|
Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would be re-designated several times during its establishment, including Carrier Air Group Six (CVG-6) as the second unit to be so designated. The first Carrier Air Group Six served for just over two years during World War II, but draws on the history of the ''Enterprise'' Air Group established in 1938 and active in the early battles of the Pacific War, being disestablished after the first year of the conflict. During its time on the , it was the Navy’s only carrier-based air group to carry out three complete tours of duty during World War II. == ''Enterprise'' Air Group == The ''Enterprise'' Air Group was established on 1 July 1938, encompassing all squadrons embarked upon the . The group was divided into four squadrons, each with eighteen aircraft dedicated to a particular role. The squadrons were designated according to their role, and all were given the unit number six, derived from the hull number of the ''Enterprise''. Bombing Six (VB-6) was equipped with Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless dive bombers, Fighting Six (VF-6) with Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighters, and Torpedo Six (VT-6) with Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers. The fourth squadron, Scouting Six (VS-6) also had the SBD-2 Dauntless, but was more focused on the scout bomber role. This air group was embarked on board the ''Yorktown''-class aircraft carrier at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On 7 December 1941, eighteen SBD Dauntless scout bombers of squadrons VS-6 and VB-6 arrived over Pearl Harbor during the attack and, although surprised, immediately went into action in defense of the naval base. Scouting Six lost six planes during the attack, and Bombing Six lost one, killing eight airmen and wounding two others. Later that evening, six VF-6 Wildcats attempted to land at Ford Island, but five were accidentally shot down by friendly anti-aircraft fire, killing three pilots and wounding two others. ''Enterprise''’s air group carried out search missions to locate the Japanese carrier task force that attacked Pearl Harbor, but was unable to locate that force. ''Enterprise'' aircraft did sink a Japanese submarine on 10 December, but was unable to relieve the U.S. Marine garrison on Wake Island which fell to the Japanese. The ''Enterprise''’s air group launched air strikes against Japanese shipping and military installations on Marshall and Gilbert island groups on 1 February 1942, followed by air raids on Wake Island on 24 February and Marcus Island on 4 March. ''Enterprise''’s air group provided air cover for the Task Force 16 which launched the Doolittle Raid from the carrier on 18 April. This mission prevented ''Enterprise'' and ''Hornet'' from participating in the Battle of Coral Sea which saw the sunk and the heavily damaged. The Battle of Midway was the climatic naval battle in 1942, with the ''Enterprise''’s air group sinking the Japanese carriers ''Kaga'' and ''Akagi'' and contributed to the sinking of ''Hiryū''.〔; 〕 Torpedo Six (VT-6) lost ten TBD-1, Bombing Six (VB-6) lost eleven SBD-3, Scouting Six (VS-6) lost nine SBD-3, and Fighting Six (VF-6) lost a F4F-4. During the battle, then-Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky, leading the Air Group, made a critical tactical decision that led to the sinking of two of Japan's fleet carriers, , and . When McClusky could not find the Japanese carriers where he expected them, and with his air group's fuel running dangerously low, he spotted the Japanese destroyer ''Arashi'' steaming north at flank speed. (The ''Arashi'' had stayed behind to attack the USS ''Nautilus'', which had been harassing the Japanese fleet.) Taking the ''Arashi''s heading led him directly to the enemy carriers. He then directed his dive-bombers into an attack which led to the destruction of both ''Kaga'' and ''Akagi.'' The ''Enterprise'' Air Group participated in the initial stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign, flying sorties in support of the invasions of Tulagi and Guadalcanal and performing CAP and antisubmarine patrols for the amphibious shipping in the area. The Air Group fought in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August 1942, which was a strategic and tactical victory that blunted the Japanese counteroffensive during Guadalcanal Campaign. When the Enterprise was damaged during the battle, elements of the Air Group were transferred to Henderson field at Guadalcanal, where they continued to fly in support of the invasion until their supply of aircraft was depleted.〔Stafford, Edward P., The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise.〕 After returning to Pearl Harbor, the ''Enterprise'' Air Group was disestablished, and starting in September 1942, all U.S. Navy carrier air groups would be numbered.〔 Due to the manner in which the United States Navy determines unit lineage, in which lineage is not traced through periods of disestablishment, the Enterprise Air Group is not officially part of the unit history of Carrier Air Wing Six. File:SBD-2 CV-6 Feb1942.jpg|Marshall Islands Raid, February 1942 File:SBDoverEnterprise-MessageDrop.jpg|Doolittle Raid, May 1942 File:VT-6TBDs.jpg|Battle of Midway, June 1942 File:EnterpriseSaraGuadDec1942.jpg|Off Guadalcanal, December 1942 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Carrier Air Wing Six」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|