{"product_id":"original-u-s-wwii-uss-randolf-kia-purple-heart-grouping","title":"Original U.S. WWII USS Randolf KIA Purple Heart Grouping","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Items: One-of-a-kind set. \u003cstrong\u003eJames Lewis Cash\u003c\/strong\u003e NSN 6580808 was an Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Randolph during World War Two. On March 11th, 1945 the USS Randolph was riding at anchor at Ulithi when a Yokosuka P1Y1 \"Frances\" kamikaze plane hit Randolph on the starboard side aft just below the flight deck, killing 27 men (including four reported missing and five transferred to the hospital ship Relief where they died) and wounding 105. This set of original framed documents and photo belonged to James Lewis Cash who lost his life that day. Cash can be found on a roster of casualty list from the naval history site at this \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.naval-history.net\/WW2UScasaaDB-USNBPbyName1.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003elink\u003c\/a\u003e. A listing of photos of the damage caused by the kamikaze can be found at this \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.navsource.org\/archives\/02\/15.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003elink\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIncluded in this set are the following items:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Professionally framed 18\" x 16\" Purple Heart Killed in Action Citation dated January 9th, 1946 naming James Lewis Cash and the date of his death on March 11th, 1945.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Professionally framed 23\" x 22\" Navy Training Course certificates, and original photos of Cash in uniform and original newspaper clipping of the USS Randolph on Navy Day 1945.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Original US Navy WWII Purple Heart in original case.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Original YANK magazine dated July 8, 1945 with photos and an article about the Kamikaze attacks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- Copy of USS Randolph Muster Roll naming Cash and dated October 31st, 1944.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOverall a fantastic collection that displays beautifully with a rare original WWII USN Purple Heart. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUU Randolph in World War II\u003cbr\u003eFollowing shakedown off Trinidad, Randolph got underway for the Panama Canal and the Pacific. On 31 December, she reached San Francisco where Air Group 87 was detached and Air Group 12 reported on board for four months duty. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn 20 January 1945, Randolph departed San Francisco for Ulithi, from which she sortied on 10 February with Task Force 58 (TF 58). She launched attacks on 16–17 February against Tokyo airfields and the Tachikawa engine plant. The following day, she made a strike on the island of Chichi Jima. On 20 February, she launched three aerial sweeps in support of ground forces invading Iwo Jima and two against Haha Jima. During the next four days, further strikes hit Iwo Jima and combat air patrols were flown almost continuously. Three sweeps against airfields in the Tokyo area and one against Hachijo Jima followed on 25 February before the carrier returned to Ulithi.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRiding at anchor at Ulithi on 11 March, a Yokosuka P1Y1 \"Frances\" kamikaze hit Randolph on the starboard side aft just below the flight deck, killing 27 men (including four reported missing and five transferred to the hospital ship Relief where they died) and wounding 105 during Operation Tan No. 2. Repaired at Ulithi, Randolph joined the Okinawa Task Force on 7 April. Combat air patrols (CAP) were flown daily until 14 April, when strikes were sent against Okinawa, Ie Shima, and Kakeroma Island. The following day, an air support mission of fighters, bombers, and torpedo planes hit Okinawa and a fighter sweep struck an airfield in southern Kyūshū. Under daily air attack from 17 April on, Randolph continued to send her aircraft on CAP and support missions throughout the month.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn May, planes from the carriers hit the Ryukyu Islands and southern Japan, Kikai (Amami Islands) naval base and airfields, and Kyūshū airfields. Becoming the flagship of TF 58 on 15 May, Randolph continued her support of the occupation of Okinawa until 29 May, when she retired via Guam to the Philippines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn her next war cruise, as a part of Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet, Randolph made a series of strikes up and down the Japanese home islands. With Air Group 16 replacing Air Group 12, the ship launched eight raids on 10 July against airfields in the Tokyo area, principally those on the peninsula east of Tokyo Bay. On the 14th, her planes struck the airfields and shipping in and near Tsugaru Strait. In this attack, two of the important Honshū-Hokkaidō train ferries were sunk and three were damaged. Attacks on the Japanese home islands continued for the next few days, and on 18 July, the Japanese battleship Nagato – lying camouflaged alongside a pier at the Yokosuka Naval Base – was bombed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMoving southwest, Randolph and other carriers were off the coast of Shikoku on 24 July, for an anti-shipping sweep of the Inland Sea, during which the carrier-battleship Hyūga was heavily damaged and airfields and industrial installations on Kyūshū, Honshū, and Shikoku were hit hard. Randolph's pilots estimated that from 10–25 July they had destroyed 25 to 30 ships, ranging in size from small luggers to a 6000-ton freighter, and had damaged 35 to 40 others. Randolph's strikes continued right up to the morning of the 15 August surrender, when her planes hit Kisarazu Airfield and surrounding installations.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31053747880005,"sku":"ONSV3768","price":595.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/products\/ONSV3768__23_6c50f2c5-ecb1-4e5f-877d-bbd314de06e7.jpg?v=1595963265","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-wwii-uss-randolf-kia-purple-heart-grouping","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}