Posted on Jan 4, 2023
Torpedo Squadron 8: Their Heroic Flight at the Battle of Midway
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For additional details, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway#Attacks_on_the_Japanese_fleet
Torpedo Squadron 8: Their Heroic Flight at the Battle of Midway
Posted from warfarehistorynetwork.com
WWII World War Two
Western Pacific
Naval/Maritime History
Valor
Edited 2 y ago
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 10
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ILLUSTRATIONS: (1) Ens. George Gay and his gunner climb into their VT-8 TBD on the USS Hornet at Midway. (2) Ens. George Gay's VT-8 TBD approaches the carrier Kaga. (3) VT-8's Ens. George Gay launches his TBD's torpedo at the Kaga. (4) Zeroes attack TBD-1 Devastators from the USS Hornet's VT-8 as they make their torpedo runs at the Battle of Midway, 4 June 1942. (5) Ens. George Gay of the USS Hornet's Torpedo 8 has a front-row seat for the destruction of 4 Japanese carriers at Midway.
SGT Wayne Dunn Amn (Join to see) LTC John Moncure SGT J.D. Corr SPC Lisa Hughes MIDN CAPT (Join to see) MSgt Guillermo Ybarra III CPO Linda Aberdeen MSgt Dr. Elizabeth Masaniai, Ed.D. Lynn Maj (Join to see) SPC Bill Bailey CPT Wayne Douet CPL Ricoh Stinson MSgt James Parker CPT (Join to see) Vidic Lisa
SGT Wayne Dunn Amn (Join to see) LTC John Moncure SGT J.D. Corr SPC Lisa Hughes MIDN CAPT (Join to see) MSgt Guillermo Ybarra III CPO Linda Aberdeen MSgt Dr. Elizabeth Masaniai, Ed.D. Lynn Maj (Join to see) SPC Bill Bailey CPT Wayne Douet CPL Ricoh Stinson MSgt James Parker CPT (Join to see) Vidic Lisa
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I've seen the movie "Midway" a couple times. I don't know how accurate it was, but I remember that they showed all the squadrons that fought that day.
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MAJ Hugh Blanchard
The first "Midway" with Charlton Heston is one of my all-time favorites,, along with the first half of "The Longest Day". Both films included the important role that intelligence played in winning those battles. As a former Army SIGINT type, "Midway" has a lot of significance. The trap that CDR Joseph Rochefort and his SIGINT team at Station Hypo set for the Japanese enabled the U.S. Navy to confirm that Midway was the target of the Japanese operation. That gave us the advantage of surprise and position. In "The Longest Day", the Germans had the advantage of knowing that the broadcast to the French Underground of a poem by the French poet Verlaine would mean the invasion would begin within 24 hours. ("The long sobs of the violins of autumn, wound my heart with monotonous languor.") But a command structure ruled over by a madman did not allow the German high command in the West to take the actions needed to repel the Allied invasion. Great films.
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MAJ Hugh Blanchard
MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. - Agree, and the intelligence failure was with the British 1st Airborne Corps. They had recon pictures of German tanks near the drop zones around Arnhem and they all wanted to go anyway. Two SS Panzer Divisions were there refitting and they dropped lightly armed paratroops on top of them. Insanity.. The whole idea was "Let's no one spoil the show and mention these Panzers!" And the Brits and the Poles paid a terrible price for their hubris, compounded by the failure of the British 1st Airborne Division radios.
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MAJ Hugh Blanchard
The Japanese commander perhaps paid the most sincere compliment to the lost American torpedo squadrons. "They sacrifice themselves like Samurai, these Americans..A whole squadron of planes and their brave crews..." And that was just minutes before the American dive bombers arrived to sink four first-line Japanese carriers.
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