Leslie E. Gehres
| Leslie Edward Gehres | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
September 23, 1898 Newark, New York |
| Died |
May 15, 1975 (aged 76) San Diego, California |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1914–1949 |
| Rank |
 Rear Admiral |
| Commands held |
Naval Air Station San Diego USS Franklin Fleet Air Wing 4 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Navy Cross Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart |
| Relations | Peter Girard (son-in-law) |
Leslie Edward Gehres (September 23, 1898 – May 15, 1975) was a naval aviator with the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy. He is most noted as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, which was badly damaged by a Japanese air attack in March 1945. Gehres is also an example of "mustang" officer, rising from enlisted man to admiral's rank.
Early military career
Leslie Gehres was born on September 23, 1898, as a son of Charles Peter and Phoebe Ann Gehres. He attended Western High School in Rochester, New York, and Union High School in Newark, New York, before he enlisted with the help of his mother in the New York Naval Militia in 1914. He was assigned to the 6th Division, Third Battalion.
With the entry of the United States into World War I his unit was mobilized on April 6, 1917 and he served on the cruiser USS Salem and on battleships USS Massachusetts and USS Indiana, where he received further naval training.
Gehres was then assigned to the Fourth Reserve Officers Class at United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Upon completion of the course, he was commissioned ensign in the United States Naval Reserve on May 24, 1918.
He was transferred to the regular navy in September 1918, where he served aboard the battleship USS North Dakota, which operated on escort duty with Atlantic Fleet. He stayed aboard this ship until June 1919, when he was transferred to destroyers.
Interwar period
For the next five years, Gehres served aboard destroyers USS Tingey, USS Gillis, USS Aulick and USS Jacob Jones. In June 1924, Gehres was transferred to the Navy Yard at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he served until November 1926, when he assigned to the Naval Air Station at San Diego.
Thereafter Gehres was transferred to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, where he reported for naval flight training. He was designated Naval Aviator on August 30, 1927.
World War II
Gehres was appointed a commander of Patrol Wing 4 on November 1, 1941.
Every flight was a flight that the crew should not have returned from. Every man knew this and yet none wavered.— Captain Leslie E. Gehres, Commander, Fleet Air Wing 4[1]
On 7 November, 1944, Gehres took command of the USS Franklin (CV-13). Captain Gehres was a strict disciplinarian whose autocracy was disliked by many of Franklin's crew.[2] In 1945, Franklin made airstrikes on the Japanese homeland in support of the Okinawa landings, later launching sweeps and strikes against Kagoshima and Izumi on southern Kyūshū.[3]
Before dawn on 19 March 1945, Franklin, which had maneuvered to within 50 miles (80 km) of the Japanese mainland, closer than any other U.S. carrier during the war, launched a fighter sweep against Honshū and later a strike against shipping in Kobe Harbor. After being called to battle stations twelve times within six hours that night, Gehres downgraded the alert status to Condition III, allowing his men freedom to eat or sleep, although gunnery crews remained at their stations.[4]
Suddenly, a single Japanese aircraft pierced the cloud cover and made a low-level run on the ship to drop two semi-armor-piercing bombs. The resulting fire and explosions killed 807 and wounded more than 487. Franklin had suffered the most severe damage and highest casualties experienced by any U.S. fleet carrier that survived World War II.[5]
Decorations
Here is the ribbon bar of Rear admiral Leslie E. Gehres:
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| Naval Aviator Badge | |||||||||||||
| 1st Row | Navy Cross | Legion of Merit with Gold Star and "V" Device | |||||||||||
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| 2nd Row | Distinguished Flying Cross | Navy Commendation Medal | Purple Heart | ||||||||||
| 3rd Row | World War I Victory Medal with Escort Clasp | American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp | American Campaign Medal | ||||||||||
| 4th Row | Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars | World War II Victory Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal | ||||||||||
References
- ↑ "War in the Aleutians" (PDF). NPS.gov. NPS Website. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ↑ Chen, C. Peter. "Leslie Gehres". ww2db.com. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ↑ "Franklin V". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 15 April 2004.
- ↑ Shea, Michael R. (31 July 2009). "Red Sky at Morning: Horror and Heroism Aboard the USS Franklin".
- ↑ Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-87021-739-9. OCLC 8763586.}}