WWII
May 1943 - Sep 1944 (USS Yorktown CV-10)
Oct 1944 - Oct 1945 (USS Bennington CV-20)
Reformed Squadron
Oct 1944 to Oct 1945
(The original squadron disbanded September 1944 and was "reformed" in October 1944)
Squadron group photos (reformed squadron) possibly taken at NAS Kahului (Maui) Hawaii in March or April of 1945
VT-1 history
Oct 1, 1944 - Oct 25, 1945 (reformed squadron)
Oct 1, 1944 Alameda NAS, Ca VT-1 reformed (recommissioned)
Oct 21 Alameda NAS, Ca Flight training begins
Nov 1944 - Jan 1945 Fallon NAAS Training
Jan 17 - Mar 2 Alameda NAS, Ca Training
Mar 2-8 USS Bergen (APA 150) Transport (Oakland to Pearl Harbor)
Mar - May 21 Kahului NAS, Hawaii (Maui) Training (with Air Group One)
May 23 - June 2 USS Breton (CVE-23) Transport (Pearl Harbor to Guam)
June 12-16 USS White Plains (CVE-66) Transport (Guam to Leyte Philippines)
July 1 - Aug 15 USS Bennington (CV-20) Deployed War Time
Aug 25 - Sept 2 USS Bennington (CV-20) “POW” hops, Surrender Ceremony
Sept 24 - Oct 8 Saipan Await transport home
Oct 8-22 USS Kwajalein (CVE-98) Transport (Saipan to Alameda NAS)
Oct 25 Alameda NAS, Ca Squadron decommissioned
(reformed squadron only)
Vt-1 War Diary 7/1-31/45 (4 pages)
Air Group One War History (13 pages)
USS Bennington (CV-20)
June 17 - Sept 24, 1945 (with Air Group One)
June 17 Air Group One (VF-1, VT-1, VB-1) reports aboard for duty
July 1 Departs San Pedro Bay Philippines with new air group (Air Group One)
July 10 Strikes on Tokyo
July 14-15 Strikes on Hokkaido airfields
July 17-18 Strikes Honshu area, battleship Nagato
July 24 - Aug 15 Strikes Honshu area, Kure Naval Base
Aug 26 - Sept 8 VT-1 locates and drops supplies to POW camps
Sept 2 Air Group One leads mass flight over Tokyo Bay Surrender Ceremony
Sept 24 Air Group One disembarks at Saipan
click here for USS Bennington Cruise Book for 1945 (69 pages)
VT-1 casualties
(reformed squadron members killed)
Apr 23 1945 Ens Stanley Bernard Kobielski
July 10 1945 Ens Robert J. Haughton
AMM3c Joseph Charles Ciccarelli
July 20 1945 ARM3c Joseph Correll Dortsch
July 24 1945 Ltjg George Addison Gustin, Jr
VT-1 aircraft lost
(reformed squadron)
July 10 1945 Ens Haughton TBM-3 #68129 #107 Tokyo Japan
July 15 1945 Ens Mehelich TBM-3E #86132 #108 Rumoi Japan
July 18 1945 Lt Eddins TBM-3E #53206 Kure Japan
July 18 1945 Ltjg Puget TBM-3E #86110 Kure Japan
July 24 1945 Ltjg Gustin TBM-3 #69397 #111 SE of Kure Japan
Aug 13 1945 Ltjg Pasley TBM-3E #69272 Tokyo Japan
Note: Although these aircraft losses are fairly well documented and confirmed this list subject to revision should new information come to light. Sources for some of this information comes from AAIR (loss list by month) and Joe Baugher (3rd bureau number series 1940-present).
