Air Group 31 was born as VC-17 on May 1, 1943 at N.A.S. Atlantic City, New
Jersey. Flying from the U.S.S. CABOT, CVL-28, the group got its first taste of
action on January 29, 1944 in an attack on Roi Island in the Marshalls. On October
3, 1944 they were detached from the CABOT after establishing a record for CVL air groups:
147 enemy planes destroyed in the air and 46,000 tons of Japanese shipping sent to the
bottom.
Air Group 31 re-formed at Alameda, California, December 9, 1944 with only ten
veterans of the original group returning to join 45 new pilots under Commander Bruce S.
Weber as commanding officer and Lt John Bowen in charge of the torpedo squadron.
After extensive training at Hollister, California; Fallon, Nevada; and Arcata,
California; the group took their carrier qualification on the CVE USS MATA NIKAU.
Additional training was emphasized on the MONTEREY which carried the Group to Hawaii.
On June 16, 31 became the BELLEAU WOOD air group in Leyte Gulf. Operations in
the combat zone began on July 10 with sweeps and strikes against Kumagaya airfield in the
Tokyo Plain area. At Hokkaido, the land of clouds and rain, strikes were launched
against inland airfields, ports, and railroad facilities.
They returned to the Tokyo area in a series of strikes on the old battleship
NAGATO, docked at Yokosuka. The NAGATO strike was a warm-up for the mission on July
24 against the Japanese Fleet units in Kure Harbor. Air Group 31's specific targets were
the ISE and the AOBA.
The five day period after announcement of Jap peace-feelers on August 10 was one of
strain and tension because of the possibility of the war's ending at any moment.
Sweeps and strikes were sent out during these days; in fact strikes were launched against
a very heavily defended target, the electronics industry at Kawasaki 12 miles below Tokyo.
On the morning of August 15 a division of fighters was launched at 0400 and upon
reaching the coast encountered and shot down six Jap fighters. Thirty-five minutes
later all planes were recalled as World War II came to the official end. That same
day shortly after lunch our CAP shot down a "visiting" Jap plane in accordance
with Admiral Halsey's instructions.
After the cessation of hostilities, flights were flown over prisoner of war camps
which the Japs had been ordered to mark clearly.Reading material, medical supplies, and
food were parachuted. On one such mission of mercy Ens. Paul Henderson was killed.
In his effort to hit the camp and still not injure the prisoners, he flew low and too slow
- his plane lost flying speed and crashed.
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