"Billie" Goodell  - Aviation Machinist's Mate 2cl - VP-83/VB-107

The photographs and citation below appear courtesy of "Billie" and his son Mr. Larry Goodell

 

83-P-2, the PBY flown in the attack on U-164 on 8 January 1943

 

Aviation Machinist's Mate "Billie" Goodell receives the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in the action of January 6, 1943 resulting in the destruction of U-164 - the citation for the award is below

 

 
 

   
 
     
                                                                                                   March 31, 1943.  
     
     
          The Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet, in the name of the President of the United States, awards the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS to  
     
 
BILLIE (n) GOODELL, AVIATION MACHINIST'S MATE THIRD CLASS, U.S. NAVY
 
     
 
CITATION
  
     
          For extraordinary achievement in action while participating in an aerial flight as a gunner of a Navy Patrol Plane on January 6, 1943, when an enemy submarine was engaged and undoubtedly sunk.  
     
          Goodell was the first to sight the submarine on the surface at a considerable distance.  He reported it to the pilot and manned his gun for the attack.  During the depth charge attack he raked the submarine with machine gun fire.  Goodell has sighted submarines on the surface at great range on several occasions.  
     
          The sighting of the submarine by Goodell and his accurate machine gun fire during the attack contributed greatly to the sinking of the enemy submarine and reflect great credit upon the Naval Service.  
     
                                                                                          
                                                                                                   R. E.  INGERSOLL  
     
     
     
     

 

VP-83 left Natal Brazil and returned to NAS Norfolk, Virginia in May 1943.  The squadron exchanged their PBY-5As for PB4Y-1 aircraft and were redesignated VB-107 on May 15, 1943.  The squadron returned to Natal Brazil in July 1943 - Here VB-107 PB4Y-1 aircraft on the ramp at Natal, Brazil .  On 21 January the squadron deployed to Upottery, England and flew from that base until the end of the war.

107-B-7 on patrol in the South Atlantic

107-B-11, "The Gallopin Ghost of the Brazilian Coast", and her crew in the summer of 1943.  "Billie" Goodell is standing on the left.

 

Click on the logo at left to view photos of Larry Goodell's superb model of his father's PB4Y-1 "The Gallopin Ghost of the Brazilian Coast"  at the HyperScale website