# Lieutenant Commander Roger W. Mehle



## oneslim (Mar 6, 2008)

I'm looking for a photo of Lieutenant Commander Roger W. Mehle's Hellcat from the early summer of 1944. He was the Commander Air Group 28, on board USS Monterey,  CVL-26.

Thanks


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## ThunderThud (Mar 7, 2008)

Lieutenant Commander Roger W. Mehle, Commander Air Group 28, reports the results of an air strike on Tinian to Captain Stuart H. Ingersoll, Commanding Officer of USS Monterey (CVL-26), in one of the carrier's ready rooms, 11 June 1944. Note LCdr. Mehle's shoulder holster (marked "U.S.") and revolver.

THIS IS ALL I COULD FIND RIGHT NOW


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## Thorlifter (Mar 7, 2008)

I found several of Mehle, but none of his plane


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## oneslim (Mar 7, 2008)

Thanks Guys,

I need some idea of what tail code his plane carried. Going to do a 1/48 eduard F6F-3 hellcat of his bird. Here is a link to my build of 1/700 USS Monterey:

Model Ship World :: View topic - 1/700 USS Monterey

Looking to go with June/July 1944, I think they still had tri-color scheme with large unit numbers on the tail and maybe the white stripe quick recognition 'G' code on the wing tips.


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## Njaco (Mar 7, 2008)

Maybe this site may have something.

The World Wide Web Virtual Library: Naval and Maritime: Aviation


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## syscom3 (Mar 7, 2008)

Nice job building that model. Be sure to show us the pics when youre done.

I'm curious about one of the pics .... the one with the Avenger lined up ready for takeoff. Are those Bearcats or Hellcats in back??


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## oneslim (Mar 7, 2008)

Syscom3,

In the shots that Dad made in the 50's they were Bearcats and Avengers.


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## oneslim (Mar 30, 2008)

Just an update, Here is the link to my build log of USS Monterey:

Model Ship World :: View topic - 1/700 USS Monterey

Bob W


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## Wayne Little (Mar 31, 2008)

Very nice Bob....Well done mate!


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## Wurger (Mar 31, 2008)

Good job M8.


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## oneslim (Apr 2, 2008)

Here is about all I can find online.

His obit:
ROGER W. MEHLE


Honors:
THE PASSING OF A WARRIOR

Some early war history:
World War II Plus 55 - May 24th through May 26, 1942

Does anyone know of a forum for Navy vets? Maybe I could find someone aboard at the time.

Njaco sent me a list of history sites, but 3/4 of them are dead, even the USS Monterey Reunion site.

Thanks

Bob W


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## oneslim (Apr 14, 2008)

An Update, scroll down.

Model Ship World :: View topic - 1/700 USS Monterey


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## Wayne Little (Apr 15, 2008)

Bob, that is REAL Good mate, well done!!


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## Wildcat (Apr 15, 2008)

Excellent Bob!!


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## Graeme (Apr 15, 2008)

Hi Bob, the two photo album shots from the forum which you uploaded, labelled Skyraider, is I believe, a Grumman AF-2S Guardian.


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## oneslim (Apr 15, 2008)

Graeme,

Yes, You are correct. I failed to notice the 'Rudderlets', too busy looking at the Mast and Radar Fit.

Thanks
Bob W


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## Njaco (Apr 16, 2008)

Sorry, Bob. Didn't realize those dead links. Will try harder!


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## R Leonard (Apr 16, 2008)

My father relieved Roger Mehle at the Naval Safety Center in June 1970.


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## oneslim (Apr 17, 2008)

R Leonard,

I have a combat loss report on the way from Guy Robbins;

INQUIRY NUMBER: G0404440613/CL/F6F/Mehle 
DATE: 13 June 1944
AIRCRAFT: F6F

PILOT: ROGER W. MEHLE
CONTENTS OF COMBAT LOSS FORM: usually 1-2 pages and includes date, aircraft type, serial number, reason for loss; pilot name, rank fate; unit, ship, mission, station; location for the combat loss (if known).

I'm hoping this will give me more detail of his F6F-3. He was shot down and recovered while making a low level attack on a four gun anti-aircraft battery on the Island of Tinian.

Source: 'Red Sun Setting' (The Battle of The Philippine Sea) By William T. Y'Blood.

Let me know if You could point me to a better source for his markings.

Thanks 

Bob W

PS I'll be offline untill Monday


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## R Leonard (Apr 17, 2008)

Regretfully, I have no particular source of the particular markings for any plane flown by Roger Mehle during the war. 

Most of the type report you describe are the either the Aircraft Action Report (ACA) or the Aircraft Trouble Analysis (ATA) card. My bet would be that the very best you are going to get out of the ACA is a bureau number and, from most examples I’ve seen, around here and on the web, probably not even that (mostly because there is no requirement to report same), so I would not hold my breath. Side numbers and such usually did not make it into these reports; they simply were not important. Inventories and bureau numbers, gains and losses, and such were reported separately; side numbers were especially unimportant for reporting purposes, as they meant nothing outside the reporting unit. 

The ATA card should provide a bureau number, cause of loss, perhaps a pilot name, and, maybe, a place, but scant else.

Another thing to consider is that, generally, in carrier operations flying the same aircraft in every sortie/mission/flight was the great, great exception, not the norm. Flight decks were spotted without regard to who was assigned which aircraft. The sole consideration was the order of launch, so it was “set up two F6F divisions followed by 2 TBF divisions, followed by . . .” Side numbers did not matter. It takes a lot of unnecessary effort to put a specific plane in a specific place in the spot when it is no different that the one before it or the one after. Pilots manned what was placed in their order of launch. For example, aboard Yorktown at the Battle of Midway, only 3 of 25 VF-3 pilots actually flew the aircraft they were nominally assigned during the entire action; everyone else, including squadron commander, Thach, flew “someone else’s” at one point or another.

So, the question you might want to ask yourself is: was Mehle flying his assigned plane or was he flying one from the inventory that was “his” for that mission? “His plane” can have, as you see, two entirely different meanings. I don’t know the answer to that question, but it is a good one to ask.

Here’s a couple re-creations of typical ACAs from VMB-613:
Aircraft Action Report 24
Aircraft Action Report 69

And another nice re-creation of an ACA from CVG-83:
http://www17.plala.or.jp/tokoma_higashi/syuron/15_ESSEX ACTION REP ENG.pdf
even mentions aircraft from CVLG-34. A similar re-creation of the CVG-47 ACA for the same action:
http://www17.plala.or.jp/tokoma_higashi/syuron/17_BATAAN ACTION REP ENG.pdf

This site has some good original examples, too: 
American Missions Against Yap Island During WWII

such as the ACA recording the loss of an SB2C piloted by Johnny Beling 
http://www.missingaircrew.com/pdf/26july44.pdf

In some cases it has the Aircraft Trouble Analysis card, such as for this loss
American Missions Against Yap, 28 July 1944
of an F6F piloted by ENS Edwin Free on 28 July 44
http://www.missingaircrew.com/pdf/usn/28july44.pdf

Trouble cards, all the way back to way back when before the war, oddly enough and last I checked, were on file at the Naval Safety Center in Norfolk. As you can see, ACAs have little reference to identifying numbers, side, bureau, or otherwise; and the ATAs generally are a terse format of aircraft type-bureau number-loss date-cause and if you are luck, the pilot name and location. Golly, I hope you didn’t pay somebody a lot of bucks for a copy of an ATA.

Rich


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## oneslim (Apr 20, 2008)

Rich,

I considered the small $10 cost for this report as a research Fee. I have the report and it is just as You said, The only new info is the aircraft serial number.

Also in ' F6F Hellcat Detail and Scale' by Bert Kinzey, is a interview whith David McCampbell. He states that as CAG of Air Group 15 Essex CV9, he was the only one who had is own aircraft, and the same plane captian the entire time. Additionally he always launched first.

This was probaly not true on a much more crowded CVL.

If You think of any source let me know.

Many Thanks

Bob Wescott


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## Chuck Mehle (Jun 7, 2012)

Roger William Mehle was my father... he retired in 1970 at the grade of Rear Admiral, USN (Upper half).

If I can be of assistance to you please let me know.

Chuck Mehle
Colonel, US Army, Retired
Virginia Beach, VA

[email protected]


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## oneslim (Jun 7, 2012)

Hello Chuck,

My name is Bob Wescott. My father served on USS MONTEREY CVL-26 during 1950-51 when she was a pilot training ship (ATV-2) as a photographers mate. I'm preparing to build a 1/350 scale model of MONTEREY as she was fitted for the Mariana Islands Campaign. I would like to know if You have any photos of Your father and his F6F Hellcat during his time onboard.

Thank You for any information that You can provide.


Bob Wescott
Pittsgrove, NJ


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 7, 2012)

That's awesome Chuck, welcome aboard.


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## R Leonard (Jun 7, 2012)

Welcome, Chuck!

Rich Leonard


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## Njaco (Jun 10, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, Colonel!


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## oldcrowcv63 (Jun 27, 2012)

Welcome Chuck


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## Chuck Mehle (Nov 21, 2013)

This is true... In fact, I have his ripcord from his parachute that he kept ever since this event. Dad was ultimately rescued by a smaller ship and refused to give him back to the carrier until they traded him for several gallons of ice cream.

Dad's recounting of this shoot down was interesting to say the least.

Chuck Mehle
Colonel, US Army 
Aviation


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## Chuck Mehle (Nov 21, 2013)

Thanks Crow... By the way, I was an Army Special Electronic Mission Aircraft pilot for 30 years... Retired as a Colonel. 

I flew Grumman OV-1Ds and Guardrail as well as Hueys and OH-58's on the helicopter side of the house. 

If your Old Crow name means you are an ELINT'er, I am in that crowd as well.

Chuck


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 21, 2013)

Chuck Mehle said:


> Thanks Crow... By the way, I was an Army Special Electronic Mission Aircraft pilot for 30 years... Retired as a Colonel.
> 
> I flew *Grumman OV-1Ds and Guardrail as well as Hueys and OH-58's* on the helicopter side of the house.
> 
> ...



Where were you based out of?


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