Harvey Francis Carter
Captain Harvey F. Carter was a Marine fighter pilot with VMF-321.
He was reported missing over Simpson Harbor, Rabaul, on 4 January 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-11271
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 12, 1916
at Lancaster, CA
Parents
Harvey Emanuel Carter
Reva Della (Bowes) Carter
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Flight instructor
Service Life
Entered Service
August, 1940 (RCAF)
May 27, 1942 (USMC)
Home Of Record
3730 Glenwood Avenue
Verdugo City, CA
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Reva D. Carter
Military Specialty
Pilot
Division Leader
Primary Unit
VMF-321
Campaigns Served
Northern Solomons
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Carter was commissioned at Regina, Saskatchewan, after serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Harvey Carter’s military service began with his enlistment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940. He was offered a commission in the Marine Corps, and returned to the United States to accept. As an experienced pilot, Carter was posted to a training station as an instructor – and, according to author Bryan Bender, was not shy about his flying abilities. “He had a reputation as a skilled pilot who as a Navy flight instructor was known for flying loops around a bridge in the Mississippi River,” Bender writes in You Are Not Forgotten. “[He] wore a mustached and carried himself with the air of an Englishman.” Carter was subsequently posted to VMF-321 for combat duty.
In late 1943, the “Hell’s Angels” deployed overseas and took up residence at Torokina Airstrip on the newly captured island of Bougainville. The squadron began flying escort missions over the Northern Solomons, and joined in “sweep” missions over the major Japanese base at Rabaul. Captain Carter flew a few ferry flights, test hops, and at least one escort mission to Rabaul before the end of the year.
On 4 January 1944, two divisions of “Hell’s Angels” – led by Carter and Captain R. S. Mangel – took off for a sweep over Rabaul. Carter, in F4U-1 BuNo 17938, led his three subordinates in a high altitude sweep around Simpson Harbor before descending to 22,000 feet. This move attracted the attention of nearly a dozen Japanese pilots, who vectored their “Zekes” in to attack.
Carter’s division returned to Torokina without their leader. Lieutenant Robert Whiting, who notched his first kill while flying on Carter’s wing, could only report seeing the captain at 21,000 feet over the southern edge of Simpson Harbor and “apparently in no trouble at the time.” Without a confirmation of death, the “daredevil pilot… who seemed invincible” was posted as missing in action.
A Japanese pilot, Warrant Officer Takeo Tanimizu, may have been the last person to see Captain Carter alive.
On 4 January 1944, while returning from combat, he [WO Tanimizu] saw a lone Corsair pilot parachute from his damaged aircraft into the waters off Cape St. George. Concerned for his opponent, Tanimizu flew down and threw Captain Harvey F. Carter of VMF-321 his life ring. Carter retrieved the ring and waved thanks to his foe, but was never recovered.
(It should be noted that Sakaida does not cite a source confirming Carter’s identity; it may be a process of elimination given the date, location, and type of American aircraft involved.)
Burial Information or Disposition
Remains not recovered.
Carter’s wreck site has never been located. He was officially declared dead on 15 January 1946.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Reva Carter.
Location Of Loss
Captain Carter was last seen in the vicinity of Simpson Harbor, Rabaul.
