#38836, "Little Snatch,"

<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="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="38913, Rugged Beloved,"><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="id86.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="38900 crewed by CAC 6"><U><B>PREVIOUS PAGE</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> December 1944. West Field, Tinian. VPB-111 arcft. #38836, "Little Snatch," CAC #7. Standing left to right: PPC Lt (jg) F.W. Kieper; 2P Ens L.W. Belvens; AG AMMF2c A.H. Tedder; 2R ARM3c O.E. Kester; 1M AMM3c G. Kos. Kneeling left to right: 1P Lt(jg) R.M. Stewart; AG ARM3c S.R. Dubin; Ord AOM3c E.N. Ehlers; 1R ARM2c J.C. Vartorella; AG S1c T.C. Hamlin. </div> <div> Lt(jg) Francis W. Kieper and his crew were credited with an air-to-air shoot down of a Aichi D3A, Japanese Navy Dive-bomber, "Val" around noon on 22 February 1945. AOM3c Ehlers the bow gunner, AMM3c Kos the deck gunner, and S1c Hamlin the Starboard Waist gunner were credited with bringing the "Val" down. This action took place approximately 8 1/2 NM from Kiirun Harbor (Keelung) and 2NM off shore just north of Huo-ch'iao Shan in Northern Formosa.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>#38836, "Little Snatch,"</I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="1f2ee530.jpg" border=0 width="750" height="595" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> </tr></table></body>