Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) was an aviation unit of the United States Navy which served aboard in the fall of 1944. It was the second squadron to bear the designation VF-18.
Over the course of two and a half months of strike operations from 6 September to 25 November 1944, Fighting 18 provided air support for the amphibious invasion of Peleliu; fought in the last major air battle in the Pacific; and shared responsibility for locating and launching the first strikes against the Imperial Japanese Navy's primary battleship fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Upon returning to the United States, Fighting 18 was widely mentioned in the press for its success in combat and subsequently given the nickname 'Two-a-Day 18' for the number of enemy aircraft its pilots destroyed. The squadron's leading ace and the Navy's second-highest scoring fighter pilot, Cecil Harris, also received significant press attention.
Fighting 18 is recognized today as the fourth-highest scoring Grumman F6F Hellcat squadron of World War II.
Background
Fighting Squadron 18 was established on 5 March 1944. Previously designated VF-36 and intended for land-based duty, the squadron was slotted into Air Group 18 during training in Hawaii since Dive Bombing and Torpedo Bombing Squadron 18 were without an accompanying fighting squadron. The completed air group boarded USS Intrepid on 16 August 1944.
Operational history
September
Intrepid operated as part of Task Group 38.2, one of four carrier groups under the overall command of Admiral William Halsey Jr. Strike operations commenced 6 September 1944 against Babelthuap, the largest island in the Palau archipelago. By the morning of 8 September there were no remaining targets of value, so Intrepid moved due west to Mindanao to launch strikes on the island's largest city, Davao City. Throughout this period, combat was characterized by fighter-bomber missions and bomber escort. Only a few enemy planes rose in opposition to the initial strikes on the Palaus and Mindanao, including one Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" reconnaissance aircraft shot down on 10 September by Harvey P. Picken and William H. Murray. VF-18 aircraft were damaged during these line periods but neither planes nor pilots were lost.
The intensity of strike operations—both in terms of pace and ferocity—increased markedly as Intrepid sent planes northward to the Visayas. An enemy convoy was attacked on 12 September and the first real air combat was joined the next day over Negros Island. Eight Japanese fighters were claimed shot down by the squadron. Four of these were credited to Cecil Harris, making him the squadron's first ace. Fighting 18 also suffered its first pilot killed in action (KIA) on 13 September when Lt. James B. Neighbours had the tail of his Hellcat blown off by anti-aircraft fire.
On 17 September, Intrepid returned to the Palaus to launch strikes on Angaur and Peleliu in support of Marine landings. Fighting 18 experimented with the use of napalm bombs made out of empty belly fuel tanks, but these proved ineffective. Aircraft Action Reports from the Palaus and Visayas and reminiscences in the squadron's War History show that the Japanese were being rapidly overwhelmed in these areas: "COMTHIRD Fleet characterized the enemy's non-aggressive attitude as "unbelievable and fantastic." ...thus far there has been no evidence of Jap retaliation for our attacks on them." These observations, along with reports from Thomas Cato Tillar Sr., an aviator aboard USS Hornet (CV-12), led Allied powers to advance their timetable for the invasion of Leyte from the end of the year to 20 October 1944.
The ensuing change of pace caught the Japanese off-guard. On the morning of 21 September, TG 38.2 launched the first carrier strike against central Luzon since the fall of the Philippines. No enemy aircraft were encountered early on due to the element of surprise, but Japanese fighter aircraft were scrambled to heavily contest the rest of the day's strikes. Twenty-five Japanese planes were claimed shot down by VF-18 over the course of the day. One pilot assigned to photo-reconnaissance, Lt.(jg) Charles Mallory, was credited with shooting down five Japanese planes, making him an ace-in-a-day. When he returned to Intrepid, his plane captain counted 67 bullet holes in his Hellcat. Overall, operations on 21 and 22 September were considered "extremely effective" by Vice Admiral George D. Murray, commander of the Navy's Pacific air forces.