Tour of December 7, 1941 Ewa Field, US Navy SBD And Japanese Aichi Val Crash Sites

Tour of December 7, 1941 Ewa Field, US Navy SBD And Japanese Aichi Val Crash Sites 

by John Bond, Ewa Battlefield historian

Thomas Z Reese Photo

September 24, 2014 

MCAS Ewa Tour Visits Bullet Marked 1941 Ewa Field, 1942 Marine Fighter Aircraft Revetments and December 7, 1941 Crash Site Area of Val and SBD.

Four US Navy SBD's from the USS Enterprise were shot down over Ewa on 

December 7, 1941 by Zero fighters killing six of eight airmen, 

while Army P-40's shot down four Japanese airmen and three other Army pilots 
died in two civilian planes shot down-  yet today this Ewa air battle 
history and those who died have been virtually unrecognized and forgotten... 

National Archives photo shows where the Japanese Val and Navy SBD crashed, as taken from a passing B-17E bomber attempting a landing at nearby Hickam Field.

Jack Matthews series depicts shot up Aichi Val heading for crash landing off Ewa shore

Lee Embree photo shows the two Aichi Val wingmen passing by the large B-17E

Army P-40 fighters are credited with shooting down Aichi Val dive bombers over Ewa

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Ewa Tour Visits Bullet Marked 1941 Ewa Field, 1942 Marine fighter aircraft revetments and December 7, 1941 crash site area of D3A Aichi "Val" and US Navy SBD that killed four air crew. 

Four US Navy planes, two Japanese planes and two civilian planes were shot down over Ewa killing 13 airmen, which isn't even the full extent of the Ewa air battle action nearly totally forgotten today.

The Japanese air crew remain buried at the crash site.

                                                                Thomas Z Reese Photos

Tour begins at 1941 bullet marked Ewa Field and then to 1942 fighter plane revetments

The defensive 1942 fighter plane revetments explained as a reaction to Ewa Field air attack



Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez provides historic context of the Ewa battlefield  

Ewa Cultural Practitioner Michael Kumukauoha Lee explains iwi as sacred to Hawaiians

Japanese interpreter Stacy Smith does a remarkable job translating the historic information

Ewa Cultural Practitioner Michael Kumukauoha Lee provides a prayer-chant for the iwi

Pearl Harbor historian Daniel Martinez explains the Val crash and NPS museum artifacts

September 24, 2014 Shubun no hi crash area visitors offers leis in observance of

killed American and Japanese aviators. The Japanese air crew remain buried on the site.

This mound is NOT the actual crash site, which has yet to be specifically located. 

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Shubun no hi / 秋分の日

The origin of Higan—a seven-day festival marking the vernal equinox, Shunbun-no-hi is unknown, but has been widely observed in Japan since the eighth century. The autumn equinox generally happens around September 23 of each year and is known as Shubun no hi.

The word higan means “the other shore,” a Buddhist term that comes from the idea that there is a river marking the division of this life from the world of salvation. This river is full of illusion, passion, and sorrow, and only by crossing to the other shore can one gain enlightenment and enter nirvana. It is said that, when night and day are equal (as occurs on the equinox) the Buddha appears on earth to save stray souls and help them make the crossing. Thus the visit to the family cemetery on this occasion is a happy event. 

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Shot down Navy SBD airmen flew off the USS Enterprise (CV-6) on the morning of 

December 7, 1941 not knowing they were arriving during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Photos show progression of Haseko development and the Val and SBD crash site area

Also see below:

                            * Four US Navy USS Enterprise SBD's Shot Down In                         Same Ewa Crash Site Area

* Virtual 360 Views of December 7, 1941 Ewa Battlefield Crash Site Areas

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Japanese dead might remain buried on Oahu

33 men killed on Dec. 7, 1941, could be resting in the ocean or in unmarked graves on land

By William Cole   Sept 03, 2013 Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Fifty-four Japanese aviators are believed to have died in or near Hawaii during the Sunday morning attack. A 55th fatality was returned to the carrier Akagi.

Most are believed to have been lost at sea around Hawaii and in Pearl Harbor. But four aircrew members may still lie buried in unmarked graves in Ewa Beach... 

Pearl Harbor historian David Aiken said 25 airmen and three submariners were buried at Oahu Cemetery in Nuuanu, Wahiawa cemetery and the Schofield Barracks post cemetery. After the war, the bodies were disinterred and repatriated to Japan, historians say.  Aiken said that leaves 29 airmen unrecovered on or near Hawaii.

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Virtual 360 Views of December 7, 1941 Ewa Battlefield Crash Site Areas

By John Bond, Ewa Battlefield Historian 

One'ula Beach Park. Look north towards the Waianae Mountains, going inland and this is where the Val and SBD crashed near each other.  Look down the beach towards Diamond Head and you see a point of land and a second beach where a large pole sticks up. That beach was called Ha'u Bush where Ewa Plantation had a private beach. This was an important Dec. 7 eye-witness vantage point.

http://www.vthawaii.com/OAHU/Beaches/507-Oneula-Beach-Park.html

On December 7, 1941 there were Ewa Plantation high school kids camping there and one of them saw a great deal of the action that morning which we have documented on video in an interview on the Ha'u Bush location a few years ago. There was also a previous interview done there in 2001 as part of a Honolulu Advertiser special series on Pearl Harbor.

Having stood on the Ha'u Bush location myself I can say that it would have been extremely unlikely to have seen the Val crash any further West than White Plains Beach as seen from Ha'u Bush Beach. It would have been too far out of sight and mind with all of the other noise and action going on. But this eye witness saw the Val crash in the ocean off shore.

Turning the view West you see a shore fishing pole. Directly beyond it, down to White Plains Beach and about 1-300 hundred yards offshore the other Val crashed. I believe they paddled in from the off shore crash. The gunner likely may have been dead by then. Why bother to "save" him if there wasn't a belief that his body could be recovered later by a Japanese submarine landing?

I believe these Val pilots weren't acting on self preservation but instead upon a pre flight briefing which noted locations on the Ewa plain attack and withdrawal route where a rescue was possible.

This is White Plains Beach, the area where it would be conducive to quickly land a shot up plane off shore and then paddle in and try to hide out- to hopefully contact an of shore Japanese submarine for rescue. In this Val crash the pilot brought his already dead gunner ashore and buried him...

http://www.vthawaii.com/OAHU/Beaches/256-Kalaeloa-Regional-Park.html

The Japanese pilot would NOT have made an effort to save himself and his gunner if he didn't think there was a chance he could be rescued and his crewman's body recovered.

As we know, these pilots were told things to memorize before their launch but to not write them down. If they thought capture was likely they would have killed themselves and not attempted evasion. There is no instance where Japanese crew attempted to bail out of a plane on December 7. That would have been the height of cowardice. But crash landing in a remote area with submarines off shore, a case for evasion with a chance for rescue, was a different story...

This site in 1941 offered great seclusion, fresh water, sea food, shallow sandy sea floor... today the area is a US Navy Seal training range. While the beach is still Navy owned it is today used by the general public.

Nimitz Beach- in this area and further West, remains of a Val were found by beach comber Pat Beter of Waipahu after the area had been pounded by Hurricane Iniki.

http://www.vthawaii.com/OAHU/Beaches/505-Nimitz-Beach.html

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Four US Navy USS Enterprise SBD's Shot Down In Same Ewa Crash Site Area

Six airmen killed, gunner Mitchell Cohn remains were never located at the crash site...

Photos from: "East Wind Rain"   by Stan Cohen 1981

Both airmen killed in the same Ewa crash area as the Japanese Aichi Val 

Mitchell Cohn was killed in this Ewa crash and his body was never recovered.

US Navy SBD  Douglass Dauntless dive bombers 

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MORE LINKS HERE:

One'ula Beach: The Ewa Location Of Historic December 7, 1941 Air Photos By Lee Embree From Army Boeing B-17 

http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2013/12/Lee-Embree-B17-Ewa-Beach.html

Ewa Corridor- Most Important, Least Documented Aspect of Dec. 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor Attack

http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2013/09/EwaPlainsCorridor.html

Boeing B-17E (unarmed) which took famous photos of Ewa air attack and crash site

Draft Ewa Plains Battlefield Nomination And Photo Archive Available: 

http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/2014/08/Ewa-Battlefield-Nomination.html

http://ewafield.blogspot.com/

http://barbers-point.blogspot.com/

http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/

http://ewa-battlefield-nomination.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Save-Ewa-Field-270728152937385/

75th Anniversary Ewa Battlefield Nomination And Photo Archive Available

75th Anniversary Attack on Ewa Battlefield

 

Ewa Field Battlefield Determination of Eligibility (DOE)

 by the National Park Service in Washington, DC

 

http://ewa-battlefield-nomination.blogspot.com/2015/02/ewa-field-battlefield-determination.html

Draft Ewa Plains Battlefield Nomination And Photo Archive Available Here:

http://tinyurl.com/qdoe22p

Former MCAS Ewa Field is an especially unique battlefield that has been officially recognized by the Federal land owner, the United States Navy in 2014, as a National Register eligible American battlefield. This federal land management decision has taken many years, beginning with a preliminary Ewa battlefield report in 2011 and subsequent studies since then.

This available draft Ewa Plain battlefield nomination was created as a result of a National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program grant to Ewa Plains Programs in 2012, with contractor GAI Consultants, Inc. of Homestead, Pennsylvania winning the bid. The battlefield documentation took two years to complete, including on site survey work in 2013.

A Draft Ewa Plains Battlefield Nomination is available for limited public review at the link provided. The document is undergoing its final revision after a long editing and review process with Pearl Harbor historians and Ewa history researchers. Many are likely to be surprised at how large scale the Ewa, Oahu air and land battle actually was on December 7, 1941, involving all branches of the US military services.  This largely unknown final battlefield chapter of the December 7, 1941 attack on the island of Oahu has escaped a focused analysis until now…

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"...the broader implication of the battlefield at Ewa Mooring Mast Field is the tangible loss of American and Japanese military personnel, on the ground and in the air. Often forgotten but well noted in this document are the civilians that were killed and wounded.

This place is sacred ground to the United States Marines that died there, to the Japanese aviators that perished and the civilian residents of Ewa plantation.

Remembering our solemn commitment to their memory is the promise that is fulfilled at battlegrounds that are preserved and enshrined by our nation."

"This document in my view fulfills the professional standards necessary to give full consideration for its nomination as National Registered battlefield. I strongly endorse this documented study."

Daniel A. Martinez,  Chief Historian
WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument

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American Battlefields and National Parks are a result of public support and involvement and do not simply happen because an important historic and cultural site deserves national recognition.  Our political representatives must be made aware through expressed public communication and YOU can make a difference to help save this national treasure. Please contact me if you would like to add your support for this nomination to the National Register as an American Battlefield.

Sincerely,

John Bond 

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Historic Event: US Navy Returns To MCAS Ewa - NAS Barbers Point For December 7 Commemoration

 http://barbers-point-cold-war.blogspot.com/2014/12/historic-us-navy-mcas-ewa.html

Cold War Era Begins In Hawaii In 1946 With Giant I-400 Japanese Submarines Sunk Off NAS Barbers Point

 http://barbers-point-cold-war.blogspot.com/2014/01/I-400-Japanese-Submarine.html

Previous MCAS Ewa and Battlefield Blog Posts Can Be Found On These Links:

http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/

http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2014/07/hawaii-state-legislature-2009-hcr49.html

http://barbers-point-cold-war.blogspot.com/2013/12/Pacific-Cold-War-Museum.html

Ewa Plains Battlefield Nomination Document and Battlefield News Archive Available

 http://ewa-battlefield-nomination.blogspot.com/2014/07/ewa-plains-battlefield.html

Honoring Major John A. Hughes, USMC (Ret.), Combat Pilot and Ewa Field – Pearl Harbor Attack Survivor

Honoring Major John A. Hughes, USMC (Ret.), Combat Pilot and Ewa Field – Pearl Harbor Attack Survivor

The Honolulu City Council Honored John Hughes with an Honorary Certificate of Appreciation for his US Marine Corps service in WW-II and Korea and for his personal heroism on December 7, 1941, where he is seen in a famous photograph firing a 1903 Springfield rifle at attacking Japanese dive bombers during the attack on Ewa Field.

Below is the text of that certificate of appreciation:

 

 

Honoring Major John A. Hughes, USMC (Ret.), Combat Pilot and Ewa Field – Pearl Harbor Attack Survivor

 

On the fateful early morning of December 7, 1941, U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant John Hughes was ready for a quiet Sunday when he looked up to see approaching planes heading straight for the Ewa Mooring Mast Field, home of Marine Air Group 21.

As the planes got close they opened fire and Hughes saw the red ball insignia that immediately told him they were Japanese aircraft, and he quickly headed to the armory for a rifle and ammunition. During the attacks on the airfield, most of the Marine aircraft were destroyed by Japanese attackers with four Marines killed and numerous more wounded.

One of the most famous photos taken during the entire Imperial Japanese air attack on Oahu is of Sergeant John Hughes firing his 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle at attacking Japanese planes. This indelible image has become the iconic symbol of Ewa Field on December 7th.

John A. Hughes was born February 6, 1919 in Rivera, CA and raised in San Fernando Valley. A graduate of San Fernando High School in 1937, in May, 1938 he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in San Diego, CA. After boot camp he was transferred to Marine Aviation at North Island, San Diego, as an Aircraft Engine Overhaul Mechanic.

In January 1941, Marine Air Group 21 sailed to Hawaii, and located at former Navy Mooring Mast Field, Ewa, Oahu. Marines built a tent camp for about 600 personnel after clearing hundreds of large sisal plants from a rough ancient coral reef landscape. They lived in tents until October when a Naval Construction Battalion built Quonset huts.

MAG-21 operated during this time without major events until December 7, 1941. Four fellow Marines were killed, 33 airplanes destroyed, 14 damaged.

In February 1942, while at Ford Island helping repair aircraft damaged on a raid to the Marshall Gilberts, John Hughes received orders to Pensacola, Florida for flight training which he completed in December of that year. Transferred to Mojave, California, in March 1943 he was ordered to Espirito Santo, Southern Pacific, where he was assigned to VMSB 132 as a dive bomber pilot.

In June 1943 to April 1944 he participated in combat dive bombing missions in New Georgia, Bougainville, New Britain Campaigns, and in November 1944 was transferred to the Solomon Islands for assignment to VMSB 243 at Luzon, Philippine Islands where he was engaged in the Northern Luzon and Southern Mindanao Campaigns doing close air support for Army Troops. On September 1, 1945, the Pacific War was over and he returned to the “states”, at El Toro, California.

In November 1946 John Hughes married Mary Duba from Libertyville, Illinois, and in was then transferred to a squadron in China for observation and transport missions. In August 1948 he returned to a much larger MCAS Ewa Field as a Material Officer.

In January 1949 he was assigned to Cherry Point, NC, and flew F4U Corsairs and the F2H Banshee jet aircraft. In November 1951, John Hughes attended helicopter school, in Quantico Virginia and in May 1952 was sent to Korea, assigned to VMO 6 performing helicopter medical evacuation missions before being transferred back in March 1953 to El Toro, Ca.

In January 1954 to May 1954 he served aboard the USS Bairoko during Bikini atoll H-bomb tests and then in September, 1956 to September, 1960 he was stationed at the Bureau of Aeronautics, Washington, D.C. as the Head, Rotary Wing Section Maintenance Division.

In October 1960, he transferred to the MCAS in Okinawa, as an Airfield Operations Officer. His final tour was back to El Toro, CA for helicopter duty during December 1961 to June 1964  before retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps.

Completing 150 Missions, Major John Hughes was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Letter of Commendation, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense, China Service, Asiatic Pacific Campaign, American Campaign, Victory WWII, Philippine Liberation, Korean Service, United Nations Korean Service, National Defense, Distinguished Pistol Shot, Distinguished Rifleman, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation.

We proudly and gratefully honor the historic and courageous service of John A. Hughes to our islands and to our nation.

Semper Fi.

 

75th Anniversay of Ewa Field Air Attack, the Forgotten Sacrifice Honored In West Oahu

75th Anniversay of Ewa Field Air Attack, the Forgotten Sacrifice Honored In West Oahu

Ewa Field, the Forgotten Sacrifice Honored In West Oahu

Victims Of Ewa Field Attack 7 Decades Ago Remembered Dec 10, 2011 KITV News

  
HONOLULU —Thousands took part in ceremonies this week to remember those who died in the attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

But some have forgotten about the sacrifices at other Oahu battlegrounds on that fateful day.

On Saturday, a ceremony was held to help people remember.

On Dec. 7, as Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, others aimed at Ewa Field where U.S. planes were parked.

Retired Marine Maj. John Hughes, who is 92-years old, still remembers the attack vividly. Hughes said he and others fought back even though they were out-gunned against the Japanese.

"A strafing plane was coming in, the first one, and I got three shots off before he got past. Whether I did any damage -- I don't know," said Hughes.

The attack killed over a dozen servicemen as well as civilians in West Oahu. They were remembered by those at Saturday's ceremony, but have been forgotten by others who look back at Hawaii's history.

"It's often just about Pearl Harbor, and that's an important part of it, but there were about 15 sailors and soldiers killed here in West Oahu. We want to remember them," said John Bond who helped organize the commemoration.

The ceremony to remember the sacrifice of those at Ewa Field was held at Naval Air Station Barber's Point, because according to Bond, the land at Ewa Field is changing hands. But there is hope the now-abandoned airfield will one day become a place where people can learn first-hand about other aspects of that historical day.

"It will become a recognized historic site on a federal level. It will just take a little more time," said Bond.

Veterans like Hughes still remember the sacrifice in West Oahu, but worry that without reminders parts of history could fade away like an old photograph.

"It's more or less forgotten. It's good for people to go to these memorials to see and be reminded of what happened," said Hughes.
 

 

Ewa Plains Battlefield Nomination Document and Battlefield News Archive Available

Previous MCAS Ewa and Battlefield Blog Posts Can Be Found On These Links:

http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/

http://ewafield.blogspot.com/2014/07/hawaii-state-legislature-2009-hcr49.html

http://barbers-point-cold-war.blogspot.com/2013/12/Pacific-Cold-War-Museum.html