Schneider, Tony Frederic

Battle of Midway

Date of birth:: November 11th, 1917 (Hillsboro/Missouri, United States)
Date of death:: October 16th, 2010 (Albuquerque/New Mexico, United States)
Service number:: NSN: 0-84080
Nationality:: American (1776 - present, Republic)

Biography

Schneider was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Midway — the first of two Navy Cross awards he earned during the Second World War, which was the early period in his 31-year-long Navy career.
He earned a mathematics degree from Westminster College in Missouri before entering Naval Officer Candidate School. He received his commission and wings in 1940.
Schneider flew Dauntless and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers, and served aboard the Enterprise, Yorktown and Lexington aircraft carriers during World War II.
In early 1942, two months after the Pearl Harbor bombing, he took part in the raids of the Marshall and Gilbert islands from the USS Enterprise and he flew support during the Doolittle Raid on Japan, when the Enterprise accompanied the USS Hornet on its April retaliatory mission.
He attacked enemy ships and shore installations in the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire, destroying a large storehouse and damaging two bombers on the ground with near misses, his Air Medal citation for the Marshall/Gilbert raids states.
Schneider went on to earn his first Distinguished Flying Cross — he earned three in all, each while serving as a squadron commander — while leading air strikes out of Henderson Field at Guadalcanal.
The next he earned while leading a successful air strike against an aircraft assembly plant near Tokyo and the last during air strikes on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Japan.
"His second Navy Cross was from his efforts in Operation Ten-Go wherein he, as squadron commander, led his bombing squadron against Yahagi," a Japanese cruiser, Ross Schneider said.
Tony Schneider flew no less than 60 missions during World War II in which he engaged the enemy or encountered enemy fire, missions that produced such stories as him flying his aircraft 50 feet over the water while in a dog fight and being chased by a Japanese fighter or once pulling out of a dive with bullets from enemy fire coming through the bottom of the plane — and between the gunner's legs — striking the metal plate behind the head of Schneider's cockpit seat.
He talked about being aboard an aircraft carrier as it was struck by a kamikaze.
Schneider held numerous positions after the war, his son said.
He served with the advanced training command at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., and then as tactics development officer for an anti-submarine warfare submarine squadron at Key West.
He worked at the Pentagon from 1951-53, writing tactical publications for anti-submarine warfare and all-weather operations, and next was stationed in San Diego and Hawaii as a squadron commander of an all-weather night fighter squadron flying F3D Skyknight aircraft.
He became executive officer of the University of Louisville's Naval ROTC program before being named executive officer of the USS Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier. He attended the Naval War College, and received his master's degree in foreign policy from Boston University in 1962.
Schneider was an assistant of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, from 1962-65. He joined the University of New Mexico faculty in 1965 as professor of naval science and commanding officer of the NROTC. He left in 1968.
He became airbase commander at Subic Bay, Philippines, thereafter, and lastly served as an inspector general for the Navy.
Schneider, who retired as a captain in 1970, died Oct. 16 after suffering a stroke.

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Navy Cross

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Lieutenant
Unit:: Bombing Squadron NINE (VB-9), U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-10), U.S. Navy

"For extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber and Commanding Officer of Bombing Squadron NINE (VB-9), attached to the U.S.S. YORKTOWN (CV-10), in action against major units of the Japanese Fleet off Kyushu, Japan, on 7 April 1945. Lieutenant Schneider led his formation of thirteen dive bombers in a devastating attack against a Japanese light cruiser. Approaching the target through an overcast, he maneuvered his flight into perfect position and, in the face of extremely intense anti-aircraft fire, pressed home his attack to minimum altitude. His skillful leadership enabled eight of the thirteen planes to score direct hits on the vessel, contributing materially to its sinking a few minutes later. Throughout the attack, his daring leadership and utter disregard for personal safety were inspiring to his men and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

Navy Cross

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Ensign
Unit:: Bombing Squadron SIX (VB-6), U.S.S. Enterprise (CV-6), U.S. Navy
Awarded on:: March 1943

"For extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber of Bombing Squadron SIX (VB-6), attached to the U.S.S. ENTERPRISE (CV-6), during the "Air Battle of Midway," against enemy Japanese forces on 4 - 6 June 1942. Defying extreme danger from concentrated anti-aircraft barrage and powerful fighter opposition, Ensign Schneider, with bold determination and courageous zeal, participated in dive-bombing assaults against Japanese naval units. Flying at a distance from his own forces which rendered return unlikely because of probable fuel exhaustion, he pressed home his attacks with extreme disregard for his own personal safety. His gallant intrepidity and loyal devotion to duty contributed greatly to the success of our forces and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 312 (March 1943)

Legion of Merit - US Military

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)

for leading air strikes out of Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:: 1945

second Distinguished Flying Cross leading a successful air strike against an aircraft assembly plant near Tokyo

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)

for leading close air support missions during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Air Medal (AM)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:: February 1942

Attacked enemy ships and shore installations in face of heavy anti-aircraft fire destroying large storehouse and damaging two bombers on ground with near misses.