VA-94 was an Attack Squadron of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

. It was established as Bombing Squadron VB-99 on 1 July 1943, redesignated as VB-20 on 15 October 1943, and as VA-9A on 15 November 1946. It was finally redesignated as VA-94 on 12 August 1948. The squadron was disestablished on 30 November 1949. Its nickname was ''Bombing Twenty's Tough Kitty'' from 1943 to 1946.

Operational history

* July–October 1943: VB-99 was established as an experimental squadron for the new SB2C aircraft until its redesignation as VB-20 and assignment to Carrier Air Group 20 (CVG-20). * 31 August 1944: The squadron’s first combat action involved an attack on the

Bonin Islands The Bonin Islands, also known as the , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic readi ...

, Japan. * September 1944: The squadron participated in pre-invasion strikes on

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

Islands and provided air support for the invasion of Peleliu. * October 1944: Squadron aircraft participated in air strikes against

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

and Luzon. * 24 October 1944: The squadron participated in the

Battle for Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...

. VB-20’s SB2Cs flew sorties against a powerful Japanese surface force in the Sibuyan Sea. These attacks contributed to the sinking of the

Japanese battleship Musashi , named after the former Japanese province, was one of four planned s built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), beginning in the late 1930s. The ''Yamato''-class ships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed ...

, one of the two largest battleships in the world. The following squadron personnel were awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for this action: Ensigns M. E. Adams, R. J. Barnes, H. A. Koster, R. D. Olson, M. T. Ross, and D. D. J. Spanagel; Lieutenant (jg)s P. P. Cook, J. M. Glynn, R. D. Reed, J. P. Trytten, and J. E. Tsarnas; Lieutenants W. N. Christensen, J. S. Cooper, H. C. Hogan, R. E. Moore, R. D. Warner and R. S. Wilcox; and Commander R. E. Riera. * 25 October 1944: Squadron aircraft were part of the

Fast Carrier Task Force The Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38 when assigned to Third Fleet, TF 58 when assigned to Fifth Fleet), was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific War from January 1944 through the end of the war in August 1945. The tas ...

that attacked the Japanese carrier force in the

Battle off Cape Engaño The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...

. Four Japanese carriers were sunk during this engagement. The following squadron personnel were awarded the Navy Cross for their actions during the Battle off Cape Engaño: Ensigns H. C. Bearden, D. F. Hughes, C. Z. Stevens III, and W. P. Wright; Lieutenant (jg) W. C. Pohtilla; Lieutenants W. W. Anderson, C. Burkhart and L. C. Flynt; and Commander R. E. Riera. * November 1944: Squadron aircraft flew strikes against a Japanese troop convoy in Ormoc Bay, Leyte and enemy positions on Luzon. * December 1944: The squadron participated in strikes flown against Luzon. * January 1945: Squadron aircraft flew strikes against Luzon, Formosa, Hong Kong, and Japanese convoys in

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

and Okinawa. * 12 January 1945: The following squadron personnel were awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

medal for action against a Japanese cruiser protecting a convoy of cargo ships: Lieutenants W. N. Christensen and W. W. Anderson and Lieutenant (jg) H. Rubner.

Home port assignments

The squadron was assigned to these home ports, effective on the dates shown: *

NAS San Diego Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (NB ...

– 01 Jul 1943 * NAS Kaneohe – 21 Apr 1944* *

NAS Barbers Point Naval Air Station Barbers Point , on O'ahu, also called John Rodgers Field (the original name of Honolulu International Airport), is a former United States Navy airfield closed in 1999, and renamed Kalaeloa Airport. Parts of the former air station ...

– 30 Apr 1944* * NAS Puunene – 17 Jun 1944* *

– 23 Feb 1945 *

NAS Wildwood Naval Air Station Wildwood was a United States Navy airport located in Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, - The zoning map shows the airport in the township boundaries. about northwest of the central business district o ...

– 16 Apr 1945 * NAAS Edenton – 22 Jun 1945 * NAAS Elizabeth City – 01 Nov 1945 * NAAS Charlestown – 01 Mar 1946 * Temporary shore assignment while the squadron conducted training in preparation for combat deployment.

Aircraft assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown: * SBD-5 ''Dauntless'' – Jul 1943 * SB2C-1C ''Helldiver'' – 15 Nov 1943 * SB2C-3 ''Helldiver'' – Jul 1944 * SB2C-4E ''Helldiver'' – 18 Apr 1945 * SBW-5 ''Helldiver'' – 04 Aug 1945 * SB2C-5 ''Helldiver'' – Mar 1946 * AD-2 ''Skyraider'' – 04 Oct 1948

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Va-94 Attack squadrons of the United States Navy Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons

Operational history

Home port assignments

Aircraft assignment

See also

References