LISKA-JOHN

Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble of Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the early stages of the Guadalcanal Campaign, particularly those operating from Henderson Field. After December, the official name of the unit became Commander, Aircraft, Solomons (AirSols), but Cactus Air Force was still used frequently to refer to the organization. The term "Cactus" comes from the Allied code name for the island. In April 1943 the organization was redesignated as AirSols.

A  DAY  OF  COMBAT

The Battle of Coral Sea on May 7-8, 1942, signified a new era in naval warfare as it was the first battle to be fought between aircraft carriers and the first time the opposing naval ships were never in sight of each other.  One of the SBD Dauntless dive bombers participating in the battle was assigned to Scouting Squadron Two piloted by Ensign John Arthur Leppla, with ARM3 John Liska the rear seat radioman/gunner.  The following are excerpts from the book published in 2002, “Mammoth Book Of Eyewitness Battles” authored by Richard R. Lawrence, which describe some of the activities of the two airmen during the battle.

”The fourth bomber, flown by Ensign J. A. Leppla, was one of those attacked by the Zeros almost as soon as his dive steepened to the near vertical.  His rear gunner, John Liska, facing backwards and firing his twin .30-caliber machine guns, fought off this particular persistent attack.  In a duel with two of the Zeros that quickly overhauled them and closed to pointblank range, firing their cannon, Liska got hits that caused flames to burst from their fuel tanks.  Both these Zeros crashed into the sea.  Ensign Leppla was busy during his dive, too.  He saw a Zero go on past him and begin shooting at another plane.  Easing out of his dive slightly, Leppla got the Zero into his sights and shot that one down also.  The carrier was well into its turn by that time and, besides, Leppla had been distracted.  The best he could do with his 500-pounder was to lay it close beside the carrier in a near miss.  This, however, didn’t satisfy him.  He zoomed away, climbed back to 4,000 feet, and dive bombed one of the Japanese cruiser escorts with both his 100-pounders.  One of these hit the cruiser on the stern, which invariably is the target at which dive-bombers aim their bombs.  Leppla and Liska, who had accounted for three Zeros in the battle, had flown about half the 180 miles of the homeward trek when they spotted a Jap seaplane fighter.  It was then several miles off their course and interfering with no one.  But to these two boys a Jap is a Jap wherever he is.  Leppla turned after the seaplane and rapidly overhauled it.  The Jap was waiting for them, and he, too, was a two-seater.  The result was a short but violent air duel that ended when the Japanese plane crashed into the sea.  It gave Leppla and Liska a day’s total of four.  When their plane finally landed on the Lexington, it was examined closely.  Parts of it looked like a colander.  There were bullet holes in the wings, fuselage, tail, and ailerons.  It must have whistled a cheerful tune as the wind whipped through these holes while flying.  The other pilots wondered how and why it answer to the controls.  Its return at all is a testimonial to the builders of the plane and engine.  In the cockpit other shots had gone through the plexiglass cockpit covers, missed Leppla and Liska by inches, and then completely smashed some of the instrument board.  One bullet tore the heel off Leppla’s shoe, and another, after coming through the plane and “buzzing around the cockpit like a bee,” to quote Leppla, went through the leg of his flying suit and was found stuck in the knee of his trousers.”

ENS Leppla was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions described above, the second Navy Cross he received during his service.  Unfortunately, he was later killed in aerial combat on October 26, 1942.  John Liska survived World War II and was discharged at the end of the war with the rate of ARM2.  He reportedly died on August 12, 2011.

                

                                    ARM3 Liska (L)  &  ENS Leppla (R)

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)