The memoir’s manuscript was hand-written in a bound notebook containing lined pages numbered 1 through 288. Pages 69–74 are missing, having been excised (the text is continuous across the gap, indicating that the excision occurred during the composition). Pages 186, 198–200, 208, 214, 215, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 230–288 are blank.
pages |
dates | PDF scan |
html transcription | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
contents |
1941–45 | “Pages … of most interest re flying (confined to flying & related activity).” | ||
contents |
1941–45 | “Pages … mentioning birds, other natural history subjects, countryside, scenery, etc.” | ||
1–5 |
July–Sept 1941 | The draft, signing up. Katahdin, Gondoliers, Groton. | ||
6–8 |
October 1941 | Reporting for duty. Squantum, first flying. | ||
8–13 |
November 1941 | Flying, first solo. | ||
13–16 |
December 1941 | Spins, solos over Boston Harbor. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. | ||
17–20 |
December 1941 | Atlanta, radio code, drill. Lt. Comdr. Schieffelin. | ||
20–22 |
December 1941 | Christmas dinner parties. Leaving Atlanta. | ||
23–26 |
January 1942 | Florida, N.A.S. Jacksonville. | ||
27–30 |
Feb–Mar 1942 |
Ponte Vedra, Phil Field, ground school, flying again, spot landings | ||
30–34 |
Mar–April 1942 |
“fun” that wasn’t: stunts | ||
34–37 |
April 1942 | Nearly “washed out"; night flying | ||
37–40 |
April 1942 | First formation flying, in first monoplane; more ground school | ||
40–43 |
April 1942 | Second class cadets; bird migration; new birds; more birds | ||
43–47 |
April–May 1942 | Winter resident birds, migrant warblers; intermediate squadron; a “real aeroplane”—SNJ | ||
47–51 |
May–June 1942 | Solo; 9–plane formations; first class cadet; authors read; instrument flying | ||
51–56 |
June 1942 | Radio beams; N3N seaplanes | ||
56–60 |
June 1942 | Kingfisher seaplanes; formation & navigation flights; gunnery | ||
60–64 |
June 1942 | Dive bombing; catapult shots; night flying; social life; Harvard classmates (both lost later) | ||
64–68 |
July-August 1942 | Bicycle; birds 6/22/42; new species; 4/19/42 Okeefenokee (out of order); birds; ensigns with wings! Aug. 21, ’42; Naval Aviator No. 15,001 | ||
68–77 |
September 1942 | Swimming pool; days off; another bird lover; new bird; canoe trip. | ||
77–82 |
October–December 1942 | Night catapult shots; first leave Nov’42 home; Squam, Groton, Gardiner; unexpected change of duty; to Miami December ’42. | ||
82–86 |
December 1942 |
Various planes; Bahamas; J.R.C. (Joseph Randolph Coolidge IV, a cousin); Boca Raton; Christmas 1942; Royal Palm State Park (eventually part of Everglades National Park); Frank Chapman 12/27/42. | ||
86–90 |
December 1942 | Water turkeys, Florida ducks; TR almost reported missing; Lee Field; instructing in biplane dive bombers; SBC–4 a fun plane. | ||
90–93 |
December 1942–March 1943 | Chasing navigation flights, hole in overcast; tactics (Lufbery Circles); comfortable quarters by the St. John’s River. | ||
93–96 |
December 1942–March 1943 | Otters, bicycle trips, birds. | ||
96–100 |
December 1942–March 1943 | More bicycle trips, "ferry," teal, skimmers,social events, butterflies. Assigned to Daytona for operational training in SBD scout bombers Douglas “Dauntless”). | ||
100–104 |
March-April 1943 | Collecting shells. Field carrier landings. | ||
104–107 |
Spring 1943 | N.A.S. Glenview, landings aboard USS Wolverine, carrier qualification. Promotion to Lt.j.g. Good food at BOQ Cape May warbler, sora rail. Ann Arbor. | ||
108–111 |
May 1943 | Leave in Groton, 132 warbler songs, other birds; wedding, Squam. Assistant instructor; girls. | ||
111–115 |
Summer 1943 | Instructing in instrument flying, dive bombing. | ||
115–120 |
Fall 1943 | Night flying, ferry flights, solo ferry flight; short visit home, days off, combined train and bicycle trips. | ||
120–125 |
Fall 1943 | Birds, longer train and bicycle trip (Cocoa, Melbourne), west coast of Florida, shells, rowboat trip, Clearwater, Sanibel. | ||
126–129 |
Spring 1944 | TR meets Russ Keller and Oakes Ames; girls. Leave in Groton en route to San Diego, visits with sister Anne (“Nance”) and brother Hamilton (“Ham”). Joins VB–17 in Alameda, California, transitions to SB2C–3 Helldiver. | ||
129–132 |
Summer-Fall 1944 | SB2C Helldiver compared with SBD Dauntless. Operational training at Alameda: dive-bombing, gunnery, navigation, radar. The countryside flown over; sighting of Mt. Shasta from 200 miles, ascent of Black Butte. | ||
132–136 |
September 1944 | Ascent of Mt. Shasta, two nights at Horse Camp. Forests. Around San Francisco, hills east of Oakland. | ||
136–139 |
Fall 1944 | First salt-water cruise, albatrosses. Move to Hilo, Hawai‘i; Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea.. | ||
139–142 |
Fall 1944 | Coastal scenery. Volcano House, Kilauea crater, forests, Hawai‘ian honey creepers. | ||
142–145 |
Winter 1944 | USS Saratoga, air show for Congressmen; more carrier landings. Sighted Southern Cross. Guam, F6F flight, Guam’s birds. Ulithi, USS Hornet. | ||
145–148 |
February 1945 | Fifth Fleet, Task Force 58. Mog Mog. Shakedown cruise, accident. Attack on Hachijō-jima. | ||
148–152 |
February-March 1945 | TR’s first attack, on Hamamatsu, Honshu. Sightings of Mt. Fuji. Attacks on Toyohashi, Iwo Jima, and Miyake Jima. | ||
152–155 |
March 1945 | Rest at Ulithi; kamikaze attack on USS Randolph. Attackes on Kyuhu, Kerama Retto, Okinawa, and Amami o Shima. Accurate anti-aircraft fire. | ||
155–159 |
March–April 1945 | Attack on Okinawa coastal defense guns. Spectacular sinking of patrol frigate off Kyushu, followed by night landing. Hit an LST off Amami O Shima. | ||
159–161 |
April 1945 | Three tragedies: loss of three downed fighter pilots and two would-be rescuers. | ||
161–163 |
7 April 1945 | Attack on Japanese super-battleship Yamato. | ||
163–166 |
April 1945 | Kamikaze menace, strikes on Okinawa and Kikai. Return to Ulithi anchorage; swimming, observing coral reef fish and collecting shells. | ||
166–169 |
April–May 1945 | Practice attacks (bombing and kamikaze) on the way back to Kyushu. Strikes on Izumi, Kanoya, and Kumamoto, hitting locomotive and oil tank. More Air Group losses. Notes on Kyushu’s rugged scenery. | ||
169–172 |
May–June 1945 | Strikes on Okinawa, Tokuna, Kikai, Okino Daito. Hornet damaged in typhoon. Anchorage in Leyte Gulf, Philippines. Samar, shells, birds. | ||
172–174 |
June 1945 | Exploring Leyte: Tacloban, Tolosa. Birds: Sunbirds, Old World Orioles, Wood Swallows, Bulbuls, and Old World Warblers; kite, hawk, eagle. Observations of countryside. | ||
174–177 |
July–Sept. 1945 | Heading home. Pearl Harbor, SBD to Hilo and back. Return to the US; Groton and Squam, mountains. War’s end, San Diego, brief assignment to Squadron 82. | ||
177–179 |
Sept. 1945 | TR buys a car, visits California National Parks and climbs Mt. Whitney. | ||
179–181 |
Sept.-Oct. 1945 | TR loses his wallet; visits Yosemite, redwoods (including world’s tallest tree), Crater Lake, and Portland, enjoying views of Mts. Jefferson and Hood. | ||
181–184 |
October 1945 | TR visits Olympic National Park and Seattle, and then proceeds through Idaho to Galcier National Park, eventually reaching the Twin Cities. | ||
184–185 |
October 1945 | TR stops in Ann Arbor MI, Dayton OH, and Morgantown WV. He visits his sister Nancy, a Major in the Army, and finally arrives home. | ||
187–189 |
1941–45 | Naval Air Stations etc. where TR was based. | ||
190 |
1943–45 | Carrier landings. | ||
191–192 |
List of islands attacked or visited. | |||
192–197 |
Recollections as of March 31, 1991 and November 29, 1994. | |||
201–207 |
List of “life birds” added between December 4, 1941 and June 18, 1945. | |||
209–213 |
Lists of books read 1942–1945. | |||
216–229 |
Maps, certificates, photos, DFC Gold Star citation, clippings | |||
back cover |
map | |||
note |
undated note tucked into memoir manuscript | |||
note |
undated note tucked into memoir manuscript |