Top Photo: A US Navy Catalina patrol bomber (PBY) glides up to its tender following a long sweep over Aleutian waters in October 1943. U.S. Navy Official photograph, Gift of Charles Ives, from the Collection of The National World War II Museum. 2011.102.434

Long before the outbreak of World War II, the US Navy understood the necessity for long-range amphibian patrol aircraft in ocean reconnaissance. As part of War Plan Orange, Navy planners required such aircraft to identify enemy naval fleets and allow friendly vessels to strike first. In October 1933, the creation of the Consolidated Patrol Bomber (PBY)1 Catalina satisfied the Navy’s desire for a recon plane. With a graceful fuselage and a wingspan of 104 feet, the PBY had a maximum speed of 179 mph and range, surpassing 2,000 miles.2 

In conjunction with its utility of long-range surveillance, the Catalina was slowly molded for offensive capabilities. Notable Navy figures like Rear Admirals Ernest King and William Pye envisioned the amphibious plane as a striking arm of the fleet, and the Catalina was fitted with bombing and torpedo armaments. For offensive operations, the aircraft was equipped with the Norden bombsight and a collection of 4,000 pounds of bombs, anti-shipping mines, or four 325-pound depth charges. Depending on the variant, the PBY could carry roughly three .30-caliber Browning machine guns, two in the nose turret and one in the ventral hatch tail, and two .50-caliber waist guns.3 Additional armor plates to the pilot’s seats and waist gun mountings ensured that the Catalina could withstand significant damage and still operate.4 With these additions to the seaplane’s arsenal, the PBY Catalina could scout out targets and engage them in combat. 

Unfortunately, the early deployment of the Catalina was characterized by significant hardship and loss. Given that the aircraft was 63 feet long and powered by two R-1830 1,200 hp engines, its maneuverability was limited, as was its rate of climb. These performance numbers made the PBY easy prey for faster enemy fighters to harass and destroy.5 Patrol Wing 10, located in the Pacific, started the war with roughly 43 aircraft to defend the Philippines. Tragically, Japanese Zero fighters thwarted their efforts to bomb Japanese warships. Over the course of three days, Patrol Wing 10’s numbers were reduced to only 11 planes.6 As a result, Lieutenant Commander Frank O’Beirne, the commanding officer of VP-22, stated that the PBY Catalina was “effective only for patrols in areas where the enemy do not have strong aerial concentrations. Even then, if any enemy planes are present, they cannot outrun or outfight the attackers.”7

Despite such devastating losses, the Catalina demonstrated its usefulness over time. At the Battle of Midway, 32 PBY Catalinas were dispatched to locate Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s main fleet. On the morning of June 3, 1942, the Catalinas located the Japanese 1st Air Fleet—the known as the Kidō Butai, or main force—which included transports, oilers, and escorts. After locating the Japanese vessels, VP-44 commenced the first-night torpedo run, completely surprising the enemy and damaging the tanker Akebono Maru. The next morning, VP-23 spotted two of Admiral Chūichi Nagumo’s aircraft carriers and relayed the information to Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher of the USS Yorktown. After the US victory at Midway, the PBY Catalina performed air-sea rescue missions for 10 days recovering sailors and airmen.8

The Battle of Midway highlighted the major strengths of the PBY Catalina. They could easily identify enemy vessels, perform surprise attacks, and rescue survivors stranded in the ocean. These strengths would transform the vulnerable Catalina, turning it into an aircraft that enemies learned to fear and a symbol of hope for the Allies. 

Airplane operations (PBY-5A Catalina) on beach airstrip Ulithi, Caroline Islands. Courtesy of the US Naval History and Heritage Command.

The Black Cats

In the Pacific theater, the PBY was mostly known for its “Black Cat” operations, which were active from September 1942 to the spring of 1945. As the Allies achieved air superiority with their fighter squadrons, the Japanese used the cover of night to move men, supplies, and equipment. In late 1942, these maneuvers supplied garrisons on the Solomon Islands and transported men onto Guadalcanal, where they attacked the defending Allied forces.9 To ensure that the transportation of Japanese supplies ceased, the PBYs prepared to fly missions at night.

Painted with a mixture of soap and lamp black, the visible and cumbersome PBYs unofficially became the elusive “Black Cats.” Fitted with a radio altimeter and a new coat of paint, the Black Cats disappeared into the night as they could fly close to the water, effectively countering enemy fighters who risked crashing into the ocean. As the Cats continued their night raids on enemy fleets and airfields, flak from antiaircraft guns proved ineffective against the barely visible aircraft. The slow speed of the PBY, initially its most exploitable weakness, became its greatest asset at night as it allowed gunners ample time to hit their targets.10 During these operations, the Japanese supply line fell prey to the Black Cats. 

Although night missions provided the Black Cats a noticeable advantage, aircrews still had to prepare for the many dangers ahead. Despite the lack of Japanese aircraft, identification of friendly forces was imperative but presented challenges at night. To mitigate any possibility of fratricide, crews needed to distinguish who was ally and foe in naval engagements, avoid B-17s, and identify whether radar blips were enemies.11 The more present danger posed to the Black Cats did not come from the Japanese forces, but instead from weather anomalies. The Solomon Islands, for example, were prone to thunderstorms and other violent weather fronts, which caused significant turbulence, limited visibility, and tested the durability of the aircraft. On one particular mission, three PBY Catalinas flew into a heavy rainstorm as they searched for a Japanese task force north of the Rabaul harbor. Two of the Black Cats failed to spot the enemy, while the third returned to base after succumbing to violent drafts.12 Compounded with the strain of 12-hour missions, these conditions threatened the success of the Black Cats.

In the face of such obstacles, the PBY Catalina excelled in night raids of Japanese vessels and troop encampments. Typically, the Black Cats dropped bombs with a five-second delay onto their targets and deployed illuminating flares to hinder the enemy gunner’s response. The flares blinded the Japanese defenses, increasing the Cats’ chances of escaping. Afterward, the gunners of the Catalina would fire upon the target as the aircraft strafed the enemy. To instill further fear and psychological panic in the Japanese, the crew would drop empty beer and coke bottles, which created a haunting screeching sound.13  

As the Black Cats continued to operate in the Pacific, they exacted heavy casualties among the Japanese naval vessels. In December 1944, VP-11 became the first patrol squadron in history to earn a Presidential Unit Citation after they reportedly sank 75,000 tons of shipping, which included a cruiser, destroyer, a fleet tanker, smaller warships, and a freighter. As their operations ended in 1943, VPB-52 successfully sunk 34,000 tons of merchant shipping and 10,000 more tons of enemy shipping, in addition to destroying two submarines.14 Overall, it is estimated that Black Cat missions contributed to the sinking of roughly 2.8 million tons of Japanese naval and merchant shipping. As PBY Catalinas successfully crippled Japanese supply lines, numerous patrol squadrons were relieved as targets began to dwindle, which eventually led to the last Black Cat mission being flown in February 1945.15  

Mad Cats

While the Black Cats terrorized Japanese warships and shipping vessels in the Pacific theater during the night, another version of the PBY Catalina utilized naval technology in offensive operations against German U-boats. The Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD), or the Magnetic Airborne Detector, was a device that was specially designed to detect submarines based on their magnetic field. When it was installed on the tail of a Catalina, it could accurately detect any metallic body within a 400-foot radius. Combined with an antisubmarine rocket, the introduction of the MAD technology brought hope to the Atlantic, where Allied supply lines were threatened by elusive German submarines.16  

However, the initial installation of the MAD and antisubmarine rockets achieved little success in hunting and destroying U-boats. VP-63, nicknamed the “Mad Cats,” was equipped with the MAD system and antisubmarine rockets as it operated in the Bay of Biscay, where U-boat bases and ports had been established along the coastline. With a squadron of 15 planes, VP-63 failed to sink a single German submarine as the bay’s open waters allowed the boats to quickly submerge and disappear when detected by the MAD system.17  

As their ability to eliminate the U-boat threat faltered in open waters, operations in more limited areas proved effective. In the Mediterranean theater, submarines easily passed through the Strait of Gibraltar at night while on their journey to destroy Allied shipping. British Wellington bombers assisted in halting the passage of German U-boats through the Strait, but the enemy successfully avoided them by submerging to a lower depth. However, the geographical restrictions of the Strait provided VP-63 not only with a smaller search area but an exploitable choke point.18 Utilizing this advantage, the presence of the VP-63 assisted in sinking three submarines, reducing U-boat activity in the Mediterranean for the duration of the war.19  

Dumbos

The story of the Black and Mad Cats highlighted the offensive capabilities of the PBY Catalina, but one of the most important features of the amphibious seaplane was its versatility in air-sea rescue missions. As an amphibious patrol aircraft, the Catalina could land in the water and fly back into the sky. This feature added to the Catalina's functionality for both reconnaissance and rescue operations. 

The Catalinas who participated in search and rescue missions were nicknamed “Dumbos,” given the wingspan’s noticeable resemblance to Disney’s floppy-eared elephant.20 The men who served on the Dumbos helped in recovering sailors and airmen from sunken ships, particularly in the Pacific theater. The 56-man crew of the unfortunate USS Indianapolis, which had been sunk by a Japanese submarine, was rescued from shark-infested waters by a PBY. While overloaded with survivors, the Catalina successfully radioed for additional help.21  

One of the more famous Dumbo rescue missions was conducted by Lieutenant Nathan G. Gordon of VP-34. On February 15, 1944, airmen from the US Fifth Air Force were shot down over the Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea. Gordon and his crew performed four separate landings in the water and rescued the sailors while sustaining fire from Japanese shore guns on Vitu Island. Despite heavy fire from the island, Gordon and his crew successfully rescued 15 officers. For the mission, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.22

Whether operating as Black Cats, Mad Cats, or Dumbos, the PBY Catalina had evolved from its primary function of patrol and reconnaissance to address new wartime challenges as they emerged. Through its implementation of night raid attacks, the application of novel technology, and its effectiveness in rescuing military personnel in enemy waters, it is difficult to ignore the significance of the PBY Catalina in World War II. 

• 1

  PBY is an acronym with ‘P’ for Patrol, ‘B’ for bomber, and ‘Y’ for the symbol of Consolidated, which was its manufacturer.

• 2

  Edward Miller, War Plan Orange: The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan, 1897-1945 (Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991), 121-123; Louis B. Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War (Osprey Publishing, 2007) 6.

• 3

  Navy Department: Bureau of Aeronautics, Erection and Maintenance Instructions for Model PBY-5A Airplane, June 1942, 179-180, 186-196; Craig Bauer, “But what a plane! New Orleans and the Manufacturing of the Iconic PBY Catalina Patrol Bomber in World War II,” The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, Vol. 61, No. 2 (Spring 2020): 173. 

• 4

  Richard C. Knott, Black Cat Raiders WWII ((Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1981), 52; Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 10; Navy Department, Erection and Maintenance Instructions for Model PBY-5A Airplane, 228.

• 5

  Patrick Cecil, “The PBY Catalina’s Offensive Utility and Its Transformation into Black Cats and MAD Cats,” Vulcan 8, 1 (2020): 78; Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 26.

• 6

  Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 22-23.

• 7

  Andrew Hendrie, Flying Catalinas: The Consolidated PBY Catalina in World War Two (Barnsley: Pen and Sword Aviation, 2012), 116.

• 8

  Mel Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos: WWII’s Fighting PBY’s (Pennsylvania: Blue Ridge Summit, 1987), 43-45; Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 33-34. VP is the designation for flying boats with V meaning lighter than air and P for Patrol. 

• 9

  Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 233; Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 75.

• 10

  Knott, Black Cat Raiders WWII, 54, 65; Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 233.

• 11

  Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 78.

• 12

  Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 234; Knott, Black Cat Raiders WWII, 76-77.

• 13

  Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 233-234; Knott, Black Cat Raiders WWII, 71, 73; Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 79.

• 14

  Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 239-246.

• 15

  Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 81.

• 16

  Cecil, “The PBY Catalina’s Offensive Utility and Its Transformation into Black Cats and MAD Cats,” 87-88.

• 17

  Naval Historical Center (U.S.), Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2: The History of VP, VPB, VP(HL) and VP(AM) Squadrons, Etc., 2000, 486-487; Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 96-97; Cecil, “The PBY Catalina’s Offensive Utility and Its Transformation into Black Cats and MAD Cats,” 90-91.

• 18

  Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 105-106; Cecil, “The PBY Catalina’s Offensive Utility and Its Transformation into Black Cats and MAD Cats,” 91-92.

• 19

  Naval Historical Center (U.S.), Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2, 487; Cecil, “The PBY Catalina’s Offensive Utility and Its Transformation into Black Cats and MAD Cats,” 95.

• 20

  Bauer, “But what a plane!”, 174; Cecil, “The PBY Catalina’s Offensive Utility and Its Transformation into Black Cats and MAD Cats,” 82.

• 21

  Dorny, US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Pacific War, 91; Bauer, “But what a plane!”, 174.

• 22

  Naval Historical Center (U.S.), Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume 2, 454-455; Crocker, Black Cats and Dumbos, 255-258.