Westport Point resident shares WWII memories with ROMEOs

Westport Point resident shares WWII memories with ROMEOs.

EverythingWestport.com

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

82 year old Richmond Woods Bachelder knows a thing or two about bailouts. The somewhat-retired Morgan Stanley executive was a young, WWII bombardier and navigator on one of the Navy’s more interesting planes, the PBM (Patrol Boat Mariner). The Martin PBM-5 Mariner seaplane was designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. The first flight of the PBM was on February 18, 1939, and they went into service in September 1940. The U.S. Navy used the PBM as a submarine patrol bomber during World War II. Brown colored PBMs flew in the Atlantic, blue colored in the Pacific.

“Bach”, as he is known by his friends, invited fellow ROMEOs over to his home’s “war room” at Westport Point where he shared stories, mementos, and a lot of knowledge of hunting Japanese and German submarines.

Bach graduated from Marion’s Tabor Academy in 1941 (Navy preparatory) and immediately joined the Navy. After qualifying, he joined a PBM flight crew.

“I had to put two inches of newspapers in my socks and eat two dozen bananas before my physical, the affable Bachelder said. “I needed the height and weight to qualify as a gunner on the PBM.”

Bach served in World War II from 1941 – 1945 as Petty Officer 1^st Class on the PBM-99.

On December 7, 1941, patrol aviation in the Atlantic was organized under Commander Patrol Wings, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Twelve Atlantic patrol squadrons were equipped with various models of the Consolidated PBY Catalina, with one squadron (99^th) flying the Martin PBM Mariner (Bach’s squadron).

“The PBM had the largest reciprocating engine ever built,” Bach informed his ROMEO audience. Pratt & Whitney made the twin supercharged radial 2800 engines. The R-2800 is considered one of the premier radial piston engines ever designed. It became legendary when used in several aircraft during World War II, notably the F4U Corsair, P-47 Thunderbolt, and the Grumman F6F Hellcat.

“Our PBM was outfitted with a jet-assisted take off,” Bach said. “We needed that with the heavy loads and the short run ways. Our plane was also equipped with radar.”

“The PBM was very vulnerable to the 88mm deck guns on the submarines. Those guns were deadly accurate,” said Bach. “They almost never missed.” PDM’s were always in jeopardy when attacking surfaced subs. “We were very lucky not have been shot down,” he said. “We were hit here and there with shrapnel.”

“Normally, submarines surfaced at night to recharge their batteries,” Bach said. “That’s when we would spot them. Submarines partially submerged in the Pacific were easy to spot because of the wakes they left. The turbulent waters of the Atlantic weren’t so easy.”

The PBMs eventually evolved an attack method where two planes flew in close formation, one right behind the other. “The first plane was almost always hit. The second would be able to get off its depth charges before the sub’s deck gun could be trained on them,” Bach said. “Our depth charges very seldom missed.”

Bach returned to the states in January of 1946 where he immediately entered Harvard and majored in mathematics. “I missed the first term, but was still able to graduate in three years.” He went on to eventually become Executive Vice President at Morgan Stanley.

A veil of sadness lowers over Bach’s face as he recalls the deceased and the survivors of their plane, the PBM-99. The crew with whom Bach served received the Presidential Unit Citation - photo left. The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy. “Our particular crew sank more German submarines,” Bach said. “For that we received the citation.”

Bach related an amazing wartime story. His PBM was on patrol over the Panama Canal just after the war with Germany had ended with their surrender on May 8, 1945, VE day. “We spotted many German submarines in the area,” Bach said. “We thought it was very unusual, so we dropped in for a closer look. One of the submarines fired on us, even though the war was over. We formed into formation and attacked the sub. The first PBM was shot down. Our plane scored a direct hit and split the submarine in two. We could see the crew and passengers scramble out and head towards shore.”

Our flight commander landed the plane, and we armed ourselves with the few weapons we had on board: a 20 caliber rifle, a few pistols, and a Thompson sub machine gun. We pursued the Germans into the Mangrove swamps. One of our crew sprayed the swamp vegetation with the Thompson, and we could hear the cries of the Germans hidden there. Throughout the night the Germans were routed out and captured.

Bach and his fellow crew members had stumbled upon a rendezvous point for high-ranking Germans escaping to South America.

From left to right: (1) Bach shows fellow ROMEO Joe Crowley a nighttime directional finder “used mostly with the planets;” (2) Short Snorters – counterfeit currency made by the Japanese in the Philippines; and (3) Bach reading from the record of his plane’s survivors and deceased.

Left - Bach holding his “Bible”, the Bowditch’s American Practical Navigator. Right – Bach demonstrating a brass flare gun used in emergency survival.

- - - - - - End - - - - - -