Keystone Heights Symposium Ace Panelist

Cmdr. Charles H. Haverland

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, "Hav" Haverland attended Hibbing Junior College (Minnesota) but joined the Navy on September 4th, 1942 for flight training.  He was designated a Naval Aviator, and commissioned an Ensign on November 1st, 1943 at Corpus Christi, Texas. 

Assigned to VF-20, Ensign Haverland flew F6F Hellcats from August 1944 to February 1945 aboard the USS Enterprise and the USS Lexington.  During this period he saw action over the Palau Islands, Okinawa, Formosa, and the Phillipines.  In a short but furious dogfight over Manila on the morning of October 15th 1944, Haverland shot down two Oscars, one Tony, and shared a Zeke with another member of his division.  Three days later he mixed it up again with the Japanese army pilots over Clark Field, north of Manila.  This time he destroyed a Tojo and an Oscar and shared two other Oscars with a division mate to become an Ace.  His total victory tally is 6.5 confirmed aerial victories and 1 probable.

Released from the Navy in September 1945, Haverland entered the University of Denver, graduating in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering.  He was recalled to active duty from January 1953 to January 1954 with VF-143, following which he remained in the Naval Reserves.  Promoted to commander on July 1st 1959, he retired from the Reserves in August 1963.

Steel helmeted pilots of VF-20 run for their 5-inch rocket armed F6F-5's aboard the USS Enterprise between strikes on Manila on October 15th 1944.  Haverland is most likely in this picture running for his Hellcat.  Other sailors in this photo are seen on the deck scouring the sky for incoming Japanese suicide planes which debuted in this action off Luzon, Philippines.