Part Two: Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-Two

Late in 1942, Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-Two Squadron was placed into operation at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Atlantic Fleet Air Base, Norfolk, Virginia, with CDR. John McElroy USN as commanding officer.

The Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-Two became a photographic training squadron, which did equipment testing and specialized assignments by direct orders from the Director of the Photography Division of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Washington, D.C.

This photographic squadron operated from the Atlantic Fleet Air Base at Norfolk during World War II, with a hodge-podge collection of airplanes that were not equipped or suited for overseas war time operations.

After World War II was over, some sections of fleet air photographic reconnaissance were sent into the Pacific Ocean area to assist in aerial photography of islands in connection with damage assessment evaluations.

Part Three: Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-Three

In March 1943, Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-Three was placed into commission at the U.S. Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, California, with Commander Robert J. "Red" Stroh, USN as commanding officer.

This photographic reconnaissance squadron was equipped with eight PB4Y-1P (photo Liberator) airplanes, and was organized and trained as a self supporting squadron for photographic reconnaissance mission assignments in the central Pacific Ocean island areas during World War II.

Shortly after the Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron VD-Three was placed into commission, the author's brother, Ensign Arthur J. Carroll, USN was assigned duty in VD-Three Squadron as the photographic officer.

Ensign Arthur Carroll organized and set up the training procedures for the squadron's photographic division and also supervised the procurement of the squadron's photographic equipment and supplies that would be needed for its photo-recon missions in the central Pacific Island areas, additionally supervising and directing the tropical packing of the aerial cameras and the photographic film, paper and chemicals.

During the early months of 1943, the squadron also assembled the necessary building materials, such as lumber, cement, tar paper, canvas, electrical materials, wire, switches, diesel powered generators, four photo darkroom trailers with temprite cooled sinks.

The photo lab trailers were mounted on two rubber tired wheels suitable for towing on paved roads, such as exist in the U.S., but damn difficult to tow through the sand beaches and jungle growth that were common in the central Pacific islands.

Once the photo lab trailers were in operation on an island, that was where they stayed, as they were difficult to move in a hurried move to a beach, placed on an LST for transfer to an advance island base, then unloaded from the LST to the sandy beach and finally towed to the squadron's base of operations. The narrow conventional tires were not suited for advance base operations in the Pacific Ocean island areas during World War II.

These photo lab trailers were 18 feet long by 8 feet wide. Arthur Carroll stated in one report that the photo lab trailers were OK. once in proper position for operations, they were suitable for a limited amount of photographic production, however with the great volume of aerial film exposed during an aerial photo-recon coverage of an assigned target, VD-Three Squadron used two trailers for film processing, and two trailers for printing, they really needed at least twice this number, however they did make some use of the photo lab trailers on the Island of Kanton and late at Eniwetok.

Arthur Carroll reported that it was easier and faster to get lumber and canvas to build the necessary photo lab facilities for aerial photo-recon operations, than to be bothered with all sorts of problems with the state side photo lab trailers.

The aerial photographers in photo-recon VD-Three Squadron who were assigned to the PB4Y-1P Liberator crews, were not experienced aerial camera operators, therefore a great amount of time was spent training them to be aerial camera operators by actually making training flights in a PB4Y-1P (photo Liberator) at San Diego, and later at NAS, Barbers Point, T.H.

While the aerial camera operators were being trained during the training flights of the PB4Y-1P airplanes, other crew members were getting trained in their respective jobs such as: navigator, co-pilot, radio communications-radar operator, flight engineer, and last but not least, 50 cal. machine gunnery practice.

Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron arrived at the Naval Air Station, Barbers Point, T.H. in May 1943 where they had about three months of intensive training as flight crews and the ground support personnel in preparation for their assignment for the central Pacific Ocean island areas.

While the Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron was still at Barbers Point conducting their training programs, CDR. Robert Stroh received orders to make a photo-reconnaissance flight from NAS Barbers Point to the Gilbert Island group, where he and his crew were assigned the task of making an aerial photographic reconnaissance coverage of the phosphate island called "Ocean Island," then under the control of the Japanese.

CDR. Stroh departed from Barbers Point bound for the ducky little island by the name of Funa Futi in the Ellice Island group. They flew nonstop from Barbers Point T.H. to Kanton Island in the Phoenix Island group, refueled and then on to Funa Futi Island, where they refuled and prepared for the photographic reconnaissance flight over their target "Ocean Island."

Commander Stroh made the following comments regarding this first combat flight over a Japanese held area under war time conditions.

Quote: "I well remember how we levelled off at 20,000 feet, and crossing Ocean Island, which was a tiny little island, and hearing my tail gunner say, 'skipper! they are shooting at us.' He was watching the puffs of antiaircraft bursts trailing behind and well below us. I also can well remember the thrill that you could feel run through my crew to realize that someone was actually trying to knock them out of the sky.

The antiaircraft burst never came close, and we had a beautiful, beautiful day, and the pictures turned out just perfect, and you could see every detail of Ocean Island. What a thrill it was when we returned to our Barbers Point base where we saw the results of the photo-recon coverage of our first combat mission." unquote

In the fall of 1943 the training period for Fleet Air Photo-Recon Squadron VD-Three was completed at NAS Barbers Point, T.H. and the squadron was ordered by Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean area to proceed to the Phoenix Island group where they would establish their operating base on Kanton Island, which at that time was under the control of the U.S. Army.

LT. Neil C., Porter with a flight crew of severn, plus Ensign Arthur Carroll flew a PH4Y-1P Liberator from NAS Barbers Point to Kanton Island where they were to set up the VD-Three squadron's preliminary base camp.

The Island of Kanton was then under the control of the U.S. Army, so when LT. Porter and Ensign Carroll requested the Army for some help and camp equipment such as tents, etc, they ran into a buzz-saw.

The Army prople were very reluctant to loan the Navy anything for the VD-Three photo reconnaissance squadrons camp.

LT. Porter and ENS. Carroll explained to the Army command that they had three ships loaded with all of the equipment and supplies that would be needed by VD-Three squadron, that the three ships were in a convoy on their way down from Pearl Harbor and upon their arrival and their unloading, the Army items loaned to VD-Three would be replaced.

The Army people were still somewhat reluctant to loan any of their equipment and supplies for fear that the convoy might not get to Kanton. However LT. Porter and ENS. Carroll kept after the Army people and they finally did get a few tents in advance of the arrival of the seven PB4Y-1P Liberators. They still didn't have enough tents for the entire PB4Y-1P crews. Therefore the commanding officer CDR. Robert Stroh had to go to bat with the Kanton Island Army command to get the required tents and certain air field equipment and services that were urgently needed for the immediate operational assignments of the Fleet Air Photo-Recon VD-Three Squadron which at that time was the only combatant air squadron at Kanton.

The Island of Kanton at that period of time was more important as a staging point for aircraft moving between the Hawaiian Islands and the South Pacific.

In a few days after the VD-Three photographic reconnaissance squadron of eight PB4Y-1P airplanes had arrived at Kanton Island, the convoy with the three ships loaded with VD-Three squadron equipment and supplies arrived and was unloaded by the VD-Three squadron's personnel with little or no help from the U.S. Army.

Shortly after the arrival of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron on the Island of Kanton in the Phoenix Island group, the personnel of the squadron got real busy where they set up their base operating facilities, such as tents, mess hall, photographic laboratory, diesel powered fresh water distillation plant, diesel powered electrical generator plant plus distribution system and the necessary service units for their aircraft maintenance.

The VD-Three photographic reconnaissance squadron was barely able to get its base facilities into operation, when it became obvious to all of the VD-Three Squadron personnel at Kanton that their photo-recon missions were going to be over the Gilbert Islands in preparation for Fleet Admiral Nimitz's central Pacific campaign.

In order for the Fleet Air VD-Three Photo-Recon PB4Y-1P Liberators to reach the Gilbert Island group, it would be necessary for the airplanes to stage through Baker Island. So early in October 1943, Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron got their first combat assignment for photographic coverage of the Gilbert Island group of Japanese held islands: Tarawa, Abemama, plus a number of smaller islands in the group.

In Oct. 1943 FLeet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron made a number of photo missions over the Gilbert Island group by staging through Baker Island.

In 1972, Vice Admiral Robert J. Stroh, USN (retired) gave the writer a taped description of Baker Island:

Quote: "Baker Island is a tiny little dot in the Pacific just barely 5000 feet in diameter, and the runway there extends from beach to beach. The runway was covered with Marston Matting, and in a PB4Y-1P Liberator, it was a thrill to touch down and wonder if you were going to be able to stop, or if you were going to have to give her the gun and go around again, before you ran out of runway and piled up in the Pacific Ocean. From Baker Island we did most of our work over the Gilbert Island group including Tarawa and the other nearby Japanese held islands." unquote.

The military intelligence information obtained by Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron coverage of the Japanese held Islands in the Gilberts provided valuable information to the assault planning officers on the staff of Fleet Admiral Nimitz at the Pacific Fleet Ocean area headquarters at Pearl Harbor, T.H.

Much of this military intelligence information was given to the Pacific Fleet Task Force Commanders and the U.S. Marine Corps' landing force commanders for their assault on the Island of Tarawa where the U.S. Marine Corps' officers and enlisted men demonstrated their famous heroics and devotion to duty as the fighting marines.

It was about the same time that our forces were in the process of securing the Gilberts, that the Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean area and his staff at Pearl Harbor were anxious to see what the Japanese had on Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Kwajalein atoll was suspected to be a very important Japanese base, therefore Fleet Admiral Nimitiz and his staff at Pearl Harbor issued the necessary orders for the seabees to expeditiously build airplane landing runways on the Islands of Tarawa and Abemama to service our fleet air land based squadrons that would be used in the photographic coverage of the Marshall Island group.

Shortly after the Gilbert Islands had been secured, the U.S. Navy Seabees rebuilt the airplane runway on Tarawa and also built an air field base on Abemama Island which was south of Tarawa.

Early in November 1943 Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-3 Squadron, reinforced by more PB4Y-1 Liberator bomber airplanes from the U.S. Army 7th Air Force and Eddie Renfros bomber squqadrons, all of which staged from the Island of Abemama, made photographic-reconnaissance coverage of the islands of Mili, Wotje and Jaluit in the Marshall Island group.

The aerial photographs of Mili showed a large airfield which a little later received much attention from task force carrier based planes during the Gilbert Assault operations. Most of these photo-recon flights over the Japanese held islands in the Gilberts were conducted primarily for the purpose of determining what, where and how much, the Japanese had on these islands, therefore the VD-Three photographic Reconnaissance squadron airplanes were escorted by two B-24 bombers flying wing on each of the VD-Three squadron PB4Y-1P photo planes.

However the primary mission of the 7th Air Force B-24 bombers and Renfros B-24 Bombers was to neutralize and keep beaten down all of the Japanese defense units in the Gilbert-Marshall Islands. The Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three mission was to make aerial photographs of all of the islands in the Gilberts and the Marshalls all the way up the Kwajalein atoll to make sure as to what, where, how much the Japanese had on the various islands in the central Pacific.

In Nov-Dec 1943 our photo-recon and bomber airplanes were covering Japanese held islands that we had never seen before and we were seeing them through our aerial photography reconnaissance photographic interpretation coverage for the very first time.

It was during the Nov-Dec 1943 aerial photographic-reconnaissance operations in the central Pacific Ocean area that Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron operating from the air field on the Island of Abemama was ordered to make a low level 200 foot altitude photographic-reconnaissance, oblique aerial photographs, 9" x 18" picture size made with the Fairchild K-18 camera, 24" focal length lens of the Kwajalein atoll, in the Ralik chain.

Commander Robert J., Stroh was the senior officer pilot in the lead PB4Y-1P Liberator, and LT. Allen was the senior pilot in the second PB4Y-1P Liberator photographic-reconnaissance airplane flying from the air field on Abemama to their target assignment of the Kwajalein atoll.

The Kwajalein atoll consisted of two small islands, Kwajalein island on the southern perimeter of the atoll and the islands of Roi Namur on the northern perimeter of the atoll. The Japanese had strong bases at both Kwajalein and Roi-Namur. They had an air field on Roi and a bomber strip air field on Kwajalein.

It was at the Kwajalein atoll that Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three lost its first and only PB4Y-1P Liberator photo airplane and its entire crew in combat action with the Japanese.

CDR. Stroh in his lead PB4Y-1P with LT. Allen following in his PB4Y-1P closed in on the Kwajalein attol at the altitude of about 500 feet, and as they were passing the atoll, which was about 20 miles long by about 1/2 mile wide, the two photographic planes lowered their altitude to about 200 feet, the Japanese antiaircraft batteries started firing at the two photo planes, and at about the same time, CDR. Stroh observed Japanese fighter airplanes taxiing out for their take-off from their air strip. He called LT. Allen on their voice radio and told LT. Allen to go to wave level and get the hell out of here, as we will be under Japanese fighter attack in a few minutes.

CDR. Stroh power dived his PB4Y-1P Liberator from 200 feet altitude to about 15 feet above the ocean waves where he leveled off with all four engines operating at their full RPM. As the two VD-Three PB4Y-1P Liberators approached and their fast fly by of the Kwajalein atoll, the two camera operators in CDR. Strohs plane were taking oblique aerial photographs with their Fairchild K-18-24" focal length lens, which recorded excellent detail of almost everything on the atoll.

The following is quoted from Vice Admiral Robert Stroh's taped recording regarding this low level photo flight of the Kwajalein atoll.

Quote: "My two planes made their runs just off the beaches of Roi-Namur photographing the approaches across the coral heads, and the approaches to the beaches.

Much to our surprise and peril we watched the Jap fighters taxiing out as we were making our run. They were soon over us and at us. We ran southward as fast as we could go, staying pretty low because we couldn't climb because they were above us. The Japanese made repeated attacks on us; our gunners fired but I never did see what the results were because I was too busy trying to find a way home and a way to shake off the Jap fighters.

As we were running south I heard the report from one of my crew saying "they got him." My second PB4Y-1P photo plane with LT. Allen and his entire crew went down in a terrific ball of flame." unquote

According to the accounts by my brother Arthur Carroll regarding this low level photo recon flight on the Kwajalien atoll by CDR. Stroh and LT. Allen, Arthur J. Carroll reported that the aerial low altitude oblique photographs made by the Stroh's photographers were of excellent quality. The Fairchild K-18 aerial camera with its 24" focal length lens recorded a picture 9" wide by 18" long in very sharp detail, of the Kwajalien Island atoll, the beaches and the coral head in the reefs that were surrounding or connecting the atoll.

The information from these low level oblique photographs provided valuable intelligence information which the staff planners of Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean area at Pearl Harbor used in their planning and briefing procedures for the task force assault on the Japanese held Kwajalien atoll.

Very soon after the loss of LT. Allen and his PB4Y-1P photo Liberator crew, LT. Heatherwick and his PB4Y-1P photo Liberator crew from Fleet Air Photo-Recon VD-4 squadron at NAS Barbers Point, T.H. were ordered to the fleet air base as a replacement unit in Fleet Air Photo Recon VD-Three squadron.

Vice Admiral Stroh made some other comments on his taped recording, while not strictly about photography, some readers may find it somewhat revealing.

Quote: "One of the vignettes that I remember about Abemama was of this flight to Kwajalein before our base camp was actually constructed. We would stage from Kanton to the Abemama air strip for refueling and further missions northward. On Abemama many of the natives were still there.

The Japanese had stripped them pretty well--that is--literally. The men were in breech clothes and the women in grass skirts and I can remember how many volunteers I had to leave Kanton to go to Abemama to view these bare breasted maidens. I had no trouble getting volunteers for combat missions. However, after a while it became old hat to see the bosoms, and also the base red cross people appeared soon and brought clothing for these natives." unquote.

At this point of the Fleet Air Photo-Recon VD-Three squadron, the following is set forth as taped recorded by my brother, LT. Arthur J. Carroll, USN, (ret.).

"The VD-Three photo laboratory had complete aerial roll film processing facilities in two of the photo lab trailers and two of the photo lab trailers were used for printing of the aerial roll film negatives, a central building was erected with the photo lab trailers parked along two sides of the central building which was used for the film drying, print washing, print drying, roll film identification, print sorting-packaging-chemical mixing.

The photo lab set up had its own diesel powered electrical generating units for 24 hour around the clock, seven day per week operation, a diesel powered distilling outfit for distilling salt water into fresh water with units capable of distilling 80,000 gallons of salt water per day, though using a lot of diesel fuel: One gallon of diesel oil was used to distill one gallon of salt water to get one gallon of fresh water, so by experimentation the Navy photographers in the lab crew at Kanton Island found how to wash the aerial roll film and prints by using sea water that was in the high 70 to low 80 degrees fahrenheit. They had a sizeable number of the temprite refrigeration units which they used to cool the salt water for the main film-print wash, then only used a small amount of cooled fresh water for the final film and print washing.

They had to pay close attention to the water temperatures to keep the emulsion from developing reticulation. They used an emulsion hardening solution in the final film washing phase before drying the film.

On Kanton Island, the VD-Three photo-recon squadron photographic division was divided into two operational groups, the photo lab ground crew who handled all of the requirements for the processing and printing of the aerial film made by the aerial camera operators who were aircrewmen members of the airplane crew of the PB4Y-1P Liberators.

The photo squadron also had a ground crew of photographers who were specialists in the repair and maintenance of the aerial cameras, with there also being a ground crew who loaded the film magazines and assisted in the loading-mounting of the camera assignment in each of the PB4Y-1P Liberator's bomb bay camera racks.

The aerial camera operators of each Liberator were responsible for the check out test of their camera systems in their airplane prior to the airplanes taxi out to the air field take-off runway and a standard practice for all Liberator crew members to report their readiness to the aircraft commander senior pilot 30 minutes prior to scheduled take-off.

Due to the importance of the photographic reconaissance assignments for coverage of the Japanese held islands in the central Pacific Ocean area by Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron, very extensive records were maintained by the aerial camera operators in each of the PB4Y-1P photo planes. These records were required to accompany the aerial roll film magazines to the photo lab film processing crew, who also maintained a detailed extensive record for the systematic sequence of film processing-drying-negative identification and printing and the final print sorting and assembly into their proper sequence for the photographic interpreters use for their analysis in their evaluation of military intelligence information that was expeditiously passed on to the Commander of the Pacific Fleet forces engaged in the war effort against the Japanese.

Fleet Air Photo-Recon VD-Three Squadron was the first Naval photo recon squadron to use aerial color film along with their black and white and infra red sensitive films.

The Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron under the command of Commander Robert J. Stroh, USN operated several months from their Kanton Island Air Base during which time they made many aerial photographic reconnaissance missions over the Gilbert Island group and the Marshall Island group.

After the Abemama Island in the Gilbert Island group had been secured by our Pacific fleet task forces, Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron moved to Abemama where a temporary photo lab was built while still for a short time they maintained the photo lab set-up on Kanton. As the progress of the war against the Japanese held islands in the central Pacific moved at a fast pace in our securing the Gilberts and Marshall Island groups, the fleet air photo-recon squadron, upon our forces securing the Eniwetok atoll, was moved from their main Kanton Island Air Base and the temporary air base on Abemama moved to Eniwetok, where a main air base was built by the seabees including a photographic laboratory, using a lot of the photographic equipment transported up from Kanton and Abemama.

After the several islands in the Gilbert Island group had been secured, Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron made a number of photographic reconnaissance flights covering the Marshall Islands by flying from Kanton Island to Abemama, refueling and then up to the most northern islands of the Marshall group and returning to Abemama where they refueled and then back to their main air base on Kanton Island.

Shortly after the fleet air base on Eniwetok was in operation, the entire Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron moved to that base, from where they made some very long distance photographic reconnaissance flights covering various islands in the Caroline Islands such as Truk, Ponape, Satawan, Woleai and Ulithi along with the Marianas group -- Guam, Saipan and Tinian.

Most of the Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron flights covering target assignments in the Carolinas and Marianas were multi photo plane coverage of three, five and sometimes eight PB4Y-1P Liberators flying from the air base on Eniwetok with U.S. Army Air Force B-24 bomber escorts or with Commander Renfro's fleet air PB4Y-1 Liberator Bomber escorts, to and from their target assignment.

Each fleet air VD-Three photo plane was escorted by two of the Army or Navy bombers, such as when there were eight PB4Y-1P photo Liberators in spread formation, there would be sixteen of the bombers in the spread formation, so that when the entire spread formation made their approach to their assigned target all twenty four airplanes were in proper position to make one pass over their target during which time the camera operators in the PB4Y-1P photo Liberators would have their aerial cameras in operation taking vertical overlapping aerial photos which were also overlapping photos between each of the PB4Y-1P photo planes, and as this formation of twenty four airplanes passed over the target, the Air Force and Navy escort bombers would drop their bomb load on the Japanese ground target that was within the sights of the aircraft's bombadier.

According to the action reports from various pilots of the Fleet Air Photo Recon VD-Three Squadron, the hot spot of action from Japanese antiaircraft fire was at Truk.

Fleet Air Photographic VD-Three lost one PB4Y-1P Liberator during their training period while at Barbers Point, when for some unknown reason the photo plane flew into a mountain on the Island of Oahu during an approach for a landing at the Barbers Point Air Base, LT. Al Willsam and his entire photo Liberator crew were lost. VD-Three lost another PB4Y-1P Liberator with LT. Allen and his entire crew due to enemy action during his low level photo reconnaissance flight at the Kwajalein atoll near the Island of Roi-Namur.

Vice Admiral Robert Stroh, USN (retired) mentioned in his tape recording of June 1972 that his VD-Three squadron photo planes would take off from their Eniwetok Air Base, fly to the Island of Truk, make one pass over the strongly held island and then proceed to the Island of Manus in the Admiralties, a 14 hour flight.

The PB4Y-1P photo Liberators would refuel, rest a day or so, then return with another photo mission over the Island of Truk, thereby obtaining some very fine detailed aerial photographs of the Japanese defense installations on that island.

While we are on the subject of the Island of Truk, the writer desires to record the following: In 1923 the light cruiser USS MILWAUKEE made its maiden voyage from the United States to Australia, which during its trip down through the central Pacific, the Milwaukee passed through and stopped at various islands in the central Pacific.

Chief Photographer H. J. Baudu, U.S. Navy was aboard the cruiser MILWAUKEE for the purpose of taking official U.S. Navy photographs of interest during their trip.

Chief Baudu made a number of flights in one of the small airplanes carried on the MILWAUKEE during which time he made aerial photos of the main harbors and other points of interest in the Marshall Island group, Caroline Islands, Gilbert Island group, Ellice Island Group and the Samoa Island Group, all of which came to rest in the U.S. Naval Hydrographic office in the Navy Department Washington, D.C. where they remained dormant for many years.

Early in 1942, Chief Baudu's photographs that were in the Hydrographic office files were brought to life in the Navy Department where a number of prints were made from the negatives and the information contained in the 1923 photos plus Hydrographic office charts, were put to use by the staff officers at the Commander in Chief Pacific Ocean Area Headquarters under Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor.

While the 1923 photos made by Chief Baudu may have been a bit out of date, they were better than not having any photographs. The writer has been informed by a couple of the Naval Officers who served on the staff of Fleet Admiral Nimitz in 1942, that the Baudu photos of the central Pacific island proved of the war effort against the Japanese held central Pacific island.

In April 1944, CDR. Robert J. Stroh, USN received orders detaching him from commanding officer, Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron and to duty on the staff of Commander Naval Air Force Pacific Ocean area at Pearl Harbor, T.H. where he became the plans officer on the staff of Commander Naval Air Force Pacific then under Admiral John Towers, USN.

Vice Admiral Robert J. Stroh, USN (retired), in his tape recording June 1972, stated that Fleet Air Photographic-Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation Medal by the Secretary of the Navy for its operations in support of Fleet Admiral Nimitz's central Pacific campaign from the assault on Tarawa through to the final assault against the Marianas Islands.

Robert J. Stroh was awarded the Navy's Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition for his VD-Three photo-recon flights in which he and his PB4Y-1P photo Liberator were in actual combat with Japanese aircraft and Japanese anti-aircraft gunfire.

LCDR. Neil Porter took over as commanding officer of Fleet Air Photo-Recon VD-Three squadron at the fleet air base at Eniwetok upon the departure of Commander Robert J. Stroh.

Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron was similar to VD-One Squadron, with eight PB4Y-1P (photo Liberators), each with a flight crew of 12: airplane commander senior pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator, aircraft mechanic, two aerial camera operators, nose gunner, top gunner, tail gunner, ball turret gunner, port-starboard waist gunner and some 40 to 50 aviation ground support personnel.

The VD-Three squadron also had some 200 to 230 photographic ground personnel-photo interpretation personnel and some 30 to 50 general base operational personnel for a total of about 500 officer and enlisted personnel for a self supporting aerial photographic reconnaissance squadron.

A special feature of a photographic reconnaissance VD Type Squadron, was that immediately upon the photographic airplane's return to base from a photo-recon mission, film from each camera was developed and one print made from each negative which was used for first pase military interpretation at the immediate command, a dupe negative was made of all aerial film original negative rolls. The original aerial negative roll film together with a copy of the first phase photo interpreters report was flown to the headquarters of the Joint Intelligence Group Pacific Area "JIGPA" at Pearl Harbor, T.H.

Early in May 1944, Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron was ordered back to the states from Eniwetok.

The air crews of Fleet Air Photographic Reconnaissance VD-Three Squadron flew their PB4Y-1P (photo Liberators) back to the states via NAS Barbers Point T.H. where upon their arrival at the Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, California, they turned in their airplanes where they were overhauled and made ready for flight operations in a new fleet air photographic reconnaissance squadron that was scheduled to be placed into operation in July to August 1944.

Ensign Arthur J. Carroll, USN was advanced to LTJG., USN upon his return to the states in May 1944 and was ordered to duty in the U.S. Naval Photographic Science Laboratory, Naval Air Station, Anacostia, D.C.

In July to August 1944, a number of the officers and enlisted men who had returned to the states with fleet air photographic reconnaissance VD-Three squadron, were ordered to duty in the fleet air photographic reconnaissance squadron then being formed at NAS Miramar.