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Casualty Info
Home Town Wayland, NY
Last Address 102 Scott St Wayland, NY
Casualty Date Oct 24, 1944
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Pacific
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
ARM3 Shetler flew on 29 missions as a member of VF-15. The plane he was aboard was shot down during the 2nd Battle of Philippine Sea. His remains were not recovered.
Comments/Citation:
Service number: 6083898
Distinguished Flying Cross
(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Aviation Radioman Third Class Carl Edward Shetler (NSN: 6083898), United States Naval Reserve, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as aircrewman of a diver bomber embarked in U.S.S. ESSEX during the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea on 24 October 1944. General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 345 (December 1945) Action Date: October 24, 1944 Service: Navy Rank: Aviation Radioman Third Class Division: U.S.S. Essex
Air Medal
For meritorious acheivement in aerial flight as Combat Aircrewman of Carrier-based Dive Bomber attached to Bomber Squadron 15 during action against enemy Japanese positions and shipping in the Pacific War Area from May 19 to Sept. 24, 1944. Courageous and skillful in the performance of duty, he participated in numerous strikes against the enemy on MArcus and Wake, in the Marianas, Bonins, Palau and Philippine Islands during this period, rendering valiat service to his pilot and contributing materially to the success of thes hazardous missions.
The information contained in this profile was compiled from various internet sources.
Mariana and Palau Islands Campaign (1944)/Battle of Philippine Sea
From Month/Year
June / 1944
To Month/Year
June / 1944
Description The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War. The battle was the last of five major "carrier-versus-carrier" engagements between American and Japanese naval forces, and pitted elements of the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet against ships and aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mobile Fleet and nearby island garrisons.
The aerial part of the battle was nicknamed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot by American aviators for the severely disproportional loss ratio inflicted upon Japanese aircraft by American pilots and anti-aircraft gunners. During a debriefing after the first two air battles a pilot from USS Lexington remarked "Why, hell, it was just like an old-time turkey shoot down home!" The outcome is generally attributed to American improvements in pilot and crew training and tactics, technology (including the top-secret anti-aircraft proximity fuze), and ship and aircraft design. Although at the time the battle appeared to be a missed opportunity to destroy the Japanese fleet, the Imperial Japanese Navy had lost the bulk of its carrier air strength and would never recover. During the course of the battle, American submarines torpedoed and sank two of the largest Japanese fleet carriers taking part in the battle.
This was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history.