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Casualty Info
Home Town Shrewsbury, MA
Casualty Date Jul 04, 1944
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Pacific
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Buried at Sea, Pacific Ocean
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Lieutenant Malcolm Lindsay Loomis
Service Number 176976 Killed In Action
Iwo Jima on the 4th of July, 1944
USS Cabot CVL-28, Air Group VT31 Lost at sea, body was not recovered
USS CABOT: World War II (1943-1944)
Cabot sailed from Quonset Point, Rhode Island with Air Group 31 aboard, on 8 November 1943 for Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on 2 December. Clearing for Majuro on 15 January 1944, she joined TF 58 to begin the consistently high quality of war service which was to win her a Presidential Unit Citation. From 4 February-4 March 1944, she launched her planes in strikes on Roi, Namur, and the island stronghold of Truk, aiding in the neutralization of these Japanese bases as her part in the invasion of the Marshalls.
Cabot returned to Pearl Harbor for a brief repair period, but was back in action from Majuro for the pounding raids on the Palaus, Yap, Ulithi, and Woleai at the close of March 1944. She sailed to provide valuable air cover for the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) operation from 22–25 April, and 4 days later began to hurl her air power at Truk, Satawan, and Ponape. She cleared Majuro again on 6 June for the preinvasion air strikes in the Mariana Islands, and on 19 June and 20 June launched sorties in the key Battle of the Philippine Sea, the famous "Marianas Turkey Shoot", which hopelessly crippled Japanese naval aviation. Cabot's air group 31 pounded Japanese bases on Iwo Jima, Pagan, Rota, Guam, Yap and Ulithi as the carrier continued her support of the Marianas operation until 9 August. LTjg Loomis was killed during operations at Iwo Jima on the 4th of July, 1944.
In addition to the Presidential Unit Citation, USS Cabot received nine battle stars for World War II service. Loomis, an F6F pilot, was posthumous awarded the rank of full lieutenant, the Purple Heart, Air Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
Air Medal citation Lieutenant (jg) Malcolm L. Loomis
For meritorious achievement in aerial flight as Pilot of a Carrier based Fighter Plane, attached to a Fighting Squadron in action against enemy Japanese forces in the central Pacific Area from January 16 to July 4, 1944. Taking a vital part in vigorous strikes against strongly fortified enemy installations at Truk, Lt. (jg) Loomis succeeded in scoring a direct hit upon dispersal areas at Eten Island with resultant damage to numerous planes parked in that section. Later participation in the invasion of the Marianas, he again pressed home a bold attack, inflicting severe damage upon buildings in the service area of Ushi AIrfield, Tinian Lt. (jg) Loomis's expert airmanship during this period of intense aerial activity, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Comments/Citation:
July 4, 1944:
The pilots of VF-31 were up at 0345 hours for breakfast and the briefing on the predawn patrol and strike on Iwo Jima and the Bonin Islands. Three divisions, consisting of twelve F6F Hellcat fighter aircraft were launched from the USS Cabot at 0500 hours:
The pre dawn air assault on Iwo Jima on the 4th of July would result in the first casualties for VF-31. Three pilots would be lost on this mission. All three pilots were posthumously awarded Air Medals.
LTjg Haig G. Elezian, Jr., Service Number: 250593
LTjg Frank Hancock, Jr., Service Number: 263521 LTjg Malcolm L. Loomis, Service Number: 176976
Central Pacific Campaign (1941-43)/Marshall Islands Operation
From Month/Year
November / 1943
To Month/Year
December / 1943
Description In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. The purpose was to establish airfields that would allow land based air support for the upcoming operations across the Central Pacific. The campaign began with a costly three-day battle for the island of Betio at the Tarawa atoll. The campaign was preceded a year earlier by a diversionary raid on Makin Island by U.S. Marines in August, 1942.
About 4,000 kilometers southwest of the Hawaii Islands, the Marshall Islands represented part of the perimeter of the Japanese Pacific empire. The former German colony was given to Japan after the closure of WW1, and had since been an important part of both offensive and defensive plans of the Japanese Navy. By the end of 1943, Admiral Mineichi Koga of the Japanese Combined Fleet knew the Americans were eyeing the islands, but he could not figure out where they would strike. His difficulties were further complicated by the lack of carrier aircraft, as they were taken away from him in an attempt to reinforce land-based squadrons. With his hands tied, all Koga could do was to send his submarines out as forward observers and order the regional commander in Truk Admiral Masashi Kobayashi to reinforce the island garrisons that were most exposed to American attacks. Kobayashi shifted men to the outer islands of Jaluit, Mili, Wotje, and Maloelap. In total, Kobayashi had 28,000 troops available to him in the Marshall Islands. For a garrison that size ground fortifications were sub-par, but that was rather by design at this stage of the war, for that Tokyo had since decided that the Marshall Islands were to serve only as a part of a delay action campaign. The new defensive perimeter was to be established much closer to the home islands.
American intelligence decoded Japanese messages and detected movements for the outer islands, and decided to change the invasion plans. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, the Americans were now bypassing the reinforced outer islands; they were now directly attacking Kwajalein and Eniwetok.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
November / 1943
To Month/Year
December / 1943
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories While with Division 2 of Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31) aboard the USS Cabot Lieutenant (jg) Loomis participated in the battles of the Marshall Islands (January 29 to February 8 1944), in the battles of the Caroline Islands (February 16 - April 1 and April 29 - May 1 1944), in the battles for Hollandia (April 21 - 25 1944), in the battle of the Marianas (June 6 - 20 1944), and the 3rd Bonin Islands battle (July 4 1944).