Leroy Freeman Berkebile USN

[keith A]

According to his obituary he flew the SB2C Helldiver, the F4U Corsair and the F6F Hellcat off aircraft carriers in the Pacific. Does anyone know which squadrons he flew with. He later won the DFC in Korea as xo of VF-92, became a test pilot then an airline pilot.

regards

Keith

[RSwank]

Ancestry.com has his application for Pennsylvania's Veteran's WWII Compensation.
Of interest are the dates when he was in the US and when he was overseas.

He was in the US from when he enlisted, September 28, 1942 to the cut-off-date of March 2, 1946. He did not go overseas until April 17, 1946 and returned April 16, 1947. That is the date he left active service. All his overseas service was outside of the Pennsylvania Compensation limits. His overseas service was post WWII.

[keith A]

Looks like a bit of hyperbole in the article. I wondered about the claim he'd flown so many different types. There is a photograph of him sitting in a cockpit of a Helldiver (It looks more like a Corsair) in 1945

[twocee]

Those overseas dates gave me a clue. In 1946/7, as a Lieutenant, he was a Helldiver pilot with VA-1A, based ashore in the Marianas and aboard USS Tarawa in the Western Pacific

[R Leonard]

I don't have any squadron/activity assignments. Wartime dates of rank were:

ENS USNR AV(S) 9/26/1942
LTJG USNR AV(T) 10/1/1943

[keith A]

Once again gentlemen you are unravelling my mystery. Grateful thanks. Based on this is it possible he was with VB-4?

"On December 28, 1944, Marine Squadrons VMF-124 and VMF-213 replaced VB-4 on the Essex (See War Diary of Two Marine Squadrons). Several of the VB-4 pilots were assigned to VF-4 as Hellcat pilots and the remainder of the squadron was sent to Orate Airfield on Guam."

I think I shall try and track down VB-4 war diary and see if he appears there.

best regards

K

[keith A]

Forgive my ignorance but what is the difference between AV(S) and AV(T)?

K

[R Leonard]

Every officer has a designation. For the period in question, i.e., prior to September 1944, USNR aviation designations were:

A-V(G) = USNR aviation officers holding designation as Naval aviators, qualified for general detail afloat or ashore. This classification meant that the aviator was qualified to stand deck watches (yes, to stand a deck watch you had to be qualified to do so) besides has aviation duties. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by one of the following: A3, A3L, A4L, SA3, or SA4.

A-V(N) = USNR aviation flight officers, detailed to active duty in the aeronautic organization of the Navy immediately following their completion of training and designation as Naval Aviators. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by one of the following: A1, A1-L, A2, A2L, SA1, or SA2.

A-V(RS) = USNR aviation officers, commissioned and warrant, including radio electricians, qualified for specialist duties. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by the proper aviation or engineering classification with the suffix "T". These were not Naval Aviators.

A-V(S) = USNR aviation officers, commissioned and warrant, including gunners, radio electricians, machinists, aerographers, and photographers, qualified for specialist duties. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by one of the following: A, AL, D, DL, AD, S, or SA. These were not Naval Aviators.

A-V(T) = USNR aviation officers, former civil aviation pilots or aviators of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, qualified for specialist duties. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by one of the following: A5, A5L, A6, A6L, SA5, or SA6.

In addition to the above there were distinctions in these categories between heavier-than-air and lighter than air. If one was a naval aviator qualified only for lighter-than-air duty, the suffix (01) would appear with the designation. In truth, heavier-than-air naval aviators had the suffix (09), but since the vast majority of naval aviators were heavier-than-air, the suffix was generally dropped as the lighter-than-air types had the (01) suffix which meant everyone else was heavier-than-air qualified. Occasionally one finds an individual naval aviator who was qualified for both and you see both suffixes appended to his designation. These were termed “Specialty Designations” and for just the aviation end of the business these were:

01 Designated naval aviator lighter-than-air
02 Designated naval observer heavier-than-air
03 Designated naval observer lighter-than-air
09 Designated naval aviator heavier-than-air

And Specialty Designations from completion of training schools/courses
10 Aerial Free Gunnery Instructor
11 Aerial Photography
12 Aviation Instrument
13 Aeronautical Engineering
15 Air Navigation
16 Air Operations
17 Aircraft Gunnery
18 Aircraft Ordnance
21 Aviation Equipment Officer
24 Aviation Engines
25 Aviation Radio Material
42 Instrument Flight Instructor
69 Aircraft Engine Inspection
73 Aviation Supply Officer

And, still more, there are Specialty Designations from completion post graduate education
J1 Aerological Engineering
J2 Aeronautical Engineering
J7 Aviation Medicine and designated flight surgery
N2 Ordnance—Aeronautical
S0 Ordnance—Aviation (USNR)


And just to keep it confusing, the USMC had an entirely different system for designation of naval aviators, sometimes with letter, e.g., NA or NACV plus there was a plethora of four digit numbers in use . . . all of which I am still trying to decipher.

And there is a whole another set of designations for USN naval aviators and aviation administrative/support folks.

Bottom line . . .

An AV(S) is an aviation administrative officer, NOT a rated aviator; with the caveat that there were occasionally there were those who were rated aviators but for some reason, usually physical, and usually involving eye sight, were no longer qualified to fly but continued service. They were usually redesignated as AV(S).

An AV(T) is a naval aviator who had flight training or flight service as a pilot somewhere else and could demonstrate his proficiency. Examples: Even if qualifying as an AV(N) before the US entered the war, men who resigned or released and went off to China with the AVG or off to Europe with, say, the RAF, RCAF, or FAA, if returned to USN service their designation was AV(T). Some of the pilots in the Naval Air Transport Service were from the airlines industry, so they were quickly qualified and they, too, were designated as AV(T).

Oh, and your man does not appear in any of the CVG-4 rosters I have.

Rich

[Leendert]

From this website: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN...29-P1000A.html

A-V(S) -- USNR aviation officers, commissioned and warrant, including gunners, radio electricians, machinists, aerographers, and photographers, qualified for specialist duties. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by one of the following: (A), (A)L, (D), (D)L, (AD), (S), or S(A).

A-V(T) -- USNR aviation officers, former civil aviation pilots or aviators of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, qualified for specialist duties. This classification was abolished in September 1944 and replaced by one of the following: (A5), (A5)L, (A6), (A6)L, S(A5), or S(A6).


Leendert

[RSwank]

I just had to include this story as it relates to Berkebile (when he was a pilot for American Airlines) and a skyjacker, Martin McNally . If the clippings are too large to view let me know and I will try something different. You may need to click on the image to be able to move it around or change the size.

Part 1
https://www.newspapers.com/article/c...une/128106311/

Part 2
https://www.newspapers.com/article/c...une/128106554/

Follow up on story:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/c...une/128106681/


Here is the story told from the skyjacker, Martin McNally's viewpoint:

https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news...wFullText=true

Or here in 5 parts: https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news...cnally-3137418