Name
Dean A. Ferbrache
Born
____-___-__
e-mail
____________________________________________________________
Date
Service
Unit
1941-Jul-07
USN
VP-44 (#2)
Date
Rate
1941-Dec-31
AMM1c
Citation
Date
Post
Action
1942-Jun-01
_____________________
Flight: 12.6 hours. "Hit by Japanese Twin Engine Bomber off Wake Is., several injuries".

Patrolled within sector 200d to 020d, 700 miles out from Midway.

At 0940, a twin-engine Japanese bomber made a surprise attack from the port quarter. Only the PBY's bow gun was able to return fire on that pass. The bomber then got above the PBY and dropped its bombs, but all missed. During the next 11 passes, the bomber discovered the PBY's port .50-caliber had malfunctioned and began to attack from that side. The PBY's crew moved the .30-caliber tunnel gun into the port blister and returned fire. The bomber broke off after the 12th pass and PPC Lyons escaped into cloud cover. The PBY had fired approximately 300 rounds. Sea2c Grove, who volunteered as a gunner for this patrol, received a minor shrapnel wound in the stomach when a 7.7mm round from the bomber hit and exploded the CO2 bottle in his life vest.
Publication
Page
029,116
Log Book: Hanthorn, George W. (plane only)
021
Biography