Реферат: The Battle Of Midway In The Pacific

Two TBFs were destroyed in the first attack, followed by three more. Realizing

that he could not reach the carriers, Ensign Albert K. Earnest loosed his

torpedo at a cruiser, then broke away with two Zeros after him. Earnest flew his

shot-up TBF back to Midway, navigating “by guess and by God.” Close behind the

TBFs, Captain James Collins led his four B-26 Marauders into a gauntlet of anti-

aircraft fire and six Zeros. Collins led his planes down to 200 feet above the

water and, followed by Lieutenant James P. Muri, pressed on toward the carrier

Akagi. Collins released his torpedo 850 yards from the carrier and pulled away.

Muri released his torpedo at 450 yards, then turned and flew down the middle of

Akagi’s flight deck. Once Muri’s B-26 was clear of Akagi, the Zeros attacked

with a vengeance, wounding two crewmen and riddling the landing gear, fuel tanks,

propeller blades, radio and the top of one wing. Despite that punishment, Muri

and Collins were the only survivors of the four-plane B-26 group. Then, at 7:48,

the TBF and B-26 attacks were followed by VMSB-241’s 16 Dauntless and Vindicator

dive bombers led by Major Lofton Henderson. Henderson had divided the squadron

into two flights, leading the SBDs himself while Major Benjamin W. Norris led

the Vindicators. As Henderson led the squadron northwest, the faster Dauntlesses

soon left the Vindicators behind. Henderson’s SBDs got their first look at the

Japanese carriers at 7:25, and he radioed his Dauntless pilots, “Attack the two

enemy CV on the port bow.” Henderson had led his squadron down to 4,000 feet

when the Japanese combat air patrol attacked. The Dauntlesses also met with

heavy anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese ships. Henderson’s plane was hit, and

his port wing caught fire. He tried to keep his burning Dauntless in the lead,

but finally lost control and plunged into the sea. Captain Elmer C. Glidden

quickly took command of the Dauntlesses. “Fighter attacks were heavy,” he wrote,

“so I led the squadron down through a protecting layer of clouds”(Stevens 102).

The Zeros followed the Marines into the clouds. Glidden came out of the clouds

and found two Japanese carriers, Kaga and Hiryu, 2,000 feet below. The 10

remaining Dauntlesses dived to 500 feet or lower before releasing their bombs,