers in the thirties who took a serious interest in the operations of U. S. Naval Photography. During the years from 1930 to 1936 Dyson, when his duty assignments permitted, visited the various Naval photographic units where he became acquainted with the Naval air photographers and their operations.

From June 1932 to June 1934, Lieut. (j. g.) Dyson had a tour of duty at the U. S. Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, as flight instructor. During his last six months at Pensacola he was an officer student in the U. S. Naval Photography School from which he graduated in June 1934.

Then he was ordered to Scouting Squadron 5 on board the light cruiser U. S. S. OMAHA where he remained for about 2 years.

His next duty was with Fleet Air Utility Squadron one at the Fleet Air Base, U.S. Naval Air Station, San Diego, California, where he was the Fleet Air Photographic Officer in charge of some 50 Naval Air Photographers engaged in photographic coverage of the various Pacific Fleet Gunnery exercises and various aerial photographic surveys.

During this one year tour as Fleet Air Photographic Officer, Lieutenant Dyson became acquainted with the enlisted Naval air photographers and the photographic problems encountered during their far wide operations in the Pacific Ocean area, and was one of the first Fleet air photographic officers to display a dedicated interest in the daily Fleet air photographic operations. He was most effective in taking affirmative action to correct the many problems then being encountered by the Fleet Air Naval Photographers and their equipment for successful Fleet air photographic operations.

In June 1937, Lieutenant Dyson was ordered to duty with Patrol Squadron 8, Fleet Air Wing 2, where in addition to his pilot duties, he was assigned as communications and radio officer.

His next assignment in May 1939, was officer in charge and senior naval aviator of the Phoenix Island Aerial Survey Expedition with the U. S. S. PELICAN, the U. S. S. SWAN, and two Grumman J2F amphibian photographic planes. The survey expedition was completed in about 6 weeks. It made aerial overlapping vertical photographs of almost all of the South Central Pacific Islands between the Hawaiian Islands and the Samoan Islands. The aerial photographs taken by this expedition under the direction of Lieutenant Dyson were used by the U. S. Navy Hydrographic Office in the production of maps which later became of great value in the war plan's officers on Admiral Nimitz's Staff and the Joint Chiefs of Staff during World War II.

Shortly after the completion of the Phoenix Island Survey Lieutenant Dyson was ordered to duty as Commanding Officer of the U. S. S. PELICAN until May 1941.

Next he became Commanding Officer of Scouting Squadron 5, attached to the Heavy Cruiser U. S. S. NORTHAMPTON, with additional duty on the Staff, Commander Cruiser Division 5.

From November 1941 to September 1942, Lieutenant Commander Dyson served as the Fleet Air Photographic Liaison Officer, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Force, U.S. Fleet. During this tour of duty he was the Chief Planning Officer in the Fleet Air Organization who formulated the mission plans and organizational requirements for the U. S. Naval Photographic Reconnaissance Aircraft Squadrons for World War II Pacific Ocean area operations.

In September 1942, Commander Dyson was ordered to duty as Commanding Officer, Fleet Air Photographic Squadron one, which at that time carried the short designation "VD-One". This was the Navy's first photographic reconnaissance aircraft squadron, a real milestone in the history of Naval Photography .

By early 1943, Commander Dyson had assembled some 50 officers, 350 enlisted men, eight PB4Y photo Liberator four engine airplanes, and three ships fully loaded with just about everything under the sun required for this photo mission including the kitchen sink. He trained them and made them ready for forward area operations. Early in 1943, Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron One, a fully equipped, self supporting unit, departed from San Diego, California, destination Guadalcanal.

The eight PB4Y photo Liberators under the leadership of Commander Dyson flew from San Diego to the U. S. Naval Air Station, Kaneohe, Hawaii and on down the Pacific, with intermediate stops at various islands, arriving at Carney Field, Koli Point, Guadalcanal on April 15, 1943.


Shortly after arrival they set up their living quarters and operating facilities and became a self supporting unit. Aerial photographic reconnaissance operations in the Solomon Island area was started within a few days after their arrival.

The first Naval Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron was awarded the "Navy Unit Commendation" for their operations, which reads as follows:

"For extremely meritorious service in support of military operations in the Pacific Ocean Areas, from April 15, 1943 to September 1, 1944, and from May 18 to September 9, 1945. Flying constantly over uncharted territory and through adverse weather, Fleet Air Photographic Squadron One rendered pioneer service in furnishing the photographic reconnaissance necessary to convert the passive defense action into a powerful offensive. With evasive tactics impossible while maintaining a straight level flight at steady altitude over the target to be photographed, the pilots and crews of Squadron 1 boldly penetrated the accurate fire of antiaircraft guns and fought off aerial opposition to complete their vital assignments. Despite air raids, floods and primitive jungle conditions, the ground echelons of this squadron have operated consistently with troops in the most forward battle areas, processing and finishing the films dropped to them by parachute and aiding in the delivery of the prints as expeditiously as possible to ground and Fleet units. Operating first from Guadalcanal and later from Guam, Fleet Air Photographic Squadron 1 provided photographic reconnaissance in almost every major campaign in the Pacific, with both air crews and ground personnel many times experiencing the dangers of actual combat with the enemy. Consistently maintaining the high standard of teamwork necessary to carry through assignments requiring the utmost in courage, skill and perseverance, this fearless and aggressive Squadron obtained and made available photographs of inestimable value in prosecuting the war against Japan and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. "

Commander Howell J. Dyson U. S. N. was awarded the "Distinguished Flying Cross" for his operation in the South Pacific Area, which reads as follows:

"For heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Commanding Officer of a Photographic Squadron operating in the South Pacific Area from April 27 to November 21, 1945. Braving heavy antiaircraft fire and fighter opposition while leading his squadron deep into hostile territory on a vital photographic mission over southern Kolombangara on July 25, Commander Dyson boldly countered the attack of seven Japanese fighters, skillfully maneuvering his plane for maximum striking power and enabling his gunners to destroy one and probably two additional enemy aircraft. Although his own plane received five hits during the fierce engagement, he returned safe to base without injuries or loss to personnel. Performing another photographic reconnaissance over the strongly defended island of Nauru, Commander Dyson displayed expert navigational skill in carrying out the mission although constantly under heavy Japanese fire during the prolonged over-water flight of approximately 1400 miles. His superb airmanship, brilliant hazardous operational flights throughout this important period directly contributed to the success of our forces in this area and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. "

In December 1943 Commander Dyson was ordered to duty as officer in charge, Photographic Reconnaissance Interpretation Section Intelligence Center, Fourteenth Naval District at Honolulu, T. H., and with additional duty as Photographic Officer on the Staff of Commander Aircraft, Pacific Area.

The following April he was ordered to duty as Photographic Officer on the Staff of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief U. S. Pacific Fleet, with headquarters at Pearl Harbor, T.H.

Commander Dyson was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his services while on the staff of the Commander in Chief U. S Pacific Fleet, which reads as follows:

"For meritorious service as Fleet Photographic Officer on the staff of the Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet, from 7 April 1944 to 31 October 1944. With great energy and initiative he organized and developed a program of aerial photographic reconnaissance of enemy-held territory in the Western Pacific. He directed the production and interpretation of photographs in such a manner as to provide rapid and accurate information which made an outstanding contribution to the planning operations against the enemy. His work was of material assistance in the successful prosecution of the war and his service and conduct were in keeping with the highest tradition of the Naval Service."

Next the Commander was ordered to the U. S. S. BUNKER HILL as Executive Officer in November 1944, and served in that capacity until August 1945. He was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism which reads as follows:

"For extraordinary heroism as Executive Officer of the U.S.S. BUNKER HILL in action against enemy Japanese forces in the vicinity of