38834 CAC# 14 Bartlett

<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="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="38913, Rugged Beloved, CAC 15"><U><B>NEXT PHOTO</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="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="38896. Lucky Puss"><U><B>PREVIOUS PHOTO</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> December 1944. West Field, Tinian. VPB-111 arcft. #38834 crewed by CAC #14. Standing left to right: PPC Lt W.E. Bartlett; 1P Ens H. Lee; 2P Ens F.L. McLean; PC AMM1c W.F. Karls; 1M AMM2c G.P. Ohligschlager. Kneeling left to right: Ord AOM3c J.E. Rinkavage; AG AMM3c B.G. Phillips; 2R ARM3c J.R. Harvester; 1R ARM3c J.L. Harney; AG AMM3c B.G. Thomas. </div> <div> Around noon on 11 December 1944, having departed West Field, Tinian in the early morning hours, Lt William E. Bartlett flying arcft 38834 and Lt Bland flying "The Snooper," encountered a Japanese "Betty" (Mitsubishi G4M Navy Type 1 twin-engined attack bomber) eight miles off the island of Nishino Jima. Both Liberators engaged and both crew were credited with 1/2 air-to-air shoot down of an enemy aircraft. The port waist gunner AMM2c Ohligschlager, bow gunner AOM3c Rinkavage, and the deck gunner AMM1c Karls provided the accurate machine gun fire that brought the "Betty" down. The encountered happened 765NM from Tinian and 512NM from Tokyo, Japan. </div> <div> On 18 April 1945, Lt Cmdr Bartlett and his crew, while flying arcft. #38896, "Lucky Puss," were killed when they tried to return to base after they lost an engine on take-off. Just prior to landing, they lost a second engine and on touch-down a tire blew resulting in the fatal crash. Flight Yeoman ARM3c Johnny Dillon was also on the aircraft that day and died as a result of injuries received in the crash. </div> <div> It cannot be emphasized enough the dedication these young sailors demonstrated during these trying times. On September 6, 1945, after the censors stopped censoring letters, Louie wrote to Irene.........."I feel sorry for the boys that fly. They go out every third day and they are gone from fourteen to sixteen hours and it's not any fun just sitting there. Be different if they had some seats and the worst thing that everyone hates is the take off. Boy do they sweat that take off with all them bombs onboard. Thats how we lost a crew about four months ago. They were swell fellows. When our planes go out, they go out by themselves. They don't go out like the Army. They send a whole squadron. I don't know why they do that but the Navy doesn't...."</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>38834 CAC# 14 Bartlett</I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="1f6ee530.jpg" border=0 width="750" height="595" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> </tr></table></body>