MOSELEY-WILLIAM

LOST  AT  SEA

About 620 miles south of Tokyo is the island of Chichi Jima, a small island only five miles by three miles in size but during World War II the island was critical to the Japanese communications services who used it as a strategic radio relay link.  Neutralizing the island became important when U.S. forces commenced long distance flights to attack the Japanese mainland and the flights often flew over Chichi Jima.  Thus, bombing attacks were launched from American aircraft carriers which flew into the teeth of Chichi Jima’s lethal antiaircraft guns, somehow dodging the shells aimed at them, and releasing their bombs onto the reinforced concrete communications facilities on top of the island’s twin peaks.

On July 4, 1944, a flight of bombers departed the USS Yorktown to attack Chichi Jima and a flight of fighters from Fighter Squadron One accompanied the bombers to give them protection.  One of the Hellcat F6F-3 fighters was piloted by Lieutenant William Crawford Moseley who had previously short down five Japanese planes, thus becoming a Navy Ace.  Unfortunately, during the attack on Chichi Jima the intense antiaircraft fire struck LT Moseley’s plane and he was forced to parachute out of his disabled fighter.  A witness to the crash reported that when LT Moseley reached the water, a life raft was dropped to him.  However, he was seen to disappear under the water before reaching the raft, his body was never recovered and he was declared “missing in action.”  He was declared dead on February 4, 1946 and this is the date shown for his death with his name which is engraved in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.  His name is also engraved on a memorial plaque at the Jerusalem Cemetery in Winnfield, Louisiana.  LT Moseley was survived by his wife living in New Orleans.

DISTINGUISHED  FLYING  CROSS  CITATION

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant William Crawford Moseley, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as pilot of a carrier-based fighter plane in action against enemy forces over Guam in June 1944.  Lieutenant Moseley encountered a numerically superior force of Japanese fighters.  Launching a vigorous attack, he succeeded in blasting an enemy fighter from the sky.  On 19 June 1944, despite a seriously damaged plane, he personally shot down two hostile craft and probably a third.  During a long-range strike against the Japanese fleet he flew in boldly to press home an accurate, damaging attack on the hostile convoy.

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