Among Those Missing
Harry F. Bauer -- Save that sailor.
.
Harry Frederick Bauer was born 17 July 1904 at Camp Thomas Lytle, Ga., and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1927. During the early part of his career he served at shore stations, including a tour as instructor at the Naval Academy, and in Twiggs, Cuyama, and Tracy. Bauer was commissioned Lieutenant Commander 1 July 1941 and took command of fast transport Gregory 1 January 1942. While acting as combat transports for Marines off Guadalcanal during the night of 4-5 September 1942, Gregory and Little were surprised by three Japanese destroyers covering a small troop landing. Though vastly outgunned, the two transports fought valiantly before being sunk. Lt. Comdr. Bauer was badly wounded, and while being pulled clear by two of his crew ordered them to rescue another man crying out for assistance. Lt. Comdr. Bauer was lost, receiving the Silver Star posthumously for his gallantry.
Dictionary of American Fighting Ships describing the dedication of USS Harry F. Bauer, DM-12
USS Harry F. Bauer, Destroyer Minelayer 12
Class :Robert H. Smith, Light Minelayer (ex Sumner-class Destroyer):
Displacement : 3,104 tons ; Length : 376' 6" ; Beam : 40' 10" ; Draft : 14'
Speed : 33 knots ; Complement : 363
Armament : 6 5"/38 DP, 2x4 40mm, 6 20mm, 100+ mines
Built at Bath Iron Works, and commissioned 22 September 1944
Louis H. Bauer -- Too young to promote, he still lead 36 Wildcats
and earned a Navy Cross.
Hometown Philadelphia - Naval Academy class 1935 - entered at
19 years - Pensacola 1938 - commanding officer of Fighting Squadron 6
during the Invasion of Solomons (Guadalcanal) through the Battle of Eastern Solomons.
Saratoga's Race to Pearl.
Admiral Nimitz, on May 30th, ordered Ramsey to proceed at once, however, and Sara was able to get underway for Pearl on June 1st. . . .. Four F4F-s, forty-three SBD-3s, and fourteen brand-new Grumman TBF torpedo bombers had been hoisted aboard Sara while she lay moored at North Island. Air Group Commander Harry Felt then flew aboard in his personal SBD-3, along with LT Lou Bauer's 14 Wildcats from VF-2, and LCDR Louis Kirn's 22 SBD-3s from VS-3.
Enterprise Air Group 5th Deployment : 15 July - 25 August 1942
Engagements: Occupation of Guadalcanal,
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
LT Louis H. Bauer
McClelland Barclay Conté
crayon on paper, ca.1943 85-236-F |
 |
VF-6 36 F4F-4 Wildcats LT Louis H. Bauer |
Solomons - Aug 7th - First action
"Took off from carriers in the dark - our first mission
was to get any Jap planes on the Airfield (now Henderson field)
and to destroy any motor torpedo boats or naval vessels of any
kind - second strafe any military installations you could find
in the beach - guns - troops - and things like that- then we provided
air coverage, an umbrella over the forces including the ships
for the next three days. In the three days we shot down about
21 combinations of all sorts of planes. It was all formation flying
except one incident. Pilot named Firebaugh - he chased a group
of about 15 bombers - he had a total of six planes in his group
who became separated in the chase - they were attacked by a large
no. of zeros and became separated - Firebaugh was attacked by
five and he shot three and he himself was shot down - His plane
caught fire and he held his chute 'til he almost hit the water.
Then swam 4 miles to shore. Fought in battle of southern Solomons
Aug 24 - That was the day the, our carrier was attacked and in
defending her we all shot down a total of about 41 - We lost three
- one man in each ship - those boys died. Squadron score now 48.
Took off about 4:15 AM. - land on carrier - gas up - flew all
day right up to sunset. Weren't conscious of being tired - too
excited - felt it a couple of days later. When they gassed ship
we munched coffee and sandwiches in the "Ready room."
Slept like top that nite - Had an early day next
day. We lost two pilots who stayed out a little too
late and couldn't get back to the ship and were lost in the dark.
Did escort work for bombers for more than a month out of Guadalcanal."
USS Yorktown (CV-10) arrived in Far East waters March 3, 1960, to commence another tour with the U.S. Seventh Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan. Yorktown is commanded by Captain Louis H. Bauer, USN.
Rudolph Charles Bauer -- Old time aviator made Admiral
A native of Jersey City, New Jersey, Rudolph Bauer attended Fordham
University and later was appointed to the United States Naval
Academy, where he graduated in 1930.
In the early 1930s, he completed flight training at Pensacola,
Florida, and served for 3 years as a pilot in bombing and
scouting squadrons embarked in the USS Lexington.
From 1937 to 1939, he was the senior aviator aboard the
heavy cruiser USS Pensacola.
Bauer served aboard carriers USS Coral Sea and USS Kalinin Bay,
participating in the WWII Marshall Islands, Saipan, Guam and
Palau Islands campaigns, and in the battle of Leyte Gulf in
the Philippines.
After the war, he served as the executive officer of the carrier Midway in 1945 and later was director of the armament test unit at the Patuxent River Naval Air Test Center in Southern Maryland.
During his military career was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, eleven Air Medals and the Presidential Unit Citation.
Rear Admiral Rudolph Charles Bauer, 83, an aviator who served as a Navy dive bomber
and test pilot during WWII and in Korea, died of cancer July 10, 1989
in Ft Pierce, Florida. with
burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
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Created July 4, 2009
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