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 Author  Topic: Black Cats and Pee-Tee's
RRobert

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Sep 12, 2014 - 8:34am
Hi All,

As I mentioned in my posts about the Crash Boats, I have come across some
materials on the Black Cats that worked with the PT's around Green Island.

I noticed a posting on another forum that someone was looking for info about them and I had just happened across the info while looking for materials about Green Island.

If anyone else is interested in the Black Cats of Green Island, (sounds like a book title) I have a few items and can tell you where I found it if you want to download more.

I read through some of the reports and they make for some 'edge of your seat reading'. The VP unit referred to the PT's in the reports as "Pee Tee's".

The unit history of MAG-14 (Marine Air Group) which was on Green,
refers to a regrettable incident that happened in June, 1944. The Air Com
section must have had radio cross-over and it caused serious issues between the Black Cats and PT units on a mission. They didn't go into details but I'm sure someone on this forum knows the incident. I'm assuming some PT's were struck.

In the reports from VP-44 that I skimmed thru, they make notes of how the cooperation between the "Pee-Tee's" and their planes were excellent and caused a lot of enemy damage.

On Youtube, you can find a 20-min film about the Black Cats, I think this the one by Airboyd is a cleaner copy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vs_QSyvJ0c

Hope this is of interest to someone,

Best Regards,
Robert




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Gary Paulsen

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Gary Paulsen   Send Email To Gary Paulsen Posted on: Sep 12, 2014 - 10:28am
Nice video Thanks Robert


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Frank Andruss

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank Andruss   Send Email To Frank Andruss Posted on: Sep 12, 2014 - 11:27am
One of my many ideas was to show the PT BOATS with a Black Cat in a Diorama. I never got around to doing that, because I did other projects for my Exhibit. With Stan Pienkowski now slowing down on his model building, which might be ended in the near future, I have no one else to do models for me. This however was always in the back of my mind, but right now Stan is still working on my PT-108/LCVP Diorama. I loved the Video, thanks for posting.................... http://mosquito-fleet.gdinc.com/



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  TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Sep 12, 2014 - 11:38am
Robert;
Nice video, but the position for the convoy given is 95 miles east of Tasmania, and 2300 miles directly south from New Guinea(yeah, I had some free time on my hands), Which would probably make the position fake, just from the sound track of the movie. USN Black Cats operated,out of New Guinea, and the Solomons during the time this film was made, which was 1943-44.
However, the plane in the video is consistent with VP 34 which was based at Samarai, New Guinea, 1943-1944. While VP 11, VP 34 and VP 54 planes looked very similar in markings, the background, in the video resembles the background in this photo:



PBY-5 Samarai Island, New Guinea VP-34 plane # 73

Take care,
TED


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RRobert

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Sep 12, 2014 - 4:58pm
Hi All,

Since a few people seem to be interested in the Black Cats of Green Island, I uploaded a couple of items.

1. Photo: Black Cat No.46 getting ready for a mission, Green Island 1944 or early 1945. Source: NARA, Title:MAG-14 (Marine Air Group) War History, Page 290, USMC
This report was prepared as recap of the achievements of the unit during the war. I'm not sure if No.46 was from VP-44 but if it was, I would like to pass it on to man who is seeking info on VP-44, his father was a Radio Operator on them at Green Island. JPG/3.5mb
http://home.centurytel.net/wwii3945/BlackCat-46-MAG-14.jpg

2. ACA (Aircraft Action Report) No.90915 24 August 1944 Green Island
Black Cat-PeeTee Cooperation to destroy Enemy Shipping 5-pages
Source: NARA
Zip-PDF / 4.5mb
http://home.centurytel.net/wwii3945/VP-44-No.90915-1944-08-24-GreenIsland-R.zip

If someone has trouble with the links or needs them in a different format, email me. These will be replaced by other files in a few weeks.

I remember reading somewhere that the US were the first to use Aircraft and PT's with radar in this manner. If that's true, it makes an old
American kind of proud. Maybe one of the PT Vets can let us know how they felt about having a big brother watching?

Best Regards,
Robert


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rickas

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of rickas   Send Email To rickas Posted on: Sep 13, 2014 - 5:49pm
My father-in-law never got into specifics, but he frequently talked of working with the "Black Cats". He had a great respect for what they did.....

Rick Schaefer
Splinter PT 63

TM2c John E Mirus
Solomon Islands
Dec 43 - Jan 45

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Drew Cook

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Drew Cook  Posted on: Sep 14, 2014 - 3:11pm
Very interesting subject...

Another PT, the seventh 103-class 80' Elco boat, had a close encounter with a Black Cat while on patrol "well up in Vella Gulf" one night in the early summer of 1943.

As related in a best-selling book, this PT, "By the early hours of the morning...was far from its base. The men were edgy. Above the rumble of the (idling) engine and the burbling exhaust they could hear nothing. In all directions it was pitch black. As starkly as on the Day of Judgement, an incandescent yellowish light burst directly overhead and hung in the sky illuminating every last detail of the boat and every line on the upturned faces of the men aboard. Their fear was almost paralyzing. Some of the men believed they were about to be killed."

"Harris was on watch on the stern, standing strapped to the 20-millimeter anti-aircraft gun... In the air off the starboard bow he caught sight of the tail of a plane flying away. He yanked the gun around and fired ahead of it. The shot missed. He fired again and missed again. He was firing steadily when he heard the piercing voice of (the skipper of the boat) shouting 'Knock it off Harris!'"

"The skipper came tearing down the deck. 'Knock it off, knock it off' he was shouting 'It's a Black Cat'."

"...The pilot had spotted the boat in the dark and dropped the flare to identify her. Recogninizing the PT, he was resuming his own patrol when Harris opened fire. Fortunately, the pilot was able to identify himself on the radio...in time for (the skipper of the boat) to call off Harris before he found the target."


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RRobert

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message   Posted on: Sep 14, 2014 - 7:16pm
Hi All,

I found a nice website with some excellent information and photos about the Black Cats: http://www.daveswarbirds.com/

There are many articles, photos and resources. I was pleased to see several books written about the Cats.

Best Regards,
Robert


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Jimmy

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jimmy  Posted on: Sep 15, 2014 - 5:00am
Back in 1972 when I was attending A&P school in Winston-Salem, NC, we had an instructor by the name of Sid Bailey. He was a former PBY pilot and often talked about them in class. You could tell Sid loved his time flying the PBY and I sadly wish that I could recall some of his stories about the plane. But, the point of my rambling is that the student body quickly came to know the PBY as simply a "Bailey Boat". And that is how I think of them today each time I see a picture of one.


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