Description

VA-35 Black Panthers A-6 (1972) Intruder Model

Proudly display this 18 inch wooden model of the VA-35 Black Panthers A-6 Intruder.  Each model is carefully carved and painted by master craftsman.  This is perfect for the goat locker or office and will provide a perfect aid for aviator told stories!

• 1970: Delivered to the US Navy.
• 1972: VA-35 as AJ-504.
• 9/16/1972: Shot down by ground fire near Hai Duong/Haiphong, North Vietnam. Both crewmen were killed.

DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL AVIATION SQUADRONS—Volume I

SECOND VA-35
Lineage
Established as Bombing Squadron THREE B (VB-3B)
on 1 July 1934.
Redesignated Bombing Squadron FOUR (VB-4) on 1
July 1937.
Redesignated Bombing Squadron THREE (VB-3) on
1 July 1939.
Redesignated Attack Squadron THREE A (VA-3A) on
15 November 1946.
Redesignated Attack Squadron THIRTY FOUR (VA34)
on 7 August 1948.
Redesignated Attack Squadron THIRTY FIVE (VA35)
on 15 February 1950. The second squadron to be
assigned the VA-35 designation.

Squadron Insignia and Nickname
There is no record of official approval for the diving black panther nsignia used by VB-3B. However, by mid–1935, the design appeared in Navy documents as
Bombing THREE’s insignia. The diving black panther design has been carried on through the various redesignations of the squadron and is the present insignia for
VA-35. It was officially approved for VA-35 by CNO on 1 October 1957.  Nickname: Black Panthers.

Chronology of Significant Events
May 1935: Ranger (CV 4) and her embarked air group, including VB-3B, participated in Fleet Exercise
XVI. This was the first time VB-3B and Ranger participated in a Fleet Exercise.

25 Nov 1935–25 Feb 1936: A detachment from VB-3B, including six BG-1s, was assigned to Ranger’s Cold Weather Test Detachment
and operated aboard Ranger in Alaskan waters.

Apr–Jun 1936: The squadron participated in Fleet Problem XVII.

Apr–May 1937: The squadron participated in Fleet Problem XVIII.
28 May 1937: VB-3B participated in an aerial review celebrating the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Jul 1937: The squadron, embarked in Lexington (CV2), participated in the search for Amelia Earhart
Putnam and Fred Noonan.

Sep 1937: VB-4, embarked in Ranger, visited Lima, Peru, in conjunction with the International Aviation
Conference being held there.

Mar–Apr 1938: The squadron participated in Fleet Problem XIX.

Apr–May 1940: The squadron participated in Fleet Problem XXI. This was the last major fleet problem
conducted before America’s involvement in World War II.

Apr 1942: VB-3, embarked in Enterprise (CV 6), provided escort patrols for the task force which launched
Colonel Doolittle’s B-25 raid against Tokyo. 4 Jun 1942: At the Battle of Midway, VB-3, embarked in Yorktown (CV 5), engaged in its first
combat operations. Yorktown’s first strike included 17 SBD-3’s from VB-3 led by Lieutenant Commander
Leslie. Approximately an hour after launch, VB-3’s aircraft sighted the Japanese Fleet and commenced their dive-bombing attack; the primary target was the carrier
Soryu. Lieutenant (jg) Paul A. Holmberg was the first to drop his 1,000 pounder on the Soryu. His hit was
followed by two more from VB-3’s SBDs. Soryu erupted into flames and eventually sank.
With the Soryu in flames, the other VB-3 SBDs directed their attack against other targets. They attacked a destroyer, the Isokaze, making one hit on
her fantail and “what appeared to be a battleship,” claiming a hit on her stern. All 17 SBDs from VB-3
escaped the attack without a hit and returned to Yorktown. Prior to landing on the carrier, they were
directed to leave the area due to incoming enemy aircraft. All VB-3’s SBDs landed on Enterprise except for
Lieutenant Commander Leslie and his wingman, Lieutenant (jg) Holmberg. These two men, low on fuel, ditched their aircraft along side the cruiser
Astoria and were picked up by the ship’s motor whaleboat. The battle was still not over for VB-3. In late afternoon,
14 of VB-3’s SBDs were launched from Enterprise as part of a strike group ordered to attack
the fourth Japanese carrier, Hiryu. Lieutenant Shumway was in charge of VB-3’s formation. The
strike force located Hiryu and again caught a Japanese carrier in the vulnerable position of having armed and
fueled planes on deck. Direct hits from Shumway’s SBD’s resulted in a torched Hiryu and her eventual
sinking. Several of VB-3’s aircraft suffered heavy damage from attacking Japanese aircraft. However, all but

The original squadron diving panther insignia is one of the oldest squadron insignias in continuous use by a naval aviation
command.