Ted Crosby – An Ace in a Day
As Ted Crosby watched, Yamato’s giant, 18-inch guns hit the water, their enormous weight probably helping the battleship capsize. Suddenly, Yamato’s No. 1 magazine exploded, sending up a huge coil of smoke and flame that could be seen for over 100 miles. It was a strange foretaste of the atomic mushroom clouds that would envelope Hiroshima and Nagasaki a few months later.
Watching from above, Crosby had no feeling of elation. “I was thinking of the Japanese crew,” he said in a 2011 interview. “Three thousand lives lost.” As a former fighter pilot and Navy man, he could appreciate what it meant to go down fighting with his comrades.
During his World War II career, Ted Crosby served aboard two Essex-class carriers, Bunker Hill (CV 17) and Hornet (CV 12). There were 24 Essex-class carriers built during the war, and they soon became the backbone of America’s naval offensive in the Pacific. The efforts of pilots like Crosby not only turned defeat into victory, but also changed the course of naval warfare forever.
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An autumn raid on Rabaul was a major effort involving several American carriers. It was also Ted Crosby’s first taste of battle. The raid of November 11, 1943, involved dogfights on a massive scale. It was an aerial free-for-all, with the new F6F Hellcat generally gaining the upper hand over the vaunted Mitsubishi A6M Zero or “Zeke.”
On November 26, 1943, Ted got his first kill—a piece of a Mitsubishi G4M Betty bomber. A steady stream of .50-caliber slugs sprayed from Ted’s six machine guns peppered and shattered the Betty’s tail and rear-gun position. Other Hellcats chimed in, joining Crosby’s symphony of destruction until the stricken bomber crashed. When he got back to Bunker Hill, he claimed the Betty, but it was determined that the other pilots had a share in its downing. As a result, Crosby’s official score stood at one-quarter of a Japanese bomber.
In dogfights and strafing runs, Ted had only one rule: “Don’t be in any one spot for more than 10 seconds! When I looked in my rear view mirror, I’d often see flak bursts where my plane had just been.”
In January 1945, Ted joined a newly reformed VF-17 aboard the USS Hornet. The new VF-17 appropriated the old formation’s skull and crossbones logo, but this time the men would be exclusively flying Hellcats, not Corsairs. The commander of the new VF-17 was Lt. Cmdr. Marshall U. “Marsh” Beebe.
On April 16, 1945, Ted Crosby became an ace in a day, shooting down five Japanese planes on a single mission. The Marines had landed on Okinawa on April 1 and, as time went on, the battle for the island intensified. Swarms of kamikazes flew out of Kyushu on suicide missions, crashing into any Allied ship they could find in the area. Ted and his fellow aviators called them “kami-krazies.” They seemed to conform to the wartime stereotype of fanatics who would rather commit suicide than surrender.
Crosby began April 16 on a target combat air patrol with Lt. Cmdr. Beebe. Crosby’s division (four Hellcats) was led by Lieutenant Milliard “Fuzz” Wooley; Ensigns J. Garrett and W.L. Osborn completed the quartet. As VF-17’s war diary put it, “Wooley’s division ‘tallyhoed’ [engaged] 12 Jacks and Zekes at 24,000 feet and started working them over.”
Actually, there were two groups of Japanese planes, a dozen or so at around 24,000 feet and a second group that was flying about 9,000 feet lower. Their main target was a destroyer, possibly a Fletcher-class vessel, that was cruising north of Okinawa. Ted could not recall the name of the ship, but its call sign was “Whiskey Base.”
The fighter director aboard the destroyer was happy to see Hellcats above him but dismayed when it appeared that they were leaving. “The fighter director said, ‘I see what you guys are doing––don’t leave us!’ Wooley replied, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll be back. We want to meet these guys halfway before they can get to you!’”
In the process, Wooley and Crosby became separated from the other pilots. Squadron Commander Beebe called them, asking for their position. Crosby said, “Fuzz” replied, ‘Never mind, skipper, we got them [the Japanese] cornered!’”
The first plane Crosby encountered was a Mitsubishi J2M “Jack” fighter that was coming head on. Crosby and his adversary were seemingly on a collision course, like two medieval knights jousting in a tournament.
“Well, I met that Japanese plane head on with my six .50-caliber guns, and the impact of the bullets blew him apart. Part of his engine and propeller, with the prop still turning, flew right over my head. I picked out another [Japanese plane], executed a turn, and went right after him.”
The second was a Zeke, a kamikaze, not a fighter, so Ted proceeded with caution. “We all realized you had to watch out what you did because the kamikazes were loaded with TNT to do us maximum damage. When you hit one, they would really explode! Once they exploded, you’d find yourself flying through lots of garbage and debris.”
After he downed the Zeke, Crosby attempted to find his division leader only to notice tracer bullets zipping past his Hellcat. Ironically, Ted had found his leader, but not in the way he wanted! The bullets were from Wooley who, in the excitement, had mistaken Crosby for the enemy. Realizing his error, Wooley sheepishly radioed Ted, “Did I get you, Ted?”
“Noooo.…” Ted replied, “but let’s settle down and get more of these guys!”
Wooley readily complied, going after another Japanese plane, but found he was out of ammunition. Ironically, his last few bursts had been expended when he mistakenly fired on Ted. Wooley dove down, making himself a decoy by luring enemy planes into Crosby’s guns. The ruse was successful, enabling Ted to down two more Japanese planes.
They decided to call it a day, but as they started back to the carrier Crosby spotted kamikaze heading toward the same destroyer they had helped protect earlier. Ted gave chase, tattooing the Japanese plane with a spray of .50-caliber lead. He broke off his attack because they were nearing the destroyer, and he knew that the ship’s radar could not distinguish friend from foe.
Sure enough, the destroyer opened fire, and the kamikaze, already disabled by Ted’s guns, angled down and crashed onto a nearby island. Thus, Ted Crosby became an ace in day, credited with three Jacks, a Zeke, and a Val dive bomber. His skill and valor that day won him the coveted Navy Cross.
Ted says he did not feel too good about downing those kamikazes at first. He realized that most of the suicide pilots had little training and were for the most part sitting ducks to experienced Navy airmen. However, Ted felt better “when I was told the extent of the damage they did on ships, and by shooting them down I was saving American lives.”
Crosby also had a close call on a photo-recon mission near Shokaku, after American carrier planes had attacked Japanese shipping in the area. “I had my plot board out and I’m putting down the time of day, the slant of the sun, and all that had to do with photography. Suddenly, I saw stuff [bullets] bouncing off my wing. I look back, and there’s this guy on my tail—probably a George. Only time I ever had a guy on my tail.”
After one pass the George broke off the attack and seemed to head back to his base. Crosby was not inclined to follow him. At the moment he was alone, and following an enemy plane over enemy territory did not seem like a wise thing to do. After he got back to Hornet, Ted found an unexploded 30mm shell in his cockpit armor, mute testimony to his luck and the fact that American aircraft designs protected their pilots.
Ted Crosby remained in the Navy after the war and retired with the rank of commander.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Ed Bearrs – Billings, MT; USMC, WWII, PTO, Cpl., 3rd Marine Raider Battalion & 7/1st Marine Division, Purple Heart / Historian
John Bero Jr. – Buffalo, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO, Bronze Star
Patrick Chess – Yakima, WA; US Navy, WWII shipfitter 3rd Class, USS Oklahoma. KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Gabriel J. Eggud – USA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 1st Lt., pilot, 110/71 Reconnaissance Group, KIA (New Guinea)
Ellis Fryer – Dearborn, MI; US Navy, WWII & Korea
Donald Lesmeister – Harvey, ND; US Navy, Korea, USS Wiltsie
Jack McPherson – Casper, WY; US Army, WWII, Chief Warrant Officer/ Korea & Vietnam/ NSA (Ret.)
June Pearce – Waukon, IA; Civilian, B-17 riveter
Charles Perkins – Quincy, MA; US Navy, WWII, PTO
Donald Schimmels (100) – Kewaunee, WI; US Army Air Corps, WWII
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Posted on September 28, 2020, in First-hand Accounts, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, Airborne, aviation, History, Military, Military History, Navy, Pacific War, Tributes, USA, veterans, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 97 Comments.
Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.
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Thank you, Ned!
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Great story. What amazing experiences many men of this generation had, and all due to war. I must look up where my father was on that date in New Guinea when Ted Crosby was flying over Rabaul.
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I’d like to hear that myself, if you’d be so kind.
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Difficult to fault him as a pilot or a man. The story brings out his many dimensions.
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He was a wonderful example of what that generation produced.
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He certainly was.
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Thank you for writing about our history and unsung heroes. The everyday heroes mostly went unnoticed..
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I try to find the little known stories and people behind the scenes, but it isn’t always easy. We’ve lost so many.
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Excellent post Greg…
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I appreciate you saying so, Steve.
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Sometimes, luck is everything.
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Yes, that old saying, “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good!”, does apply!!
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Lucky these guys not only were great pilots, but they had a sense of humor that kept them going. I enjoyed that line where he said, Don’t be in any spot for more than 10 seconds. Great advice!
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Yes, thank you. You never know when that advice will come handy either! 😊
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A true American hero! Thank you, GP.
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Thank you so much for coming by, Jennie.
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Always a pleasure, GP.
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Reblogged this on Dave Loves History.
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Thank you, Dave!
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Reblogged this on depolreablesunite.
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Thank you, Rick.
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Ted had an amazing career
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He certainly did!
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Not sure if you had seen this yet, but there’s a WAVE who should be added to your next Farewell Salute: https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/29/rosanna-gravely-women-word-war-ii-navy-veterans/
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Thank you very much for sending me this information. I am honored to have Ms. Gravely in Thursday’s Farewell Salutes!
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The painting is incredible, and so is the story, and so is the hero of the story – amazing!
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Thank you, Dolly. It sounds like you found the entire post interesting. That’s music to my ears!
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I always find your posts interesting, as well as educatioal, GP!
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Thanks!!
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You are most welcome, GP!
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Amazing.
And that painting a the top tells a story.
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I am going to have to do another pictorial post. The paintings done about this war are incredible.
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Great story, GP. What a true American hero. Tales of naval and aerial combat in the Pacific were always favorites of mine for some reason.
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Then you must be a good follower of the IHRA?
https://airwarworldwar2.wordpress.com/
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Well, to be honest, I wasn’t. But I am now!
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They are outstanding!!
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And thank you recommending us!
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I have no qualms about referring you to anybody and everybody! The IHRA is incredible in my book!
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Thanks for the follow!
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A very informative post, as always. I’ve recently been reading about kamikazes and Ted was certainly correct about the number of killed and wounded they caused on American and Australian ships. And fighter aircraft like his were the most effective way of stopping them.
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What book are you currently reading, John?
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That’s quite a history. Crosby must have had nerves of steel.
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Steel nerves certainly would help in these situations!
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Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
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Thank you, John.
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You are very welcome.
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A great story GP. Thanks.
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I appreciate your visit, John. It turned out longer than my usual posts, but I couldn’t figure out what to edit out.
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You did well. My dad’s ship (The Lexington CV16) took part in the sinking of the Yamato. I have the cruise yearbook and there are some amazing photos of her under attack by Air Group Nine.
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Those photos must be spectacular! She was quite a ship. Despite being the enemy, it was a shame to see her die.
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I think that’s what all the pilots were thinking. I have a spectacular shot of that mushroom cloud mentioned in your article. It was taken by the group commander after he finished his bombing run. Amazing. There is also a very sad shot of the water where the Yamato had been.
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You have quite a treasure there, John!!
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I think so too. I can’t imagine too many of these yearbooks are still around.
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ITS very interest
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Thank you.
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A beautiful tribute to Ted Crosby! He is one we should remember AND be grateful for! We need more people in our world like him!
(((HUGS)))
PS…”Learn as you go” Pilot training. 😮 Ha! :-d
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Thank you very much.
Yeah, I thought that cartoon was pretty good. It sure would cut down on the budget, eh?! lol
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Wat een dappere man was hij en erg belangrijk in die oorlog. Door zijn raad nergens langer dan 10 seconde te verblijven leid ik af dat hij vaak op het nippertje aan een een aanval kon ontsnappen
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Ik vatte die opmerking van 10 seconden op om hetzelfde te betekenen. Een ervaren instructeur moet hem goed advies hebben gegeven. Ik ben erg blij dat je de post interessant vond!
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Thanks for another exciting post, GP. (And my fictionalized George is still in my novel-in-progress… I just need to be able to get back to it.) Hugs on the wing.
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I know you will.
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Great share. always nice to read something from someone who was there.
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These eye witness stories really bring the war into focus, don’t they?!!
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“Don’t be in any one spot for more than 10 seconds! ” was a good rule. I agree with Don, Ted’s humanity is what struck me as well. Perhaps someday, our world leaders will be able to settle disputes without pitting those below against each other.
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Even as a child I wondered why wars weren’t fought by the politicians that started them.
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Countless numbers of wondered the same thing on a regular basis.
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A thoughtful man…aware of the lack of training of the Japanese pilots while doing his duty.
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Thankfully such thoughts didn’t cause a hesitation that might have cost him his life.
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Very true.
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His humanitiy is honourable, and the decisions one had to take in such situations horrible. Michael
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So very true, my friend. Wars really do need to be fought by the politicians that start them. IMO
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Yes!
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We cannot help but be thankful for fighting men and women like him.
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They are amazing. I only wish it hadn’t taken us so long to realize it.
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Great story! The fact that I’ve visited CV-12 several times when I lived in the Bay Area helped bring this story to life for me.
CV=12 is docked a Pier 3 at the former NAS in Alameda, the same pier where Hornet CV-8 was docked when it took on the B-25 bombers for the daring Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April, 1942.
The B-25s were prepared at McClellan Field on the northwest side of Sacramento and flown to Alameda where they were lifted onto the deck of CV-8.
President Trump recently visited McClellan to honor the firefighters fighting the endless California fires. Air Force One flew right over where I worked on the day of the President’s visit. I didn’t see it but many of my co-workers did.
We safely escaped the insanity that is now California (a.k.a. The Peoples Republic of Calizuela”) and are now happily unpacking in Oklahoma …
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I’m glad you made your escape before that state went to ruin any further! Thank you for your further info on the ships!!
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Love the painting. I really like combat art. It is very intimate and yet dramatic.
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I agree. I even have a book with WWII in art.
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What’s the title and author? One of the things I have been lucky enough to see is lots of original combat art both WWIi and Vietnam at both the National Defense University and the Pentagon.
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“WWII A Tribute in Art and Literature” edited by: David Colbert.
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Thanks. Different topic: Have you ever done a post on the USS North Carolina? I just sat in on a Zoom lecture and the ship was amazing. Served support to various carrier task forces in the Pacific beginning with the Solomon’s Island and never lost a carrier when she was part of the Task Force. At one time her rapid speed of anti-aircraft smoke was so strong the Admiral asked if she was on fire.
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No, I haven’t.
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Very nice story of a brave man, GP. What struck me was his humanity. I can’t imagine having to reconcile killing young poorly trained pilots while saving a ship full of your comrades. The scales tip in the right direction, but for some men, it must have been hard to accept.
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I suppose many were thinking that there could possibly be a better way?
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A very nice tribute to a brave and modest man who also displayed a great deal of humanity. Wars are won by the actions of such good men.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks, Pete. I’m glad you found it interesting.
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A life-saving rule—Don’t be in any one spot for more than 10 seconds!
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Exactly. That’s probably what saved his life on many a patrol.
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Thank you very much.
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Thank you for sharing this, Steve.
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Thank you.
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Thank you for sharing.
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