Chapter 32 Chapter Twenty-Eight They Are Almost All Wiped Out

The fact that Waldron had a fighter escort was purely accidental, and he did not know it at the time.The VF|6 Wildcat aircraft on the Enterprise led by Gray is much faster than the TBD aircraft, so it can only fly back and forth in an S shape to keep the torpedo aircraft within its field of vision.Nearly halfway up his climb to the 20,000-foot tactical altitude, Gray became confused.He caught up with the VT|8 that departed earlier, mistaking it for Lindsay's VT|6 plane.When Waldron turned to fly towards Nagumo's aircraft carrier force, Gray couldn't see clearly where the TBD was going.By the time he caught up with the TBDs again, dozens of enemy fighter jets had launched a fierce attack on them.He was in an unfortunate situation. He could neither find a VT|6 plane nor help a VT|8 plane.In addition, the dive bomber driven by McCluskey did not even have a shadow at this time.Gray knew that perhaps he had lost contact with the entire attacking force.

Apparently, Gray thought that his ten fighters could only be used for reconnaissance flights at best, so he flew in this area until the fuel dropped to the dangerous point.At about 9:52 he reported to the task force that he was over the target but was running out of fuel and had to return to the carrier immediately.About ten minutes later, he reported again: There are no fighter jets patrolling over the enemy fleet, and we have been flying over it for half an hour.The enemy fleet included eight destroyers, two battleships, and two aircraft carriers, and he had said in another report that the enemy was sailing north.After receiving his report, the USS Enterprise fighter base issued a firm order to attack immediately. [Note: Analysis of the Battle of Midway, 127 | 128 pages; TF16 Cruiser Report Annex 1; Hornet Air Battle Report; June 8, 1942 VF | 6 Squadron Leader to Enterprise Letter from the captain of the Air Force, content: Describe the events that occurred on June 4th-6th, 1942.Hereinafter referred to as the VF | 6 combat report. ] According to Morrison and Lord's recollection, it was Miles Browning who gave the offensive order.McCluskey, who was leading the dive bombers, thought it was an order for him. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", page 122; "Amazing Victory", page 190. ] Giving instructions to all planes within communication distance like this is very similar to what Browning did.

A famous incident described by naval expert Fletcher Pratt may be based on this call.He wrote: VT|8 spotted the Japanese fleet, but they were short of fuel and lacked the cover of fighter jets, so they requested permission to return to refuel.Reportedly, Spruance called back and told them to attack immediately! [Note: Spruance, "Portrait of an Admiral", p. 147. 】From the perspective of VT|8's mission and Waldron's character, this request is meaningless, but it is logical for Gray to make this request under the circumstances at the time.Gray led the fighters safely back to the Enterprise to refuel, perhaps because he had not received that order, or perhaps because he was unable to comply. [Note: Analysis of the Battle of Midway Island, page 127 | 128; Annex 1 of the TF16 cruiser report. Another irony occurred when Gray lost the troops he was covering in search of the Japanese fleet.Lindsay's plane was shot down in the first batch, so the contact signal that Jem had arranged in advance was useless.

VT|6 pilots are much more experienced than VT|8 pilots.They fought in various battles in the Marshall Islands, Wake Island and Marcus Island.Even the latest pilots have more than 2,000 hours of flying time, and they fly torpedo planes most of the time.Lindsay got off to a bad start and lost his plane as soon as he left Pearl Harbor.In this way, there are only fourteen TBD machines left that can be used.Lindsay's attack plan was to divide these planes into two groups equally, with one group led by himself and the other group commanded by Avery, each attacking the enemy aircraft carrier of his choice. [Note: Bard's interview with Raub. 】

At 9:49, Chikuma reported to Akagi that 14 enemy planes had been spotted 50 kilometers to port. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 18. ] Lindsay and Avery split into two groups and rushed towards an aircraft carrier within the defensive circle composed of destroyers, cruisers and battleships. [Note: Letter to Bard from retired U.S. Naval Lieutenant Commander Stephen B. Smith dated February 3, 1967. ] Nagumo's combat record records: At 9:58, 14 enemy planes approached us in two waves, with the First Aircraft Carrier Squadron bearing the brunt [Note: Japanese Narrative, page 19. ] Genda saw it clearly from the bridge of the Akagi: the Kaga seemed to be a direct target of the enemy's attack, and he prayed in the direction of Admiral Tsusaku Okada. [Note: Genda's statement. 】

At ten o'clock, the Kaga was attacked.At this time Nagumo sent a truly startling telegram to Yamamoto and the commanders of the Midway offensive force: At 3:30 the air raid on Midway.After 4:15, many enemy shore-based aircraft attacked me, but I suffered no losses.At 4:28, one enemy aircraft carrier, seven cruisers, and five destroyers were spotted in the ??? [Translator's Note: Japanese, sea area designation used by the Japanese Navy] 34 sea area, heading southwest at a speed of 20 knots .We intend to eliminate this group of enemies first, and then continue to attack Midway Island.At seven o'clock I was in ??? 】○○, heading 30 degrees, speed 24 knots. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 19. 】

In this way, Nagumo revised the number of enemy aircraft carriers found in the previous report, but he did not report to his superiors that he was attacked by a US carrier-based torpedo plane, nor did he mention that he was tracked by a US submarine.At 9:30, Arashi telegraphed the Akagi that it had been attacked by the Nautilus, and said that it responded immediately with depth charges, but the result was unknown. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 18. ] Two depth charges were dropped very close to the Nautilus. Brockman thought the situation was too dangerous, so he did not raise the periscope out of the water again until 9:55. [Note: Same as above. ] All in all, Nagumo's brief report could not have allowed Yamamoto to understand the real situation, and it undoubtedly contributed to the complacency of the officers and men on the Yamato.

Genda continued to watch the Kaga.Maybe his prayers were answered, maybe Okada didn't need his prayers because the captain did a great job.He steers the massive aircraft carrier as deftly as a cowboy steers a pony.Genda said: The battle on the Kaga seems to be very good.Nagumo said confidently: It's fine. At this time, except for the shouts, everything is indeed over.So Genda walked off the bridge, came to the flight command room, and asked a few pilots who returned after the attack on Midway Island to learn about the situation.He asked: What about the technology of the enemy pilots who fought over Midway?

Enemy fighters were really nasty, one pilot told him, I think they were all but wiped out. Genda also learned that, unfavorably, when they attacked the island, there were no planes on the airfield, and the anti-air fire was extremely heavy.On the other hand, the view that the performance of Japanese fighters is greatly superior to that of American aircraft has also been confirmed. Captain Kiyokuma Okajima, who will serve as the commander of the Japanese Sixth Air Force stationed on the island after the capture of Midway Island, said: Aviation staff, today is a fierce battle.He and his airmen had been fighting since early morning, repelling a series of enemy attacks.

Genda replied relaxedly: Yes, but there is no need to worry.After speaking, he hurried back to the bridge.He found that the U.S. plane attacking the Kaga had obviously merged with the U.S. plane attacking the Hiryu.The orange-yellow tracer bombs flying in all directions, the smoke clouds after the explosion of the anti-aircraft artillery shells, and the spiral black smoke dragged by the burning enemy aircraft intertwined in the sky into a grotesque and terrifying pattern on Halloween.The observation post kept reporting news of the downing of the US saboteur.Genda was very proud.If the fight continues like this, they will wipe out all the US carrier-based torpedo planes, and can quickly launch a full-scale attack on the US aircraft carrier.Apart from encountering a few fighter jets that are really annoying, they will be invincible.

Nanyun, Caolu and other personnel on the bridge of the Akagi were all in high spirits.The observation post was ecstatic and reported the progress of the battle loudly: there are five planes left!There are only three left, one, one!Finally he shouted: shoot them all down! No matter how many enemy planes there are, we don't have to be afraid, this kind of thought spontaneously emerged in Yuanda's mind.He thought to himself: I used to have doubts about whether the mobile unit could resist the attack from the air, but now I see its great power. This is a win!He was overjoyed at the thought.Therefore, we had better eat the enemy planes first, then attack the enemy aircraft carriers, and then launch a devastating attack on Midway Island from midnight today until tomorrow morning. [Note: Genda's statement. 】 VT|6 suffered as much as VT|8.Ten of the fourteen such aircraft it launched were shot down.While returning to the Enterprise, one was pushed overboard due to injuries beyond repair. [Note: Supplementary report of Enterprise; Interview with Raub by Bard] Many Japanese who witnessed the battle praised the fighters for their bravery and tenacity in spite of the firepower of Zero aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery, [Note: "Midway" Island Sea Battle", p. 176. ] But Genda’s impression was that in the face of fierce attacks from the sea and air, some enemies obviously hesitated and cowered, not daring to charge. [Note: Genda's statement. 】 Genda didn't understand the speed of these destroyers at all, especially how slow they were when they carried a heavy torpedo on their sling.It was like dashing forward on an exhausted mule.It is nothing short of a miracle that any plane ever managed to make it back.There is little doubt that at this point the Zero pilots were beginning to feel combat-stressed and exhausted.Although there was still a lot of fuel left, they flew back to the aircraft carrier one by one to replenish ammunition.After replenishing, the ground crew patted them on the shoulder again to express their encouragement, and they climbed into the cockpit to take off again. [Note: "The Battle of Midway Island", page 176. 】 Ensign Robert E. Laub met little resistance when he dropped his torpedo eight hundred yards from the target.As he pulled out of the airspace, he was attacked by a Zero, although Raub's Saboteur was undamaged. [Note: Bard's interview with Raub. 】Mechanical Sergeant Major Albert W. Winchell saw a stray bullet hit the warhead of a torpedo just in time, and the torpedo exploded in a flash of fire.Knowing that he was too far away from the target, Winchell dropped the torpedo, because he could no longer pull out the dive in time to attack again.The Type Zero aircraft did not chase after the Midway land-based aircraft like before, but gave up after chasing for a while. Winchell and his machine gunner, Private Douglas M. Cossett, got rid of the fighter jets and were drawn into another battle against the sea.They hadn't quite left the battlefield when the fuel in the plane's fuel tanks gushed out and the engines stopped.They were forced to land at sea.Winchell crash-landed very neatly.They grabbed life rafts, emergency rations, first aid kits and parachutes.They were both wounded, not badly but painfully.They use the parachute as a canopy, sail or sea anchor as the wind and weather change, waiting for someone to rescue them.They drifted like this for several days at sea.When they see small fish swimming in the sea, they go to the cool water to soak for a while, because the presence of small fish means that there are no sharks nearby.There were frequent shark attacks, and the pair used aluminum paddles and hunting knives to fend them off. Occasionally a plane buzzed by in the distance, but it was too far away to see their life rafts.Whenever the black spot on the plane faded away, Winchell would pump his fist and shout, "Well, you bastards, don't want me to buy you another drink next time in the officers' club!"Once the emergency rations were gone, they were ready to shoot down an albatross that curiously followed them.Winchell remembered an unlucky sentence in "The Ballad of the Ancient Sailor", but he didn't care about that much at the moment. He knocked the bird down with a sudden blow, and then killed it.Eating albatross raw is not a delicacy.Although this kind of seabird has a wide wingspan, its body is only the size of a chicken. Not only does it have a fishy smell, but its meat is too old to chew. About the twelfth day after drifting, they spotted a submarine and signaled to it.But they were desperate. It turned out to be a Japanese submarine.It circled them both, and the soldiers and an officer stood on the deck, looked them over, and then turned away again.Apparently, the Japanese thought the two refugees were dying, and they couldn't find anything to ask, and it wasn't worth shooting them.It was not until June 21 that a PBY machine spotted them and rushed them to the hospital on Midway Island.They drifted at sea for 17 days, and both lost about 60 pounds. They were the last two survivors to be rescued. [Note: Letter from Douglas M. Cossett to Bard, July 20, 1966. 】 The fate of the personnel on another American plane was even worse.At about 16:30 on June 4, the Nagara found a life raft and ordered the Cirrus to find out.If it is an American, the rescuers must interrogate the prisoners, find out the enemy's situation, and then deal with them appropriately. [Note: Two letters to Bard from First Class Hai Sahira Shigeo Hirayama of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on June 6 and 10, 1966. 】 The two men were an ensign and a private, aeromechanical sergeant, of Enterprise VS|6.At first the Japanese did not abuse them. Doctors treated their wounds and the crew gave them cigarettes. [Note: The United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS) "Interrogation of Japanese Officials", Volume 2, Interrogation of Lieutenant Namba Tanejo on October 28, 1947, October 29, 1947 He interrogated and built several naval lieutenants. ] But when they refused to answer questions, Lieutenant Katsumata Takaichi, who was in charge of the interrogation, threatened with a dagger. [Note: On September 25, 1947, the USSBS interrogated First Class Naval Admiral Takehiko Suzuki. ] For some reason or other, the two captives gave the Japanese some very accurate information about the defense of Midway, but they apparently said almost nothing about the task force. A few days later, the Cirrus sailed to the Aleutian Islands. Captain Isamu Fujita believed that it was useless to keep the prisoners.He used the personal property of the two Americans (one of which was the second lieutenant's lighter engraved with tenderness for the unparalleled husband) Pun, it also means no matches.]) As a reward, no one wants to be the executioner. [Note: The USSBS interrogated Namba, and interrogated Mechanical Sergeant Saito Yoshio. ] But late that night, the two unfortunates were taken aboard, blindfolded, strapped to their bodies and thrown overboard with five-gallon fuel tanks filled with water. [Note: Almost all interrogators said this was the method of killing, the exact date is unknown. 】According to Hirayama Shigeo 1st Class Haizuo (navigator of the Cirrus), the two men had no fear on their faces and regarded death as home. [Note: Letter from Hirayama dated June 6, 1966. 】 On June 4th, the Yorktown dragged on until 8:38 before dispatching the plane.Lieutenant Colonel M. E. Arnold, the flight director, believed that Nanguo would not keep the course of Midway Island unchanged, because if he kept the original course, then when the plane of the Yorktown arrived over the sea area, Nanguo would be at most only eight miles away from Midway Island. , Ninety nautical miles.Arnold therefore ordered the squadron leaders to continue flying east of the enemy position of the last notification.If the aircraft carrier is not found, turn right and return. [Note: Bard's interview with retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral M.E. Arnold on May 6, 1966.Hereinafter referred to as Bard's interview with Arnold. ] This order, coupled with the delayed take-off, actually brought good luck to the Americans. Lieutenant Commander Lance E. Macy's VT|3 took off first, followed by Lieutenant Commander John S. Thatch's six Wildcats.Fletcher couldn't send any more planes, and he wanted to keep some on board to cover VS|3, in case the Japanese aircraft carrier reappeared in the sky. [Note: "Battle of Midway", one hundred and sixty-seventh | page one hundred and sixty-eighth. 】 Messi is one of the most experienced torpedo pilots in the U.S. Navy.While serving with VT|6, he fought in the squadron's early days.On April 17, 1942, he was transferred to the command of VT|3 Squadron.He is highly motivated and highly skilled, with long school training and extensive hands-on experience at Kaneohe Naval Air Station on Oahu.Under his impetus, VT|3 entered the Battle of Midway with a good posture. [Note: Bard's interview with U.S. Navy Captain Harry B. Gibbs, March 1967.Hereinafter referred to as Bard's interview with Gibbs. 】 In addition, Messi and the shrewd Jamie Thatch have worked closely on fighter escort tactics.The Wildcat has to deal with the Zero, and only by flying high can it gain sufficient dive speed.Thach sent two F4F|4s to fly close below the clouds at an altitude of 2,500 feet. If they were attacked by Japanese interceptors, the two F4F|4s would send out an alarm by their on-board radios.Thatch and the other three fighters flew above five thousand feet, swooping down if necessary.It was a tragedy, if not a bit of a joke, that air cover was so weak.No matter how high the combat skills are, and no matter how determined, the size of the silk cannot be made into a bed cover.Thatch devised a tactic he hoped would reduce the disparity in power between the two sides.This tactic was later called the Saatchi dodge: the wildcat-style two-plane activity, after one was bitten by the zero-type machine (this is the usual tactic of the Japanese plane), it turned around and attacked the enemy plane. [Note: Letter from U.S. Navy Captain J. S. Thach to Bard dated November 26, 1965.Hereinafter referred to as the letter of Tach. 】 At 10:15, the Akagi observation post discovered a group of enemy torpedo aircraft at 45,000 meters to the port side, a total of twelve aircraft. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 19. 】Zero pilot Fujita wanted to hurry up and eat two bites of lunch, because he overslept that morning and boarded the plane without breakfast.Before he could take a bite of his meal, the battle siren sounded again.He and two comrades immediately took off again.Their planes were the only ones on Soryu that were ready for immediate combat. [Note: In the interviews with Fujita on December 29, 1946 and January 4, 1965, Fujita said in conversation that this group of torpedo planes was covered by fighter jets, which helped to prove They are VT|3. 】 Several Zeros attacked the Wildcat flying below the clouds.Thatch led all the planes to swoop down to join the battle.American fighters go all out for this traditional fight.Thatch and his wingman, Ensign R.A.M. Dibb, are proficient in Thatch's dodging skills, and it seems that they have been experts in this skill for many years.Strictly speaking from an aerial combat point of view, Thatch fought well. Ensign Edward Bassett's plane caught fire and went down early in the engagement, and Thatch lost one of his planes.Lieutenant Daniel C. Sidi flew over the task force in the seriously injured Wildcat.Since he couldn't fly to the Yorktown, he had to fall and land on the Hornet, and the plane was also reimbursed.The remaining four aircraft withdrew from the battle as they ran out of fuel. [Note: Letter from the Captain of HMS Yorktown to the Commander of the Pacific Fleet dated June 18, 1942.Content: Report on operations on June 4th and 6th, 1942.Hereafter called Yorktown Report; Hornet's Log, June 4, 1942; Battle of Midway, p. 170. 】As far as the main task of these fighters is to cover VT|3, they might as well not participate in this battle. Fujita decided to leave the fighters aside and attack the bombers.Two of his comrades-in-arms are missing.He was so hungry and tired that he thought he was the only one fighting alone.He rushed towards the formation of enemy planes, attacked the edge of the formation, and shot down two enemy planes.When he followed suit and attacked again, about ten more Zeros fought alongside him. Now it's Fujita's bad luck.On the way back to the Soryu, his plane was hit by his own anti-aircraft artillery and caught fire.He had to skydive, which was not a pleasant choice, because his Zero had fallen to about 200 meters from the sea at this time.His parachute did not open until he fell into the sea.Thanks to a life jacket, he quickly surfaced.But he was entangled in the rope on the parachute, like a fish caught in a net, and he struggled for a long time before he was able to escape. [Note: Interview with Fujita, January 4, 1965. 】 At the same time, 18 | 20 zero-type aircraft roared and rushed towards the saboteur-type led by Messi, concentrating on attacking the lead aircraft.Messi was shot down when he failed to fly over the perimeter line of destroyers.When his wingman last saw him, he had climbed out of the burning cockpit and stood on the remaining wing of the plane, but was too low to jump out. [Note: Letter to Bard dated October 10, 1966 from retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Colonel W. G. Estes. 】 Fuchita and his pilots stood on the flight deck.When they saw the Type Zero planes shooting down the torpedo planes one after another, they cheered and whistled to express their encouragement and congratulations.Then, a group of saboteurs rushed towards the Akagi, but at the best moment of throwing mines, they roared and flew over the aircraft carrier and rushed towards the Soryu.This surprised Yuan Tian.Yamaguchi's flagship was nearly surrounded by torpedo tracks, but missed a single torpedo. [Note: "The Battle of Midway Island", page 175. 】 Captain William C. Estes is an experienced and skilled torpedo pilot.He took the lead and led the five planes of his team to rush towards the Dragon.The other six pilots, like Messi, were shot down before reaching the effective distance to release the torpedo.All five planes of the Estes detachment dropped their torpedoes, but Captain Kalai Shio, the captain of the Hiryu, suddenly turned the aircraft carrier to starboard. The direction is off target.The planes parked on the rear deck of the aircraft carrier are ready to take off, and Esdes is watching all this.He had no time to observe the result of the attack, because there were zero-type machines almost everywhere, driving him out of this sea area.His plane was badly damaged, but he escaped the Zero's pursuit.He made an emergency landing on the sea that could just be observed by the Yorktown.Later that day, he was picked up by the destroyer USS Hanman, by which time his gunner had succumbed to his wounds. [Note: Letter from Estes. 】 The destroyer Arashi picked up an American pilot from the sea not far from the mobile unit.It was a twenty-three-year-old second lieutenant from Chicago.Arashi's torpedo Hasegawa Kiyosumi was the only person on board who knew some English, so he interrogated the prisoners.But he can only understand a little bit and write a few sentences, but he can't speak them out.So the progress of interrogation with written question and answer like this is very slow.The interrogation was at least somewhat threatening, because during the interrogation, Tanigawa was always condescending, threatening with a saber. The American, either frightened or exhausted, did not realize the significance of his account.Perhaps he thought the battle was moving so fast that what he was talking about was of little value to the Japanese.Perhaps he harbored a cowardly but all-human hope that death could be avoided if he had only spoken.Regardless of his motives, he leaked some important military information.At 1300, Admiral Yukasaku, commander of the 4th Destroyer Division, sent a telegram to Nagumo, Kondo and Yamamoto (the content of which will be described in due course in this book).Nothing good came of the young man's cooperation with the enemy.The Japanese killed him anyway, and his body either fell into the sea by itself or was thrown into the sea. [Note: On December 5, 1947 and April 12, 1948, USSBS interrogated Lieutenant Tanigawa Kiyosumi, and on February 26 and June 10, 1948, second class Haicao holds a heavy profit.The American prisoner's name is included in the dossier, but Prange believes that making them public would cause unnecessary pain.According to a survivor of VT|3, everyone spoke highly of the second lieutenant and admired him very much.Estes' letter. 】 Of the forty-one Destroyers that took off on June 4th, only four flew back to the aircraft carrier, but they were all beaten into a mess.No one is saddened by the loss of these planes.In modern warfare, old and bulky TBD machines like this are already obsolete and should be replaced by TBF machines as soon as possible.But the loss of the likes of Waldron, Lindsay, Messi and their young comrades is a painful blow. What contribution the sacrifices of VT|8, VT|6 and VT|3 made to the US victory in the Battle of Midway is a question worth pondering.The general perception is that they have made valuable contributions.Though ill-planned, they fought bravely, and their attacks distracted the Japanese from the incoming American dive bombers. [Note: See examples in Analysis of the Battle of Midway, p. 131; The Battle of the Coral Sea, Midway, and Submarine Operations, p. 121; Eleven pages. 】Others believe that this credit should be attributed to VT|3 and Thach's Wildcat, because after the failure of the VT|8 and VT|6 attacks, the Zero machine had enough time to climb to a higher altitude. [Note: "Battle of Midway", page 170. 】As long as you check the memorabilia of the Japanese side, you can see that those who hold this view are justified. [Note: Narration of Japan, page 18 | page 19. 】 But other factors must also be considered.The choice made by the Japanese cannot be ignored, because the Japanese did not fail to observe the incoming dive bombers.It can be clearly seen from Nanyun's combat records that the escort ships immediately issued an alarm as soon as they discovered that the US plane had entered the outer line of defense. [Note: Same as above, page 19. 】The Japanese aircraft carrier can completely deploy some of the zero-type aircraft that are intercepting torpedo aircraft to deal with this new threat, because this can only be a group of dive bombers.The Japanese are good at torpedo attacks. To some extent, they are fascinated by this tactic, so they concentrate on dealing with TBD.Although the low level of American torpedo launching technology is despised by people, and the quality of American torpedoes is too poor, as long as a torpedo hits occasionally, it will become a major event reported to the country. In addition, although the attack by the US land-based or carrier-based aircraft was exhausting, it made Nagumo's mobile force exhausted throughout the morning.Especially Japanese fighter pilots, they are under tremendous pressure.At least on this point, the Americans who participated in the war all made some contributions to the overall victory of the United States.