[Annotator's Note: The interview begins with Donald Hoff already in conversation with the interviewer.] Hoff [Annotator's Note: born in November 1922 in Stockton, California] graduated from high school in Mariposa [Annotator's Note: Mariposa, California] in 1940. He had planned to go to junior college, but did not have the resources, so decided to join the Navy Reserve [Annotator's Note: United States Naval Reserve], which required one year of active duty and three years inactive. He was guaranteed a spot in radio school and graduated as a Radioman Third Class. To prepare for radio school, he worked in a warehouse of a department store in Fresno [Annotator's Note: Fresno, California] and took radio theory courses in the afternoons and evenings. In addition, he studied Morse Code [Annotator's Note: a method of telecommunication encoding characters in a system of dots and dashes] at Fresno State College [Annotator's Note: now California State University, Fresno]. In spring 1941, he went to radio school at the Naval Reserve Armory in Los Angeles [Annotator's Note: Los Angeles, California]. Because of his preparations, Hoff learned quickly. He also already knew how to close-order drill [Annotator's Note: the formal movements and formations used in military marching, parades, and ceremonies] from Saturday mornings spent at the YMCA [Annotator's Note: Young Men's Christian Association] in his youth. He was appointed First Petty Officer in charge of the section. When he graduated there, the Navy was in need of radio operators in aviation and he accepted a position in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6), flying in PBY Catalinas [Annotator's Note: Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibious aircraft], and sent to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] for training. He trained on rifles and naval guns and stood watch. In the latter half of 1941, Hoff was transferred to Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] on AV-8, the Tangier [Annotator's Note: USS Tangier (AV-8)] and then assigned to the aircraft carrier Enterprise [Annotator's Note: USS Enterprise (CV-6)].

The morning after Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] spent his first night aboard the Enterprise, he was introduced to the SBD [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless] and told that this is what he would be flying and working in. He was concerned as it as a very different plane, single engine, and would take off and land atop the carrier unlike the Catalina which landed on the water [Annotator's Note: Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibious aircraft]. They began flying a few days later. It was his first time ever in a plane. They did practice dive bombing runs and landings on the carrier. The first-time landing was concerning, as the carrier looks tiny as the plane approaches. His first three months of flights from October to December [Annotator's Note: of 1941] were not recorded due to Navy policy, but he was in the air on 7 December [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. His log begins in January 1942. The Enterprise had been returning from a run to Wake Island [Annotator's Note: Wake Island, United States possession] on 7 December after delivering Marine fighter planes. The Enterprise had been scheduled to return to Pearl Harbor on 6 December [Annotator's Note: 6 December 1941] but was delayed due to poor weather conditions. The air group was supposed to land at Ford Island [Annotator's Note: Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] around eight in the morning, and the Enterprise would arrive around two that afternoon. When Hoff and Mr. Donnell [Annotator's Note: US Naval Reserve Ensign Earl Roe Donnell, the pilot] went to take off, the engine began making snapping and popping noises. Donnell hit the brakes and the plane handlers turned them around. The spark plugs had overheated, but the plane was cleared.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] and his crew were scheduled to fly an antisubmarine patrol with Lieutenant JG [Annotator's Note: Lieutenant (junior grade)] Norman "Dusty" Kleiss [Annotator's Note: US Navy Captain Norman Jack "Dusty" Kleiss] and took off around seven in the morning [Annotator's Note: on 7 December 1941]. Shortly thereafter, they heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. A few of the dive-bombers were attacked by the Japanese. Since they were heading back in, their guns were put away, and many of the crew members in the air were not fully qualified. Initially, Hoff did not think the Japanese were really attacking Pearl Harbor but thought that it was a very realistic drill. When he and Donnell [Annotator's Note: US Naval Reserve Ensign Earl Roe Donnell, the pilot] landed [Annotator's Note: at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] around 11:00 or 12:00 to be refueled, Hoff noticed that the Enterprise's normal flag had been replaced by the battle ensign, and a higher-up confirmed that it was not a drill. It was at this point that he saw men scurrying all over the flight deck which was not normal, and he realized that they were truly at war.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] heard about the attack [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] via radio while in the air on antisubmarine patrol. There was so much confusion. The men took a while to realize the attack was real and they were actually at war. They sent out a search hop, with live torpedoes and live bombs because Halsey [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey] had ordered the Navy to operate under war conditions: no plane would take off without a full tank of gas, the bomb load, and full load of ammunition. After receiving a contact report, the Enterprise sent out a group of planes to lay a smokescreen through which the torpedo planes would fly and destroy the enemy, which was fine in theory. Hoff had never practiced this before, but everyone else seemed to know what to do. Hoff expected to lose an entire squadron of dive-bombers with this tactic because they had to go slow, and fly low, an easy target for enemy ships. The F4F Wildcats [Annotator's Note: Grumman F4F Wildcat carrier-based fighter aircraft] were heavy and did not have the speed of the Zero [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft, referred to as the Zeke or Zero], although the Wildcats could dive away at a speed the Zeroes could not withstand.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] and Donnell [Annotator's Note: US Naval Reserve Ensign Earl Roe Donnell, the pilot] were preparing to take off [Annotator's Note: during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] when Donnell asked a mechanic if they had a bomb or a smoke tank, as there was so much confusion on deck. They only had a smoke tank and knew they would all be dead because there would be no survivors on a smoke tank run. None of them had experience being at war, but it was exciting and confusing. They were all caught totally by surprise. But they finished their flight without any contact and executed the first nighttime landing on the Enterprise. The torpedo pilots were especially nervous, never having landed at night and certainly never with live torpedoes. It was an exhausting day. Hoff had flown twice that day, awake since four or five that morning and could not keep his eyes open. [Annotator's Note: tape runs out and is replaced.] He went to his bunk and immediately fell asleep. He was so tired, he slept through a call to General Quarters [Annotator's Note: an announcement made to signal that everyone available must go to battle stations as quickly as possible]. When he arrived at the radio room, he was threatened with a court martial [Annotator's Note: a legal proceeding for military members that is similar to a civilian court trial] for missing the flight. Luckily, the man that he had told he was going to lay down owned up to forgetting to go wake up him and it saved him.

The Enterprise [Annotator's Note: USS Enterprise (CV-6)] was out at sea on 7 December [Annotator's Note: for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], and returned to Pearl Harbor the night of the 8 December 1941. Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] was on the flight deck when the ship entered the harbor, and he saw the remaining flames from the attack. They arrived around ten at night and worked furiously through the night without breaks refueling and resupplying. They headed out around six the next morning. The Enterprise patrolled for submarines between Pearl Harbor and Maui [Annotator's Note: Maui, Hawaii]. After the attack, Pearl Harbor had no defenses. Had the Japanese known this and come back with an invasion fleet, they would have taken it. The realization that they were really at war took a while to sink in. They never made any contact on their patrols, though a few submarines were found and attacked. Sometimes whales were mistaken for submarines and killed. In late January [Annotator's Note: January 1942], the Enterprise was sent to the Marshall [Annotator's Note: Marshall Islands] and Gilbert Islands for the first offensive of the war. At this point, no one on the ship had any combat experience. The pilots wanted the most practiced crews with them. Hoff felt slighted at not being able to fly. When Donnell [Annotator's Note: US Naval Reserve Ensign Earl Roe Donnell, his pilot] was shot down and the gunner that was with him was killed, Hoff was sorry for the loss but glad he was not aboard. The same thing happened at Wake Island [Annotator's Note: Wake Island, United States possession], when Hoff was replaced by someone else. The Enterprise had a reputation for looking for trouble and wanting to fight. Her crew was top of the line and efficient. A camaraderie is developed when crews fly together regularly. The gunner had to trust the pilots because he was flying facing backwards, and the pilot depends on the radioman.

In the Marshalls [Annotator's Note: Marshall Islands] and Gilberts [Annotator's Note: Gilbert Islands], enough planes were shot down that the reserves were called in. Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] with Ensign Dexter [Annotator's Note: US Navy Ensign James Dexter] got in a plane for the first time with that pilot. He was nervous going into combat [Annotator's Note: at the Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942 at Midway Atoll]. Dexter's job was to maneuver the plane into position to drop a bomb and would not see most antiaircraft fire. But Hoff, facing backwards, could see all the tracers [Annotator's Note: incendiary ammunition that gunners use to adjust the trajectory of their firing] very close to the plane, so close that he would flinch. From the backseat, he would never know if the pilot was hit. The planes dove at a rate of about 1,000 feet per second, or around 250 miles per hour. During Midway, Hoff could see men running around on the deck of the Kaga [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Kaga] with smoke and flames everywhere. He was supposed to strafe, but he did not, thinking that he might need the ammunition later, or that he would attract fire back at his plane. He had not realized that they were already shooting at him. Dexter dove towards a Japanese cruiser, getting as close as 10 feet off the water. The Japanese had developed a new tactic at Coral Sea [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Coral Sea, 4 to 8 May 1942 at Coral Sea Islands] where they would fire ahead of a retreating aircraft, the 8-inch shell would explode in the water and shoot up a big column of water which might as well be concrete, so that if you ran into it you were done. When pulling up, Dexter "jinxed", jerking left, right, up and down to make themselves a difficult target. The carrier fired a shell, but Dexter was able to avoid the water column, flying around 200 miles per hour. Still, it lifted their plane into the air about 50 feet. A Zero fighter [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft, referred to as the Zeke or Zero] spotted them and came after them. Hoff moved his gun to the port side [Annotator's Note: the right side] of the plane and fired at the Zero. It seemed that he made a hit, but the plane went below Hoff's field of vision so he could not be certain.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] and his pilot [Annotator's Note: US Navy Ensign James Dexter] spotted a Japanese seaplane. Hoff was ready to go after it, with his.30 calibers [Annotator's Note: Browning ANM2 .30 caliber machine guns] and Dexter with .50 calibers [Annotator's Note: Browning ANM2 .50 caliber machine guns], but the pilot decided that they did not have enough gas to engage. They flew low, 300 to 500 feet above sea-level, and slow to conserve fuel, all the while trying to stay out of view of the seaplane. When they got close enough to the Enterprise, they changed the radio channel to pick up the ZB [Annotator's Note: aircraft-to-carrier homing device] and locate the carrier, but then the radio battery went dead. They had to turn it off, along with the transmitter and the IFF, or Identification, friend or foe. The Enterprise assumed that they were an enemy torpedo plane as they approached and sent out two fighters to intercept them. Hoff hurriedly unpacked the Aldis lamp [Annotator's Note: a signal lamp for optical communication via Morse code] and signaled "K" for "king" which was the correct response to the challenge for that time of day. The fighters had been ready to shoot, but Hoff managed to give the right response just in time. He also transmitted information on who they were, and how many enemy ships there were, which the fighters then transmitted to the Enterprise via VHF [Annotator's Note: very-high-frequency], which the SBD could not use. In approaching for landing, the carrier made a very sharp 90-degree turn and was leaning significantly but leveled out just in time for their landing. Hoff learned later that they only had five gallons of gas remaining, or less than five minutes in the air. They were the last ones to land that day.

When Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] left Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in late December 1941], they did not know where they were going. They only knew that the Yorktown [Annotator's Note: USS Yorktown (CV-5)] had been damaged at Coral Sea [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Coral Sea, 4 to 8 May 1942 at Coral Sea Islands] and required repair. Admiral Spruance [Annotator's Note: US Navy Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance] kept secret that the US had broken the Japanese code and knew that Midway [Annotator's Note: Midway Islands, United States possession] was the next target. On 3 June [Annotator's Note: 3 June 1942] the men were warned that there might be action the following day. No one slept well that night. They knew that Yamamoto [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet] was in the area after recognizing the fist [Annotator's Note: the individual style in which a radio operator transmits Morse code] of his radio operator. On the morning of 4 June [Annotator's Note: 4 June 1942], they woke up around four o'clock, too worried to eat. They knew there was the possibility that not everybody was going to make it. Combat was scary, but in some way the uncertainty of what is going to happen was worse.

When Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] flew out that day [Annotator's Note: 4 June 1942, for the Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942 at Midway Atoll], they did not see any enemy ships or aircraft at all, but McClusky [Annotator's Note: US Navy Rear Admiral Clarence Wade McClusky, Junior] decided to continue. Finally, they spotted the Arashi [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Arashi], traveling at flank speed [Annotator's Note: a ship's true maximum speed], and they followed it to see if it was heading back to the fleet. Hoff was flying with Dexter [Annotator's Note: US Navy Ensign James Dexter, his pilot] in absolute silence, using only hand signals to communicate. Hoff's job was to watch for enemy fighters. At this point they were over the Japanese fleet. They were not allowed to use their transmitters because they knew the Japanese were listening, though there was some communication among McClusky, Gallaher [Annotator's Note: US Navy Lieutenant, later Rear Admiral, William Earl Gallaher], and Dick Best [Annotator's Note: US Navy Lieutenant Richard Halsey Best]. Communications were not great, but the best they had available at the time. [Annotator's Note: Someone enters off-camera and there is discussion.] They could not use certain frequencies because the Japanese were listening. The fighter planes, however, could use VHF [Annotator's note: very-high-frequency] transmitters, which the dive bombers and torpedo planes were not equipped with. This was Hoff's first combat flight. Dexter dove on the Kaga [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Kaga], not getting a direct hit, but a near miss at the rear quarter. According to the Japanese, it caused significant internal damage. When Dexter pulled out of the dive, Hoff, who was riding backwards, could see the damage done to the Kaga. It was scary and exciting, like a movie, except it was real, people were trying to kill him [Annotator's Note: Hoff laughs].

Donald Hoff's [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] plane headed back to the Enterprise to refuel [Annotator's Note: after his first combat flight, taking part in the attacks on the Japanese destroyer Akashi and carrier Kaga], and then quickly went back up to look for the Hiryū [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Hiryū]. Squadrons from the disabled Yorktown [Annotator's Note: USS Yorktown (CV-5)] were adopted into the Enterprise's squadrons. In addition to Scouting 6, they were joined by Bombing 6 [Annotator's Note: Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6)], Bombing 5 [Annotator's Note: Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5)] and Bombing 3 [Annotator's Note: Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3)]. Around five o'clock in the afternoon, the Japanese knew the US air group was coming. There was antiaircraft fire, and their combat aircrews were flying. The US had already sunk three carriers at this point and were going to finish the job. The antiaircraft fire was very thick. The combat action reports differ significantly among squadrons, as to who did what to who. Everyone wanted to take credit, especially those hoping for a promotion. Bombing 3 had what was called an electric charging unit, a simple switch that charged the bomb. However, it sometimes malfunctioned and instead of charging the bomb, would drop it. The Hornet's [Annotator's Note: USS Hornet (CV-12)] air crews did not participate that day. Dexter hit the Hiryū on the flight deck. Their plane was never hit, but their radio battery died again. Luckily, they had knocked out all of the Japanese carriers so there was no one to follow them. They would have been in trouble if there was a secondary Japanese fleet in the area. They had reports from a submarine, possibly the Nautilus [Annotator's Note: USS Nautilus (SS-168)], of four burning hulls throughout the night.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] returned to the Enterprise after an attack on Hiryū [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Hiryū] around seven o'clock in the evening [Annotator's Note: 4 June 1942]. They were fed steak and eggs for dinner. They were wound up because they knew the Japanese fleet [Annotator's Note: the Imperial Japanese Navy 5th Fleet] was in the area and they would likely have to go up into combat again. They were given whiskey, which they called medicinal treatment. On 5 June [Annotator's Note: 5 June 1942] they went out again to look for an injured ship and found the Tanikaze [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Tanikaze]. Thirty-six planes dived on her, and she began firing antiaircraft, hitting just one of the planes. The air crews were nervous after the previous day's battle, and were dropping their bombs high, around 2500 to 3000 feet instead of the standard 2000, so as not to get too close to the antiaircraft fire.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] had taken part in the attack on Tanikaze [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Tanikaze, on 5 June 1942 during Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942 at Midway Atoll]. The Enterprise received a report that there were injured battle cruisers in the area, including the Mikuma [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser Mikuma]. Scouting 6, Bombing 6 [Annotator's Note: Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6)], Bombing 5 [Annotator's Note: Bombing Squadron 5 (VB-5)] and Bombing 3 [Annotator's Note: Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3)]. Dexter [Annotator's Note: US Navy Ensign James Dexter, the pilot] made a direct hit on the rear turret of the battle cruiser [Annotator's Note: the Tanikaze]. Several hits were made, and the ship was torn to pieces. They decided not to strafe the men in the water as the Japanese had done to US crews previously. There were three torpedo planes that were still able to fly, but they remained out of range so as not to be completely disabled. There was a lot of antiaircraft fire. The Hornet [Annotator's Note: USS Hornet (CV-12)] had lost its entire torpedo squadron and did not really participate in the battle. There was so much chaos and dysfunction after Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], there was no action report sent to Admiral Nimitz [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Senior, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet] from the Hornet.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] was sent north towards the Aleutians [Annotator's Note: Aleutian Islands, Alaska]. Messages from Yamamoto [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto; Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet] had been intercepted indicating that he had planned to reinforce Nagumo [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Chuichi Nagumo] at Midway [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942 at Midway Atoll] but canceled the operation after the Japanese loss. The men on the Enterprise got only a day or two of rest before moving out. They were tired and could not function. They ended up going back to Pearl [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii]. Some Army Air Force men took credit for destroying the carriers [Annotator's Note: at Midway], and there was a brawl at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel [Annotator's Note: in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii] between Army and Navy men. The Air Forces did drop bombs [Annotator's Note: at Midway] from 25,000 to 30,000 feet, but these were easily avoided by the Japanese carriers. Hoff was able to relax and recover at the hotel. At the end of June 1943, Hoff and Snowden [Annotator's Note: US Navy Radioman 3rd Class J. W. Snowden] returned to the United States from Noumea, New Caledonia with orders to attend flight school. On their flight, they were told to declare every single item they had for customs. So they did, listing their Colt .45 guns [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol], knives, and extra ammunition. They were cleared, sent to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and eventually put on the Henderson [Annotator's Note: USS Henderson (AP-1)] to return home. Hoff never went back to the Pacific.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] was on Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] for a while. While there, Bergin [Annotator's Note: US Navy Radioman 1st Class William H. Bergin] got hold of a Reising submachine gun [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber Reising M50 submachine gun] which he carried with him in the back of his SBD [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber aircraft]. While on Guadalcanal, they met members of the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion [Annotator's Note: 1st Parachute Battalion, 1st Marine Division]. Hoff, Bergin, and Snowden [Annotator's Note: US Navy Radioman 3rd Class and gunner J. W. Snowden] went crocodile hunting in the jungle, armed with rifles and Colt .45s [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol]. At this point, around February 1943, Hoff understood that the Japanese had all been pushed to the northwest corner of the island. They saw a machine gun nest at the top of a hill, without a gun, and several layers of barbed wire in an open field below. From the machine gun emplacement, Hoff saw that with this setup, enemy troops would have been slaughtered completely. Snowden noticed that there were warm ashes, it gave them the feeling someone had just been there. It got dark as they headed back to Henderson Field [Annotator's Note: Henderson Field in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] and they did not know where they were. Hoff used his Ronson lighter [Annotator's Note: brand of cigarette lighter], a gift from his mother, to light their way in the absolute darkness. After a few miles, they ran into a base where a movie was being shown and were driven back to Henderson Field. They had to get back because they had an early-morning flight to Munda Point, New Georgia [Annotator's Note: New Georgia, Solomon Islands].

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] had been on the Enterprise since the war started. Her sailors were pretty cocky, especially after having taken four carriers at Midway [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942 at Midway Atoll]. The older men were transferred back to the States, but the younger men had to stay, which created some resentment. The eight remaining junior men had to train the new arrivals. Around 4 or 5 November [Annotator's Note: of 1942] they were transferred to the Saratoga [Annotator's Note: USS Saratoga (CV-3)], along with Bombing 3 [Annotator's Note: Bombing Squadron 3 (VB-3)]. Scouting 3 [Annotator's Note: Scouting Squadron 3 (VS-3)] had served at Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal, codenamed Operation Watchtower; 7 August 1942 to 9 February 1943; Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] and Midway so was eligible to return home. There was animosity between the men of the Enterprise and Saratoga. Hoff did not like the people or the ship, and the feeling was mutual. The only time they had any relief was when the ship pulled into Noumea [Annotator's Note: Noumea, New Caledonia]. The planes flew into Tontouta [Annotator's Note: Tontouta, New Caledonia], an Army airbase operated by a CASU unit [Annotator's Note: Carrier Aircraft Service Unit], in December 1942. The base had just been organized and sanitation was not what it should have been. Everyone developed diarrhea. It was a cold, wet, miserable winter. The Tangier [Annotator's Note: USS Tangier (AV-8)] was the first ship Hoff was ever assigned to. His job then was to stand radioman watch. He was a Radioman 3rd Class and liked his job. Occasionally he received a "Fox schedule", "F" meaning do not transmit anything regarding the message, it was top secret. When there were electrical interferences like a lightning storm, several men would be put on the job and the averages of their messages would be taken.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) had been transferred to the USS Saratoga (CV-3)] and his squadron had strict orders to never land on the Enterprise, even under emergency circumstances. There was a rumor that if they did land, they would try to stay onboard ship. At one point the Saratoga was called in to back up the Enterprise, operating out of Espiritu Santo [Annotator's Note: Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu] at the time, but they never got closer than 10 or 20 miles from the carrier. There was something between them [Annotator's Note: the men of the Enterprise and Saratoga] that kept them apart. Before going onto the Saratoga, Badgley [Annotator's Note: US Navy Aviation Chief Radioman J. R. Badgley] told Hoff and some others that they should store their belongings at his home in Kaneohe [Annotator's Note: Kaneohe, Hawaii], as the Saratoga was prone to being struck by torpedoes and would mostly likely have to return to Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] for repairs. The Air Group was finally relieved around July or August 1943 and the enlisted men were loaded onto a Dutch freighter called the Tabinta [Annotator's Note: MS Tabinta]. After departing Noumea [Annotator's Note: Noumea, New Caledonia], the Tabinta broke down for several days, without any escort. Because of the delay, they bypassed Pearl Harbor and went straight to Alameda Naval Air Station [Annotator's Note: in Alameda, California]. The air group was disbanded or decommissioned.

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) transferred to the USS Saratoga (CV-3) in early November 1942] returned to the east coast of the United States. Hoff and some of his friends, including Snowden [Annotator's Note: US Navy Radioman 3rd Class J. W. Snowden] decided to go to flight school to get out of the Pacific, the only other way was in a pine box. In late June 1943, Hoff and Snowden were transferred to flight school, two years of college minimum was required. Having graduated high school in June 1940, it was difficult for Hoff to adjust to being back in the classroom. He was having a lot of fun on the weekends. At William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, 98 percent of the aviation cadets were ex-fleet, Marines, and combat crews, their uniforms adorned with ribbons, stars, and combat aircrew wings [Annotator's Note: military decorations], while the commanding officer might have one European Theater bar [Annotator's Note: European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal]. It was ridiculous for these men to salute a commanding officer like that. They were worse than 90-day wonders [Annotator's Note: derogatory slang for a newly commissioned graduate of three month, or 90-day, officer candidate or midshipman school].

Donald Hoff [Annotator's Note: a rear seat gunner and radio operator on Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers in Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6), USS Enterprise (CV-6), then the USS Saratoga (CV-3) before transfer to flight school] met a local businessman who took him to a members-only country club in North Platte, Nebraska one night. His commanding officer showed up demanding to see him, threatening to call the military police. Hoff hid in a storage closet, and the lieutenant was allowed into the club to look around. He did not find Hoff and left, unwillingly. Hoff was able to sneak back into his barracks. The next day he was called in, chewed out, but played dumb. It was around February or March 1944 at this point, and the Navy had decided to cut the aviation cadet program by 50 percent by July [Annotator's Note: July 1944] because there was a sufficient number of pilots. If they continued in flight school, only the most senior men, and the best academically would be kept. Otherwise, they would go back to the rank they had when they entered the program. Hoff decided to quit and was sent back to Kansas City [Annotator's Note: Kansas City, Missouri], then to Great Lakes [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois]where he got a bad ear infection and was hospitalized. He was mistakenly not paid. In trying to rectify the situation, Hoff met a Chief Warrant Officer who had been on the Enterprise and who encouraged him to take an examination for promotion. He was promoted to First Class Aviation Radioman. He was finally discharged in September 1945. The dropping of the atomic bomb was the finest thing that ever happened in his life [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945].