We begin our story
with a brief review of Kermit Edwin Beary’s ancestry.
The earliest
ancestor our research has discovered was one Joseph Biery, a native of the
Canton of Bern, Switzerland. He
lived from 1703-1768. Although the
family is probably of French origin, it seems that one branch may have been
living in Bern as early as 1511. Joseph
was a man of position and property in Bern and Germany, and later in America. But these were trying times for
Protestants in Europe.
Between 1517 and 1750, during
Europe’s Protestant Reformation period,
hundreds of thousands of Protestants were severely persecuted, killed or even
sacrificed by Catholics. To escape the intense,
ongoing religious persecution, Joseph joined up with four brothers and three
sisters of the Doll family, another wealthy family who were suffering the same
experience. Joseph had met and
married one of the girls, Elisabeth Maria, in 1731 and they had a young
daughter.
The Dolls and Joseph felt
they needed to escape Europe and soon. Like thousands of others in their same position, they
formulated a plan. It wasn’t too difficult,
as there was already a well-established process for getting the persecuted out.
In fact in 1737 two other
adventuresome members of the Doll family had voyaged aboard the Samuel to Penn’s Manor in Pennsylvania
to see if they could make it. They
succeeded and wrote home to let the others know of their experience.
So in the summer of 1739,
the group, led by Joseph, made their arrangements, packed up, and then set out.
They and other travelers sailed by
barge first down the Rhine River to Rotterdam then switched to the ship Samuel to sail to Philadelphia, in the
British colony of Pennsylvania. Each
emigrant paid about $175 in today’s dollars. The ship made a brief
stop to pick up additional supplies in Deal, England, then proceeded across the
Atlantic. Eight other ships also
made the same journey that year. They
all sailed to the British colony because its founder, William Penn, welcomed
new immigrants seeking religious freedom.
During the three-month
river/ocean voyage, one of the elder Dolls died of illness. For Elisabeth, it must have been an
exhausting voyage, now pregnant with her second child and caring for a
seven-year-old girl. The long
journey ended in Philadelphia on August 27, 1739. Upon arrival Joseph and his fellow
adult immigrants took their oath of allegiance to the crown of Great Britain
and the province of Pennsylvania at the local courthouse. Several days later, Elisabeth gave
birth to Anna Maria.
The Joseph and Elisabeth
Biery family made their home in eastern Pennsylvania for several generations. They were leading citizens in the area
and played an important role in establishing the German Reformation church there. Beginning with Joseph’s great-grandson,
Peter, the family changed the spelling of their last name to Beary.
Peter’s son, Eli S. Beary
purchased a tract of land in Bethel, Missouri before the Civil War, and in 1870
moved his family there. Bethel
was founded as a Bible commune utopian colony in 1844.
Two generations later, Kermit’s
father, Harry Thomas, was born in 1889 in Bethel. During WW-I, he continued the Beary trek west, moving to
western Kansas with his new bride. And that brings us to the beginning of Kermit Beary’s story.
Kermit Edwin Beary, aka
Ken or KE, was born in the extreme northwest area of Kansas in the small town
of Selden on March 8, 1919 to Pearl Rae (McNeely) and Harry Thomas (Tom) Beary.
Interestingly, he was born exactly
two years to the day after his parents wedding day.
Seven
years later the family bought a farm in Edson, west of Selden. This was wheat and beef cattle country, but
also on the edge of the Dust Bowl. They were a poor family in hard times. Kermit received his basic schooling in Edson
with his two younger sisters, Bernice and Hazeldean. Observe the three young kids standing beside their two-bedroom
house complete with outdoor privy in Edson in the late 1920s. Kermit's
mother, Pearl, would put sheets in the bathtub to soak and then hung them over
the windows as big dust storms approached. There were many days they didn't go to school because dirt
was blowing so hard they couldn't see far enough to drive.
Kermit was interested in machinery as a child, and by seventh grade, his dad taught him to drive a tractor and a car. A year later he began playing basketball, and his dad started letting him drive to parties and basketball by himself. During high school Kermit even drove the school bus. He graduated from Edson High School, lettering in track and basketball in May 1937.
He
remained at home the first year following high school because he didn’t have
enough money for college. Wheat
harvests of 1932-36 had been the worst in history in Northwest Kansas, and this
hurt family finances. But after a
year working on a farm and with his mother’s recent inheritance, he was able to
start college in the fall of 1938. Kermit enrolled at Kansas
State College of Agriculture
and Applied Science in Manhattan, and majored in agriculture and economics.
(KSC became KSU in 1959.) He also
enrolled in the school’s ROTC program.
Kermit met his future
wife, Trudy, in Manhattan at a school dance. Gertrude (Trudy)
Phyllis Larson was from nearby Tescott, Kansas. The third youngest of Ralph and Neva Larson’s ten children, Trudy was born on August
25, 1921. She enrolled at KSC in
the fall of 1939, majoring in home economics.
Below we see the ROTC cadet and
couple during their KSC days.
Trudy
received a 4H scholarship, so tuition
was paid for. She earned her room
and board by working for a couple, taking care of the children, ironing, etc. Meanwhile, Kermit rented a room in a
house with a bunch of guys, and for money, he worked in a barn. He also worked on the Larson farm in
Tescott during the summer of 1941.
With World War II already
underway in Europe, plus his strong interest in flying, Kermit decided to drop
out of college early in his junior year to enlist in the Aviation Cadet
Program. Believing America would
soon be entering the war, there was a strong and growing trend in US colleges
for male students to enter service early and thus avoid being drafted into the
infantry. In July 1941 through his
ROTC program, Kermit received notice that he had been accepted into the Army
Aviation Cadet program. On 26 September
1941 he officially enlisted at nearby Fort Riley.
Cadet Beary: Thunderbird Field, Glendale, AZ, Fall 1941 |
The Japanese surprise
attack on Pearl Harbor occurred during his flight training at Thunderbird
Field, probably increasing the class’ operational tempo plus student motivation
and stress levels.
Trudy withdrew from KSC
soon after the Japanese attack and continued her romance with Kermit via
letters and occasional telegrams. Unlike
today, Trudy says they did not talk on the
telephone, “The phone was expensive and had party lines where anyone could listen
in to your conversation.”
On 24 April 1942 he
graduated, receiving both his wings and a commission as a 2nd
Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. (Only distinguished graduates were offered a commission, most
entered the Air Corps as Warrant Officers.) He received a photo ID card on his graduation day.
Three days later Kermit
and Trudy married in a Methodist church in Phoenix. Trudy first got herself out to Edson, and together with Kermit’s
parents and two sisters, Bernice and Hazeldean, they all drove to Phoenix. Ken had also sent a last-minute
telegram to Trudy’s folks requesting their permission to proceed with the
wedding. He received a go-ahead
call from them a short time later. The travelers from Edson attended both the graduation and the
wedding, which also
included flying buddy Jack Bestgen as best man and sister Bernie as bridesmaid.
The photo below shows the family
group at the Rose Bowl Motor Court in
Phoenix during these happy times.
2nd Lt Ken Beary with parents, sisters, and Trudy |
After the wedding Kermit and Trudy set off on a short honeymoon via Los Angeles and Yosemite Park enroute to his next assignment at McCord Field, Washington. But they lacked transportation. However, a solution was near at hand. Kermit’s best friends from the Graduating Class of 42-D, Lt Carl Bigger and Lt William Bingham needed to travel to the same destinations and were available to travel with them. Even more importantly, Carl was a bachelor and had a car.
He knew people in Los Angeles, as did the
newly wedded Binghams and Bearys.
So Lt Bigger volunteered to drive the group to Los Angeles. He first dropped off the Binghams with
friends, and next, Kermit and Trudy at the Phillips’ house (Trudy’s aunt,
Vivian and her husband Harold) in Wilmington. The Bearys also went on to visit other friends in the area.
Several days later Carl picked up the
Binghams and Bearys, and all headed north to their next duty station in
Washington State. On the way, they
visited Yosemite National Park.
The newly commissioned officers reported on 4 May 1942 to the Fourth Air
Force, McChord Field in Tacoma, Washington. There, the Bearys rented a one-bedroom closet that included
a kitchen, hot plate, icebox (real ice); they had to get water from the
bathroom down the hall.
Two weeks later, they both took a train to
Spokane, Kermit’s next interim assignment.
From Spokane, Trudy continued on
the train back to Tescott, Kansas. She soon applied for and was accepted for a munitions’
inspector position at the Kansas Ordnance Plant (KOP) in Parsons, Kansas. Located in the extreme southeastern part
of the state, the facility produced and stored artillery/mortar shells. It employed 7000 people, who worked in
over 700 buildings/storage facilities.
Meanwhile at McChord, the three lieutenants
began specialized training, transitioning to their combat fighter aircraft: the
P-40 Warhawk. They immediately began flying air patrols over the Puget
Sound area.
In December 1941, following Pearl
Harbor, the US Army initiated a secret base construction program in Alaska to
build two air defense bases, one on Umnak Island (Ft Glenn), and the second,
near the western end of the Alaskan Peninsula (Ft Randall) at Cold Bay. This program was anticipatory of a
possible Japanese incursion of the Alaskan mainland. To conceal their purpose, both fields were
organized as ostensible business enterprises concerned with fishing and canning.
The army used two cover names: Blair Fish Packing Company and Saxton & Company, whose peculiar canning equipment consisted of bull-dozers, power shovels and similar construction equipment. The top holding company for these enterprises was the Consolidated Packing Company of Anchorage, known in military circles as the Alaskan Defense Command! US Army personnel, disguised as civilian employees of the two companies, completed their assignments, and the airfields were declared operational by April 1942. These two air bases could help to better protect Alaska, especially the important US Navy base at Dutch Harbor.
The army used two cover names: Blair Fish Packing Company and Saxton & Company, whose peculiar canning equipment consisted of bull-dozers, power shovels and similar construction equipment. The top holding company for these enterprises was the Consolidated Packing Company of Anchorage, known in military circles as the Alaskan Defense Command! US Army personnel, disguised as civilian employees of the two companies, completed their assignments, and the airfields were declared operational by April 1942. These two air bases could help to better protect Alaska, especially the important US Navy base at Dutch Harbor.
Meanwhile, back at McChord Field, Lt Beary
and his compadres continued their air defense patrols. Their training however was curtailed
early because of alarming information gleaned by US Naval Intelligence in Pearl
Harbor on 20 May 1942: The Japanese warships of the 2nd Carrier
Striking Force were preparing to steam out of their Japanese Inland Seaport and
would proceed northeast 2800-miles toward the Aleutians. Formed around the light carriers Junyo and Ryujo, the task force had orders to attack the US Navy base at
Dutch Harbor.
This Japanese attack was to be a diversionary
one, timed to be simultaneous with their primary planned strike against US
forces on Midway Island, 1500 miles northwest of Hawaii. Having broken the Japanese radio code,
US Naval Intelligence immediately notified the US War Department (now Dept of
Defense) of the two plans.
In turn, the US War Department ordered the Alaskan
Defense Command (ADC), based at Ft Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska to prepare for
action. ADC’s air arm, the
Eleventh Air Force (11th AF), had responsibility for the air defense
of the Alaskan Territory. (Alaska
was an American territory at this time and not a state until 1959.) In terms of air defense assets, the 11th
AF was comprised of three fighter Squadrons: the 11th Fighter Squadron (11th FS), the 18th FS, and the 54th
FS. Most of their aircraft were
based at Ft Richardson, but the 18th FS was based primarily on
Kodiak Island.
On 22 May 1942 the commander of the 11th
AF ordered the 11th FS to deploy its P-40s to both secret bases. The 18th FS followed soon
after, sending a detachment of its P-40s from Kodiak to Ft Randall (see
deployment map below). Immediately
both bases established an aircraft alert posture and began daily air patrols of
the seas south of the eastern Aleutians. All appeared ready for the approaching Japanese task force.
In light of these activities, it is not
surprising that on 20 May 1942, Lt Beary received secret transfer orders. His orders had only a blank space for his
final station destination, but it was understood to be somewhere in Alaska. He was obviously to be part of the
secret mission buildup to the Aleutian Islands. The orders called for him to take a train from
Tacoma eastward to Geiger Field in Spokane and then to catch military air
transport up to an undisclosed location,
which turned out to be Ft. Richardson. He arrived in Alaska on 22 May 1942 and received another
restricted special order to proceed directly to the 18th FS
detachment at a second undisclosed location, probably Ft Randall. He arrived the next day. So this is how Lt Beary had suddenly
joined the war against Japan.
In early June 1942, six months
after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked the US military base at Dutch Harbor,
Alaska. The die was cast.
The Aleutians Campaign
The Aleutians, a long string of some
300 rocky islands and islets of volcanic origin with at least 57 known
volcanoes, stretch across the Pacific for thousands of miles. Thick layers of tundra or muskeg cover
the few level areas, rendering it mostly incapable of supporting an aircraft
runway. Equally important, the
Aleutians are subjected to some of the worst weather on the planet including
wind, rain, fog, and bone-chilling temperatures! One consequence of the severe climate: there are no trees.
Squalls, known as williwaws, often sweep
down from an island's mountainous areas with great force, sometimes exceeding
100 mph. The resulting columns of
spray and mist frequently resemble huge waterfalls. In the winter, williwaws could cause snow to be blown right
up one’s pant legs.
Distances within the Aleutians are of
continental dimensions. For
example, the distance from the 11th AF at Ft Richardson, to Kiska
Island is 1500 miles. US airfields
would eventually dot the islands from end to end.
In the predawn darkness of 3 June 1942, and
making excellent use of weather cover, Japanese carriers Ryujo
and Juny launched their first fighter raid against Dutch
Harbor. According to Japanese
intelligence, they believed the nearest field for land-based American aircraft
was at Kodiak, more than 600 miles away. Dutch Harbor should be a sitting duck for the strong Japanese
fleet.
In the Dutch Harbor attack, the initial
Japanese surprise was almost complete, but because of foul weather, the bombing
was anything but accurate. Nonetheless, some casualties and damage were inflicted. The photo depicts damage to the large
hospital complex at nearby Ft Mears. Unfortunately, the 11thFS/18thFS had
lost communications with Dutch Harbor at this pivotal time and never received
the warning until after the attack! Not a promising start to the defense of Alaska.
The following day, the Japanese got their
first introduction to the two secret fields. The so-called ‘canning companies’ went into action. First US operations took place early in
the morning when four Japanese Zekes and four dive-bomber Vals blundered onto
the Ft Glenn field while flying through Umnak pass enroute to Dutch Harbor. All four dive-bombers were shot down,
but two 11th FS P-40 planes and one pilot were lost too. There is no record of Lt Beary’s
participation, as he was at Ft Randall, too far away to likely get into the
action.
In summary, the two Japanese attacks
were a series of hit and run strikes. Damage to U.S. installations was modest and casualties few, but
the Japanese had demonstrated that they could once again bring the war to the
American territories.
Then, only three days later, a second Japanese task force of Army
infantry with Navy logistics landed unopposed and occupied the far western
Aleutians islands of Kiska and Attu. They had secured a foothold in the Aleutians to protect
the northern flank of the Japanese Empire.
These islands became the central
focus of the Aleutians Campaign.
In an immediate
response, the US War Department ordered additional forces sent to augment the 11th
Air Force in Alaska two heavy bombardment squadrons (2x B-24s), two medium
squadrons (32x B-25s), one fighter group (100 P-40s and P-38s), plus required
support. Initial deployments were
to Ft Randall and Ft Glenn, nearly 600 miles east of Kiska.
The 11th
AF had been built around a handful of pilots experienced in Alaskan flying. In the growing emergency of late May and
early June 1942, this nucleus was reinforced with pilots, who were hastily
dispatched from the States without full administrative or squadron operations
personnel. They rushed immediately
into combat with little or no chance for training under field conditions. This scenario would have Kermit’s name
written all over it.
There is little
information of Kermit’s exact assignment in the Aleutians. However, we have attempted to couple
those details, provided by Lt Beary’s daughter, Terry Huddle (Beary), with the
history of ongoing military operations.
There
are pictures of and taken by Lt Beary at Dutch Harbor.
It was a short flight from Ft
Randall to Dutch Harbor. Below we
see him and members of his squadron checking out the Army’s Ft Mears Hospital
and later attending a party with hospital nurses. The pilots were friends with a doctor, Capt Anderson (right
photo, first row far right, kneeling), who was not a member of the squadron. Ken even had assigned quarters at Dutch
Harbor. We remain uncertain as to
how many times he came to Dutch Harbor or why.
Kermit appears to
have spent most of the summer of ‘42 flying with the 18th FS at Ft
Randall. His squadron prepared for
upcoming air combat by practicing air defense and air strike missions in the
eastern Aleutians. He may have
stopped in Dutch Harbor as part of his missions. Below we catch him reading a book on a summer’s afternoon
during a respite. Note their
Quonset hut accommodations.
None of Kermit’s early missions were against the Japanese fortifications on Kiska and Attu, as Ft Randall was far too distant for the squadron’s short-ranged P-40s to strike Kiska and safely return. Instead the 11th AF, after deploying its large bombers to the two forward bases, used them for the long, 1000-mile missions against the Japanese-held islands. To provide escort for the bombers, the 54th FS transferred their long-range P-38s from Ft Richardson to both bases. The P-38 was the only fighter with sufficient range for this mission. A closer airbase was desperately needed.
Thus it would seem
that Kermit and his fellow P-40 pilots probably spent a rather slow,
uneventful, and frustrating summer of 1942 at Ft Randall and Dutch Harbor.
The establishment of Adak Army Airfield
gave the 11th Air Force a forward base from which to attack the
Japanese forces on Kiska Island,
245-miles to the west.
However, the construction of the airfield
was not without its challenges. Adak
had initially been inaccurately
surveyed to locate a suitable site. Upon learning this, a second survey team set out for Adak. They determined that a large tidal marsh could support the
field, because underneath the marsh was a firm
foundation of sand and gravel. A
Navy engineering team known as Seabees (derived from Construction Battalion:
CB) constructed a dike around the marsh and installed a system of canals to
drain off the water. They then
scraped off the topsoil to reach the gravel underneath. Additional gravel was put down and a
sand runway was laid down. By
early September the Seabees had completed enough work that Headquarters
declared the airfield operational.
Taking only ten days to complete, it
was an amazing construction effort! Below, view Adak just prior to Lt Beary’s arrival on station.
Almost immediately,
US bombing results improved and Adak proved to be a valuable asset. Lt Beary arrived on Adak on 12 September
1942, with detachments of the 11th FS and the 18th FS
from Ft Randall and the 54th (P-38s). He was still flying his P-40 Warhawk fighter, but he would soon fly with the Aleutian Tigers (11th FS). The remainder of 18th FS would relocate later from
Kodiak. Below, you can see Lt
Beary and his good friend, Bill Bingham (18th FS), standing by two
of the Aleutian Tigers. Their good friend, Lt Carl Bigger, was assigned
to the 11th FS.
The 11th
FS was better known by its nickname: the Aleutian
Tigers. The squadron’s first
commander was a Major John Chennault, oldest son of his already famous father,
Major General Claire Chennault, who headed the original Flying Tigers for the
Nationalists Chinese in Kunming, China. Obviously much taken by the “Flying Tiger” concept, John
adopted its symbol for his 11th FS in mid summer of 1942. With the opening of Adak, the 11th
AF decided to more efficiently combine and command its three US fighter
squadrons plus a newly arrived Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) 111th
Fighter Squadron, equipped with specially US-modified P-40s.
The new organization, the 343rd
Fighter Group (FG), essentially combined the fighter squadrons from their prior
bases and transferred them to Adak. Major Chennault was placed in charge and simultaneously
promoted: Lt Col Chennault had
assumed command of the entire 343rd FG. The group’s first missions were flown against Kiska by
mid-month.
On Friday, 25 September 1942, Lt Beary
participated in the first joint US-Canada
Adak air strike against Kiska.
Below you can see the actual map he used before and during the raid;
note the date.
A large force of US bombers plus US (11th
FS) and the RCAF (111th FS) fighters of the 343rd FG,
attacked the newly strengthened enemy garrison at Kiska Harbor. The raid strafed two submarines, setting
serious fires to several cargo transport ships in the harbor, and destroyed
eight Rufes – the seaplane version of the Japanese Zero fighter. Two of the eight Rufes were destroyed
in aerial dogfights. One was shot
down by a Canadian and the other was shot down by Lt Beary and Lt Col Chennault,
who both claimed victory for the same
one. According to Kermit, the Zero was already in flames by the time Chennault managed to fire shots successfully. But ultimately, as the higher-ranking
officer, Chennault received credit.
The mission succeeded in spite of heavy Japanese
harbor air defenses (see map above). For his actions Lt
Beary would later receive the US Air Medal. It had been only five months since graduation and his
wedding.
On January 8, 1943,
an article appeared in the Kansas Ordnance Plant (KOP) magazine, where Trudy
worked, entitled “Decoration to Inspector’s Flier Husband.”
During Ken’s time on Adak, he lived in a Quonset hut with fellow
officers. Here,
we see someone about to enter the cozy chateau. Note the lush landscaping
in the area and how well it’s been maintained.
Still the frequent weather groundings
at Adak pointed up the need for yet another airfield even closer to Kiska,
where momentary breaks in the weather might be better exploited. Here, in a photo sequence from 31
December 1942 at the US airbase, we see just how fast weather can change on the
island.
The island of Amchitka, some 170 miles
west of Adak and only 75 miles east of Kiska, was the only logical choice. The US Operations Plan issued in late
November 1942, proposed that the early capture of Kiska and Attu would be the
primary strategic objective. Fear
of enemy occupation of Amchitka, fanned by reports of Aleutian-bound Japanese
convoys believed destined for the island, drove this US action. Securing Amchitka became all-important.
On 18 December 1942 the US Joint Chiefs
in Washington approved constructing the new airfield on Amchitka if
reconnaissance indicated suitable airfield possibilities. That same day a Navy PBY airplane landed
a small party of Army engineers on Amchitka and found the island uninhabited by
Japanese. Following a two-day
survey, the engineers reported
that a Perforated Steel Planking (PSP) runway strip could be thrown down in two or three weeks and the main airfield could be built three or four months later.
that a Perforated Steel Planking (PSP) runway strip could be thrown down in two or three weeks and the main airfield could be built three or four months later.
Several days later the Joint Chiefs
ordered the invasion go ahead. On
12 January 1943 American forces landed on Amchitka unopposed. (Actually, most
Aleutian invasions by either side
were unopposed.) Construction was
not easy. Bulldozers and graders
had to hack away hills and fill gullies to level a landing field. When the Base Headquarters and its support
personnel arrived on 4 February 1943, about 500 feet of runway, plus huts and
other buildings, had been completed. The squadron historian recorded that it was a beautiful,
clear, sunny day. Very unusual!
It was time to move the US air forces
to Amchitka, and the 18th FS was selected to be the lead unit. Below, squadron pilots of the 18th
FS lined up beside the commander’s aircraft for a photo prior to their move to
Amchitka. Note the dry PSP runway;
wet PSP could be extremely slippery when wet.
Interestingly, we have recently
discovered that this exact plane exists today, tail number “33,” (the full
aircraft serial number is 42-9733)
and is still flyable (see inset photo). While still assigned to the 18th FS, the plane had
a taxiing accident on Amchitka on 3 March 1945. After the war it was moved to Adak as salvage and remained
there until a Bob Sturges received permission to retrieve it in 1969 and
returned it to the states to rebuild it. Numerous collectors have since owned the plane.
During airfield construction, Japanese Rufe
bombers (modified Zeros with pontoon under-carriage), based on Kiska, attacked
the island almost daily. It was
obviously impossible to anticipate when to send US fighters to intercept these
raids. So to better protect the
base build up, the Eleventh Headquarters directed a series of daylight air
patrol relays over Amchitka using
long-range P-38s. Each day the
last combat patrol would conclude just before sunset so the planes could return
safely to Adak before full darkness.
The Japanese soon came up with a
counter tactic. By timing their
own air strikes over Amchitka to occur at sunset, they could ensure that US air
patrols had already departed the island. The Japanese would thus be able to effectively bomb the base
construction without US planes interfering. Rufes could also fly back to their more westerly Kiska base
before dark because, at this high latitude and the two island locations,
sunsets on Adak occur some 20 minutes prior to those on Kiska. Pretty clever indeed! In fact the Japanese had successfully
used this ploy eight times before.
So,
on Wednesday afternoon, 17 February 1942, eight P-40s of the 18th FS
landed on Amchitka for the first time. As William Worden of the Associated Press wrote on site at
the time:
“To have an airplane land on a field
they built, on a island where no airplane ever landed in one piece before, on
the day after a Jap bombing—well, the combination spells a few minutes off from
work and some yelling that would do credit to the Minnesota stadium.”
“The other
planes were not far behind the first one, and in an hour, we had the most
beautiful little group of pea-shooters anywhere in the world. I know they look exactly like the other
thousands of fighters put out by that particular factory, but these are still
the most beautiful.”
Once the P-40s refueled and were tied
down for the evening, bad weather was on the way. Photos capture the mood pretty well. But after a very stormy, snowy night,
Thursday awoke to a bright sunny day. True to form, the Japanese attempted their ninth raid, but
this time the 18th FS sprung its own counter.
At about 6:00 pm, but prior to sunset,
all eight P-40s launched from their primitive runway at Fox Field (so named because the runway was long enough for only Fighters; see above). The eight aircraft climbed above the
cloud deck at 4000 feet and were divided into two flights of four planes each. Newly promoted 1st Lt Beary
was assigned to Flight One, flying on the wing of the Squadron Commander. (What a nice compliment to be selected
as the commander’s wingman.) Flight
One climbed to 10,000 feet while Flight Two climbed to 12,000 feet. Several thousand engineers, soldiers and
war correspondents began climbing the surrounding hills to gain a vantage point
and to anxiously wait to see what might happen. (See photo above.
Not very plush seating, was it?) But they didn’t wait long.
Alerted
by US Anti-Aircraft (AA) ground fire smoke puffs, the 18th FS
aircrews suddenly could view the incoming Japanese raid. P-40s had been flying out over the ocean
in a standard air patrol racetrack pattern
and were on their southeast leg when they saw the inbound raid. It was about 7:00 p.m., with sunset looming
at 7:27 p.m.
Flight
One swooped down to intercept two approaching Japanese Rufes. Major Clayton J Larson, the squadron
commander, known as Swede, and his wingman, 1st Lt Beary, led the
charge. The lead Rufe quickly
jettisoned its bombs, but to little effect. Both Beary and Larson fired on the attacker, resulting in a
stream of smoking gasoline trailing from the wounded plane. It continued to lose altitude
rapidly. Lt Beary’s final firing
pass caused the plane to burst into flames, and it finally plummeted into the
sea, only two miles off shore, as shown in the map below (designated as
#1). Larson and Beary’s firing
pass is illustrated below as the two small yellow triangles approaching the
white one.
Mr.
Worden wrote: “For us—thousands of us, watching from every hill in
the garrison area—the fight was simply repeated bursts of aerial gunfire,
followed by one bright comet of flame falling from a cloud. The wind was beginning to rise again,
but you could hear the yelling above the sound of it. These ground troops had been waiting a long time to see one
Jap die.”
The second Japanese attacker had broken
off his bombing pass and turned tail for Kiska. Flight One also saw him break and began closing on the
target. The Rufe flew out to sea
too, but generally paralleled Amchitka’s southwestern coast and headed
northwest toward Kiska. Within
several minutes, Flight One caught up. Larson, Beary, and Lt Stone made in-and-out passes as they
rotated their attacks against the fleeing target. During each, the Rufe executed diving, hard turns of 360-degrees
to try and evade. The pilot even
fired two ineffective gun bursts against Major Larson. After putting up a good fight, the
second Rufe took hits and plunged into the sea, some five miles west of
Amchitka’s northwest tip. Lt Stone
received credit for the shoot down. It was all over in fifteen minutes. The 18th FS landed at Fox around 7:30 p.m.
The ‘after-action’ report below lists
Lt Beary as a member of Flight One of the eight aircraft mission. Larson, Beary, and Stone all received
credit for downing the Rufes. This
day must have been one of Kermit’s most intense memories in his lifetime.
Here is a Kansas City Times article by
William Worden. The inset photo
shows Lt Beary being decorated much later for his actions. These two aerial victories would be the only two recorded by the 18th FS
during the entire war!
Within several weeks, the full
complement of the 18th FS and other fighter/bomber squadrons had
relocated to Amchitka, including the 54th FS. Within several weeks of the air battle
over Amchitka, Lt Beary received a Diploma from the School of WOAPs (Worn Out Aleutian Pilots). This
tongue-and-cheek award must have been much appreciated.
All were soon flying reconnaissance
patrols, gathering local weather data, and bombing Kiska. Bomb loads varied by fighter type: P-38 Lightnings
would carry two 500-pound bombs, and P-40 Warhawks, a single 500-pounder. These photos show the P-38/40 bomb load outs
and a successful air strike against Kiska. About 80 percent of the planes were usually operational.
Weather permitting and with Amchitka’s
Fox Field only 75 miles from Kiska Bay, five to eight fighter raids a day could
be dispatched. In the 18th FS,
half of the squadron might be assigned the 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. shift while the
other half would take the afternoon shift. Ken flew four to five missions in the morning and then had
the afternoon off. This was
certainly the busiest, most exhausting, and dangerous period for him.
During that spring and summer, Amchitka
fighters and bombers flew some 1750 sorties against Attu and Kiska. Attu fell first. Many of the raids against Kiska caused
significant damage, but somehow the Japanese were always quick to repair the
damage.
During the US’ successful bombing campaign of March through July 1943,
the Eleventh averaged over 250 combat aircraft available on a daily basis; the
Japanese had only 15. No wonder
the US stopped worrying about Japanese air raids on Amchitka as the campaign
progressed. In fact, the Japanese
soon stopped scrambling Rufes to intercept US aircraft because they were so
out-gunned.
When it was over, the US had lost 35 aircraft to enemy anti-aircraft
gunfire, but 150 to operational accidents, attributable largely to the poor
weather! That represented the most
alarming ratio of weather losses to total losses in all WW-II: 81%. Sadly, Lt Beary’s good friend and member
of the 11th FS, Lt Carl Bigger, died during a landing accident on
Adak on 22 April 1943. US
replacement aircraft were continually flown in. Of course, all 15 Japanese aircraft were destroyed.
Battle of Kiska: “Operation Cottage”
When the US invaded Kiska on August 15, 1943, the weather was
strangely clear and the seas quiet. Amazingly, the 35,000 Canadian and US soldiers that landed
were unopposed!
Then, after several days of scouring the island, they discovered that
the Japanese Navy had evacuated the Kiska garrison of 7000 men several weeks
earlier, under cover of fog. Somehow
the US had not observed what had happened and had bombed abandoned
positions for almost three weeks without suspecting the Japanese were no longer
there. To be fair, some aircrews
reported seeing trucks parked along the roadways and they never seemed to move.
Commanders failed to conclude the
obvious. Amazing!
Regretfully, the Japanese may have been
absent, but Allied casualties during the invasion numbered 313. All resulted from friendly fire, booby
traps, disease, or frostbite. As
with Attu, Kiska presented an extremely hostile environment in more ways than one. On 24 August 1943 the US invasion
commander declared Kiska secure. The
Battle of the Aleutians had ended.
The 18th FS remained on Amchitka long after the Aleutian
Campaign. In fact it was the last
fighter or bomber squadron to leave the islands, departing on 28 March 1944. That period must have been very
eventless and boring.
However, Lt Beary had long since departed Amchitka, having completed
his assignment by mid-April of 1943. He received Special
Orders Number 46, dated 14 April 1943, to transfer to Mitchel Field, Long Island. Joining him would be Maj Larson, Lt
Stone, and Lt Crisp, all of the famous air battle on 18 February 1942! Lt Bingham also joined the travelers.
Kermit had served in the
Aleutian theatre from 22 May 1942 to 9 May 1943, not quite a year. He
flew 60 combat hours and had a total of 120 hours in the P-40 in the Aleutian
Islands. His medals include:
- Air Medal
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- American Camp Medal
- WWII Victory Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- Asian-Pacific Campaign Medal, and
- The Meritorious Unit Plaque
The following chart
summarizes Lt Beary’s succession of assignments with the 18th FS in
the Aleutians. Note how closely
his sister P-40 squadron, the 11th FS, is intertwined. In late May 1942, both squadrons were
detached from their primary bases to the two new, secret locations. This fact helps to explain why it is a
bit difficult to track Kermit’s assignments during the summer of 1942.
Also,
listed below are Lt Beary’s 18th FS commanders while he was stationed
in the Aleutians. Interestingly he
had nine leaders during his time in theater, but several had multiple
opportunities, and only Captains Gayle and Larson held the position more than
two months at a time. Otherwise,
the average tenure was very short, weeks to a month!
18th FS Commanders
1 Lt
John C. Bowen, 24
Apr - 28 May 1942
Capt
Charles A. Gayle, 28
May - 03 Aug 1942
Capt
Clayton J. Larson, 03
Aug - 12 Sep 1942
Maj
Charles A. Gayle, 12
Sep - 18 Sep 1942
Capt
Louis T. Houck, 18
Sep - 02 Oct 1942
Capt
Joseph S. Littlepage, 02
Oct - 29 Oct 1942
1 Lt
Albert S. Aiken, 29
Oct - 10 Nov 1942
Capt
Clayton J. Larson, 10
Nov 1942 - 05 Apr 1943
Trudy had returned to live with her parents in Tescott after being laid off from he KOP inspector’s job in Parsons. When Kermit arrived in Seattle, he immediately wired her a telegram.
He did pick up Trudy in Edson, and they drove East to his new
assignment at Mitchel Field on Long Island, New York.
By fall they moved on, first for a short assignment at Westover Field,
Massachusetts and then in the winter of 1943-44, to Hillgrove Field, near Providence,
Rhode Island. While in New England
they had an opportunity to join up with Trudy’s older brother, Lt Dean Larson, who
was in transitional bomber flight training in New England prior to his
departure for the Philippines later that fall.
Trudy’s photo shows Lt Beary and Lt Dean Larson, his wife Lola, and
their son, David. This 1944 serene
summer scene is on Old Orchard Beach, Maine, such a dramatic contrast from his
months in the Aleutians. Prior to
the war, the two families from central Kansas could never have anticipated this
scene. WW-II did that!
The photo offers no clue as to how suddenly things could turn upside
down. Tragically, Dean would be
killed in air combat over the Philippines within eight months. Similarly, Trudy and Dean’s older Air
Corps brother, Lt Don Larson, was presently a POW in Mindanao. Sadly, in early September 1944, he would
also be killed in the Philippines. A US Navy submarine torpedoed his Japanese prisoner ship
enroute to Japan, thinking it to be a Japanese troop carrier.
Kermit Beary had experienced a fascinating span of two years (1941 -
43): From enlisting at Ft Riley, to flight training, to marriage, and to his
last aerial combat in the Aleutians, all within 19-months. Who could have ever guessed? This period had certainly changed and
influenced what Kermit would do in the future. World War II changed lives forever.
Kermit continued his military service beyond WWII, later serving as a
fighter pilot during the Korea War.
He retired from the USAF in 1967, following a 25-year career. Many of his later assignments involved
fighter aircraft weapon system testing and development.
As an Air Force wife, Trudy’s accomplishments did not garner her
medals and a feature in the local paper, but she served just the same. Like Kermit, she moved continually
around the US and even overseas to Japan.
But while he was responsible for transporting his personal gear and uniforms, she moved entire
households and raised three silly characters, all while presenting herself as a
proper lady.
Once the girls were grown and on their own, and while working at his
second career as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft in Canoga Park, California, Kermit
returned to the Pacific Ocean. But
this time, instead of flying over it in a fighter plane, he sailed upon it in a
boat. He and Trudy became sea
mates and enjoyed years of adventures up and down the west coasts of America,
Canada, and Mexico. And later, in
their camper, they roamed the country, visiting friends and relatives, and
amusing each other all the while.