Dixie Kiefer
Dixie Kiefer (April 5, 1896 – November 11, 1945) was a United States Navy officer who served during World War II as executive officer of USS Yorktown and commanding officer of USS Ticonderoga.[1][2] He was one of the Navy's best known figures during the war.[3][4]
Early life
Born in
In the 1920s, Kiefer became a pilot in the fledgling aviation branch of the Navy.[1] On 11 November 1924, he made the first ever night take-off from a warship. His plane, a Vought UO-1, was launched by catapult from USS California in the harbor of San Diego. The only illumination was California's searchlights, directed 1,000 yards in the distance.
World War II
By World War II, Kiefer had risen to the rank of
After recovering from his injuries, Kiefer was promoted to
On 21 January 1945, Ticonderoga was hit by two Japanese kamikaze bombers. 144 men were killed and 200 injured. The first kamikaze hit started large fires among gasoline and planes in the hangar deck. Kiefer had port-side compartment deliberately flooded to put a 10-degree list on the ship. This caused the flaming gasoline to slide overboard – a procedure not used before. Then he maneuvered the ship to upwind of the burning wreckage. A second kamikaze hit Ticonderoga later that day. The explosion from that hit injured Kiefer, with 65 wounds from bomb shrapnel and a broken arm. Nonetheless he remained in command on the bridge for eleven hours, not leaving until it was reported that all of the other injured were treated.[8]
While recovering from his injuries, Kiefer was made an honorary
He had not yet recovered when he died at age 49 on 11 November 1945 – his arm was still in a cast. He was killed in the crash of his Navy transport plane on
Kiefer was said to be the most battered officer in the Navy. He broke his left ankle and split his kneecap playing football as a youth. His left elbow was smashed when a fellow pilot "buzzed" him in a seaplane and hit his arm with a wingtip float. The crew of Ticonderoga said of him, "He's got so much metal in him the ship's compass follows him when he walks across the deck."
Kiefer was buried at
Awards and decorations
Badge | Naval Aviator insignia
| |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Row | Navy Cross | |||||||||||||
2nd Row | Navy Distinguished Service Medal | Silver Star Medal
|
Purple Heart Medal
with one 5⁄16" Gold Star | |||||||||||
3rd Row | World War I Victory Medal | American Defense Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | |||||||||||
4th Row | service stars
|
World War II Victory Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal with one star |
References
- ^ a b c d e "Dixie Kiefer". United States Navy. Naval History and Heritage Command. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ^ "People: Taps for Dixie". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. November 18, 1945. p. 1.
- ^ "Famed war hero, Dixie Kiefer, killed in Navy plane smash". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. November 12, 1945. p. 1.
- ^ a b c "Naval hero dies in air crash". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. November 13, 1945. p. 1.
- ^ "Biography - Commodore Dixie Kiefer, USN". Archived from the original on 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2013-09-14.
- ^ "VMH: Dixie Kiefer, Comm, Usn".
- ^ "World Battlefronts: Captain Dixie and the Ti". Time. July 23, 1945.
- Shipmate.
- ^ "In Honor of Our Captain Dixie Kiefer 1896-1945". Archived from the original on 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
- ^ "Kiefer's body found in plane wreckage". Schenectady Gazette. New York. Associated Press. November 13, 1945. p. 2.
- ^ "Special naval services held for Dixie Kiefer". Nashua Telegraph. New Hampshire. Associated Press. November 15, 1945. p. 5.
- ^ "Burial detail: Kiefer, Dixie". ANC Explorer. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
External links
- Arlington National Cemetery
- U.S. Navy History - Dixie Kiefer