On October 1, 1944,
SS Maj. Gen. Herbert A. Dargue sailed for New Orleans, then to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to join a convoy through the Panama Canal. Once in the Pacific, she sailed alone at toward
Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands. From there it was ordered to
Saipan. In November it anchored the hook in Tanapag Harbor near
Saipan. Colonel Thompson joined the men in the Pacific Campaign. The ships participated in landings in the Philippines, Guam, Tinian, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. At the beginning of June 1945, the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Aircraft Repair Units were operating in the Philippines, supporting the
Fifth Army Air Force, while the remaining three supported the 20th Air Force in the Marianas. The
Brigadier General Clinton W. Russell commanded by Major R. E. Culberson was stationed at
Biak,
Tacloban, and
Naha. As needed, the mechanics and craftsmen would take the DUKW or the helicopter to shore to inspect damaged aircraft. Small assemblies would be flown back to the ship for repair. Larger parts could be transported on the DUKW. Mechanics could also set up on shore and complete repairs there. Between November 1944 and 1 September 1945,
Major General Herbert A. Dargue alone supplied B-29s and P-51s with over 38,000 parts and units, ranging from spark plugs to the central fire controls for the . It was later used as a repair ship to maintain specialized equipment used during
Operation Crossroads, the
nuclear weapon tests
conducted by the United States at
Bikini Atoll in mid-1946.
Medical evacuations transport ferries a wounded soldier from the battlefield during June 1945 in Luzon, Philippines Helicopter pilot 2LT Louis Carle was assigned to the
Brigadier General Clinton W. Russell, the Fifth Aircraft Repair Unit. On June 15, 1945, the Fifth Air Force received a request from the
38th Infantry Division to evacuate two soldiers with head injuries from a spot east of Manila. Carle flew one of his ship's Sikorsky R-4 helicopters and landed near the front lines, much to the amazement of the soldiers, who had never seen a helicopter. Under the best of conditions, the R-4 could carry, in addition to the pilot and fuel, only , which meant only instruments and small components such as propeller hubs. But the timely delivery of even small payloads was highly valued. The helicopter was not configured to handle stretchers. Carle removed a seat, placed the wounded soldier on the aircraft floor, and flew him to the 311th General Field Hospital near Manila. Once word got out of the helicopter's availability, they were called on again and again. During one day, Carle flew seven hours and evacuated six wounded soldiers. From June 15 to July 29, 1945, Carle and five other pilots evacuated 75 to 80 wounded soldiers, one or two at a time, from the highlands northeast of Manila. They were the second group of helicopter pilots after Lieutenant
Carter Harman to evacuate wounded via helicopter during World War II. Unlike Harman, they were targeted by Japanese soldiers who tried to shoot them down with machine guns. Their six-week effort constitutes the largest combat helicopter operation before the Korean War. On June 25, the
Brigadier General Alfred J. Lyon arrived in Manila Bay. Its pilots also flew rescue operations using their R-4B and R-6A helicopters. In four days, pilots 1LT James Brown, 2LT John Noll, and Flight Officer Edward Ciccolella transported around 40 wounded. == Legacy ==