Welcome! to the Home of the Fighting 17th.
The Jolly Rogers began during World War II as Fighter Squadron 17 (VF-17) on January 1, 1943 under the
command of LCDR Tom Blackburn. The squadron was one of the first navy squadrons to fly the Vought F4U
Corsair fighter. Formally in charge of training new navy fighter pilots in Florida, Blackburn quickly got his new
squadron up to speed and they soon deployed into combat aboard the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill (CV-17). In a
sudden change of plans, however, the Navy decided to replace all Corsair squadrons on aircraft carriers with
the Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter. The reason for this move was that many
commanders had submitted negative reviews of the Corsair's carrier suitability, as
it was a difficult plane to master, especially compared to the easy-to-fly Hellcat. So
before Blackburn's men had a chance to fire a shot, they were off-loaded from
Bunker Hill and reassigned to land bases on the Solomon Islands in the Pacific.
Because their plane was called Corsair, VF-17's men wanted a squadron name
that would correspond with that pirate theme. They came up with the now-famous
black flag with white skull and crossbones symbol and decided on the name Jolly
Rogers. The Jolly Rogers painted their new logo on the sides of the engine
cowling, not under the cockpit as tradition called for, so it wouldn't clutter up the
fuselage where their kill markings would later be painted. Thus, the legend was
born.
VF-17 Jolly Rogers FR B Land
VF-17 was only active from 1943 to 1944, but during the squadron's short life, it recorded the most kills for any
squadron up to that point in the war, with 154 confirmed kills, and many other probable kills.
The history of the Jolly Rogers at this point is a bit fuzzy, with many saying the squadron transferred over to form
the new VF-84 on Bunker Hill. It is true that many members of the former squadron were assigned to this new
squadron (including its new CO, Roger Hedrick), but according to the Navy's records, the Jolly Rogers name
and traditions were passed to VF-5B in 1946, which subsequently became VF-61 on April 28, 1948. Also
unclear is the timing of the legend of ENS Jack Ernie. Ernie, a new pilot to the Jolly Rogers, was shot down in
combat during the invasion of Okinawa. On his last transmission to his skipper, Ernie said, "… remember me
with the Jolly Rogers." After his remains were recovered, his family presented his skull and femur bones,
mounted in a glass case, to the men of the Jolly Rogers as a living symbol and tradition of the squadron. Now,
before every new commander takes over the Jolly Rogers squadron, there is a ceremony, called "The Passing
of the Bones," where the remains of ENS Jack Ernie are passed from the old skipper to the new one. Though
this story is said to be true, there are a few discrepancies. It is unclear to which squadron Ernie was a member
of - VF-17, VF-84, VF-61, or another squadron. In Tommy Blackburn's book, The Jolly Rogers, he recounts the
exploits of his squadron's tour of duty, the original VF-17. Nowhere in his book does Blackburn, the CO of
VF-17, mention a word about ENS Jack Ernie, nor was he listed on the squadron roster. VF-17 was
disestablished before the invasion of Okinawa (1945), anyway, so Ernie seems unlikely to have flown with
Fighting 17. This leads me to believe that Ernie was flying with another squadron at the time of his demise,
probably before VF-61 became the Jolly Rogers, but after VF-17 was disestablished. That leaves either
VF-84, which was not a Jolly Roger squadron, or another Navy squadron of the time. The legend and mystery
continue…Welcome to the " Jolly Rogers" web page. Here is a chance for allies, foes and new pilots who may want join, to get to know the squad. There will also be areas on dealing with connection problems and both fighter and bomber tatics and a page dedicated to some of the more note worthy opponents we have faced in are arena, be they good or bad. This page will be changing frequently so remember to book mark the site and reload or you may only see what you browser may have cached last. All pilots from any country are welcome to leave tips. I will post them with CPID of the pilot in the color of their country in the area they concern. I am also thinking of an area for gripes emailed to me by enemy pilots who want to give their two cents. Visit the other Vf-17 sites below and check out the other squads on the Air Warrior Web Ring or join it if you have a web page for your squad. ~BigHog~
"Whispering Death" was what the Japanese called the F4U Corsair during World War II. Appropriately so, as the last thing many Japanese pilots saw was a Corsair in their 6 o'clock position. More appropriate was the scull and crossbones, or Jolly
Roger, painted on the noses of one particular group of Corsairs - those of Navy Squadron VF-17. This symbol flew from the masts of pirate ships who once sailed the seas looking for treasure to plunder. To cross paths with pirates meant death for those who chose to fight with them. From October 1943 to March 1944 many unfortunate Japanese pilots crossed paths with the Jolly Rogers and were dispatched in short order. The exploits of VF-17 quickly gained the attention of the "Brass", as well as the news media, although the latter didn't always portray them in favorable terms. Squadron VF-17 gained a reputation for drinking, fighting, and a generally unorthodox method of conducting warfare. That was due, in part, to the leadership style of their
Skipper, Tom Blackburn. Tom was warm and friendly to his men, but he was also a perfectionist. He wanted fearless, aggressive pilots in his squadron. He didn't always discourage the raucous behavior of his pilots, as some in the Navy thought he should, but he ended up with the type of team he needed. By the time they saw first combat, anyone who couldn't 'cut the mustard' was gone.
What may have seemed rowdy behavior to the press was really what was required for the job. Aggressiveness was an essential in all successful fighter units of the war. It should come as no surprise that some of this energy spilled over into events that took place on the ground. Tom Blackburn's methods proved correct. Under his
command, Navy Squadron VF-17 became the highest scoring Navy Corsair squadron of WWII. They destroyed 154 Japanese planes in 76 days, beating the record of 'Pappy' Boyington's notorious Black Sheep squadron. In doing so, they demoralized the once proud Japanese Air Force. So much so that upon seeing the approaching Corsairs, one Japanese pilot wrote in his diary, "Here come the wolves again!". The spectacle of aerial warfare in the bright skies over the Solomon Islands will never be witnessed again. Although they were only there for a very short span of
time, Navy Squadron VF-17 played an important role in shaping the course of WWII.
AW3 VF-17 Jolly Rogers
WWII VF-17 Jolly Rogers
VF-17 Squad Films
VF-17 Fighter Tatics
VF-17 Ranking and Medals
Clik here to get help with bad connects to Air Warrior!
VF-17 Campaign results
I have just begun to work on this page so return often to see updates. When you come to the page reset or reload, if not you will not see what has been done recently to the site. You will not hear the awesome sound of a WWII Fighter if you have come to this page via AW. You must bookmark the site and come to it when u do not have AW running, to here the WWII fighter sounds.
VF-17 Jolly Rogers Squad Home Pages
Lcdr.ArloG's VF-17 Web Page.
LtJg.Lotel's VF-17 Web Page.
Ens.Narn's VF-17 Web Page.
VF-17 Jolly Rogers on Warbirds.(Salute! to our brothers!)
© 1997 felsted@mindspring.com
This AW WebRing site is owned and managed by BigHog
Prev 5 - Skip Prev - Prev - Next - Skip Next - Next 5 - Random - List
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page