WWII US NAVY ACE PILOT AVIATOR GROUPING ESTATE FIND

Description: Estate find from Robert A Clark WWII US Navy aviator ace. Ye grouping is a mixed bag of items fresh from the estate. The lot or group includes (A) the book AIRCRAFT CARRIERS with a inscription Merry Christmas To our favorite aviator (B) is a couple of photos of a WWII plane being fished from the sea ( sorry no back story) (C) a b&w photo of 3 jets with inscription on the back dated Nov 1951 (D) 6 postcards from Japan (E) book Japanese Customs and Manners (F) Japanese flag measures 27" X 34" and last an original USS HORNET CVA-12 Patch. The condition is good on all items see pictures. Below is more information about Mr Clark Mount Vernon's Robert A. Clark: World War II Navy Carrier Ace Friday, February 27, 2015 photo Photo Contributed Robert A. (Bob) Clark Mount Vernon Robert A. (Bob) Clark, 91, born Jan. 17, 1922, New York, N.Y., retired U.S. Navy carrier fighter ace and 48-year resident of Mount Vernon, died on Jan. 21, 2015, of pneumonia. Clark, a child of the "Roaring Twenties," grew up in a New York City orphanage. Upon graduation from high school, he got his first job with Look Magazine. It was from a later job at the Alcoa Aluminum Company in Fairfield, Conn. that Clark entered the U.S. Navy in December 1942. Qualifying for naval air training, Clark spent 16 months as a naval cadet. Assigned to the Bombing/Fighter Air Group 17, flying the F6F Hellcat, Clark spent a month on Guam Island before boarding the aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-12) on Feb. 1, 1945. Hornet completed a 10-day shakedown cruise on the way to Ulithi Atoll, a then secret naval base in the Caroline Island chain. From there she steamed as part of Task Force 58 toward Japan. On Feb 16, Clark participated in the first carrier air strikes on Tokyo since the Doolittle raid three years earlier. Throughout February 1945, braving intense Japanese air defense fire and highly adverse weather conditions, Clark flew combat air cover and strafing attack missions on enemy military installations, aircraft and ships in Tokyo and Kyushu. Clark next flew missions in support of the U.S. Marine invasion of Iwo Jima. On March 4, Clark got a brief respite from combat operations. Hornet returned to Ulithi for a short rest period. As part of a select group of 12 pilots, however, Clark was chosen to ferry some severely battle damaged "flying dud" aircraft back to Guam for repair or cannibalization. The fighter assigned to Clark had taken a hit from a Japanese 5-inch anti-aircraft gun at Iwo Jima. It had many shell perforations on the starboard side, holes in the cockpit and seat, and an engine which Clark wrote, "... sounded like Hell. Popped like corn ... Glad to be out of that pile of junk." After the 350-mile flight to Guam, Clark was back aboard Hornet at Ulithi three days later. In mid-March, Hornet resumed attacks on the Japanese mainland, this time against Japanese airfields on Kyushu. Clark was part of a 20 fighter attack group heading for Kure naval base when the force encountered a flight of about 60 Japanese fighters heading toward the Hornet's task force. The American fighters immediately engaged the enemy in a dogfight above an inland sea. Clark was attacked by an enemy "George," Japan's most capable fighter which entered service only at the end of the war. After the enemy turned into him, firing all the way, Clark maneuvered his Hellcat into a tail-shot position and fired his machine guns. The "George" smoked, splintered, burned and crashed; Clark's first kill. Soon after, Clark heard a loud crash and realized he had been hit in the starboard wing by a trailing Japanese "Zeke (Zero)." Clark rolled his Hellcat and split out, coming around for an attack from the side against the "Zeke." He saw tracers hit the engine and shatter the cockpit canopy of the enemy plane which crashed into the sea. This was Clark's second kill on the same day. Out of ammunition, and with only a handful of enemy planes remaining, he returned to the Hornet with 12 other Hellcats from his group as still another Kamikaze attack against the task force was underway. Clark was awarded his first Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions that day. USS Hornet then began preparations for the invasion of Okinawa. Clark flew missions against the Okinawa mainland as well as troopships and supply ships enroute to Okinawa. On April 1, Clark flew ground support missions, dropping napalm on enemy targets as marines were landing on the island. Strikes in support of Okinawa operation continued until April 7 when Clark and his unit joined a group of 360 carrier aircraft to attack a Japanese fleet off the main island of Kyushu. It was during this raid that the Japanese super-battleship Yamato was sunk as well as an aircraft carrier and six destroyers. After a few days of routine patrols, on April 12, the fighters of USS Hornet intercepted numerous enemy aircraft including one flight of "Kate" torpedo bombers and "Jack" fighters attacking the task force. Three of the "Kates" were downed by Clark's fellow fliers as Clark chased a "Jack" at 500 feet in close proximity to the U.S. carriers. He shot the "Jack" out of the air, his third kill, but a 40 millimeter shell fired from his own ship almost blew the tail off his Hellcat. Despite the damage, he managed a safe landing. Two days later, Clark scored his fourth and fifth kills, both "Zekes," during a 90-minute dogfight. Clark qualified as a Fighter Ace and was awarded a second Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism. The following day, as other Hornet aircraft struck ground targets on Okinawa, Clark was part of a fighter sweep of 220 planes launched against Kyushu Air Base, some 240 miles distant. The force accounted for nine more enemy planes, contributing to the Hornet's daily total of 42 destroyed. One day later, April 16, Clark again headed to Kyushu on another fighter sweep. The group encountered a flight of 20 "Zekes" over the attack area, of which 13 were shot down, including Clark's sixth kill. After more almost daily strikes on Okinawa, Clark and Hornet arrived back at the Ulithi base for repairs and re-provisioning on April 30. The day after the German surrender in Europe (VE Day) on May 8, Hornet began her last combat sortie of the war, returning to Okinawa to support ground operations. Her pilots then flew numerous missions against the Japanese homeland. On May 19, Clark was awarded his third Distinguished Flying Cross for his overall service in the Pacific campaign. In September 1945, after 33 months of active service, Ensign Robert A. Clark left the Navy in Jacksonville, Fla. and returned to civilian life, although he remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve. From 1946 to 1950, he took advantage of the GI Bill and attained a degree in English literature from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. In February 1951, Clark was recalled to active Navy duty for the Korean conflict. He returned to flight school to be checked out on jet fighters; then he was assigned to Fighter Squadron 831, Air Group 15 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Antietam (CV-36) in January 1952. Piloting a F9F Panther fighter jet, Clark began flying combat missions over Korea the following month. By mid-March 1952, he had completed 20 combat missions. From October through December 1952, Clark completed 20 more combat missions launched from USS Antietam. With so much active and reserve service under his belt, Clark decided to make the Navy a career. In July 1955, Clark rejoined the crew of USS Hornet for a cruise to the western Pacific. Hornet encountered 13 severe typhoons which extensively damaged the ship, forcing an early return to San Diego. The damage spurred the development of a new "hurricane bow" which is a feature of all modern carriers. In 1957, Clark served as Officer in Charge of the aerial reconnaissance unit aboard the carrier USS Randolph (CVA-15). By 1961, Clark had been promoted and assigned to Washington D.C. He met and married his "Farm Girl," Darlene, who was from Rheatown, Tenn. but worked in D.C. for the Navy Department

Price: 500 USD

Location: Chuckey, Tennessee

End Time: 2024-12-13T01:02:06.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD