VF-85 Corsair losses, 4 May 1945
 

VF-85 suffered two Corsair losses on 4 May 1945 (shot down by Japanese fighters protecting kamikazes):

5/04/1945 * F4U-1C * 82542 * VF-85 * USS SHANGRI-LA (CV-38) * IE SHIMA * EMPIRE * LTJG SAUL CHERNOFF * S
5/04/1945 * F4U-1C * 82746 * VF-85 * USS SHANGRI-LA (CV-38) * IE SHIMA * EMPIRE * LTJG F.S. SIDDALL * S

My question is: Does anyone know or is there any way to find out what markings were carried by the aircraft flown by LTJG Saul Chernoff?


PS. Apologies for the typo in the title! It should be VF-85 of course

Re: VF-84 Corsair losses, 4 May 1945
 

The following website may be of interest
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/USN/LLJun45.htm

Shows the following
DATE: 6/2/1945 (Date different to the one mentioned in your post (2nd June or 6th Feb. ?))
TYPE: F4U-1D
BUNO: 82789
SQUADRON: VBF-85 5 (Tying error??)
FROM: USS SHANGRI-LA (CV-38)
DOWN: KYUSHU
PILOT: LTJG CHERNOFF

Cannot find any details of aircraft markings flown by him on 4 may 1945

Kind regards

Ross

Re: VF-85 Corsair losses, 4 May 1945
 

Thanks Ross, but that loss record is unrelated to the event I mentioned. VBF-85 is probably correct as that unit also operated Corsair from the same carrier. If Chernoff changed units or borrowed an aircraft I don't know.


If I am not mistaken the only identifying feature for VF-85 Corsairs is an individual aircraft number on the base of the vertical fin, but I don't think it's BuNo related. So it's nearly impossible to determine unless this number happens to be "known" (personal a/c etc...).

Re: VF-85 Corsair losses, 4 May 1945
 

And in carrier operations repeated use of a nominally assigned aircraft was the exception not the norm. Flight decks were spotted in launch order regardless of side number. (Unless one happened to be the CAG, then the deck crews might maybe make the special effort to drag your plane from wherever it was in the stack and put it in its launch position.) From what I've see about VBF-85 and VF-85 and from talking to an ops off from TF-38 staff who was aboard at the time, the squadrons used each other's planes interchangably. (The ops staff guy, once the Japanese gave it up, used F4Us from both squadrons to catch up on his flight time.) This is, of course, is why you might see someone you know is in VF-85 noted as being a VBF-85 loss. The data the guys are using for their loss tables appear to be based on Aircraft Trouble Analysis cards which note the squadron to which the plane was assigned . . . the squadron to which the pilot was assigned was immaterial. Got to be careful with those lists.

Rich