"Least likely to succeed"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...012602148.html

Walter E. Scholz Navy Pilot

Walter E. Scholz, a retired Navy pilot who was voted "least likely to
succeed" by his senior officers during flight training, but managed to
earn a Silver Star, Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses
and nine Air Medals, died of septic shock and pneumonia Dec. 27 at
Inova Fairfax Hospital. Capt. Scholz, operating off the USS Enterprise
during World War II, shot down four Japanese planes. He earned one of
his Silver Stars for his part in the second Battle of the Philippine
Sea, when he and 23 other pilots crippled a fleet of three dozen
Japanese warships, enabling American gunboats and destroyers to move in
and sink the fleet. He remained in the Navy, serving as a weapons
officer aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard in the western Pacific during
the Vietnam War. He retired in 1974 and settled in Vienna. Born in a
small German town that is now part of Poland, Capt. Scholz moved to the
United States when he was five years old and grew up in Taylorville,
Ill. He entered the Navy as an enlisted man but qualified for pilot
training and became a commissioned officer. He was a member of the
Westwood Country Club. His first wife, Lorraine Ghelfi Scholz, died in
1998. Survivors include his wife of four years, Kathryne
Winter-Durennel Scholz of Vienna; five children from his first
marriage, Ronald Scholz of Lovettsville, Va., Kristine Matney of
Leesburg, Eric Scholz of Leesburg, Randall Scholz of Sterling and Kathi
Fertig of Leesburg; nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Mike wrote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...012602148.html

Walter E. Scholz Navy Pilot

Walter E. Scholz, a retired Navy pilot who was voted "least likely to
succeed" by his senior officers during flight training, but managed to
earn a Silver Star, Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses
and nine Air Medals, died of septic shock and pneumonia Dec. 27 at
Inova Fairfax Hospital. Capt. Scholz, operating off the USS Enterprise
during World War II, shot down four Japanese planes. He earned one of
his Silver Stars for his part in the second Battle of the Philippine
Sea, when he and 23 other pilots crippled a fleet of three dozen
Japanese warships, enabling American gunboats and destroyers to move in
and sink the fleet.

I'm fairly familiar with WW II...the "Second Battle of the
Philippine Sea" is more commonly called the "Battle for Leyte Gulf."
But I'm not aware of any action where pilots (24 or any other
number) crippled a fleet of Japanese ships that gunboats and
destroyers cleaned up. In fact I'm not aware of gunboats
participating at all. Could this be:
- The Battle off Cape Engano, where carrier planes attacked the
Japanese decoy carriers before Halsey had to turn and run back
towards San Bernardino Strait, and cruisers and destroyers carried
out surface attacks on the decoy fleet?
- The Battle of Surigao Strait? No aircraft participated, but
destroyers adn PT boats participated along with larger surface gun
ships.