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Hellcats over the Philippine Deep
194 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1995
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November 9, 2012
World War 2 was special in the Pacific in that the decisive role was not with the infantry, but with the Navy. And within the Navy, it was not the battleships that slogged it out within visual range, it was the carrier task forces that fought a hundred miles apart with the air units they carried onboard.
Everyone knows the Enterprise, the two Hornets, the story of the Saratoga, and the rest of the lore about the Fast Carriers. Not many remember the plucky CVE class carriers which were just as instrumental in securing victory, even if they could not put in 32 knots and stay with the big brothers. With 24 knots max, you can still do strikes in support of ground troops and do a lot of Combat Air Patrol, and these guys did. In fact, it is stated in this book that the CVE fighters flew more missions than the colleagues of the fast carriers, but because of the different targets, they didn't make ace as easily.
John Smith flew off the CVEs in many major operations and tells the story in detail. Actually, the best part about this book is just the details; if you are a casual reader of WW2 aviation, you may like "Paddles!" by John A. Harper, or the "Aces over Japan" books by Eric Hammel better. They do not deliver such a wealth of little things, but stay on the bigger picture.
If, however, you've read all the general works, you could not do much better when you want to learn of life on the CVE than to read this book. Smith takes you from basic training to the formation of Air Group 60, and then you ride with him as he hits islands around the Pacific. I especially liked the way he points out the differences between CV and CVE; for example, the wonder CVE pilots felt when they were diverted to land on a fast carrier: "the deck was vast and we had to taxi for miles after landing".
Fighter pilots on CVs and CVEs faced the same challenges of boredom on CAP, sheer terror when attacking the strongly defended Japanese islands, and the unspeakable horror of the Kamikaze. Also, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the CVEs were shot at with 16 inch ship rifles, but the armor piercing ammo did not notice it hit the thin hull of the CVE, but passed on and exploded in the sea. It must have been surreal to be on the hangar deck and see that 500 kilo projectile pass through the ship like a freight train.
So, to sum up - if you want the definitive CVE book, get this one.
Everyone knows the Enterprise, the two Hornets, the story of the Saratoga, and the rest of the lore about the Fast Carriers. Not many remember the plucky CVE class carriers which were just as instrumental in securing victory, even if they could not put in 32 knots and stay with the big brothers. With 24 knots max, you can still do strikes in support of ground troops and do a lot of Combat Air Patrol, and these guys did. In fact, it is stated in this book that the CVE fighters flew more missions than the colleagues of the fast carriers, but because of the different targets, they didn't make ace as easily.
John Smith flew off the CVEs in many major operations and tells the story in detail. Actually, the best part about this book is just the details; if you are a casual reader of WW2 aviation, you may like "Paddles!" by John A. Harper, or the "Aces over Japan" books by Eric Hammel better. They do not deliver such a wealth of little things, but stay on the bigger picture.
If, however, you've read all the general works, you could not do much better when you want to learn of life on the CVE than to read this book. Smith takes you from basic training to the formation of Air Group 60, and then you ride with him as he hits islands around the Pacific. I especially liked the way he points out the differences between CV and CVE; for example, the wonder CVE pilots felt when they were diverted to land on a fast carrier: "the deck was vast and we had to taxi for miles after landing".
Fighter pilots on CVs and CVEs faced the same challenges of boredom on CAP, sheer terror when attacking the strongly defended Japanese islands, and the unspeakable horror of the Kamikaze. Also, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the CVEs were shot at with 16 inch ship rifles, but the armor piercing ammo did not notice it hit the thin hull of the CVE, but passed on and exploded in the sea. It must have been surreal to be on the hangar deck and see that 500 kilo projectile pass through the ship like a freight train.
So, to sum up - if you want the definitive CVE book, get this one.
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