35 of 41 torpedo bombers were shot down including all of Torpedo 8, 15 planes in all. Their sacrifice knowingly flying an obsolete aircraft on a predictable course brought the Jap Combat Air Patrol (CAP) down to wave top level. As a result the SBD dive bombers had no opposition in their decisive attack. The resulting destruction of the Jap carriers was bought with the blood of those 69 men.
Thank you for details, I was wondering.
+1
After his rescue the next day by a PBY Catalina flying boat, Navy doctors were amazed at the how well he was doing given his wounds and asked him what he had done to treat them. He replied that he had soaked them in salt water for 24 hours.
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
The music is Victory from the band Two Steps from Hell.
The cameraman depicted at the 1:05 mark was none other than legendary director John Ford. He actually climbed the tower, a natural target, to film the attack.
The pilot depicted at the 2:40 mark was Lcdr Wade McClusky the CO of Bombing 6 who led the attack on Kaga (Named for Kaga province). He received the Navy Cross and retired as a Rear Admiral.
At the last moment, Lt Dick Best, 2:51 mark, and two others broke off from the attack on Kaga and attacked the Akagi ("red castle"). His lone hit doomed the carrier. Two weeks later he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He received the Navy Cross
Ens. George Gay is shown at the 4:42 mark. He received the Navy Cross. He later flew for 30 years for TWA.
Not pictured in this video, Lcdr Max Leslie's Bombing 3 damaged the Soryu ("Blue, or green, Dragon") so badly it sank later the evening. He was awarded the Navy Cross. He retired as a Rear Admiral.
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
I recall that. In addition to the torpedo planes attacking naked the torpedos themselves were plagued with problems of defective arming switched snd some were just plain duds
How did we win with inexperienced pilots, defective equipment, communications break downs that didnt allow a co ordinated attack?
How did we win?