HENRY GRAEFE, LTJG, USN
Henry Graefe '46
Lucky Bag
From the 1946 Lucky Bag:
Henry Graefe
St. Louis, Missouri
After three years of preparation at Harris Teacher's College in St. Louis, "Hank" came to us in quest of an engineering education and a career in the Navy. A lover of the finer things in life—good books, great music, and excellent food, to say nothing of the beautiful women and fine liquor—"Hank" will go to great lengths to expostulate his defense of the high forehead and a generous girth. "Hank's" disarming smile, genial countenance, and easy manner mark him as a smooth operator and place him at the center of the party, winning friends.
The Class of 1946 was graduated in June 1945 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
Henry Graefe
St. Louis, Missouri
After three years of preparation at Harris Teacher's College in St. Louis, "Hank" came to us in quest of an engineering education and a career in the Navy. A lover of the finer things in life—good books, great music, and excellent food, to say nothing of the beautiful women and fine liquor—"Hank" will go to great lengths to expostulate his defense of the high forehead and a generous girth. "Hank's" disarming smile, genial countenance, and easy manner mark him as a smooth operator and place him at the center of the party, winning friends.
The Class of 1946 was graduated in June 1945 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
Loss
From Aviation Safety:
The USN aircraft carrier Boxer and the attendant ships of her carrier task group were exercising in the South China sea.
Four F8F Bearcats of VF-194 took off from Boxer to carry out a practice Combat Air Patrol over the ships. At the completion of the CAP the Bearcats were ordered to join the rest of CAG 19 in a simulated low-level strike on the ships.
The four VF-194 pilots made a head-on run at the USS Helena which was proceeding on the port bow of the USS Boxer, and about 2,000 yards off. This move potentially brought them into conflict with a flight of Douglas AD-3 Skyraiders of VA-195, also from the Boxer, and making a 90 degree attack on the carrier's starboard side.
The Skyraiders had completed their attacking run at about the same time as the Bearcats completed theirs.
Just after the Bearcats passed the Helena one of them was seen to climb slightly and commence a turn to the left, colliding at about 400 feet with the leader of the four VA-195 Skyraiders in its path. The Bearcat struck the right wing of the Skyraider at a relative angle of about 45 degrees and passed on to the fuselage just aft of the wing. The AD-3 Skyraider, serial no. 122759, was seen to disintegrate and fall into the sea. The F8F-2 Bearcat lost a wing in the impact which occurred at a closing speed of about 400 knots. It tumbled through the air and crashed in the sea about 500 yards from the point of the collision.
LtJG John B. Caskey USN was killed in the accident, as was LtJG Henry Graefe USN, the pilot of the Skyraider.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Henry was a member of Boy Scout Troop 207 and was initiated into the Order of the Arrow in 1938.
He graduted from Beaumont High School in 1939. “Scholars are men of peace.” – Browne. Service Club. National Honor Society. Henry was class president during the fall term 1939 at Harris Stowe State University and was on the Student Council.
His parents were born in Germany.
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on April 1, 1950:
Lt. (j.g.) Henry H. Graefe, 2000 East College avenue, a Navy fighter pilot, was killed Thursday in a mid-air collision, presumably near the Philippines, his family was notified yesterday by the Navy Department. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Graefe.
He was 27 years old and unmarried. He entered the Naval Academy in 1942 and was graduated in 1945. Then he was assigned to the Little Rock, a light cruiser, and served part of the time as navigator when the ship visited South America on a good-will tour. In 1947, he training began as a pilot.
After receiving his flight training at Corpus Christi, Tex., Jacksonville, Fla., and Alameda, Calif., he was assigned to the Boxer, an aircraft carrier, last Jan. 10. Surviving, besides his parents, are six sisters and two brothers. The elder Graefe operates a market at the East College address.
Photographs
Henry in 1939
Henry in 1940
Related Articles
John Caskey '46 was also lost in this collision.
John Paul '46, Howard Mather '46, and Brooke Montgomery '46 were also members of 7th Company.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
