Tom Blackburn received his initial flight training at the Naval Aviation advanced flying school in Miami (Opa-locka). The news of Pearl Harbor reached him there. In December 1941, he transitioned into the cockpit of a Grumman F4F Wildcat. Soon after, he took command of VGF-29, which was based aboard the aircraft carrier USS Santee.
Early Naval Aviation Career
On July 1, 1942, he and his unit began to master the “advanced” fighter type – the F4F-4. The squadron’s core consisted of rookies.
In October 1942, the Santee was redeployed to Bermuda, and the team began preparing for the landing in North Africa. On November 6, they were off the Moroccan coast. Just two days later, they started flying combat missions, albeit from a coastal airfield near the city of Safi.
In December 1942, Blackburn received orders to return and lead Fighting Squadron 17 (VF-17) on the new aircraft carrier Bunker Hill. Starting January 1, 1943, the process of organizing the new unit began. Two instructors, Roger Hedrick and Timmy Gile, arrived from his home school. He also had two veterans of the first battles on Guadalcanal under his command: Lieutenants Halford and Kleinman.
These five were the only ones with any experience, while the other 42 pilots were fresh flight school graduates who had flown a “Harvard” at most.
Forming the ‘Jolly Rogers’ Squadron
They had to master the Vought F4U-1 Corsair. Only on September 10, 1943, was the “Bunker Hill” dispatched to the Pacific Ocean. A few days later, VF-17 was redeployed from the aircraft carrier to Espiritu Santo airfield. This redeployment was due to command having problems with the operation of the “Corsairs.” At that time, such aircraft were only in service with the USMC, and its units were land-based. Here the squadron was reinforced with two veterans of the Pacific battles, Harry “Dirty Eddie” March Jr. and Don “Stinky” Innis from VF-5.
Then followed typical combat routines: On October 28, they performed 44 combat sorties but had no contact with the enemy. On October 30, they escorted bombers. November 1 saw their first battle, resulting in 5 “Zeros” shot down and 4 damaged, with no losses on their side. On November 2, they completed 47 sorties, but there was no enemy contact. The next day, over 40 sorties occurred, but not a single aerial combat. November 11 marked the Battle of the Solomon Sea. By November 9, American pilots had 18.5 confirmed victories to their credit.
In late November, VF-17 began flying from Ondongo. During this time, Lieutenants Halford and Kleinman returned home, while Brad Baker and Chuck Pillsbury went missing (possibly killed). On December 2, the squadron was withdrawn for rest in Australia. By the 15th, they returned to Bougainville.
Pioneering Combat Tactics in the Pacific
On January 26, VF-17, comprising 32 aircraft, participated in a raid on Lakunai airfield. In this sortie, Blackburn shot down his fifth Japanese aircraft, becoming the unit’s first ace. A total of 8 aircraft were shot down that day, but two pilots were lost. The loss of two aviators in a single sortie prompted an inquiry.
On January 27, during an escort mission for B-25s, 24 F4U encountered 70 “Zeros.” Ike Kepford and his wingman Danny Cunningham shot down two enemy aircraft, and Bobby Mims claimed 2.5. There were no losses among the bombers, but 16 “Zeros” were shot down (though one pilot was also lost!).
After losing three pilots in two days, Blackburn developed a new tactic. It involved allocating an additional flight of six aircraft for “free hunting,” not tied to escorting slow bombers. On the morning of January 28, the squadron commander led 20 “Corsairs” escorting 17 TBFs. The flight of six aircraft flew higher and successfully engaged the Japanese, shooting down four aircraft immediately. Other pilots claimed another 10.5 victories.
For January, the squadron accounted for 60.5 enemy aircraft shot down, which cost the lives of 6 pilots and the loss of 13 aircraft. This continued until March 6, 1944, when the squadron was disbanded.
Blackburn headed CAG (Commander Air Group-74) and remained in his post until the end of the war. He stayed in the navy, retiring in 1962 with the rank of Captain. He settled in California, engaging in small business, and passed away in 1994.