Actually, I thought it was Spruance, Fletcher, Mitscher and Kincaid, which is why I said Nimitz. I believe every single torpedo bomber was shot down, but it forced the Japanese CAP down to the surface, thereby leaving the SBDs virtually unopposed, to do a number on the Japanese Carriers. I think the only survivor of the torpedo bombers, was one Ensign Gay, who spent the day in the ocean, watching the whole battle. Happy Memorial Day to you RDMD1. 🇺🇸🇵🇭
How many of us here are veterans>
Elsie: Air Force
I don't remember much of the details, but looking now at Wikipedia's account:
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"Admiral Fletcher, in overall command aboard Yorktown, and benefiting from PBY sighting reports from the early morning, ordered Spruance to launch against the Japanese as soon as was practical, while initially holding Yorktown in reserve in case any other Japanese carriers were found.[78] (Fletcher's directions to Spruance were relayed via Nimitz who, unlike Yamamoto, had remained ashore.)"
"Spruance judged that, though the range was extreme, a strike could succeed and gave the order to launch the attack at around 06:00. He then left Halsey's Chief of Staff, Captain Miles Browning, to work out the details and oversee the launch, which did not go smoothly. The first plane was only able to take off from Spruance's carriers Enterprise and Hornet a few minutes after 07:00. Fletcher, upon completing his own scouting flights, followed suit at 08:00 from Yorktown."
"Spruance ordered the striking aircraft to proceed to target immediately, rather than waste time waiting for the strike force to assemble, since neutralizing enemy carriers was the key to the survival of his own task force."
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AND THEN:
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"By chance, at the same time VT-3 was sighted by the Japanese, three squadrons of SBDs from Enterprise and Yorktown (VB-6, VS-6 and VB-3, respectively) were approaching from the southwest and northeast."
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"By chance" indeed! I say, by God's hand guiding Sruance's tining against the Satanic heathen their machinations were fatally undone from then on, a turning point of the war, eh? And then:
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"McClusky's decision to continue the search and his judgment, in the opinion of Admiral Chester Nimitz, "decided the fate of our carrier task force and our forces at Midway ..."[93] All three American dive-bomber squadrons (VB-6, VS-6 and VB-3) arrived almost simultaneously at the perfect time, locations and altitudes to attack.[94] Most of the Japanese CAP was focusing on the torpedo planes of VT-3 and were out of position, armed Japanese strike aircraft filled the hangar decks, fuel hoses snaked across the decks as refueling operations were hastily being completed, and the repeated change of ordnance meant that bombs and torpedoes were stacked around the hangars, rather than stowed safely in the magazines,[95] making the Japanese carriers extraordinarily vulnerable."
At the end of that day:
"As darkness fell, both sides took stock and made tentative plans for continuing the action. Admiral Fletcher, obliged to abandon the derelict Yorktown and feeling he could not adequately command from a cruiser, ceded operational command to Spruance."
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Here is my remembered "lone observer" from a long-ago (July 5th, 2003) FR post about Spruance:
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"In the afternoon of 4 June, Spruance refused to launch his aircraft until the last carrier, HIRYU, was definitely located. At about 1400 hours Lieutenant Sam Adams - of VS-5 from YORKTOWN - located her. As soon as this was done, Spruance launched SBD's from both ENTERPRISE and HORNET. ENTERPRISE found her shortly after 1700 hours and left her a burning hulk in just a few minutes. HORNET's SBD's got there after ENTERPRISE had attacked and went after the vessels in her screen."
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(BTW, Spruance was the US Ambassador to the Philippines in the mid-50s --)
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My FRiend and Bro, on this Memorial Day we stand far in the shadow of such magnificent Christians who gave us our nation. May God chasten and forgive the burgeoning elements of our population who have chosen such abominable leaders as we have today, and restore sanity and personal accountability to our public and private affairs!