SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger "Aces"

[markr]

Were there any SDB Dauntless aces aside from Ltjg John Leppla/Gunner K. Liska (7 x victories during Battle of Coral Sea, May 1942)?

Any TBF Avenger aces? I understand that the TBF's claimed nearly 100 Japanese aircraft during WWII.

markr

[SkipGuidry]

Leppla, while an ace, isn't a Dauntless ace. He had 4 kills in the SBD-3 and 1 in an F4F-4.

[focusfocus]

There is no "ace" on SBD and TBF.

Top scorers on SBD:
John Leppla=4
John Liska=4
William Hall=3
Stanley Wejtasa=3

The reliability of these "claims" are very debatable.
Michel

[knusel]

Hello markr,

Dauntless pilots were not credited with the kills of their gunners. But if this had been the case John Leppla would have been the Dauntless top ace with 7 kills.
The Avenger top scorer is Charles Henderson with 3 kills.

Have a nice weekend,

Michael

[Frank Olynyk]

Henderson has four victory claims, plus one probable.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[knusel]

Hello Frank,

yes, I read 4 somewhere, too.
But in OSPREY's "American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2" Andrew Thomas and Warren Thompson write "...during eight engagements in 1945 he claimed four kills - he received credit for three confirmed and a probable..."
Do you think he claimed one before 1945 ?

Have a nice evening,

Michael

[Frank Olynyk]

I have 2 victories with VT-10 in 1944, and 2/1/0 with VT(N)-90 in 1945.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[knusel]

Hello Frank,

oh yes, I found an old discussion of ours, in which you mentioned it.
I've included him in my list of borderline top aces of their aircraft:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=50548
Henderson scored his kills in a TBM (and not a TBF), didn't he ?

Have a nice Sunday,

Michael

[knusel]

Good afternoon Gentlemen,

currently, I'm working through Barrett Tillman's excellent "TBF/TBM Avenger Units of World War 2" which reveals the following kills of Charles Henderson:
VT-10
18Jun44 Aichi E13A apparently not processed
20Jun44 Nakajima B6N
VT(N)-90
19Mar45 Kawanishi H8K
13May45 Kawanish N1K probable
13May Nakajima A6M2-N

Was he flying a TBF or a TBM in Jun44 ?

Cheers,

Michael

[twocee]

Who knows? Probably only his pilot's logbook would give the answer, but does it really matter?

At 31 May 1944 VT-10 reported X9 TBF-1C and X5 TBM-1C on hand.