Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty-three

The defenders of Midway fought bravely, though not very well.The atoll has now turned from defense to offense, but they don't know how much hope they have and what concerns they have.On the runway at Sand Island, Second Lieutenant A. K. Ernest was in the TBF. 】Standby to attack.He is more delicate than the island's pittosporum bushes.He was transferred from Pearl Harbor to Midway on June 1 with a detachment of VT|8 from the Hornet. He had only been out of the flight training team for six months and had not yet flown beyond land.These new torpedo planes were well equipped and contained a torpedo with a speed of 200 knots, as opposed to the 135 knots of the old under-fuselage torpedo.He knew the best time to drop the torpedo was when the plane was at an altitude of two hundred feet and a speed of two hundred knots.However, in training to torpedo the fast Japanese aircraft carriers commanded by the most experienced and cunning captains in the Imperial Navy, Ernest dropped only one torpedo at the home Quonset range. [Note: Bard's interview with U.S. Navy Ensign Albert K. Ernest on April 28, 1966.Hereinafter referred to as Bard's interview with Ernest. 】

Ernest's squad leader, Lieutenant Landon K. Faberling, briefed the team on the use of torpedoes.If only one enemy aircraft carrier is encountered, the six TBF planes of the detachment will be divided into two, led by Lieutenant Faberling and Oswald J. Ganier respectively, and a small detachment will attack the port side of the bow of the target ship. The other attacked her starboard side.In this way, no matter how cleverly the aircraft carrier avoids it, it will inevitably hit the torpedo.If there is more than one aircraft carrier in the Japanese fleet, the pilots of each aircraft will choose the most certain target with the camera, pay attention to radio signals or gestures at any time, and do not throw mines if the time is not ripe. [Note: Bard's interview with Ernest; U.S. Navy Lieutenant Harold H. Ferrier: Eighth Torpedo Squadron, extra chapter, in "United States Naval Institute Records", 1964 October, p. 75.Hereinafter referred to as the second chapter. 】

The pilots of these torpedo planes could not count on fighter cover, as Nimitz had directed Semade to focus on the Japanese aircraft carriers, while Midway was defended by its ground forces. [Note: "Marines in the Battle of Midway", p. 23. 】It is a pity that Saimad did not carry out this order to the letter. He sent all fighter jets to provide air protection for the island.The torpedo crews could not count on any support from their sea brethren.The briefing they heard on the island said that the United States had an aircraft carrier in the area, but the mission was to defend Hawaii.Therefore, the aircraft on the island is the only air support for the island. [Note: Bard's interview with Ernest. 】

Moreover, the land-based aircraft that were going to attack Nagumo's forces were an aerial motley Baker Street irregular force. [Translator's Note: In Conan Doyle's "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", Holmes sometimes uses the children of Baker Street where the apartment is located to work for him, so it is said. ] It included Faberling's six TBFs, four B|26s, a number of Retaliators, and several B|17s.Their speeds and flight altitudes vary, and they are practically impossible to coordinate an attack at all.They had to schedule their attacks on the Japanese ships as close as possible, but they had to appear to be far apart from each other. [Note: Bard's interview with Ernest; extra chapter, seventy-four | seventy-five pages. ] The prospects for these land-based aviation units are bleak to say the least.Because they have no fighter jets to escort them, they have no rules when attacking, and the opponent is one of the most powerful aircraft carrier forces in history. The commander of this force is a veteran and outstanding admiral. There are a number of legendary Zero aircraft that add luster to the ship's history.

The night before, Ernest had spotted a two-dollar bill while walking along the runway.There are so few dollar bills of this denomination that they are strangely ominous and inevitably invite some superstition.The American public's perception of the bill is roughly the same as that of people encountering a black cat: most believe it is a bad omen, and a few believers think it is good luck.Bad or good, Ernest was quick to come to his own opinion. [Note: Bard's interview with Ernest. 】 In the air combat command shelter, Faberling, Kemes and McCall were having a pre-battle meeting.At this time, Chase called the police and said that several enemy planes were flying in the direction of Midway Island.Faberling quickly gathered the crew of the six TBF planes and ran to the plane quickly.As the engines rumbled on, a Marine orderly jumped onto Faberling's wing and shouted: Target, enemy aircraft carrier, bearing 320 degrees, distance 180 nautical miles, heading 135 degrees, Twenty-five knots!

At 6:00, this torpedo plane squadron took off and flew towards the sea.Ernest's turret shooter, Airman 3rd Class J.D. Manning, spotted the enemy aircraft approaching.A Zero flew sideways and was about to shoot at him, but neither had a chance to fire as the two planes flew past.The Faberling team resumed level flight at seven thousand feet.The cloud conditions were ideal: thick enough to provide concealment, yet able to look down through gaps in the clouds, with unlimited horizontal visibility. [Note: Same as above; Kems' report. 】 Before the dust raised by the Faberling team took off, four Army B|26 aircraft of the 69th Bomber Squadron, led by Captain James F. Collins Jr., took off one after another.Collins may be thinking that this is the first time an Army aircraft has used a torpedo to attack a target, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime mission.Whether it was true or not, he didn't think it mattered much.A torpedo is mounted under the fuselage of each aircraft, and its destructiveness is not too powerful. [Note: Report by Nimitz, June 28, 1942. 】

At about 7:10, Collins and Faberlin arrived at the sky over the target sea area at the same time.Ernest saw the fleet for the first time in his life, and was fascinated by the spectacle unfolding on the ocean. [Note: Bard's interview with Ernest. 】The Japanese have discovered these uninvited guests.Akagi first reported nine enemy planes at 7:50 a.m., with a bearing of 150 degrees and a distance of 25,000 kilometers. It then drove towards these planes at combat speed, trying to avoid exposing its sides to the enemy.The Japanese were obviously puzzled by this strange formation in the air, because the Tone reported that it was ten enemy heavy bombers, while the Chikuma reported that there were about ten PBY planes 36 kilometers ahead.At 7:8, Akagi and Tone fired into the air.A minute later, Nagumo sent ten fighter jets to meet the American plane.At 7:10, the Japanese observed that the American planes were divided into two groups. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 14. 】

In fact, Faberlin and Collins are fighting each other.In order to prevent the failure of the hydraulic device and the failure to drop mines, the TBF aircraft opened all the bomb bay doors, but the speed of the aircraft was affected by this. On the contrary, it hindered each other's actions, so these vulnerable TBF machines could miraculously rush towards the aircraft carrier.Manning fired several shots from the machine gun. [Note: Bard's interview with Ernest. 】 Seconds later, third class airman Harold H. Ferrier, belly shooter and radio operator, noticed that there was no sound in the turret.Looking back, he understood why Manning hadn't fired.His friend threw himself on the machine gun and was killed by the Zero's bullets.Ferrier was only eighteen, but he was suddenly grown up now.In the past, he always felt that he was the center of the world, and that death was only a theoretical phenomenon, which only happened to people living on the edge of the world, but now, death happened on his own plane.

Then, a Zero swooped down, and a burst of fire smashed the TBF's hydraulic system and wounded Ferrier's wrist.A bullet from another Zero pierced Ferrier's hat, and he passed out. [Note: Chapter 1, page 76. 】In this way, Ernest also acted as a driver and crew member.A TBF from another group flew to his side and its pilot gestured to him.But he didn't understand what the man meant.At this time his plane was damaged again and the elevator failed.He almost lost self-control due to a blow to the neck.The injury was not serious, but the wound on the neck was the same as the wound on the other parts of the head, and the blood was pouring out.He felt something warm running down his neck.

With the elevator failing, one machine gunner dead, the other unconscious, and blood profusely stabbed like a pig himself, Ernest knew it was impossible to attack the enemy aircraft carrier now.He flew towards a cruiser to the left and dropped the only torpedo.He dropped mines too high, and Nagumo's cruisers did not report torpedoes nearby.Ernest instinctively grabbed the landing tab and pulled it back.The movement worked wonders; he felt the nose tilt again, and carefully pulled the plane up.At this time, two Zeros entangled him, shooting him continuously from different positions.Like a football player attacking with the ball, he does everything possible to disrupt some of the opponent's offense.Later, the two Zeros flew away, maybe they were recalled by the aircraft carrier, maybe they ran out of ammunition.He breathed a sigh of relief.

Ernest evaded and flew over the Japanese fleet.Now that the enemy fleet was between him and Midway, he could only pray to God that he could fly back to Midway by a detour.All the electrical systems failed; the hydraulic system was also destroyed; the bomb bay door wouldn't close, the compass was on the rear, and the readings were unknown, and the airspeed and oil pressure gauges were also dead.In fact, apart from the engine, the only thing still running on the plane is Ernest.He took the method of ancient navigators who relied on guesswork and God, first flew south, and then turned east.When he saw a column of black smoke in the clouds, he pierced through the clouds and found Cure Island below.Then he knew his bearings.Even more fortunately, Ferrier regained consciousness and crawled back to his place.At 9:40, they ignored the signals on the ground telling them to leave, and landed at Midway.The plane spun around on the ground and stopped abruptly in the billowing dust. [Note: Bard's interview with Ernest; Chapter 76. 】 Of the VT|8 detachment dispatched to Midway, the only survivors of the attack were Ernest and Ferrier.For the TBF machine, the defeat in the first battle is an ominous sign.But Nimitz pointed out, as usual, that the problem was not the plane.He said in the report: Although the TBF aircraft is well-equipped, it is obviously impossible to break through the interception of the enemy fighter group without the cover of fighter jets. [Note: Report by Nimitz, June 28, 1942. 】 At the same time, Collins' B|26 team rushed straight to the center of the mobile unit.They turned slightly to port and then turned sharply to starboard to avoid anti-aircraft fire.They dismissed a few cruisers and approached a large aircraft carrier in the middle of the fleet, apparently the Akagi.Collins saw the TBF attack, but then he had to defend himself as best he could.All the enemy ships were firing in the air, and six Zeros swooped down on him from seven hundred feet.Collins dived to 200 feet, and most of the enemy plane's bullets flew over him. The crew of his No. 2 and No. 3 planes were lucky, and Collins never saw them again. [Note: Letter from James F. Collins Jr. to Commander, Seventh Bomber Fleet, June 6, 1942.Content: The B|26 aircraft in the Battle of Midway.Hereafter referred to as the Collins report. 】 The Akagi tried its best to dodge left and right: one with full left rudder, then one with full starboard, [Note: Japanese Narrative, page 14. ] But it is still within the attack range of Corinth.Collins believed that as long as the torpedo was in the right direction, he could hit the enemy ship.He dropped the torpedo at a height of eight hundred yards.At this time, he saw his teammate Lieutenant James P. Murray, who was not killed, on his lower left. [Note: Report by Collins. 】 Murray dropped the torpedo at an altitude of 450 yards in front of the Akagi, turned and flew towards the Akagi, passing over her, avoiding most of the ship's anti-aircraft fire.But his B|26 was still badly damaged.He reported that hundreds of rounds hit the fuselage and many pierced the fuel tanks.He regrets that there are no fixed machine guns on board.He said regretfully: If I had a fixed machine gun, I would be able to beat down the enemy fighter several times.His only self-defense weapon is a tail machine gun, and it often jams. [Note: Letter from Lieutenant James P. Murray to Commander, Seventh Bomber Fleet, June 6, 1942.Content: Report on the operational situation of B|26, No. 42|1394.Hereinafter referred to as Murray's report. 】 One of the Japanese fighter pilots who narrowly escaped the muzzle of Murray's malfunctioning tail machine gun was probably Soryu's Captain Fujita, who participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor and the battle of the Indian Ocean.He had wanted to take part in the attack on Midway, and was unhappy with the assignment to escort the aircraft carrier.Soryu sent him a Morse telegram, saying that enemy bombers were approaching from the northwest.He immediately lifted his spirits, and quickly led two of his nine Zeros to fly northwest.Since no enemy aircraft was found, he flew back over the mobile unit.At this time, he was notified again that the US plane was coming from the northeast.Fujita recognized the ones as B|26, and launched several attacks on them, but none of them worked.Like Ernest, he also believed that the Type Zero was too dense, and as a result, they interfered with each other and could not be aimed at.There are no surprises in the world. After the war, Fujita and Murrie worked together in Japan Airlines for many years and became close friends. [Note: Interview with Fujita, December 29, 1964. 】 Collins saw a torpedo enter the water, appearing to head straight for the aircraft carrier. [Note: Report by Collins. ] However, the only loss suffered by the Akagi was that the two gunners of the No. 3 antiaircraft gun were wounded by enemy machine guns; the gun was also damaged and could not rotate for half an hour.The observation post on the aircraft carrier found that one torpedo broke through the waves to the starboard side, and the other two landed on the port side. One of them flew past the tail side of the aircraft carrier, and the other exploded by itself. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 14. 】 The pilots of the second wave of torpedo planes on the Akagi gathered on the deck to watch the battle with great interest.All the anti-aircraft guns on the ship were firing at the air, but a US plane still roared towards it.Someone exclaimed: It's about to hit the bridge!But it flashed by only a few yards from the bridge, the five-pointed star on the dark blue fuselage shining; [Note: Tragic battle. ] Fuchita leaned on a parachute beside the bridge, and it was easy to identify that it was a B|26 aircraft. 【Note: Interview with Fuchita, February 14, 1964. 】It swept over the ship, rushed towards the Flying Dragon, then fell suddenly on the port side, and fell headlong into the sea. The people on the Akagi danced happily, but Murata didn't say any triumphant one-liners this time.His kind face was very serious, and he watched the water column rise high and fall again at the place where the bomber crashed.Perhaps at this moment he prayed for this enemy whose name he did not even know, because this man, like himself, was a heroic torpedo pilot willing to die for his country.Maybe it occurred to him that this might be his own destination as well.After a moment of solemnity, he laughed excitedly again.The danger seemed to have passed, and there was a burst of hilarity on board.Yuan Tian said: How funny! [Note: The Battle of Tragedy. 】 At about 9:15, the two planes of Collins and Murray staggered back to Midway.Both planes are no longer flyable without major repairs.Collins was particularly annoyed by the firepower setup.His two turret machine guns kept malfunctioning.One of the tail machine guns went dumb as soon as it was fired, and the bullet belts of the two tail machine guns did not move, so the bullets had to be fed by hand.Not a single machine gun is actually satisfying.What Collins said made sense: when encountering a fighter fleet, no bomber is an opponent, not to mention the limited number of machine guns that are still unable to fire, and the machine gunners lack sufficient shooting training. [Note: Report by Collins. ] Murray also encountered a similar situation.All three machine gunners on board were wounded, the hydraulics were destroyed, the propeller blades were completely destroyed, the left tire was knocked out, and the power turret was disabled.But they both lavished praise on the B|26's anti-spill tanks and their protective baffles. [Note: Murray's report. 】 Ernest did not report that he hit the target.Collins reported two hits, one by himself and one by boat four.Murray said he reckoned he hit an aircraft carrier. [Note: Report by Collins; Report by Murray. ] Later, the Army claimed that the B|26 carried out three torpedo attacks, while the Navy was more modest and only said one. [Note: Wesley Frank Craven and James Leigh Gate eds. Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1, Planning and Early Operations, January 1939 | 194 August of the Second Year" (University of Chicago Press, 1948), p. 459.Hereinafter referred to as "AAF in World War II". 】Nagumo did not show any weakness. He claimed to have shot down about 19 enemy planes in the battle.Hiryu alone reported that it shot down eight of the nine incoming enemy aircraft. [Note: Narratives of Japan, pages 47 | 49; pages 64 | 65.Due to the inconsistency of Nagumo's statistics, it is very difficult for the Japanese side to calculate the number of US planes they claimed to have shot down. 】Yamaguchi Tamon never talks about modesty. As soon as Nagumo received a telegram from Tomonaga suggesting another attack on Midway, the US land-based TBF and B|26 attack began.This seems to further illustrate the importance of Tomoyong's suggestion.At 7:07, Ogawa reported on the radio that the bombing of Sand Island had achieved major results (3:40 local time), [Note: Japanese Narrative, page 14. ] But his report elicited little reaction.No matter how significant the results, the enemy's land-based aircraft were still very active, even though the attack performance of these aircraft at the time showed that they were not useful. Genda raised his head and squinted his eyes to observe the batch of B|26s.He said: The level of their torpedo attack was so poor that the attack was a complete failure.Genda is worthy of being a real pilot.He believed that the first task was to destroy this group of enemy planes and other enemy planes still in flight when they returned to Midway to land. [Note: Genda's statement. 】 Of course, Nanyun will not forget that the main purpose of the operation that day was to conduct an air strike on Midway Island before landing to weaken the firepower on the island.These nasty American planes would probably have far better luck against lumbering troop carriers instead of fast, maneuverable aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers.Nagumo also had to consider the heavy anti-aircraft fire on the island and try to knock out the island's flak.He didn't know how many defenders were killed and wounded by Tomonaga's air strike, but of course the more the better. At this time, because there was no information, Nagumo still thought that the US fleet was at most only on the surface of Hawaii.The reconnaissance planes dispatched estimated that they should have reached the end of the search fan by now, and they did not report seeing enemy surface ships.Of course, they may still find a little enemy on the way back, but this possibility is extremely slim.After all, the task of the pilot of the reconnaissance plane is to observe the situation in the direction of progress, not to pay attention to the sea area that has been flown. Therefore, Nagumo decided to adopt Tomoyaga's suggestion.But that means juggling many issues at once on the fly.As the reader knows, Akagi and Kaga's second wave of attack planes were armed with torpedoes in order to deal with enemy fleets that might be found.The Hiryu and Soryu are different, as they will provide the dive bombers for the second attack.Their torpedo planes joined Tomonaga's horizontal bomber formation, thus setting a precedent.Murata's people on the Akagi and Ogawa's people on the Kaga are on the flight deck, and the torpedoes are already in place, waiting for an order to attack.Nagumo's decision meant taking the planes to a hangar below deck, unloading the torpedoes, refitting the bombs, and hoisting them up to the flight deck.This tossing takes nearly an hour.If Nagumo wanted to catch up with the returning American planes and destroy them as they landed, there was not enough time to complete the preparations for this task. [Note: "The Battle of Midway Island", page 61; Japanese Narration, page 7; "United Fleet", page 83; Zero six | One hundred and seven pages. 】 Genda hastily drafted a telegram: the planes of the second attack wave are ready to attack today, and replace them with bombs.At 7:15, Nagumo issued this order to the ships in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the First Aircraft Carrier Squadron. [Note: Statement by Genda; Narration by Japan, page 14. 】 Since it was not clearly stated in the order to the mobile force that under no circumstances should the aircraft be equipped with torpedoes be less than half, [Note: See Chapter 4 of this book. 】So Nagumo's decision made Kuroshima and Watanabe feel sad.However, Genda questioned this rigid thinking. If it were done like that, then no suitable target would be found, and half of the attack aircraft would be idle and useless.It should act on camera. [Note: Genda's statement. ] Caolu also pointed out: Nagumo and his staff were very clear about Yamamoto's intentions: the First Aircraft Carrier Squadron must maintain at least half of its aircraft to attack the enemy aircraft carrier fleet that may be encountered at any time.In fact, they have been maintained at maximum combat readiness.With enemy land-based aircraft attacking us and no expected enemy aircraft carrier force to be placed on indefinite readiness to wait for an enemy fleet that may not be operating in this area at all, it is It is intolerable to the commanders on the front line. Therefore, Caolu believes that even though Nagumo's decision can be questioned afterwards, under the actual circumstances at the time, Nagumo's decision was still correct. [Note: Caolu's statement. 】 Nagumo was severely criticized for this.Looking at it in hindsight, readers have every reason to believe that this was a major mistake by Nagumo.But the authors of this book agree with Kuoka and Genda that the steps Nagumo has taken are logical and sensible.The actual situation at the time was: Tomoyaga, who was at the battle site, suggested a second attack. The attack by the US aircraft based on Midway Island showed that the base on the island was still functioning. It won Nagumo’s trust, and Genda, who was worthy of his trust, agreed. His decision, Nagumo's own sound judgment also contributed to his decision.There is another most critical factor that contributed to his determination: the day before he received a call from Tokyo saying: The enemy has not found any sign of doubting my plan. [Note: Genda's statement. 】 When we look at this important decision made by Nagumo, we cannot separate him from the various specific situations on the bridge of the Akagi at that time.This decision was at least partly due to his ignorance of the disposition and strength of the enemy fleet.So this is not improper command, but intelligence failure.Nagumo suffered a great loss because of the unknown situation.