Half of Harris's credited kills were achieved in October, coinciding with Japanese planners' final attempt at provoking a decisive battle with the American fleet.
On October 1, 1944, while still anchored at Ulithi, Intrepid was made Admiral Bogan's flagship.
The carrier disembarked from harbor on October 7 to head for the waters southeast of Okinawa.
It was scheduled to be part of strikes on Okinawa, the Ryukyus and Luzon leading up to a planned invasion of Leyte.
These strikes began on October 10, targeting Okinawan airfields including Naha, Yontan and Ie Shima, as well as nearby shipping.
Anti-aircraft fire ranged from meager to intense with flak worsening throughout the day.
But, regardless of strike time, or target, there was virtually no aerial opposition encountered.

Airfields, harbors and shipping were also the targets on October 12, this time in northern Formosa.
These would be the first strikes Fighting 18 executed in the face of both significant anti-aircraft fire and airborne interception by enemy planes.
The first fighter sweep of the day launched into overcast skies at 06:17 and headed for Shinchiku Airfield with VF-18 flying low cover.
Unfortunately, the Japanese were alerted to the formation's presence ahead of time, and the morning's protective cloud cover dissipated above Shinchiku.
Flak of all calibers was intense as a result.
Harris and the other Intrepid fighters led the way in, pushing over in glide bombing attacks on hangars around the strip.
After the bombs dropped, the fighters headed north for their next target, Matsuyama Airfield.
On the way to Matsuyama the cloud cover thickened once more.
Just shy of Taien Airfield, VF-18 pilots spotted six Japanese bombers working their way down through a layer of clouds, seemingly on a landing approach.
Intrepid's fighters caught and destroyed the whole bomber formation in two minutes.
Harris was credited with shooting down two of them.

Immediately after this engagement, a group of over one dozen Zeros broke through the cloud layer above Intrepid's divisions.
Enemies continued to come through the clouds in pairs until there were 40 or more Japanese aircraft operating against pilots from Fighting 18 and Bunker Hill's VF-8.
Harris claimed two more kills during a wild encounter, and his wingman "Jimmy" Burley scored three.
They were one of the few sections that managed to stay together throughout the engagement.
By the end of the fight, VF-18 accounted for 25 Japanese planes shot down and suffered three losses in return.

On October 14, Japanese air forces attempted a reprisal against Task Force 38, but poor weather conditions complicated their search for the U.S. fleet.
Only approximately 25 bombers made it to the vicinity of Task Group 38.2.
VF-18's Combat Air Patrol (CAP), which had been flying above the task group continuously for almost two hours, was vectored to intercept these bombers just outside the task group's picket.
They took care of the first formation of twelve bombers that emerged from the clouds.
Two recently launched divisions of VF-18 Snooper Anti-Submarine Patrol (SNASP) were also routed to intercept, including one division led by Harris.
His division had barely finished grouping up after launch when they sighted a second formation of bombers coming towards the ships.
Harris exploded one midair then raked a second, sending it crashing into the sea.


The biggest risk posed to the SNASP Hellcats was not enemy bombers but their own task group's anti-aircraft fire.
Harris and company withdrew back to the edge of the screen to protect themselves from the ships' guns.
There they spotted another Yokosuka D4Y ("Judy") being chased by a CAP Hellcat unable to hit his target—it turned out the guns on his new plane were not properly adjusted.
Harris pulled in from 5 o'clock and shot down his third "Judy" of the day.
At the end of the day, only one out of an estimated 30 bombers penetrated the picket, putting a bomb just shy of the carrier Hancock.
According to the Air Group's War History, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) wrote of the
Half of Harris's credited kills were achieved in October, coinciding with Japanese planners' final attempt at provoking a decisive battle with the American fleet. On October 1, 1944, while still anchored at Ulithi, Intrepid was made Admiral Bogan's flagship. The carrier disembarked from harbor on October 7 to head for the waters southeast of Okinawa. It was scheduled to be part of strikes on Okinawa, the Ryukyus and Luzon leading up to a planned invasion of Leyte. These strikes began on October 10, targeting Okinawan airfields including Naha, Yontan and Ie Shima, as well as nearby shipping. Anti-aircraft fire ranged from meager to intense with flak worsening throughout the day. But, regardless of strike time, or target, there was virtually no aerial opposition encountered.
Airfields, harbors and shipping were also the targets on October 12, this time in northern Formosa. These would be the first strikes Fighting 18 executed in the face of both significant anti-aircraft fire and airborne interception by enemy planes. The first fighter sweep of the day launched into overcast skies at 06:17 and headed for Shinchiku Airfield with VF-18 flying low cover. Unfortunately, the Japanese were alerted to the formation's presence ahead of time, and the morning's protective cloud cover dissipated above Shinchiku. Flak of all calibers was intense as a result. Harris and the other Intrepid fighters led the way in, pushing over in glide bombing attacks on hangars around the strip. After the bombs dropped, the fighters headed north for their next target, Matsuyama Airfield. On the way to Matsuyama the cloud cover thickened once more. Just shy of Taien Airfield, VF-18 pilots spotted six Japanese bombers working their way down through a layer of clouds, seemingly on a landing approach. Intrepid's fighters caught and destroyed the whole bomber formation in two minutes. Harris was credited with shooting down two of them.
Immediately after this engagement, a group of over one dozen Zeros broke through the cloud layer above Intrepid's divisions. Enemies continued to come through the clouds in pairs until there were 40 or more Japanese aircraft operating against pilots from Fighting 18 and Bunker Hill's VF-8. Harris claimed two more kills during a wild encounter, and his wingman "Jimmy" Burley scored three. They were one of the few sections that managed to stay together throughout the engagement. By the end of the fight, VF-18 accounted for 25 Japanese planes shot down and suffered three losses in return.
On October 14, Japanese air forces attempted a reprisal against Task Force 38, but poor weather conditions complicated their search for the U.S. fleet. Only approximately 25 bombers made it to the vicinity of Task Group 38.2. VF-18's Combat Air Patrol (CAP), which had been flying above the task group continuously for almost two hours, was vectored to intercept these bombers just outside the task group's picket. They took care of the first formation of twelve bombers that emerged from the clouds. Two recently launched divisions of VF-18 Snooper Anti-Submarine Patrol (SNASP) were also routed to intercept, including one division led by Harris. His division had barely finished grouping up after launch when they sighted a second formation of bombers coming towards the ships. Harris exploded one midair then raked a second, sending it crashing into the sea.

The biggest risk posed to the SNASP Hellcats was not enemy bombers but their own task group's anti-aircraft fire. Harris and company withdrew back to the edge of the screen to protect themselves from the ships' guns. There they spotted another Yokosuka D4Y ("Judy") being chased by a CAP Hellcat unable to hit his target—it turned out the guns on his new plane were not properly adjusted. Harris pulled in from 5 o'clock and shot down his third "Judy" of the day. At the end of the day, only one out of an estimated 30 bombers penetrated the picket, putting a bomb just shy of the carrier Hancock. According to the Air Group's War History, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) wrote of the
Cecil E. Harris