Norman \"Dusty\" Kleiss \"Battle Of Midway\" Hero Autographed 8x10 Picture Autograph
![Norman \](img-large/g/AI4AAOSwxppZd4hl/s-l1600/Norman-Dusty-Kleiss-Battle-Of-Midway-Hero-Autograp.jpg "Norman \")
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Norman \"Dusty\" Kleiss \"Battle Of Midway\" Hero Autographed 8x10 Picture Autograph:
$89.95
This sale is for a VERYRARE authentic, autographed 8X 10 picturesigned by legendaryWW2 Dive Bomber Pilot, Norman \"Dusty\" Kleiss.. He also wrote, \"My darling Jean gives me a Navy Cross for my work in the Battle Of Midway\"\"....It is guaranteed to pass PSA/DNA..Buyer will receive a lifetime guarantee certificate from \"The Autograph House\".
Norman Jack \"Dusty\" KleissFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCaptainNorman Jack \"Dusty\"
KleissDusty Kleiss with his Distinguished Flying Cross, May 27, 1942.Nickname(s)DustyBornMarch 7, 1916
Coffeyville, KSDiedApril 22, 2016
San Antonio, TXBuriedatFort Sam Houston National CemeteryAllegianceUnited States of AmericaService/branchUnited States NavyYearsof service1934-1962RankCaptain (retired)Battles/warsWorld War IIAwardsNavy Cross, Distinguished Flying CrossOtherworkNever Call Me a Hero, memoir about Dusty\'s time in World War II
Captain Norman Jack \"Dusty\" Kleiss, USN, (March 7, 1916 – April 22, 2016) was a dive-bomber pilot in the United States Navy during World War II.
Contents[hide]- 1Early Life
- 2World War II
- 3Postwar
- 4Remembrance of Midway
- 5Never Call Me a Hero: Battle of Midway Memoir
- 6References
Norman Jack “Dusty” Kleiss was born on March 7, 1916. His parents were John Louis Kleiss and Lulu Dunham Kleiss. He lived in Coffeyville, Kansas, a town famous for being the location of the 1892 shootout that resulted in the deaths of four members of theDalton Gang. In 1934, Kleiss accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. He graduated in June 1938, standing 245 in his class of 438 graduating midshipmen. (Of these, 421 served inWorld War II.)
At the time of Kleiss’s graduation, the U.S. Navy restricted Academy graduates from attending flight training for two years, requiring them to first serve in the surface fleet. From June 1938 to April 1940, Ensign Kleiss served on board three ships:USS Vincennes (CA-44),USS Goff (DD-247), andUSS Yarnall (DD-143). After passing his physical and psychological tests during his time on shore at Norfolk, he reported toNaval Air Station Pensacolafor flight training. After eleven months and not a single crash, he earned his wings on April 27, 1941.
After graduation from flight school, Kleiss was assigned to Scouting Squadron Six (VS-6), the scout-bombing squadron assigned toUSS Enterprise (CV-6). Kleiss and the other Scouting Six pilots flew theDouglas SBD DauntlessDive Bomber, a two-seat scout-bomber designed by Edward Heinemann. On May 8,Enterpriseset sail for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and upon its arrival, Kleiss and the other pilots began training for war, practicing their navigation, gunnery, and dive bombing in the waters around Hawaii. In June, Kleiss was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (junior grade).
On May 27, 1941, Kleiss earned his nickname when he made an unauthorized landing atMarine Corps Air Station Ewa, located on the south shores of Oahu. After serving as the tow-sleeve aircraft during a gunnery exercise, Kleiss landed his SBD in front of the tower, hoping to find a safe field to haul in the tow-sleeve. Unexpectedly, his plane’s prop blast churned up a giant cloud of red dust, preventing two squadrons of Marine Corps fighter planes from landing on the runway. The tower control operator called over the radio, “Unknown dust cloud, who the hell are you?” Without responding, Kleiss took off forNaval Air Station Ford Island, hoping that no one had identified his plane. After landing, one of his squadron mates, Ensign Cleo Dobson, told Kleiss that he had seen the whole thing. Dobson joked, “Welcome aboard, Dusty!” For the remainder of his career in the Navy, Kleiss went by that nickname.[1][2]
World War II[edit]On December 7, 1941, Kleiss’s squadron, Scouting Six, became engaged with Japanese fighters during the surprise attack onPearl Harbor, losing six pilots and gunners. Kleiss did not encounter any enemy aircraft that day, but he did fly several patrols around his carrier task force and he was involved in a friendly-fire incident on December 8, when several U.S. destroyers shot at his plane, mistaking it for a Japanese dive bomber.
Kleiss fought his first battle on February 1, 1942, when he accompanied an air strike launched from USSEnterprise. The carrier’s air group had orders to attack the Japanese base at Kwajalein Atoll. During the battle, Kleiss dropped his wing-bombs on a parked plane at Roi Airfield and later on, he dropped his 500-pound undercarriage bomb on the light cruiserKatori. Later that day, after returning toEnterpriseto refuel and rearm his SBD, Kleiss accompanied eight SBDs led by LieutenantRichard Halsey Bestagainst the Japanese base on Taroa Island. There, they bombed several structures. Kleiss’s SBD was hit by machine gun fire and his gunner, Radioman 3/c John Warren Snowden, was wounded slightly in the buttocks.
Later that month, Kleiss participated in the air raid against Wake Island, February 24, 1942, bombing structures, and again in the air raid against Marcus Island on March 4. After USSEnterprisereturned from a patrol in the South Pacific, Kleiss received the Distinguished Flying Cross from AdmiralChester Nimitz. He received the medal alongside several otherEnterprisepilots and MessmanDoris Millerin an elaborate ceremony on the flight deck of USSEnterprise, May 27, 1942.
On June 4-6, 1942, Kleiss fought in the Battle of Midway. On the morning of June 4, Kleiss accompanied thirty-two SBD dive bombers led byEnterprise’s air group commander, Lieutenant CommanderC. Wade McClusky, on a search to find the Japanese carrier task force led by Vice AdmiralChuichi Nagumo. After several hours of searching, McClusky’s group spotted a lone Japanese destroyer, theArashi, and changed direction to follow it. In a few minutes, McClusky’s pilots caught sight of the main body of the Japanese fleet. At 10:22 (Midway Time), Scouting Six attacked the Japanese carrierKaga. At least four pilots from Kleiss’s squadron and the accompanying squadron (Bombing Six) scored direct hits. Dusty Kleiss was the second pilot to score a hit, putting his 500-pound bomb and his two wing-mounted bombs into the forward section ofKaga’s flight deck, right near the Rising Sun insignia. In five minutes, three U.S. dive bomber squadrons had mortally damaged three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers.[3][4]
On the afternoon of June 4, Kleiss accompanied another dive bomber mission launched from USSEnterprise, this one led by Lieutenant W. Earl Gallaher. Gallaher’s dive bombers located the fourth Japanese carrier, theHiryu, and fatally crippled it. Again, Kleiss scored a direct hit on the bow, one of only four or five pilots to do so.[5]On June 5, Kleiss accompaniedEnterprise’s dive bombers on their third mission of the battle, one that failed to sink (or damage, for that matter) a lone Japanese destroyer, theTanikaze. Then on June 6, Kleiss accompaniedEnterprise’s dive bombers in a mission that helped sink the Japanese cruiserMikuma. Kleiss’s bombs struck nearMikuma’s smokestack.[6]Kleiss was the only pilot to score three direct hits with a dive bomber plane during the Battle of Midway. For his participation in the battle, Kleiss received the Navy Cross in November 1942.
After the Battle of Midway, Kleiss was transferred to shore duty in the United States. After marrying his girlfriend, Eunice Marie “Jean” Mochon, at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Kleiss became an instructor assigned to an Advanced Carrier Training Group (ACTG) squadron stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. In the autumn of 1942, he transferred to the ACTG squadron assigned to Cecil Field, Florida. In October 1943, he resigned his position as instructor to accept a position at the Naval Academy’s Postgraduate School, where he spent the next two years preparing for a career in aircraft design.
Norman Jack \"Dusty\" KleissFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCaptainNorman Jack \"Dusty\"
KleissDusty Kleiss with his Distinguished Flying Cross, May 27, 1942.Nickname(s)DustyBornMarch 7, 1916
Coffeyville, KSDiedApril 22, 2016
San Antonio, TXBuriedatFort Sam Houston National CemeteryAllegianceUnited States of AmericaService/branchUnited States NavyYearsof service1934-1962RankCaptain (retired)Battles/warsWorld War IIAwardsNavy Cross, Distinguished Flying CrossOtherworkNever Call Me a Hero, memoir about Dusty\'s time in World War II
Captain Norman Jack \"Dusty\" Kleiss, USN, (March 7, 1916 – April 22, 2016) was a dive-bomber pilot in the United States Navy during World War II.
Contents[hide]- 1Early Life
- 2World War II
- 3Postwar
- 4Remembrance of Midway
- 5Never Call Me a Hero: Battle of Midway Memoir
- 6References
Norman Jack “Dusty” Kleiss was born on March 7, 1916. His parents were John Louis Kleiss and Lulu Dunham Kleiss. He lived in Coffeyville, Kansas, a town famous for being the location of the 1892 shootout that resulted in the deaths of four members of theDalton Gang. In 1934, Kleiss accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. He graduated in June 1938, standing 245 in his class of 438 graduating midshipmen. (Of these, 421 served inWorld War II.)
At the time of Kleiss’s graduation, the U.S. Navy restricted Academy graduates from attending flight training for two years, requiring them to first serve in the surface fleet. From June 1938 to April 1940, Ensign Kleiss served on board three ships:USS Vincennes (CA-44),USS Goff (DD-247), andUSS Yarnall (DD-143). After passing his physical and psychological tests during his time on shore at Norfolk, he reported toNaval Air Station Pensacolafor flight training. After eleven months and not a single crash, he earned his wings on April 27, 1941.
After graduation from flight school, Kleiss was assigned to Scouting Squadron Six (VS-6), the scout-bombing squadron assigned toUSS Enterprise (CV-6). Kleiss and the other Scouting Six pilots flew theDouglas SBD DauntlessDive Bomber, a two-seat scout-bomber designed by Edward Heinemann. On May 8,Enterpriseset sail for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and upon its arrival, Kleiss and the other pilots began training for war, practicing their navigation, gunnery, and dive bombing in the waters around Hawaii. In June, Kleiss was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (junior grade).
On May 27, 1941, Kleiss earned his nickname when he made an unauthorized landing atMarine Corps Air Station Ewa, located on the south shores of Oahu. After serving as the tow-sleeve aircraft during a gunnery exercise, Kleiss landed his SBD in front of the tower, hoping to find a safe field to haul in the tow-sleeve. Unexpectedly, his plane’s prop blast churned up a giant cloud of red dust, preventing two squadrons of Marine Corps fighter planes from landing on the runway. The tower control operator called over the radio, “Unknown dust cloud, who the hell are you?” Without responding, Kleiss took off forNaval Air Station Ford Island, hoping that no one had identified his plane. After landing, one of his squadron mates, Ensign Cleo Dobson, told Kleiss that he had seen the whole thing. Dobson joked, “Welcome aboard, Dusty!” For the remainder of his career in the Navy, Kleiss went by that nickname.[1][2]
World War II[edit]On December 7, 1941, Kleiss’s squadron, Scouting Six, became engaged with Japanese fighters during the surprise attack onPearl Harbor, losing six pilots and gunners. Kleiss did not encounter any enemy aircraft that day, but he did fly several patrols around his carrier task force and he was involved in a friendly-fire incident on December 8, when several U.S. destroyers shot at his plane, mistaking it for a Japanese dive bomber.
Kleiss fought his first battle on February 1, 1942, when he accompanied an air strike launched from USSEnterprise. The carrier’s air group had orders to attack the Japanese base at Kwajalein Atoll. During the battle, Kleiss dropped his wing-bombs on a parked plane at Roi Airfield and later on, he dropped his 500-pound undercarriage bomb on the light cruiserKatori. Later that day, after returning toEnterpriseto refuel and rearm his SBD, Kleiss accompanied eight SBDs led by LieutenantRichard Halsey Bestagainst the Japanese base on Taroa Island. There, they bombed several structures. Kleiss’s SBD was hit by machine gun fire and his gunner, Radioman 3/c John Warren Snowden, was wounded slightly in the buttocks.
Later that month, Kleiss participated in the air raid against Wake Island, February 24, 1942, bombing structures, and again in the air raid against Marcus Island on March 4. After USSEnterprisereturned from a patrol in the South Pacific, Kleiss received the Distinguished Flying Cross from AdmiralChester Nimitz. He received the medal alongside several otherEnterprisepilots and MessmanDoris Millerin an elaborate ceremony on the flight deck of USSEnterprise, May 27, 1942.
On June 4-6, 1942, Kleiss fought in the Battle of Midway. On the morning of June 4, Kleiss accompanied thirty-two SBD dive bombers led byEnterprise’s air group commander, Lieutenant CommanderC. Wade McClusky, on a search to find the Japanese carrier task force led by Vice AdmiralChuichi Nagumo. After several hours of searching, McClusky’s group spotted a lone Japanese destroyer, theArashi, and changed direction to follow it. In a few minutes, McClusky’s pilots caught sight of the main body of the Japanese fleet. At 10:22 (Midway Time), Scouting Six attacked the Japanese carrierKaga. At least four pilots from Kleiss’s squadron and the accompanying squadron (Bombing Six) scored direct hits. Dusty Kleiss was the second pilot to score a hit, putting his 500-pound bomb and his two wing-mounted bombs into the forward section ofKaga’s flight deck, right near the Rising Sun insignia. In five minutes, three U.S. dive bomber squadrons had mortally damaged three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers.[3][4]
On the afternoon of June 4, Kleiss accompanied another dive bomber mission launched from USSEnterprise, this one led by Lieutenant W. Earl Gallaher. Gallaher’s dive bombers located the fourth Japanese carrier, theHiryu, and fatally crippled it. Again, Kleiss scored a direct hit on the bow, one of only four or five pilots to do so.[5]On June 5, Kleiss accompaniedEnterprise’s dive bombers on their third mission of the battle, one that failed to sink (or damage, for that matter) a lone Japanese destroyer, theTanikaze. Then on June 6, Kleiss accompaniedEnterprise’s dive bombers in a mission that helped sink the Japanese cruiserMikuma. Kleiss’s bombs struck nearMikuma’s smokestack.[6]Kleiss was the only pilot to score three direct hits with a dive bomber plane during the Battle of Midway. For his participation in the battle, Kleiss received the Navy Cross in November 1942.
After the Battle of Midway, Kleiss was transferred to shore duty in the United States. After marrying his girlfriend, Eunice Marie “Jean” Mochon, at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Kleiss became an instructor assigned to an Advanced Carrier Training Group (ACTG) squadron stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. In the autumn of 1942, he transferred to the ACTG squadron assigned to Cecil Field, Florida. In October 1943, he resigned his position as instructor to accept a position at the Naval Academy’s Postgraduate School, where he spent the next two years preparing for a career in aircraft design.
Now PlaNorman \"Dusty\" Kleiss \"Battle Of Midway\" Hero Autographed 8x10 Picture Autograph:
$89.95