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Lt Cdr H Paul Flyboy Brehm USNR Signed Naval Art
Lt Cdr H Paul Flyboy Brehm USNR
Paul Brehm, infected with a thirst to become a flyer, at an early age read all of the stories regarding the WW 1 flying aces. The ceiling of his room was hung with a myriad of planes engaging in aerial combat. By March of 1942, several months after America's entry into WW 11, Brehm's childhood dream became a reality as he began flight training at USNRAB Kansas City. On the cutting edge of an accelerated program, he earned his wings and a naval commission at NAS Jacksonville in December of '42. After advanced training at NAS Daytona Beach and carrier qualification on the USS Wolverine on Lake Michigan, Brehin was assigned as a dive bomber pilot with VC-40. Initially flying S131)s from Henderson Field at Guadacanal, Brehm's squadron participated in the Solomon campaign, eventually flying out of Bouganville. Following 40 combat missions, Brehin returned to the States where he was assigned to Bombing-87 which participated in the shake down cruise of the USS Randolph. Transported to NAS Kahula, his air group was altered to place more emphasis on newly formed 'fighter-bomber' units. Paul opted to remain with his bombing squadron, while extensive retraining took place to counter the growing threat of Kamikaze attacks on fleet units. Air Group 87 was ultimately assigned to the USS Ticonderoga and participated on strikes against the Japanese forces at Okinawa. As part of Admiral Bull Halsey's all out effort to destroy the last vestiges of Japanese sea and air power, prior to an invasion of Japan, Brehm's squadron participated on attacks on targets on the Japanese homeland. One of these attacks was the sinking of the Hyuga, a WW 1 vintage Japanese battleship which had been modified to part seaplane tender, on July 24, 1945. On July 28 Brehm participated in the attack on the cruiser Tone the last Japanese capital ship destroyed prior to Japan's surrender. The Ticonderoga anchored in Tokyo Bay during the armistice ceremony, and in November Brehm was discharged from active duty. Brehm remained active in the naval reserves, and he was assigned as Squadron Commander of an S132C squadron at NAS Olathe, Kansas. Following a transfer to a squadron at NAS Lincoln, Nebraska, Brehm transitioned into the TBM. He was called to active duty again in 1952, and he served as the office-in charge of the only land-based navy squadron in Korea. Brehin received the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and six Air Medals. He lived in Southern California with his wife of more than fifty years, Barbara, spending time with his two grandchildren and one great grandchild, and in between his travels spent much of his time reading and writing about the history of naval aviation. Paul's story on the attack on the Hyuga was published in World War Two magazine. He died in 2002.
| Lt Cdr H Paul Flyboy Brehm USNR - Signed Naval Art Naval Crew Signatures |
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Clipped Signature - Paul Brehm. A US Navy pilot from 1942, he became a dive-bomber pilot with VC-40. He fought in the Solomon campaign then was assigned to USS Ticonderoga. Flying his Helldiver, his missions included attacks on the Hyuga and Tone, the latter was the final Japanese capital ship sunk before surrender. He remained in aviation and served in Korea before retiring. He died in 2002. Please note that this particular signature has been written in pen - not in pencil like most of our signatures. |
Big Tailed Beast by Stan Stokes. On July 24, 1945, Air Group 87 on board the USS Ticonderoga was informed that the Hyuga, anchored off a small island near Kure, Japan, would be its target. The ship, a WW I vintage battleship which had been modernized in 1936, and later converted to part battleship and part sea plane tender, would be a formidable objective with its impressive firepower and the fact that its location would place the attackers in the line of fire of numerous shore batteries. The ship was 704 feet in length, displaced 39,000 tons, and carried a compliment of Aichi E16A1 Zuiun reconaissance aircraft which were code named Paul by the Allies. Lt Cdr. Kanaga would lead the squadrons Curtiss SB2C Helldivers on the attack. Each of the twelve Helldivers would carry a 1,000 pound bomb in the internal bomb bay, a 260 pound fragmentation bomb under one wing and a droppable wing tank under the other wing. The drop tank weighed substantially more than the 260 pounder so it was anticipated that the Helldivers might be a bit unstable on takeoff. The first aircraft launched, that of Lt. Al Matteson, went into a immediate hard right turn given the uneven wing loading, and hit the water hard. The other Helldivers managed to become airborne, and eventually joined up for the outbound leg of the mission. The plan was for the Helldivers to dive bomb the Hyuga while torpedo bombers made glide bombing attacks, as the water was too shallow for use of torpedoes. In Stan Stokes painting entitled Big Tailed Beast, an SB2C-4E piloted by Lt. H. Paul Brehm pulls out over its target. Anti-aircraft fire is fierce, and the Hyuga is partially obscured by the incredible amount of smoke being generated by its AA guns. Lt. Brehm has decided to make his dive without dive flaps, hoping to make himself a faster moving target for the Hyugas gunners. During Brehms dive, the SB2C of Lt. Vaughn, which was immediately in front of him, went straight down, crashing next to the Hyuga in a great splash of white foam. Brehm released his bomb and pulled out very low over the target. He momentarily blacked out, and his windscreen fogged over. Brehm and his gunner W. Tommy Thompson, could feel the jolt from their 1000 pounder as it scored a direct hit. Returning to their Task Force low on fuel and in bad weather, Brehm was forced to ditch his Helldiver, but he and Thompson were rescued within minutes by the USS Chauncey. The mission was successful, but was not without cost as more than half the attacking Helldivers failed to return safely. The Curtiss SB2C was the last combat aircraft produced by Curtiss-Wright for the US Navy. The aircraft entered service in late 1943 supplementing the Navys SBD Dauntless dive bomber force. More than 7,000 of these large single engine aircraft were produced, with the most widely produced variant being the SB2C-4. Helldivers were capable of carrying a 2,000 pound bomb load, and could also be modified to be used in the torpedo bombing role. Referred to as The Big Tailed Beast by many of its pilots, the Helldiver had a top speed approaching 280-MPH, but also had the reputation of being one of the most difficult carrier based aircraft to land. As a result, many of the Helldivers lost during the War were victims of landing accidents. |
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