The Battle of Midway Roundtable Opening Remarks
Welcome to the July Battle of Midway Roundtable. Hope everyone is doing well. This month we have a great addition to the RoundTable Archives. Mr. Bill Vickrey, who never disappoints, sends Jimmy Thach's 17 page after action report on the Yorktown's Air Group along with some personal reflections. So we'll start the newsletter off with that.
We have another personal account by Mr. George Skonbert about his father and his experiences on the Yorktown, a follow up discussion on Torpedo 6, a new book on Midway due out soon, and several other interesting articles and notes.
We also have one very interesting perspective on the battle that I, at least, had not thought of before reading this article. The author puts forth the the question "Was Stanhope Ring responsible for the Miracle at Midway?" And yes when reading the title I did have a What the Heck kind of moment. But after reading the article I have to say he has a pretty good argument. One I cannot disagree with.
As always Enjoy and stay safe.
Thach at Midway
From Bill Vickrey, July 11, 2020
In your last issue one member was concerned that he had no information about Thach’s Midway Action Report for The Battle of Midway. I agree with him.
Attached you will find seventeen pages with almost all of them signed by Lieutenant Commander John Thach, USN. Feel free to publish this report and/or use it in any way you like. This may have gotten to me from the original release of diskettes by the Navy Department before there was such involvement by the folks in Washington. I wrote them a letter expressing my desire for what I knew I wanted at the time. With no bells and whistles they sent me several disks with enough information to last forever. My then good friend and faithful corporate copied them for me. I was traveling a lot and she had some time on her hands. I have that information in some form or another but – sadly – I know longer have the discs. We cleaned out our full attic several years ago and I have always felt our daughters, son and daughter-in law tossed them thinking they were worthless. That 's what you get when you have four wiht Master’s degrees and and one PhD cleaning out an attic. We love them dearly.
At any rate I am attaching seventeen pages of material relating to Fighting Three at Midway most of which was directly attributed to Lieutenant Commander John Thach – later John Thach. Admiral USN..
I did not get to know many of the pilots of VF-3 mainly because they not attend the YORKTOWN Reunions. I was privileged to attend three or four of them and spoke at their last one and met many pilots who were at Midway on YORKTOWN. While I did not meet Rear Admiral Bill Leonard I talked to him several times and he gave me a good bit of written information and later his son was free with information about his Dad and the Battle. We kept in touch via email and I hope he has the same email he had when we last communicated as I am sending him a copy of this email and the attachment.
Rear Admiral Leonard – then Lieutenant (jg) - was the Flight Officer and – since the XO of VF-3 had been killed in a crash – Lieutenant (jg) Leonard was Acting XO.. Admiral Leonard was the paragon of our grave young Navy and Marine Officers who carried such a load of duty and radiated valor and heroism. In The Battle of Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal Bill received two Navy Crosses, four Distinguished Crosses, four Legions of Merit, one Bronze Star, six Air Medals, A Presidential Unit Citation, one NAVY Unit Citation and one JCS Commendation. He later was commanded officer of SALAMONIA, Ranger, and CO of A CARRIER DIVISON with his flag on RANGER I am not here to paint Admiral Leonard as a hero – but that he was – but to recognize the valor that our fliers so valiantly – and against all odds – carried the war in the Pacific right up to the Emperor’s door and a horrible number of them who did not come back. I don’t have the number who lost their lives at those two terrible battles so
early in the war – THE CORAL SEA and Midway.
I knew Tom Cheek quite well. He was an NAP at Midway and later retired as a Commander. His wife was also a Commander (Navy Nurse I think). The NAP’s had a yearly reunion for many years after the war and I went as Tom and a couple of other NAP's guest. Dick Best was one of three Officer Pilots in a pre-war squadron on LEXINGTON before the war and all the others were enlisted pilots (NAP’s). As long as I knew Tom he never stopped praising the skill of the NAP’s Admiral John Crommelin told me – ever time I saw him – that the NAP’S were the best pilots in the Navy when the war started.
I also knew Dan Sheedy who said he learned to fly at Tom Cheeks wingman. He lived right near Niagara Falls and I spent a delightful afternoon with him on his porch from where you could hear the Falls.
If I went through my five file cabinets I feel sure I could run across a couple of other pilots from VF-3 who flew at Midway.
Now I’m gonna take a crack at beating up my ancient scanner to see what I can do with these 17 pages of the information I have gathered regarding Jimmy Thach and VF-3 at Midway.
Smooth Sailing
Bill Vickrey
Editors Note: The link below contains a pdf of the reports.
Thach at Midway
From Bill Vickrey July 19, 2020
Thach was a pretty prolific writer. This was - by far - the longest Midway Squadron Report I have seen.
The Air Group Commander on Hornet told me that the Hornet squadrons did not make after action reports at Midway. Does this agree with what you know?
From Barrett Tillman July 18, 2020
Apparently there were no CV8 squadron reports (as required?) but the ship did comply, though as we know, it had um problems.
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/digitized-collections/action-reports/wwii-battle-of-midway/uss-hornet-action-report.html
From Bill Vickrey July 19, 2020
HORNET did not have a formal reunion but had a mixed reunion with the Destroyer which picked up a lot of the survivors when HORNET was sunk. For some reason many of the HORNET Dive Bomber pilots made this semi reunion and I was a guest at a couple of them. Two of the closest of my Battle of Midway friends were Clay Fisher and Roy Gee (VB-8). My work life took me to the West coast fairly often and I usually played golf with them when I was in the San Diego area…and dined with them and their wives. I had a short visit with HORNET’s CAG and I visited with several VS-8 and VB-8 pilots. All in all – however – my information from the HORNET pilots and crew members was much less than from YORKTOWN and ENTERPRISE. I attended 2 or 3 YORKTOWN reunions and several of ENTERPRISE’s where they made me an ”HORORARY MEMBER.” Dick Best was - perhaps - the closet friend I made in all my Midway research and I usually stayed over a week end at his home when business took me to L. A. He and my wife were
great friends and Rose Marie loved his cooking when we stayed with him.
Rose Marie and I were once at a SYMPOSIUM at Pensacola where Dick was a panelist. We were in the audience with Ed Kroeger. Dick came off the platform and came to get his customary hug from Rose Marie. We were standing with Kroeger who saluted Dick and said “great to see you Skipper!” This was a tearful reunion as they had not seen each other since they landed on the afternoon of 4 June and Dick was bleeding badly.
Sadly I have not put the results of all these interviews and contacts to print.
Bill
In honor of Thomas E Doll
From Brock Howe July 16, 2020
I received some sad news from Tom's daughter Linda that Tom had passed away a few days ago. She found me in Tom's phone and email and took the time to reach out and ask if I had any memories. And of course, Yes, I have some very fond memories of Tom even though we never actually met in person and we only met a few years ago. We met because of the Battle of Midway Roundtable as I had recently been named the Plane Captain for the Lone Star Flight Museum’s SBD Dauntless and I was hungry to learn more about her. Tom quickly answered some early questions from me via email and our friendship grew from our mutual fondness for the SBD aircraft. We became penpals if you will as I would ask questions about the aircraft and send him pictures of our SBD and he would provide lots of information and photos. We would then write roughly once every month or so and he was always thoughtful and generous and I always enjoyed receiving his hand written letters or emails. I tried a few times to get out
west to visit and say hello in person but never could get that to work out but regardless we stayed in touch. We also had a fellow love for building model aircraft and we had several discussions about that as well. Then we figured out that he had actually worked on the VERY aircraft that is currently at our museum!!! What a small world, right?!?!? Especially since there's so few of them left. So then we even had more to talk about and he sent pictures of him working on the aircraft in the 1960s. I’ve attached one that I’m quite fond of as he looks so happy in the cockpit. In honor of him, I tried my best to recreate that picture today in our museum with me in the cockpit trying to mimic his pose. It’s my small way to honor and remember him. Finally, some time ago, he entrusted me with this green binder with all kinds of cool pictures and information he had collected over the years. Tom was instrumental in keeping the history alive of not only this plane but of the warriors who flew
them and these pictures tell a great story. I treasure this and will take that information and continue to teach the public. Rest in peace Tom and I'll take it from here and will strive to keep that precious history alive!
And thanks again to the members of this roundtable as without it, Tom and I probably would never had met! For that, I'm truly grateful!
BROCK HOWE
Plane Captain – SBD Dauntless Divebomber
Lone Star Flight Museum
Albert W Skonberg
From George Skonberg July 17, 2020
My father was aboard Yorktown at Midway, VS5 Albert W Skonberg Does your second resource of casualties include his name? I have his purple heart.
Thank you.
GS
Editors Note: Thanks for contacting me. I do not see his name on the list of wounded but he is on the Yorktown's muster list as: Skonberg, Albert W. AMM1c VS5.
Perhaps he did not receive the Purple Heart till well after the battle or after the war. I'm pretty familiar with how that goes. My father was wounded in the pacific on a destroyer in very late 1944 but never received a Purple Heart at the time or was put in for one from what he said. He wasn't wounded all that bad. Had some shrapnel in his leg from a strafing plane that they patched up pretty quick. My brother, sister, and I tried to get one for him but found that all his service records were destroyed in a fire in the St. Louis warehouse where they were stored sometime after the war and nothing much to do after that.
So if the list of wounded does not include your father not surprising if it was a minor wound.
Do you happen to know when he received the Purple Heart? That might help tracking down some more info on him.
From George Skonberg
July 18, 2020
Thanks for the quick reply. And thanks too for all the great work you have done to memorialize the Battle.
One of my biggest regrets in life is not documenting my parents WWII history. Mom, too, was in the Navy - taught AAA at Great Lakes (BOFARS). Dad was career Navy, enlisted at war’s start but commissioned got out after 27 as LCDR. Following Midway, he shipped to Guadalcanal in support of Marine and Navy aviation at Henderson Field. Rotated stateside, he ironically served on USS Guadalcanal in North Atlantic, during the capture of U505.
My anecdotal record is that Dad received somewhat minor wounds on his lower back and “buttocks” from shrapnel, and that it occurred at Midway. I don’t know when he actually received the award. The shrapnel scars remained visible throughout his life.
Like your Dad, my father’s records went up in smoke at St. Louis, too.
I am just beginning my journey to try to piece his story together, pulling together a lot of disjointed info. I recently enrolled in the Arizona State program for a Masters in World War II studies, really a solid educational opportunity and a broad cross section of students. My regret at not documenting my parent’s stories led me to enroll, but most of the education is pretty high level stuff, not my real interest in the incredible individual stories and dramas that millions of WWII vets experienced. Each one is fascinating. In regards to Yorktown/BOM, I will forward a small piece I submitted during one of my classes. Interesting that years later, as a Naval Aviator myself flying the P3, I spent several weeks operating out of Midway mid 70s. Much of the defenses were still visible. Sort of an eerie experience for me.
Another unanswered question surrounds his flight crew status in SBDs. He earned an Air Medal at either Marshall Gilbert raid or Coral Sea, and fate probably saved his life not flying at Midway. I recall him saying something about BUMED and tall guys in the rear seat, having to unstrap his chute to change radio crystals or something like that. Ive been unable to verify. It could also be the patchwork personnel that consisted in VS5, sort of a roll-up or previous units.
I am keenly interested in your website and mission, how can I become involved? Thanks again for your HUGE contribution to the history of the battle.
GS
Editors Note: Here is a short reflection Mr. Skonberg was kind enough to send me about his father. Think its a good read and is again something history books don't have enough of. Personal accounts.
A single one-dollar bill, crinkled and stained, hung on the wall near my father’s desk, in a simple black frame, for as long as I can remember as a child. “Salvaged by Albert W. Skonberg, AMM1c, USN, from the Pacific Ocean near Midway, June 4th, 1942”, reads its simple inscription.
The USS Yorktown was the center of my family’s World War II history, and the catalyst for my amateur historical pursuits. Regrettably, we have little to show as evidence of my Dad’s role in the battle that many would call a turning point in the Pacific War. But that one-dollar bill continues to speak to me with many anecdotal memories of those days in June 1942, as recalled by my Dad.
He always began the story of this chapter in his life by describing where he was on December 7th when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Yorktown was lying at harbor at the Norfolk Naval Station. She had spent the previous months on neutrality patrols in the Atlantic, protecting shipping from the ever-increasing German U-boat threat. To the crew of Yorktown, they felt they were already at war, declared or otherwise. Yorktown departed Norfolk in mid-December, transiting to the Pacific through the Panama Canal. Within a few weeks she saw action in one of the first offensive operations in the Pacific, the Marshalls-Gilberts raids. Yorktown replenished then headed south to the Coral Sea. Dad was assigned to scouting squadron VS-5 flying the SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber. He received the Air Medal during this period, flying as a radio-gunner in the rear seat. Yorktown was severely damaged during the Battle of Coral Sea. He described the ship limping back to Pearl, constantly in fear of a torpedo
attack by Japanese submarines. The crew had no knowledge that one of history’s largest naval action loomed just a few weeks ahead. Arriving at Pearl, the battle-weary crew felt relieved at first, hopeful for some well-earned shore liberty, as most estimates of repairing Yorktown to battle ready status were several months at least. But history has duly recorded that intelligence had broken coded Japanese messages of an impending attack at Midway. Admiral Nimitz ordered the shipyard at Pearl to repair Yorktown and to be underway within 3 days. Dad recalls the many civilian workers who embarked with her enroute to Midway, to be transferred off and returned home prior to the battle. He recalls a high-spirited crew, already a bloodied veteran of an historic naval battle, ready to avenge Pearl Harbor.
For Dad and the crew of Yorktown, their Midway battle began on June 4th, 1942. In early afternoon, the ship was bombed and torpedoed. Dad recalls the confusion aboard ship as bomb blasts, secondary explosions, and raging fires engulfed the ship. Himself wounded by blast fragments on the flight deck, he joined one damage control party after another as the entire crew worked to save the ship. The crew had great faith in her Captain, Elliott Buckmaster. He had displayed skilled seamanship and fighting spirit at Coral Sea. Dad recalled that without that seamanship, the heavily damaged Yorktown wouldn’t have survived that day’s attack. He kept her afloat although listing dangerously and bellowing smoke, allowing damage control parties to gain control of the raging fires. But that afternoon, with Yorktown listing even more and afraid of capsizing, Captain Buckmaster ordered the crew to abandon ship. The crew behaved as they had been trained, as orderly as possible under the conditions, and
only rare cases of panic. They had several hours before the order was given, and most crew knew the decision to abandon ship was imminent. As a child, on a visit to the Smithsonian Museum, I recall Dad pointing to a large-scale model of Yorktown, showing where he placed his shoes before going overboard. He described the water as cold, the floundering crew chaotic, covered in oil and shocked by the trauma of the battle. His wounds stung in the saltwater, but he says he gave that little thought versus trying to stay afloat awaiting rescue. He didn’t recall the name of the destroyer or escort that plucked him from the ocean. He remembers the volunteers that returned to Yorktown to salvage her and tow her back to Pearl, only to be stopped by more Japanese torpedoes. He was transferred back to Pearl Harbor aboard the submarine tender USS Fulton. Upon arriving at Pearl, he recalls the Navy really didn’t know what to do with the survivors. Personnel records went down with the ship, and the
nearest files were in Washington, D.C. Many surviving crewmembers were effectively interred at camps, feeling a bit like POWs until identities could be sorted out and confirmed. At some point before he shipped out to support the Marines on Guadalcanal, Dad and a few buddies, apparently after a few drinks, went to a recording studio in Honolulu. He made several 78 rpm vinyl records that were mailed back to the States, describing what the censors would allow them to say. Even though news of the victory had made the press in June, the actual sinking of Yorktown at Midway was not public until reported in Life magazine in September. Listening to that record, I hear my Dad and his pals boasting that they gave the Japs hell, and that although they couldn’t give details, all the folks at home would be proud of his ship and crew.
Yes, all this from the many conversations sparked by a single water and oil-stained dollar bill. That dollar-bill was Dad’s only personal possession that survived the sinking of Yorktown. The crew was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for her role in the battle, and Dad received the Purple Heart for his wounds.
It was not until I was a young man, about to enter Aviation Officer Candidate School to begin my journey as a Naval Aviator, that my Dad told me of the horrors of carrier combat. In graphic terms he described watching planes ditch alongside the ship, the pilots struggling to free themselves before drowning in plain sight of their rescuers. He talked of witnessing botched carrier landings that killed or maimed the pilots and deck crews, the thick black smoke of aviation fuel burning, and burned flesh. He never could fully describe the loss of shipmates, always stopping short of details and names. Looking back, I think he was trying to deter me from those risks, trying to protect his son from similar horrors in a future modern war. After I won my wings, I remember watching the 1976 movie Midway together with Dad. While proud to see the victory dramatized in the film, I recall him shaking his head as the movie ended, simply saying there was so much more that Hollywood could never make
real.
One of my life’s biggest regrets is that I failed to properly record my father’s wartime history, as well as my mother’s too (she served as a WAVE). Both are gone. I am left with only memories. This essay is just that, my personal recollection and memories evoked when remembering that single dollar-bill. I hope that my studies will help me to properly reconstruct their stories for future generations of my family.
Is Ring’s "flight to nowhere" the reason for the Miracle at Midway?
From Ron Russell July 17, 2020
The following brief comment, concerning the absence of the Hornet’s SBDs and F4Fs on the morning of June 4th, was included in the introduction to the Roundtable’s May issue:
“The plan, simple as it was, worked nearly perfectly. Only the Hornet's Dive bombers and fighters missing the target prevented the complete destruction of the air power of the Japanese fleet.”
That’s a common notion: presumably, the Hornet SBDs take out the Hiryu while the Enterprise and Yorktown planes are dealing with the other three, as they did. But in fact, the likelihood of that happening is dismally poor, for three reasons.
One, consider the timing. For the entire HAG to find Kido Butai, they must accompany Waldron, and recall that VT-8 got there almost an hour before the Enterprise and Yorktown SBDs. With the Hornet dive bombers there so early, the Zero pilots become aware of a high altitude threat long before McClusky and Leslie arrive, making their stunning success less assured. You have to allow that at least one of the three doomed carriers would then survive—maybe even more than one—and that changes everything.
Two, remember that the Hornet SBD pilots were sorely lacking in skill and experience. None of them had ever dropped a bomb on a moving target, not even in practice—Ring had even forbidden practice dives against their escorts during the Doolittle mission after the B-25s had launched. Worse, they’d had very little time in the SBD itself, acquiring them only 2 months before, much of which was absorbed by the Doolittle voyage—no flight ops possible. Their poor results against the Tanikaze on June 5th and Mogami-Mikuma on the 6th, both free of fighter opposition, doesn’t suggest high expectations for them on the 4th.
And three, assuming they do show up with Waldron, why should we assume they’re going to attack the Hiryu? We can’t know what Ring would have directed his two squadrons to do, and whether they then would have done it. With four targets down there, nothing makes Hiryu more likely than any of the others; maybe less so since VT-8 went after Soryu. At best, deciding that Ring would go for Hiryu is nothing more than random guesswork, and the odds max out at 25%.
In summary then, Ring’s absence on the 4th is arguably one of the key factors in the stunning U.S. victory. With VB-8 and VS-8 high overhead when Waldron starts his run-in, the battle’s dynamics are fundamentally changed. And as I’ve said many times, anything you change from what really happened invariably turns out better for the Japanese.
Editors Note: Thanks for the perspective. Something that is not always appreciated is timing is everything. One other point I'd like to add is that since the squadrons would have arrived a hour earlier, presumably before Nagumo orders the rearmament of the Kates and Vals with torpedoes and AP, even if Rings squadrons had managed to land a bomb or two would the resulting fires been as devastating as they were?
Some Questions concerning the Air Search Efforts of the Americans on June 4
From Daniel Wenk July 23, 2020
My name is Daniel Wenk (please call me Dany) and I live in Switzerland. Having gone into early retirement beginning of this year I have now much more time to enjoy my hobbies. One of them is reading nonfiction history books. After having seen the new MIDWAY movie last December I decided to study this historical event more closely. Meanwhile I have read several books and studied a considerable number of documents available on the internet about it. And I read myself roughly through all the BOM RT newsletters which was very interesting and required quite some time!
However, there are some issues I would like to get more clarity about. I would appreciate very much if the experts of your RT could help me answering the following questions:
How many PBY’s actually left Midway for early air search on June 4?
Some sources say 22 which makes most sense to me. But there are other sources that talk about 11 PBYs only, i.e. MAG22 XO AAR; Prange, Miracle at Midway, p. 183; Willmott, The Barrier and the Javelin, p. 370. But, also Symonds makes me somehow insecure by writing in his book The Battle of Midway on page 224: „… and the first of an eventual twenty-two Catalina PBY’s lifted off…».
Furthermore, it appears to me that more or less all sources confirm the PBY’s search radius on June 4 to be 180° between 200° & 20°, but Parshall says in his Shattered Sword on page 134: «…Twenty-two Catalina PBYs had subsequently taken of from the lagoon and Eastern Island at 0415 to search radially all around the island…»
In addition to that, I find it strange that (presumably) 22 PBYs should have covered a sector of exactly 180° because 180° divided by 22 would give each PBY an immeasurable sector of 8,18°..?
So, how did the segmentation of the sectors actually work?
As far as TF-17 is concerned, on June 4: «At dawn, ten VSB of VB5 were launched to search the Northern semi-circle for a distance of 100 miles as security search against surprise…» (USS Yorktown, AAR, CO). The Bates-Report describes this search radius on page 52 to be literally 270° - 90°. This search sector suprises me somehow because the day before, TF-17 searched in 240° - 60° which makes much more sense to me if one expects the enemy from 320°(T)..? How sure are we about TF-17’s search sector at dawn on June 4 and does there exist some explanation from the naval leaders for the determination of this sector?
And last but not least: In spring 2011, Hubert R. Crooms mentioned in his dissertation at the Georgia Southern University „An unsinkable Carrier: The Midway-based Forces and the Battle of Midway“ a letter he received from Mr Robert A. Swan saying: «The PBYs flight search patterns enabled an overlapping search. In order to cover the assigned sector we would fly out 680 miles* [and then] turn left or right depending on our poisition in the big arc we were covering. Our planes would be about 300 miles** apart at the end of our pattern and it was important that we get as close as possible to the plane next to us so that we would have the possibility of rescue by a friendly squadron mate if we should get shot down.» This explanation leads me to the following assumpion:
Two neighbouring PBYs would fly about 700 nmi out at a parallel course more or less at the same time (giving each other cover). At the outbound edge one would turn circa 86° to the left, the other 86° to the right, both would fly some 100 nmi straight ahead and then make another 86° turn in order to fly back to where they started. On its inbound courses they would meet their other neighbouring comrades giving each other cover again. This way, the crews could give each other maximum protection and at the same time make sure that 1400 of the 1500 nmi of their routes are overflown and scanned by two crews – Is my understanding of Midway’s search procedure correct?
*I always thought the PBY’s officially went out until & including June 3 to a range of 700 nmi? (Might there have been a little difference in ordered range between PBY-5 & PBY-5A?)
**If my understanding of the search pattern & procedure (including the timing) is correct, the planes should never be farer away than 100 nmi from the next comrade, should they?
I would appreciate very much if the BOM RT members could help me to get above questions undoubtedly cleared – Thank you.
Kind regards from Switzerland, Dany
Editors Note: Thanks for the note. And there is a lot here. Unfortunately, or fortunately might be a better description, business has kept me extremely busy for the past month, well longer, but even busier last month. So I have not had time to dig into these questions. Off the top a few comments. From memory 22 PBY's did conduct the search pattern on June 4th from a rough arc of about due North from Midway to somewhere South West of Midway. The US knew that the Japanese would be approaching from about 320 but they also knew from the contact on the 3rd that the Invasion force was approaching from the South West.
Yorktown launched a search to the North and North West of the US Carriers. The fact that the Japanese carriers were know to be approaching from 320 does not rule out some might be approaching from the flank. Remember on June 3rd the Japanese launched raids on Dutch Harbor with carrier aircraft and while it was not possible those carriers would now be in position it was possible one or two others might.
I don't know the specifics about how close the PBY's were to each other's search patterns or how each one's pattern overlapped or retraced another. I'd have to look into that a little more. Perhaps someone has better info at hand than I do at the moment.
"I Will Run Wild" and "Wade McClusky and the Battle of Midway"
From Zsolt Szalanczi August 5, 2020
Did anyone from the BOMRT noticed already there are two new books coming from Osprey Publishing in one and three months respectively, which could be interesting for BoM enthusiasts. If not yet, here are the links to Osprey pages:
"I Will Run Wild"
https://ospreypublishing.com/store/military-history/upcoming-books/preorder-next-month/i-will-run-wild
and
"Wade McClusky and the Battle of Midway"
https://ospreypublishing.com/store/military-history/upcoming-books/preorder-3-months/wade-mcclusky-and-the-battle-of-midway-pb
best regards,
Zsolt
Editors Note: Thanks for the note. I saw these just recently come across my desk so to speak as my stores carry Osprey books. The first one I had not heard of before but it looks interesting. The second on Wade McClusky was published last year I believe and this is the paperback version. The book on McClusky is a good read and long overdue.
Torpedo 6
From William Longton July 10, 2020
Once again I want to thank you for the issue. I am learning SO much that has not come from the normal published site/books. I am writing just to clarify something you said in replying to my last inquiry. According to what I had said, VT-6 was launched with 14 aircraft (which I knew), and that Cmdr Eugene Lindsey had crashed trying to land aboard ENTERPRISE a few days before (which I also knew about) but the why was what was confusing me. I do not remember where I read it previously, but I thought that the 1-plane shortage was because of one plane breaking down as the deck was being spotted for launch and you are saying it was because of Cmdr Eugene Lindsey's crash a few days before....do I understand your point correctly?
Editors Note: From what I can find all three carriers left Pearl with only 15 TBD's each so there were no spares onboard Enterprise to make up for the loss of Eugene Lindsey's plane that went overboard. Lindsey split up his bombers in two groups of 7 each before the launch which leads me to believe they were only going to depart with 14 aircraft. Now someone else might have information that I don't have and I wish Al Kernan was still around as he could answer the question for us definitively. But I know that the aircraft Lindsey went over the side in after making a bad landing was not recovered so that would be the one missing on the morning of the 4th.
From William Longton July 10, 2020
It is true that there have been SO many good authors which got things *right* and so many that didn't. You mention Lord (whose writings I just love), and he made references to (I am not quoting here) bombs being left all over the decks from the reload, and the flight decks being prepared to launch at the moment the dive bombers struck.....yet it was Jon Parshal who basically corrected Mr Lord by pointing out the impossibility of that fact based upon the particulars of Japanese Carrier deck procedures. Parshal also alludes to the near impossibility of Ens Gay being within eyesight of KIDO BUTAI at the moment the VB struck since they had sailed on a good 15-20 miles away from the time that Gay went into the water to when the dive bombers attacked....As time marches on, new evidence comes to light, and old sorces fade away being considered somewhat "unreliable". It is a sad fact that someone could not invent a time machine and allow us to go back to that day and get ALL of the
information corrected....
Editors Note: A lot of Walter Lords book came from interviews with men from both sides. So the book was based largely on these interviews. In the heat of battle things become very fuzzy. Dick Best always maintained that the carrier he attacked had the Island on the right side of the flight deck. It wasn't until many years later at a BOM reunion at a museum where there was a large scale model of the Akagi and he got up on a ladder and looked down on it that he realized that the funnels on the right side of the ship he mistakenly identified as the Island and the actual Island on the Port side was so small he didn't see it.
Also some information at the time Lord wrote 'Incredible Victory' came from the 'Midway, The Battle the Doomed Japan' that Mitsuo Fuchida wrote in 1955 and probably some interviews with him. What he stated in the book and afterwards has not stood up to subsequent investigation.
Also there is a picture of Lindsey's plane going over the side.
Lt. Cmdr. Eugene E. Lindsey’s Douglas TBD-1 Devastator (BuNo. 0370) sinks astern of Enterprise after a deck landing accident, 28 May 1942. Monaghan steams as the plane guard destroyer in the left background, and rescues Lindsey and his crew. Enterprise is en route to the Battle of Midway, and Lindsey is the commanding officer of VT-6, who flies out with the rest of the air group to join the ship when he crashes. (U.S. Navy Photograph 80-G-7744, National Archives and Records Administration, Still Pictures Branch, College Park, Md.)
Announcements and Questions
US Cruiser Scout Planes
From Chuck Wohlrab July 10, 2020
In response to Major Rychlik's question: Cruiser and battleship float planes tended to be used for Inner Air Patrol, gunfire spotting and Search and Rescue throughout the war. I have never encountered a report of any use for scouting in place of carrier aircraft, though it might have happened. Somewhere in the 1943 timeframe the doctrine changed (probably after the deployment of the F6F) and scouting patrols seemed to be made up of a pair of TBF/M Avengers and one or two F6Fs (since they had a much longer range than the old F4F Wildcat). I think the Avenger became the logical choice since it had a significantly greater range than the SBD and SB2C, when carrying additional fuel (275 gallons) in the bomb bay in place of ordnance.
From Zsolt Szalanczi July 11, 2020
Just a small correction to the Fantail Fighters topic by Thomas Rychlik in the last issue: The first batch of the Curtiss SO3C Seagulls (named later Seamews) were produced as -1 versions, the fleet deliveries started only in July 1942 so this type of aircraft was not on board of any cruisers at Midway in June.
Best regards, Zsolt
Editors Note: I have looked for any reference to the US using Battleship or Cruiser float planes for scouting and have not found any. Again as I stated in the last newsletter the US built carriers to scout for the Battlefleet, not the other way around. To this end the float planes were not really suited to scouting for the carriers. The Japanese however put a lot of effort into their float planes and both Tone and Chikuma were specifically designed and built to scout for the carrier fleet.
U.S.S. Nautilus at Midway
From Rick Becker July 12, 2020
I viewed the You Tube anniversary presentation by Jon Parshall and Craig Symonds and thought it was great. In response to one of the questions, Jon minimized the role the subs played at Midway and I have always believed the the Nautilus attacks on Kido Butai, while causing no damage, made a significant contribution. The Arashi stayed behind to seek out the Nautilus which ultimately led McClusky to the carriers, which likely he would not have found, at least not at the opportune moment that he did. What am I missing connecting these dots?
Thanks- Rick Becker
Editors Note: You're not really missing anything. I believe, not putting words in anyones mouth, that what he was referring to was the fact that the subs, both Nautilus and Tambor, making contact nothing really came of either. Plus the other subs did not even get into the battle. Both contacts did however have quite a significant impact on the battle. The Nautilus attack gave McClusky the course to the Japanese Carriers and Tambor while not firing a shot did cause a collision which led to the destruction of the Mikuma and heavy damage to the Mogami.
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