VERNE PERRY AUGUSTINE was born on 07 Aug 1918 in St. Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota to Perry Otto (1882-1935) and Elsie May (Capes) Augustine (1887-1965) who married about 1906. Perry was native to Taylorville, IL and Elsie was born in Pontiac, IL. Verne's only sibling was a sister, Mildred F. (Augustine) Miller (1906-1983). There was a 12 year age difference between the two siblings. Most would say Verne was raised as an only child because of that large age difference.

Perry was originally a farmer but transitioned into Live Stock Speculation then he was employed as a livestock buyer for Armour Company. The Augustine family moved a number of times probably to correspond to Perry’s employment status. In 1910, the family's residence was Keystone, Polk, MN, then by 1920 the had moved to St Paul, Ramsey, MN. Another move followed by 1930, their residence was in Wahpeton, Richland, North Dakota (ND). On the cusp of the Great Depression, times were soon to become stressful. Added to those challenges attributed to the disastrous economic downturn was the unexpected death on 01 Sep 1935 of Perry Otto Augustine; the family’s leader and primary bread winner. Verne was beginning his senior year in high school. He remained in school and worked part-time when he could find it. Verne graduated from Wahpeton High School in June 1936. While in high school he participated in basketball, Boy’s Glee Club, Junior Class play, football, Orchestra (he played trombone), and the Letterman’ club. After graduation, he delayed his matriculation at the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks, ND in order to earn enough money to pay for his room, board and tuition.

He matriculated at the University of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND in Sept 1937 with the class of 1941. His major area of study was commerce. Not only was he busy with his academic studies and part time work, but he found time to participate in many of the school’s sports and social activities. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega (VTN) fraternity, ROTC band, Kappa Kappa PSI National Honorary Fraternity of Bandsmen, Concert Band member as trombonist and publicity chairman, Intramural Sports (Basketball), and the Concert Orchestra. His last school function occurred on 17 Dec 1940 when he played with the University of ND concert band as they performed a Christmas broadcast greeting over the radio to the residents of North Dakota. Verne had completed 3 and one-half years of study before he disenrolled to enlist in the US Army Air Force.

On 16 Oct 1940, Augustine registered for the draft. On the draft card he stated that he was a student at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, was born in St Paul, Ramsey, MN on 07 Aug 1918, and listed his mother as next of kin and her residence was Wahpeton, ND. Shortly after registering he applied to the US Army Air Force Aviation Cadet program. After completing the requisite paperwork and physical and dental exams, Verne was sent to 30 days of preliminary flight training. He passed that phase of training and was accepted by the Aviation Cadet Examination board. On 08 Feb 41, Augustine was appointed an Aviation Cadet in the US Army Air Force Reserve (ASA: 17023551) at Fargo, Cass, ND. He was to receive 30 weeks of aviation related training; 10 weeks of primary; 10 weeks of basic and 10 weeks of advanced flying instruction. Cadet Augustine transferred later that day to Cal Aero Aviation Training Academy near Ontario, San Bernardino, CA. He arrived on the 10th, whereupon he was assigned to Army Aviation Cadet class 41-G.

In late April 1941, Cadet Augustine completed his primary training logging 65 flight hours in 200 horse power engine planes. On 2 May, he began basic flight training at Randolph Field, San Angelo, TX where he gained experience in handling the much larger 450-horsepower basic trainers at Randolph. He graduated on 12 July from Randolph. There were 300 aviation cadets (14 from ND) in class 41-G that moved on to Advanced training.

Augustine began advanced flight training on 20 July at Kelly Field, San Antonio, TX. He completed the 10 week of instruction, accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant US Army Air Force Reserve (USAAFR) and earned his Army silver pilot’s wings on 26 Sep 41. His US Army Service Number (ASN) was 0-427580. After a brief furlough to return home to visit family, now 2nd Lt Augustine is believed to have transferred to Hamilton Field in California as a pilot assigned to the 35th Pursuit Group Combat Team, 70th Pursuit Squadron. On 17 December, he received orders to report to the S.S. President Polk in San Francisco for overseas deployment. On Friday, 19 Dec 1941, President Polk steamed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and out of San Francisco having been diverted from her original destination of the Philippines to Brisbane, Australia where she arrived on Tuesday 13 Jan 1942. Because of tidal issues at Brisbane, President Polk had to wait until later in the morning on Wednesday to disembark the fifty- five President Polk Pursuit pilots who were taken to their temporary quarters - 3 man tents at the Brisbane Ascot Race Track or Camp Ascot (Army name).

The crated P-40Es on board President Polk began off-loading that same day. They were trucked to Amberley Field in Queensland, parish of Jeebropilly, county of Churchill where the Crew Chief’s and Armorers from Polk began assembling them. On Saturday, 17 Jan 1942, the pilots were moved to Amberley Field and into open barracks. Their initial work assignment was to help assemble the P-40Es that had been hauled to Amberley from the President Polk.

The newly arrived pilots were split up into four sections. Each to work four-hours sifts on a round-the-clock basis and alternate between assembly and armament work on the aircraft. Some pilots were dissatisfied with the way things were being run. One major problem was the need for P-40 tools that mechanics weren’t allowed to take with them from Hamilton Field, CA. Prestone coolant needed for the water cooled engines had been left behind.

Over the next three weeks, more and more planes were assembled but few were used to provide flight training to the more junior pilots. On Friday, 06 Feb 1942, orders were issued to the newly formed 33rd PS (Provisional) to fly their 25 Warhawks to Perth beginning on 12 Feb. On Monday, 09 Feb 1942, orders were issued to the newly formed (10 Feb) 13th PS (Provisional), to fly their to Fremantle, Western Australia (WA), a distance of 2600 miles over trackless and featureless landscape. Those aircraft that successfully made the trip would later be loaded on board the seaplane tender, USS Langley (AV-3). On 12 Feb, 11 pilots of the 33rd PS departed on their trip to Perth via Sydney, Melbourne, and Port Pirie in South Australia. The remainder of 14 were being split off at Port Pirie and sent to Darwin.

The next day, the 13th Pursuit Squadron (PS) under the command of Capt. Boyd “Buzz” Wagner with Lt Augustine as one of the 36 pilots assigned to the 13th PS (Provisional) was set to depart. The first flight of 13 P-40Es, led by 1st Lt James Bruce Jr., departed Amberley Field early in the morning on 13 Feb flying to Mascot Field outside Sydney. At 0915, the second flight, led by 1st Lt Thomas Hubbard, of 11 P-40Es departed and was ordered to land at Richmond Field at Sidney instead of Mascot Field. The 13th arrived at their destination later that afternoon with a loss of two of the 24 P40s. The next day’s destination was Melbourne then Port Pirie in South Australia a distance of almost 500 miles. On 17 Feb 1942, after a 2,600 mile, 4 day (13th) and six day (33rd) journey across the vast Australian outback, a journey made all the more exciting by mechanical failures, getting lost, and landing accidents, the 13th and 33rd PS (Provisionals) reached Mayland Civil Airdrome three miles northeast of Perth, WA.

About 7 Feb 1942, the Australia-British-Dutch-American Command (ABDACOM) issued orders directing the seaplane tender, Langley, to steam from Darwin on 11 Feb 1942 to Fremantle, Australia where she was to on-load thirty-six P40E Warhawks being flown from Melbourne to Fremantle for transport to Java. The hope was at least thirty-two of the thirty-six P40s would make the long flight across southern Australia to Fremantle successfully. The P-40 pilots were drawn from the newly formed 13th and 33rd Pursuit Squadrons (Provisional) and along with 12 crew chiefs and Armorers would embark on board the Langley in Fremantle.

At the same time, personnel of the 35th and 51st Pursuit Groups were loaded aboard Convoy MS-5 in Melbourne, Australia and dispatched to Fremantle where all the elements -- Convoy MS-5, the thirty-six (hopefully) P-40s and the Langley would rendezvous in Fremantle and depart together bound for a port in Java. MS-5 was composed of five ships; Australian freighters, the SS Duntroon and the SS Katoomba, two American freighters, SS Holbrook and SS Sea Witch, and the escorting American light cruiser, USS Phoenix (CL-46). The Holbrook and Katoomba carried the bulk of the 51st, and six of its P-40s were on board the Holbrook. The Sea Witch was carrying the major portion of the planes, twenty seven in all plus ammunition and the 51st ground vehicles. They were to steam for Tjilatjap in Java. Thirty three P-40's intended for the 49th Pursuit Group were diverted to Perth for this operation.

On 22 Feb 1942, Langley steamed out of the harbor at Fremantle with new orders to steam to either Burma or Calcutta, India. Almost immediately however, she was rerouted to Tjilatjap, Java (confusion reigned at the highest levels) where she was scheduled to arrive on 28 Feb 1942.

At 0700 on the morning of 27 Feb, Langley rendezvoused with her anti-submarine destroyer escorts USS Whipple (DD-217) and USS Edsall (DD-219) about 100 miles from her destination. Two hours later the Langley and her escorts were spotted by an enemy reconnaissance plane. Shortly before 1200, sixteen (16) Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers of the Japanese 21st and 23rd Naval Air Flotillas and escorted by fifteen (15) A6M Reisen fighters began attacking Langley. She was about 70 miles from her destination. The Langley was initially successful in dodging the falling ordinance, but eventually she was hit by multiple bombs sustaining fatal damage.

At 1332, Langley's CO, CDR McConnell, concluded that the ship was lost and ordered her abandoned. Within thirty minutes all of the survivors had been plucked from the sea by Whipple (308 officers and men including Lt Augustine) and Edsall (177 officers and men). At 1428, Whipple fired nine 4-inch rounds into Langley's hull. She then fired one torpedo (exploded) into the port side and then one into the starboard side of Langley. The last torpedo exploded causing a large fire. Because of the danger of another air attack, the two destroyers cleared the area, however, no one actually saw the Langley slide beneath the waves.

On 28 February, the two destroyers rendezvoused with the fuel replenishment ship USS Pecos (AO-6) off Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island some 250 miles southwest of Tjilatjap. Prior to the arrival of Pecos, Whipple transferred 32 pilots and 12 airmen to Edsall. A sudden attack by land based Japanese bombers forced Edsall and the other ships to head for the open sea and postpone survivor transfers to Pecos. The ships headed directly south into the Indian Ocean for the rest of 28 February in high winds and heavy seas. Early in the pre-dawn hours of 1 March, Whipple and Edsall transferred all the Langley survivors to Pecos. There were now close to 700 personnel aboard the oiler. Whipple then set off for Cocos Islands as protection for the tanker Belita sent to meet her there. The Pecos, carrying a large number of survivors was ordered to Australia. Edsall had retained the 32 USAAF pilots and 12 enlisted from Langley needed to assemble and fly an additional 27 P-40E fighters shipped to Tjilatjap aboard the transport Sea Witch. Edsall was instructed to return these "fighter crews" to Tjilatjap. At 0830, she reversed course and headed back to the northeast for Java.

At noon that day, planes from Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu attacked Pecos and struck her again an hour later. Finally, in mid-afternoon, third and fourth strikes from carriers Hiryu and Akagi fatally wounded the Pecos. While under attack, Pecos radioed for help. After Pecos sank, Whipple returned to the scene intentionally arriving after dark. She eventually rescued 232 survivors. Many other survivors, although visible to crew members on board Whipple, had to be abandoned at sea because Whipple made sonar contact with what was believed to be several Japanese submarines. It was just too dangerous for her to remain in the area.

Edsall may have heard Pecos’ call for help. Maybe she was following orders not to proceed to Java but steam south to Australia. In any case, Edsall reversed her northerly course and was never heard from again. Mrs Elsie Augustine was informed by the Navy Department that her son, Lt Verne P. Augustine, a pursuit pilot attached to the U.S.S. Langley was reported missing by the Navy Department on 4 April 1942. His remains were unrecoverable. He was presumed dead on 15 Dec 1945.

Lt Augustine was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one battle star, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Defense Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

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The family also received a commemoration from then President Harry S. Truman. It reads: “In Grateful Memory of Second Lieutenant Verne Perry Augustine who died in the service of his country in the Pacific Area, 15 December 1945 (Presumed). He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase it blessings. Freedom lives and through it he lives in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.

//s//

Harry S Truman

President of the United States of America

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After WWII ended, an Allied War Crimes Tribunal was convened in Java in 1946. During the investigation it was learned from an eyewitness that allied POWs had been executed by the Japanese in early 1942. The witness provided the location of the massacre. The remains of six sailors were identified by their ID tags as members of the crew of USS Edsall (DD-219). Their remains were returned home for burial. Because no known survivors lived to tell the Edsall's story after the war, the details surrounding the sinking of Edsall remained largely a mystery for more than a half century. Finally, after years of research, historians compiled a partial story of Edsall's last hours, but it was not until Japanese records and eyewitnesses became available that the full story became known.

It was an epic battle of heroic proportion involving the aging Edsall and one of the world's strongest naval forces of its day. After Edsall reversed her course on 01 Mar 1942 and steamed away from Java, she stumbled upon Admiral Nagumo's battle force, Kido Butai, that had been prowling the Indian Ocean in search of enemy shipping. Unfortunately, Edsall was spotted first. She was initially misidentified as a Marblehead class light cruiser. IJN battleships Hiei and Kirishima and heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma were directed to attack Edsall with surface gunfire. Edsall began evasive maneuvers, frustrating the Japanese for the next hour and half. Ducking in and out of her smoke screen and rain squalls, Edsall successfully avoided a fatal strike. However, because of the damage done previously to one of her propeller shafts, Edsall was unable to make top speed or maneuver fully. At one point Edsall turned and launched her torpedoes narrowly missing Chikuma. The Japanese ships fired 1400 rounds resulting in only one or two hits. The frustrated Admiral Nagumo called upon his carriers to finish off Edsall. She was attacked by dive-bombers from two Japanese carriers (Kaga, Soryu,) and possibly a third (Hiryu) before succumbing to their devastating attacks. The Edsall went down at 1731 hours, 430 miles south of Java.

It was learned in 1946 that at least six Edsall crew had survived the sinking. Many years later, however, Japanese eyewitnesses on board Chikuma confirmed that at least eight Edsall crewmen from a large number of survivors were fished out of the water and brought on board the Chikuma. The rest of the survivors were left to their fate in the water. Chikuma and the rest of the battle force arrived at Staring Bay anchorage, Celebes on 11 Mar 1942. Three dozen POWs, at least 8 from the Edsall (possibly five more may have been Army Air Force personnel) and the remainder from a Dutch ship, were turned over to the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces based at Kendari where they were executed by beheading on 24 Mar 1942 near Kendari II airfield, Netherland East Indies.

The remains of five of the six confirmed Edsall survivors are buried in a common grave at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay, St. Louis, MO with five unknowns who were recovered near the Edsall five. Apparently several of the unknowns wore what looked like khaki uniforms. The grave of the sixth known Edsall crewman who survived and was executed was reburied at the request of his next of kin in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI.

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Citation of Units of Both Military and Naval Forces of the United States and Philippine Governments.

--489--

As authorized by Executive Order No. 9075 (sec. II, Bull. 11, W.D., 1942), a citation in the name of the President of the United States, as public evidence of deserved honor and distinction, is awarded to all units of both military and naval forces of the United States and Philippine Governments engaged in the defense of the Philippines since December 7, 1941. (Later, it was called the Army Presidential Unit Citation).

By order of the Secretary of War:

G. C. MARSHALL,

Chief of Staff.

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Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation

Establishing Authority

The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation was established by Headquarters, Philippine National Defense Forces, General Order Number 532 of September 14, 1946, as amended.

Acceptance by the United States

For service during World War II, acceptance is sanctioned by Public Law 80-314, which authorized the acceptance and wear of foreign decoration, medals, and awards in connection with services in World War II between the inclusive dates of December 7, 1941 and July 24, 1948.

Effective Dates

The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation has been in effect since September 14, 1946.

Criteria

The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation is awarded for extraordinarily meritorious service. The Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation has been awarded to United States military personnel who participated in the following:

• World War II

Service in the defense of the Philippines from December 7, 1941 to May 10, 1942.

Service in the liberation of the Philippines from October 17, 1944 to July 4, 1945.

All U.S. military units and naval vessels that earned any of the Philippine engagement stars are entitled to the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation.

Certain submarines which maintained physical contact with guerrilla forces during the Japanese occupation of the Philippine Islands.

Online: https://rollofhonor.org/public/htmldetails.aspx?Cat=foreignaward&EntID=352

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References

1). Barch, William H. Every Day a Nightmare: American pursuit pilots in the defense of Java, 1942-1943. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2010.

2). Cox, Jeffery R. Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The Disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II. Oxbury, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2014.

3). Kehn, Donald M. Jr. In the Highest Degree Tragic: The Sacrifice of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet in the East Indies during World War II. Potomac Book is an imprint of the University of Nebraska, 2017.

4). Kehn, Donald M. Jr. A Blue Sea of Blood: Deciphering the Mysterious Fate of the USS Edsall. Minneapolis, MN, Zenith Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 2008.

5). Messimer, Dwight R. Pawns of War: The Loss of the USS Langley and the USS Pecos. Annapolis, Maryland, Naval Institute Press, 1983.

6). Ancestry.com. Various US Census reports, 1900-1950. Online databases. Retrieved: 19 April – 23 April 2023.

7). Newspapers.com. Various news articles in Nebraska newspaper. On line databases. Retrieved: 19 April – 24 April 2023.

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Bio #420 composed 21 May 2023 by Gerry Lawton

Find A Grave #254197496

Military Hall of Honor Honoree ID: 123511