"Following Bunker Hill's retirement, Essex and Benningon's F4Us would only be accompanied by Shangri-La with Air Group 85 aboard. Lt Joe D Robbins (5 kills) was assigned to VBF-85 which flew the F4U-1C. He had previously gained two victories flying the F6F with VF-6 aboard Interpid.
'On 8 April 1945, we departed Ford Island and and on 26 April 1945 we joined the carrier Task Force off Okinawa. We had 16 carriers making up three task groups. One Task Group would replenish each day whilst the other two would be hitting targets in Japan. On 4 May 1945 I was the flight leader for 12 F4U-1Cs flying CAP over a destroyer 12 miles north of Okinawa. The Japs were sending planes from Japan to attack our forces on Okinawa and ships at sea. At times kamikaze planes would be at a low altitude with fighter cover at a higher altitude. Our mission was to intercept and shoot down these aircraft. We launched in the early morning from the Shangri-La and took up our station. As always, we charged and test-fired our guns after take-off. My divison was assigned an altitude of 20,000 ft, whilst the second divison was at 10,000 ft and the third 5,000 ft. We have been on station a short time when at 0830 we received a vector at distance 26 miles to a bogey, and we were told that it was below us. I had fuel in the belly tank and I didn't want to drop it until I saw the bogey.
'These flights were about four hours long so you didn't want to drop the tank until you had to. I had my left hand on the switch in preparation, ready to go to the main gas tank and drop the belly store when I saw the bogey. We were all looking down when all of a sudden about 30 Zekes came from above and attacked us. We didn't see them approach as it was hazy and we had also been told they were below us. I switched tanks and dropped the belly tanks and made a sharp turn all at the same time - I had to. By doing this, however the engine was not getting any fuel, so it stopped. It takes only a few seconde to switch and get suction again, but I didn't have that few seconds. You don't get suction when you are making sharp turns and I was really making them. One plane was in my gun sight coming from the 10 o'clock position. I tired a 30' deflection shot and pulled the trigger; no guns. I was banking right and then left as steep as I could to keep them from shooting at me, still no engine. I kept recharging the guns and still they wouldn't fire. I kept banking one side and then to the other, keeping my nose down and losing altitude. I had at least four of them in my sights, but my guns wouldn't fire!
'These enemy planes were escort cover for some kamikaze planes below. Although I wasn't hit, they shot down my wingman, Frank Siddall, and second section leader, Sonny Chernoff, and then they left. The divison at 5000 ft then intercepted them. I was at about 16,000 ft when I got my engine started, and I followed my wingman down and he made a good landing in the water. I stayed over him until a destroyer picked him up 35 minute later. The destroyer that rescued him, the St. George, was hit by a kamikaze two days later while he was still aboard.
'Out of the four planes in my division, none of the guns would fire. At that time were the only Navy unit that had the 20 mm guns. That afternoon they were tested at high altitude and it was found that they froze and would not fire at about 15,000 ft. We checked with Washington and learned that the flights that were to test them at high altiude had been CANCELLED! From then on were restricted to 12,000 ft until we got gun heaters. We still flew CAPs and target strikes below this altitude. VBF-85 (.50 cals) flew the higher CAPs.
- - The Blue Devils books by Mark Styling & Barrett Tillman"
