LADY IN BLUE

By ESTHER NUNLEY

Original Publish Date: October 4, 2022

When the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia Unit in Peachtree City heard about World War II hero, Lt. Charles R. Ware, and a USS Charles R. Ware Association reunion planned for October in Athens, they didn’t hesitate to schedule a visit with their restored Dauntless SBD Dive Bomber “Lady in Blue.”

The Commemorative Air Force Association (CAF) is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that was formed in order to preserve, and educate the public about combat war planes, initially those from World War II. Membership is not limited to former military but includes anyone who is a military enthusiast. There are active military pilots who volunteer to fly the restored aircraft. The association is based in Dallas, Texas and has units across the country and in some parts of the world. They are considered one of the largest air forces in the world having more than 175 combat aircraft with more than 60 different types, some from foreign countries. There are currently 13,000 members of the CAF.

The aircraft they restore and fly are considered experimental and are scrutinized with stringent regulations regarding maintenance. For every 100 hours flown, the plane needs to have a very involved maintenance that includes the breaking down of each engine to be inspected and cleaned. Usually, the aircraft are down for maintenance from November through April in order to complete the required inspections.

Coming along with the Dauntless is the T-6, a training plane used to prepare pilots for specialized aircraft used at war. The planes are coming from the Airbase Georgia unit on Friday, Oct. 7. They will arrive at the McMinn County Airport at 10 a.m. when booked flights of twenty-minutes each will start immediately. The prepaid tax-deductible fee for a ride on the Dauntless SBD is $995. A similar flight on the T-6 is listed on their website as $395. The money is used to cover the cost of flying and helps with maintenance of the planes. The planes will be on display prior to their scheduled 3 p.m. departure.

The general public is invited to view the planes and also to reserve a flight. There are only five flights available for each aircraft so book your flight right away to be sure to get a ride. Anyone who wants to reserve a flight can access the Airbase Georgia website to reserve your seat at www.airbasegeorgia.org/warbird-rides/ to prepay and follow additional instructions. You can also contact Jim Stearns through email at james.stearns@airbasegeorgia.org.

The length of the ride is timed by the “wheels up and wheels down” rule and on the Dauntless SBD you will sit in the gunner’s seat—back-to-back with the pilot. The positioning was important in combat so that the gunner would have clear view of any incoming enemy planes while the pilot was navigating in toward a target to drop a bomb.

The Dauntless SBD Dive Bomber was the only US combat aircraft to fight from the beginning of World War II until the end. It was the most destructive air weapon of the US Navy sinking the most Japanese ships than any other allied aircraft during the war. It was tagged with the nickname “Slow, But Deadly” because of its accuracy.

Lt. Charles R. Ware is a World War II hero who enlisted into the United States Navy in 1929 when his mother lived on Ohio Street in Athens, Tennessee. He was over a squadron of six Dauntless SBD Dive Bombers assigned with many others to the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway. His decision to fight unexpected incoming Zeros made a decisive turn in favor of the US in this battle, but it cost him his life.

Ware had become a proficient pilot during his naval career and had mastered the 180-degree dive that this bomber was capable of completing. He used a tactic he had mastered when faced with an unexpected visit of more Zeros from an unknown fourth Japanese fleet. A written account found on his “Find A Grave” states, “Ware had earlier improvised a tactic of turning into the attacking Japanese Zeros, and did so again, creating an arc with the trailing SBD’s that enabled all rear seat gunners to concentrate their fire on the leading Zeros.”

Ware’s crew had two problems after surviving the attack, fuel was low and they didn’t know the exact location of the USS Enterprise. They split up in search of the ship. Only two crewmates were rescued out of the ocean waters. Ware and his gunner, ARM1 William H. Stambaugh were never recovered. Lt. Ware was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, which is the Navy’s second highest decoration. On April 12, 1945 the US Navy honored Ware at the Bethlehem Stella Shipyard in State Island, NY by launching a newly-constructed Gearing Class destroyer named for him, the USS Charles R. Ware (DD865). His mother Arva Zena Ware participated in the launching ceremony.

Hanging from the ceiling of our large USS Charles R. Ware exhibit is a model of a Dauntless SBD Dive Bomber angled at a close 180 degrees. It is fully equipped with a pilot and a gunner. Our exhibit is full of artifacts collected and preserved in honor of Ware, Stambaugh, the USS Charles R. Ware and crew members who served on this ship.

The Ware Association is made up of former crew members and their families. They return to Athens every three years to visit the ship’s homeport.
The association has contributed to the memorials that are in place at the Veterans Park, the Water Wheel at Market Park and the exhibit at the Museum in honor of the ship, the crew and its namesake Lt. Charles R. Ware.