Capt. Bill Patterson's Photos p.2 |
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Capt. Patterson earned his wings in 1943, then went to Ft. Lauderdale to specialize in TBFs.
His next assignment was in VMTB-134. He and Robert 'Toby' Cromwell were among the first to use the new 5 inch aircraft rockets in combat. Ten pilots were selected for combat trials. The concept was to find a way for attack planes to use guided projectiles but without the recoil of a cannon. Note the rails welded under the wings. Bill's group was called the Rockettes! Capt. Patterson was asked to join VMTB-143 and help carry the lessons learned with rockets into the arena of close air support.
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This site was last updated 11/27/07