Roundtable Forum
Our 25th Year
November 2021

In this issue.

Roundtable Opening Remarks
"Duck" Hunting on Midway
New Mogami Photo
Midway B-26 Aircraft Designations
Dauntless the DVD
Restored Yorktown SBD
Now Hear This

The Battle of Midway Roundtable Opening Remarks



Welcome to the November 2021 issue of the Battle of Midway RoundTable.

Apologies for the delay this month.  Ron Russell had the files ready mid month but due to a very busy month I had little time for anything other than business.

This month we have a number of contributions from our members including a detailed discussion on one of the four B-26 bombers at Midway.  We also have a very nice article on an SBD-2 restoration project that has finally seen completion as well as a few more articles.  Make sure you read till the end of the newsletter.  We have an exciting announcement.

Also since we are so close to the anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor there is going o be an online symposium Fanning the Flames Speaker Series. The “Historiography of the Pacific War: Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges" on December 7th at 3pm PT.  Jon Parshall as well as historian Richard Frank, and Ronald Spector, author of Eagle Against The Sun will be speakers.  Anyone that wants to sign up go to this link:  Sign up here

Thanks for reading the newsletter this month.


"DUCK" HUNTING ON MIDWAY

Ed. note: BOM vet Ed Fox responds to last month’s article on “The Midway Air Fleet – Both Sides,” which featured a scale model of each aircraft that was present on the atoll or aboard either side’s ships during the battle. It turns out that one of those earned its fame and received its baptism of fire well before the arrival of Kido Butai on June 4th. Ed tells us how Midway’s J2F “Duck” did its part in preparing to defend the atoll, although not exactly in a manner that its pilot relished.
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30 October 2021
From: Ed Fox
Missouri
(BOM vet, 6th MarDefBn, Midway)

A great issue as always. Regarding the Midway air fleet display, [the aircraft] at the top: the layout is what I remember...a plane we machine gunners on Sand Island interacted with—towed a target around for us to live fire practice upon.

First time up, the tow line was hit, dropping the sleeve in the drink, ending that day's short-lived attempt. Weeks later, a second attempt all went well we thought, the target stayed on line. The next day, our C.O. and the Navy pilot rendered choice vocabulary upon all of us gunners—it seemed the pilot was a little peeved as one or two rounds had struck his rudder during the fly by.

The [J2F] was never used for towed live fire again.
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Re: NEW MOGAMI PHOTO   (See the October issue )
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30 October 2021
From: Don Boyer
Hawaii

Another great read this month Thom, thanks!

Mogami would not have been a ship that I would have been particularly fond of serving on. Suffers a collision and severe battle damage at Midway, gets repaired and rebuilt and returns to duty at Rabaul just in time to get mangled again and sent back to Japan, returns from that just in time to get mulched beyond recognition at Surigao Strait, suffer another collision and then finally be sunk by air attack. Not exactly my idea of a cool duty station!

Regards,
Don
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Re: MIDWAY B-26 AIRCRAFT DESIGNATIONS   (see the August  & September  issues)
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6 October 2021
From: Bill Longton
Florida

Well, this article certainly opened up a can of worms for me. I took up the challenge to identify for certain Capt James F. Collins' B-26 Marauder tail number. It has long been assumed that Capt Collins' aircraft (named "Winsockie") was the B-26 with the tail number #40-1398. However, our friend Mr Szalanczi has correctly pointed out that according to Joe Baugher's website , there is no way #1398 could have been Capt. Collins' aircraft since (according to the site) this ship was destroyed in a crash landing at Hickam Field on 1 April 1942, a full 2 months before the BOM.

Yet in another publication, The Martin B-26 Maurauder by J. K. Havener, we find another reference to Capt. Collins. Between pages 66-70 we learn that he and 3 other B-26s took off to fly to Midway. Those aircraft belonged to the 38BS from both the 22BG and 69BG. The authors states on page 67:
“Seaman C.Q. Middlebrook...was a survivor of the USS West Virginia sinking at Pearl Harbor and afterwards was stationed at Luke Field [on Ford Island]...He remembers three B-26s of the 69th squadron of the 38th Bomb Group landing there just prior to the Battle of Midway...This was the flight led by Captain James F. Collins...Both the 69th and 70th squadrons flew their Marauders from Hamilton Field to Hawaii between 22 May and 10 June 1942. Twenty-six ships all made the 2200-mile trip without a mishap, the first time this flight had been negotiated by a medium bomber.

“The NAS Torpedo Shop boss, Chief Peterson, and a half dozen sailors (including Middlebrook) removed the bomb bay tanks and installed naval torpedoes on the '26s. The three ships then spent time carrying the 'fish' on practice flights around the islands to familiarize the crews with torpedo configuration.

“Returning from one of these flights, one Marauder landed...about a foot or so short of the runway when it touched down and when the main gear hit the concrete lip of the runway, it severely wrinkled the fuselage skin around the aft window hatches, necessitating the aircraft being laid up for repairs.

“A few days later...the two serviceable Marauders left for Midway and the big battle, along with two Marauders from the 18th Recon Squadron of the 22nd Bomb Group that had been delayed at Hickham Field from the earlier flights to Australia." (italics added)

So we have two B-26s from the 38BS - 22BG - 5AF departing Hawaii for Midway (40-1391, Lt. James Muri and 40-1424, "Satan's Playmate," Lt. Herbert Mayes). We know that Muri's ship "Ole 1391" [a.k.a. "Susie-Q"] survived the attack and returned to Midway with more than 500 machine gun and cannon fire holes in it, while Mayes in "Satan's Playmate" nearly crashed into Akagi's portside island. Additionally, we have two B26s from 38BS - 22BG - 18RS tagging along. We know that one of those ships (41-17570), piloted by Lt. William Watson, was shot down before reaching the attack point. That only leaves Captain Collins' aircraft.

According to Mr. Baugher's website, during 1940 there were 199 Martin B-26 Marauders manufactured and in 1941 another 789, a total of 988 machines. From this number, there are 276 Marauders with no information listed, as their tail numbers are not included. So, is Captain Collins' B-26 among the missing? That is a possibility [but] I think it unlikely as from the entire 1941 batch, there are only two B-26s listed that were specifically assigned to the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron: Watson's, and #41-17580 which has absolutely no information attached to it, but it still is a possibility. From the 1940 batch of B-26s, there are only three tail numbers specifically assigned to the 18RS which were not burned, shot down, crashed into the ocean or in some other form rendered unable to fly into combat on/about 4 June 1942. All three of them were in various form of compromise which could have been corrected prior to flying into combat. They are as follows:

#40-1393: damaged in forced landing at Murac AB, California, 12 Dec 1941 #40-1395: overshot landing at Wright Patterson Field, 20 Aug 1941 #40-1416: got lost and landed on golf course at London, Kentucky, 5 Sep 1941

So of these four machines, it seems likely that one of them was Capt Collins' aircraft. Likely, but not definitive. The only "evidence" available according to Mr. Baugher's site is the fact that these four Marauders have no final disposition noted, whereas the other Marauders assigned to the 18RS do.

What is known about Capt Collins' aircraft is that it was named "Winsockie" and was hit by machine gun and cannon fire 186 times in his strike against the Akagi, that his nose wheel did not lower for his landing on Midway, that it was bulldozed into the lagoon and that Capt James F. Collins and his group led a desperate attack against overwhelming odds and fierce resistance with only half of his men coming home. If you are interested in reading a more detailed rendition of Lt. Muri and his crews' attack against the Japanese, I would point you towards Martin Caidin's book The Ragged, Rugged Warriors (1966). The entire final chapter entitled "The Other Midway" covers the first two torpedo attacks in chilling detail.

In reference to Lt. Watson's aircraft number (41-17500) not being on the page, Mr Szalanczi is only partially correct. Mr. Baugher's webpage is divided into manufacturing cycles, and broken down by groups. He states that aircraft designations are assigned by the time that the aircraft were ordered for purchase (not necessarily when they were constructed and/or delivered). Lt. Watson's aircraft is in the next section of the links of aircraft which were ordered for purchase in 1941, hence the reason the first two digits are different from the rest of the squadron.

In conclusion, I think that my efforts have only narrowed down the possible options, and not "solved the mystery." If anyone has possession of other sources from which a definite conclusion can be made, I know that I, and others here on the BOMRT would appreciate hearing from you.
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The crew of a U.S. Army Air Forces Martin B-26 Marauder (s/n 40-1391, "Susie-Q") from the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium), 22nd Bomb Group, which made torpedo-attack on the Japanese carriers in the early morning of 4 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway: Pilot Lt. James P. Muri (second from left, front row), co-pilot Lt. Pren L. Moore, navigator Lt. William W. Moore, bombardier Lt. Russell Johnson, gunners S/Sgt. John J. Gogoj, Cpl. Frank L. Melo Jr, and Pfc. Earl D. Ashley. The plane had more than 500 bullet holes when it landed at Midway and was written off. The crew was allowed to cut out the nose-art "Susie-Q" before the plane was dumped at sea. (USAAF photo and caption via the NHHC website)
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DAUNTLESS: THE DVD


After my experiences with the DVD versions of Midway (both 2019 and 1976, reported in our July and August issues), I remembered that other BOM movie released in 2019, Dauntless: the Battle of Midway. See my and Chuck Wohlrab’s reviews in the September 2019 newsletter . That film was pretty much overshadowed by the far more expansive Midway movie released a couple months later, in November 2019. That’s too bad because it’s actually quite a good rendition of an important segment of the BOM story.

But before going any further, I need to correct part of my 2019 review. Toward the end I stated, “If the movie suffered at all, it was the drawn-out ordeal of the two survivors in the water that seemed to never end. It finally did in this fictional version, although the real story was different.”


After getting the DVD and watching the film a second time, I realized that they’d actually gotten the ending right after all. In my first viewing, I thought that VB-6 pilot Norman VanDiver was rescued by a PBY at the end, which would have been historically false. After a second look (spoiler alert), I realized that the actor being brought aboard the Cat wasn’t Jade Willey, who played VanDiver—more likely it was Chris Roark, cited in the movie’s credits as “Ensign Tom Ramsey” who indeed had been rescued by a PBY at Midway. In the closing credits, the scrolling text does state that VanDiver and his R/G Lee Keaney ditched after diving on Kaga and were never seen again. High-five to the screenwriter and producers for getting all of that exactly right, and a forehead slap for me in not catching it the first time.

In fact, the accuracy of the movie’s details is remarkable, save for those few imagery errors cited in my 2019 review, which can be excused. The flying scenes of the SBDs are really quite good, fully equal to what you see in Midway (2019), and probably more accurate because you don’t see them doing things they never did at Midway or elsewhere. Undoubtedly, one reason for the film’s impressive visual realism, and especially for its authentic USN-correct dialogue, is the involvement of long-time Roundtable member Rich Leonard, son of VF-3/42 XO Bill Leonard . Rich got special mention in the closing credits, with profound thanks from the producers for his contributions.

As for the disk’s additional features (my reason for buying it in the first place), there are four:
1.    Building the SBD Dauntless
2.    Dauntless on the Ocean
3.    Extended Flight Deck Scene
4.    Alternate Ending
The first one is very entertaining. It shows the construction of a mock-up SBD fuselage, necessary for certain close up and in-the-cockpit scenes that couldn’t be done via CGI. It’s quite fascinating how they did it: basically making a full-size, thoroughly authentic-looking VB-6 Dauntless fuselage out of material purchased at Home Depot! (Keep in mind that this is a low-budget, independent film that just happened to work out quite well.)


Building the SBD fuselage—in the producer’s back yard!

Number 2, Dauntless on the Ocean shows the challenges of filming the two lead actors floating in their Mae Wests in the “ocean” which turned out to be a swimming pool after attempts to actually do it offshore failed—multiple issues with current, waves, and the shoreline that kept popping into the camera’s view.

As for number 3 and 4 above, the DVD producers should have skipped them. The “extended flight deck scene” was simply a rather boring rehearsal, and the “alternate ending” was way out of whack. It starts out with Admiral Spruance struggling to type a list of TF-16 casualties himself, which would’ve been about as likely as if he’d decided to take off his shoes and swab the deck before sitting down at the typewriter. Apparently, an expert like Rich Leonard wasn’t consulted for that one!

But back to the actual movie: if you haven’t seen this one, I do recommend it. You’ll find a lot of negative online reviews, but they mainly seem to be from people having little or no familiarity with the BOM who like to criticize the CGI or something in the dialogue that they didn’t really grasp. For anyone else with the kind of Midway savvy possessed by Roundtable members, it should be highly interesting; it certainly was for me. It’s readily available for under $10 from the usual online vendors in both DVD and Blu-ray, and you also can find it via a streaming service.

Also, if you don’t mind clicking past numerous commercials, you can watch the entire movie for free on YouTube: click here . But that or a paid streaming service won’t get you the extras on the disk, which help to justify a small purchase price.



Re: RESTORED YORKTOWN SBD HEADED TO PEARL HARBOR

Ed. note: The following is a compilation of several recent messages sent by John Seward in Michigan, who volunteers at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo museum. He gave us a photographic preview of the SBD-2 then undergoing restoration at the museum In the July issue . SBD-2P #2173, a Coral Sea veteran aboard Yorktown, was offloaded at Pearl prior to the BOM and transferred to pilot qualification duty aboard a training carrier in the Great Lakes. It went into the water due to engine trouble and was ultimately recovered and beautifully restored at the museum. As you read this, it is on its way to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum , to be featured there during the 80th anniversary commemorations on December 7th.
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From John Seward, 2 October 2021:

2173 is nearly complete. The Air Zoo will be having an open house...this month to say farewell and ‘aloha’ to the project that has taken over 41,000 manhours to complete. I am proud to say that I was part of the restoration, working on the pilot’s navigation board. Following the open house, she will be dismantled, crated up, and shipped to the west coast, where she will complete her journey to Pearl Harbor via boat. I will send shots of the completed aircraft following the open house. [See below]

15 October 2021:

This weekend we’ll be saying goodbye to #2173, and it’s been an honor to have taken part in the restoration, even though my contribution was small. Beginning next week, she’ll be disassembled and crated for her journey to Hawaii.

18 October 2021:

It will never fly again. It will be static at the Aviation Museum, and as far as I know, everything works. The engine is new, but I’m not sure if the landing gear can be raised or lowered. I’m a docent, and couldn’t see the restoration progress every day, but I did work on the pilot’s navigation table. I believe all controls are functional, and when I get back to work tomorrow, I’ll talk to the restoration guys to verify.

19 October 2021:

Okay, all controls are hooked up and work as they should. Landing gear must be raised and lowered manually. No fuel, no battery or electric and hydraulic functions, as these all present fire hazards. It’s up to the museum how they want to display it, on the floor or hanging in a dive position.

Our next project is SBD-1 #1612, which is the only “dash one” variant known to exist.

Here’s a very good overview of the Kalamazoo Air Museum (YouTube): click here  

—John Seward
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NOW HEAR THIS

In closing our November newsletter, we would like to sincerely thank Ed Fox, John Seward, Don Boyer, and Bill Longton for contributing to the content of this month’s issue, as well as our 500-plus subscribers around the world who have supported the Roundtable literally for decades. Whether you’ve been with us for a month or since Bill Price was figuring out how to send bulk email, we’re very glad that you’re aboard.

In the December issue you can look forward to a major addition to our website, built around Bowen Weisheit’s Hornet veteran interviews that anchored his history-changing revelations about the HAG at Midway. We now have all of Weisheit’s interview transcripts, thanks to some generous help by a new Roundtable member plus the staff at the Naval History and Heritage Command. It will be an important resource for everyone who has been interested, fascinated, or puzzled over the years by the “Flight to Nowhere.”

Best wishes to all for the holiday season.
—Thom Walla
—Ron Russell