This Deceased Navy Profile is not currently maintained by any Member.
If you would like to take responsibility for researching and maintaining this Deceased profile please click
HERE
Making the most beautiful fiddles in the world, one of which I am the proud owner of.� He also enjoyed�playing his fiddle, and was known for playing it while out at sea.� There are many pictures of him with his beloved pipe in his mouth. He was a often requested judge at the Fiddle Contest in Weiser, Idaho. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and gardening. After his retirement in 1955, he moved to Wallowa, Oregon, where he, with my Grandmother, Peggy (Bell), whom he met in their hometown of Detroit while home on leave after the war in 1945, raised�their five children:� Greg Gentle, CTRCM, USN, Ret., Gary Jay Gentle, CTACM, USN, Ret., Cathy (Spencer), John C. Gentle, LT, USN, Ret., and Willie.� He passed away in 1997, and per his request, he was buried in his Service Dress Blues. He had full military honors from the local VFW,�I read the Navy Hymn, and my cousin, Luke Spencer played Taps on the bugle.� I am his grandaughter, Robyn Gentle Strayer, CTRC, USN, Ret. His pet name for me was Robynette, until I made Chief, and then he always called me "Chief".�
Treasury-Bougainville Operation/Battle of Empress Augusta Bay
From Month/Year
November / 1943
To Month/Year
November / 1943
Description The Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, on 1–2 November 1943—also known as the Battle of Gazelle Bay, Operation Cherry Blossom, and in Japanese sources as the Sea Battle off Bougainville Island was a naval battle fought near the island of Bougainville. The naval battle was a result of Allied landings on nearby Bougainville in the first action in the Bougainville campaign of World War II and may also be seen as part of the Solomons and New Guinea campaigns. The battle was significant as part of a broader Allied strategy—known as Operation Cartwheel—aimed at isolating and surrounding the major Imperial base at Rabaul. The intention was to establish a beachhead on Bougainville, within which an airfield would be built.
On 1 November 1943, the U.S. 3rd Marine Division landed at Cape Torokina in Empress Augusta Bay. The bay had been chosen because it was at the outer limit of Allied fighter plane range, and because the numerically-superior Japanese 17th Army was concentrated at other, more strategic sites in the north and the south. The Marines were backed by Task Force 39, composed of cruisers and destroyers, commanded by Rear Admiral Aaron S. "Tip" Merrill.