Home of Composite Squadron 20/VC-20
WWII Composite Squadron of Wildcats and Avengers
Awards and Citations and Statistics
VC-20 distinguished itself  well during its eight months of combat duty in the Pacific.  It was the Battle of Leyte Gulf on 25 October 1944 that the squadron earned the majority of their medals.  The Battle of Leyte Gulf has been noted by historians as the greatest naval battle ever fought. It pitted a small undersized group of escort carriers and DDs and DEs against a much superior Japanese Central force.  The courage and determination of the men of VC-20 and their counterparts in the other squadrons, made Adm Kurita believe he had been detected by Adm Hulsey's Seventh Fleet and he turned and ran when in fact he could have succeeded and would have dealt our troops landing a Leyte a tough blow.  For their heroism, they received the following:
Navy Cross  5                             Silver Star  5
Purple Heart  2                           Distinguished Flying Cross  20
Air Medal  20                        Commendation Medal  5
Composite Squadron 20 earned the right to wear three combat stars for their engagements during the Western Caroline Island Operation which earned one bronze star. For the Leyte Operations which earned one bronze star and the Luzon Operation which earned a third bronze star.  Plus the Philippine Liberation ribbon with two bronze stars.
American Campaign                       Asiatic Campaign                       American Freedom
                                                           3 Stars
USS Kadashan Bay CVE-76 & VC-20
Statistics
Damage to the Enemy
Destroyed:
 20 Aircraft                                  3 fuel dumps                  4 Auto anti-aircraft positions
 7 Artillery emplacements          15 Trucks                      11 Machine Gun Positions 
 1 Heavy Anti-Aricraft Position     1 Oil Barge                    3 Boats & Several Buildings
Probably Destroyed:
 3 Destroyers                            2 Aircraft
Damaged:
2  Battleships                          4 Aircraft                     1 Barge              13 Pillboxes   
3  Heavy Cruisers                    2 Aircraft on ground      1 Dredger              6 Trucks 
 1  Light Cruiser                      11 boats 35'-50' 
  2  Destroyers                        Troop filled trenches heavily straffed  
An unknown amount of damage was done in wooded areas where bivouacs, supply dumps, pillboxes and other installations were reported to be located.
VC-20 Losses During Combat Operations
Personnel Lost--NONE                                           Personnel Wounded--Three
Aircraft lost to enemy action                                   3 FM-2s
Other Aircraft damaged by enemy                          10
Total by Enemy                            13
Operational Losses-non combat                              7
Total VC-20 Personnel Losses
One pilot, Hans Jensen, Ponam Is. 27 Nov. 1944 on takeoff.
One Aircrewman, John Martin, 76 miles SE of Palau Is. during carrier landing 21 Dec.1944.
Landing Statistics aboard CVE-76
Total Landings on CVE-76, 2,299 thru early January 1945 actual number exceeded 3,000
Number of times the barrier was hit, 21
Average wind across deck during landings, 25.8 Knots
Lowest wind used for landings, 17 Knots on 23 Sept. 1944
Highest wind used for landings, 41 Knots on 25 Oct. 1944
Shortest landing intervals: VT  15 seconds  VF 12 seconds
This page was last updated on: November 13, 2019
Charles Roth
S K Topliss
Don Rogers
DFC Ceremony, OPALIKA, FL  
5 May 1944
DFC awarded to VC-20 pilots.  Location unknown

CVE-76                            VC-20
Photo from Charles Roth
Photo from Mary Myatt Bowman
S K Topliss  Charles Roth and Don Rogers after receiving their DFC awards. They are standing beside JELLY BELLY.
Topliss happen to find her on the flight line. JELLY BELLY is the TBM he flew on 25 OCT 1944.

Don Roger's Citation has a small error
in it. It should read 25 OCT 1944
Photos, citations, poems and news article are from Judy Rogers Zito.
Don Rogers
S K Topliss
Photo from Judy Rogers Zito
Capt. M E Browder presenting
medals.
1      2
Officers 1 and 2 are believed to be Lt(s) 
J B Folson and S B Johnson who are 
receiving Air Medals.
Charles Roth
POEMS by Don "DOC" ROGERS

We used to sit in easy chairs
And honk about their hardess.
Tysdal wasn't bothered thus,
For he was far from lard-less.

But now we on sit parachutes hard,
And wish that they were strap-less.
We sit so hard and sit so long,
That we are nearly crap-less.

The sun beats down from up above,
And we are getting tann-ny.
While down below we have, my dear,
A sore and aching fanny.

WHY?
From o'ver the ocean broad and deep,
To hear my thoughts and mar my sleep,
There comes a sound and many more,
Oh, why does Tysdal have to snore?

Oh, why, oh why this sound so loud,
That tears asunder sleep's bright cloud.
That reaps and rends my dreams and his.
Should have to come from anixous Tys.

These sounds that spoil nocturnal bliss,
I'm sure his wifey dear will miss.
For me I'm prone to want my rest,
But if this keeps up I'll never get any
*!@!* sleep!
Philippine Liberation Medal 
2 stars
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon only.
Original VC20 patch. The patch was created by Walt Disney Studios for the unit. The turkey repesents the FM2 Wildcats and the elephant represents the TBM's Gruman Avengers.