#38750, "The Snooper," CAC #2.

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="02c285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>VPB-111 Bresciano</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="VPB111 Bresciano"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:ppbchief@yahoo.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:ppbchief@yahoo.com"><U>Contact the Author</U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="02ad2c00dkelyh.png"> <div> <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="38901, Sliding Home, "><U><B>NEXT PAGE</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photos Index"><U><B>PHOTO INDEX</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2 January 1945"><U><B>PREVIOUS PAGE</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> December 1944. West Field, Tinian. VPB-111, Arcft. #38750, "The Snooper," CAC #2. Standing left to right: 1R ACRM E. Thomas; PC AMM1c A.A. Hamel; 2P Ens. A.B. Swanson; 1P Lt(jg) S.Z. Smith; PPC Lt Cmdr S.R. Bland. Kneeling left to right: Ord AOM2c F.H. Christianson; 2R ARM3c R.G. Chandler; AG S1c C.M. Gibson; AG AMM3c W.L. Lightfoot; 1M AMM3c P.C. Cranfield. </div> <div> In the Atlantic, this crew was designated CAC #16 </div> <div> Lt Cmdr Sylvan "Sy" Bland and CAC #2 were credited with an air-to-air shoot down of a Japanese "Betty" (Mitsubishi G4M3 Model 34 Japanese Navy Type 1 Attack Bomber) on December 11, 194! 4, northwest of the island of Nishino Jima, approximately 512 NM from Tokyo, Japan. The bow gunner, AMM3c Cranfield, deck gunner AOM2c Christianson, port waist gunner AMM1c Hamel, and the starboard waist gunner S1c Gibson were instrumental in downing the "Betty." They and CAC #14, Lt W.E. Bartlett's crew were each credited with 1/2 kill. </div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>#38750, "The Snooper," CAC #2. </I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="1c5ee500.jpg" border=0 width="750" height="592" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> </tr></table></body>