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VPB-129 | Patrol Bombing Squadron 129 | Alley Oop


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VPB-129 | Patrol Bombing Squadron 129 | Alley Oop

History
22 February 1943 VB-129 established at NAS Deland FL
1 October 1944 Redesignated VPB-129
4 June 1945 Disestablished at NAS Quonset Point RI

Aircraft: PV-1

Home Port Assignments
NAS Deland FL 22 Feb 1943 10 May 1943
NAAF Boca Chica FL 10 May 1943 - 30 May 1943
NAF Natal, Brazil 30 May 1943 - 15 Jun 1943
NAF Recife, Brazil 15 Jun 1943 - 24 Jul 1943
NAF Ipitanga, Brazil 24 Jul 1943 - 7 Feb 1944
NAS Quonset Point RI 7 Feb 1944 - 4 May 1944
NAS Elizabeth City NC 4 May 1944 - 4 May 1945
NAS Quonset Point RI May 1945 - 4 Jun 1945

 

 

The insignia for VPB-129 was approved by CNO on 30 June 1944. Centered in the design was the caveman cartoon character Alley Oop, poised to throw a large bomb on an unseen enemy below. The white star on a blue circle used to identify U.S. military aircraft was a backdrop for Alley Oop. The use of the large bomb was symbolic of the squadron’s role as a medium bombing squadron flying the PV-1 Ventura.

 

Embroidered on wool. Countless reproductions exist; this is the only original patch I have ever seen.

 

VPB-129-600.jpg



24 Jul 1943: VB-129 was transferred to NAF Ipitanga, Bahia, Brazil. VPB-129 was the first Navy squadron to use the facility, which had been previously shared by the Army and Pan American Airways. The squadron shared the field with a Brazilian Air Force squadron flying Hudsons (three crews and three aircraft). This squadron and VP-74, a PBM squadron located at NAF Aratu, near the town of Bahia, came under the command of VB-129’s skipper, who was the senior naval officer present. Sweeps were coordinated between the three squadrons. The field had only one airstrip bordered by high sand hills. The city of Bahia was located 30 miles away, but did have a naval presence in the form of a Navy base. Buildings that existed at Ipitanga Field were quickly converted to barracks, chow hall and recreational facilities. R&R was spent by squadron personnel on five-day leave periods to Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian capital. It was on one of these trips that the squadron incurred its second major loss when the Naval Air Transport Service transport aircraft crashed, killing three squadron officers and three enlisted personnel.


30 Jul 1943: Lieutenant Commander Thomas D. Davies and crew sighted a fully surfaced submarine during a coastal barrier sweep northeast of Bahia. The U-boat crew attempted to fight it out with their 20-mm AA fire, but the bow guns of the Ventura quickly cleared the decks of the submarine, allowing Davies to make a perfect drop with four Mark 47 depth charges athwart the still surfaced U-boat. The submarine U-604, Kapitänleutnant Horst Höltring commanding, submerged after the attack then surfaced again at a 60- degree angle with the screws out of the water. The Uboat again submerged. Later, German prisoners of war indicated that damage to the U-boat was so severe that it had to be scuttled on 11 August.

The squadron’s attack on U-604 on 30 July 1943, shown below, resulted in so much damage to the submarine that the crew was forced to scuttle it on 11 August 1943.

 

U-604%20under%20attack%20by%20VPB-129.jp

 

 

 

Lockheed PV-1 Ventura

 

VPB-129-01.png

Source:
Roberts, Michael D. (2000). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2, Chapter 4 Patrol Bombing Squadron (VPB) Histories (VPB-121 to VPB-141). Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy. pp 558-560.


VPB-129

Ally Oop

 

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