Actually Gunny... it was the TBD Devastator Torpedo Bombers that were canon Fodder for the Japanese. It was the Dauntless that sank all four carriers. The losses of the Dauntless were nothing compared to the Devastators.Originally Posted by Gunny
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Actually Gunny... it was the TBD Devastator Torpedo Bombers that were canon Fodder for the Japanese. It was the Dauntless that sank all four carriers. The losses of the Dauntless were nothing compared to the Devastators.
You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.
Captain America
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Yes, they are Dauntlesses. But many of them made it back to their ships after striking the enemy at Midway. The ones that didn't make it back, mostly ditched when their fuel ran out. They had been launched at extreme range, and then sent after the Japanese in a relatively uncoordinated attack.
You may be thinking of the torpedo bombers, nearly all of which WERE shot down. Out of three squadrons (one per carrier), I think four planes total made it back.
Normal doctrine was to send in the fighters and dive bombers (Dauntlesses) first, to keep the defending fighters busy, and then have the torpedo bombers slip in at wavetop height to deliver the fatal blow to the enemy ships (a "coordinated attack"). But it didn't work out that way at Midway on June 4, 1942.
Due to slow launches and other problems, the Dauntlesses went in first, without the torpedo planes or escort fighters. And many of them got lost on the way, so milled back and forth across the ocean. The torpedo bombers (which were slower and launched later) went relatively straight to the target, and attacked first. They were easy prey, with only a few American fighter planes along to defend them, and the Japanese Zero fighters annihilated them. NONE of the Japanese ships suffered any damage from American torpedo planes.
ALL the Japanese Zeros came down to wavetop level to chase the torpedo bombers - big mistake. So when the Dauntless dive bombers showed up overhead, the upper sky was undefended, and they were able to make accurate, uninterrupted bombing runs, destroying three of the four Japanese carriers. They got the fourth one the next day - a clean sweep of the Japanese carriers.
The most amazing part of the Midway battle on June 4, was that the torpedo bombers kept attacking the Japanese carriers, even though they were almost helpless while making their necessarily slow and straight torpedo runs, while hordes of tough, experienced Japanese fighters swarmed all over them. The pilots watched nearly ALL of their friends and comrades getting slaughtered, blown out of the sky one after the other, and they still kept on boring in. This caused the Japanese to concentrate all their defenses against them (wiping them out), and distracted the Japanese enough that they forgot to defend against attack from above. The bravery of those torpedo bomber crews (most of whom died) turned the tide of the battle, and of the whole Pacific war.
Last edited by Little-Acorn; 06-04-2015 at 11:44 PM.
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Tyr-Ziu Saxnot thanked this post
Obama is the anti Christ
No this last time I was there I didn't but I did back when I was a kid, heck I have pictures with shells standing taller than I was.
Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up
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the biggest shell that CV-10 Carried was the 5"X 38 CAL Shell for her twin mount AA Batteries.
tHEY MUST HAVE A 16" Shell from the USS North Carolina on board. Only shell that would be bigger than you.
You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.
Captain America
Tyr-Ziu Saxnot thanked this post
Obama is the anti Christ
Honestly all I remember is a picture where I had long hair ( Dad got the clipping shears out after that vacation I remember ) and the shell was taller than I, it may have been another ship, hell I was young. My dad was in the CB's and loved to check out the ships when on Vacation, so yes I could of been mistaken.In fact I can remember walking across the deck of one ship and there was huge fish swimming all around the boat, yup I was that young, I was more interested in the fish.
Last edited by Jeff; 06-05-2015 at 08:33 AM.
Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up
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taller than me. I stood next to one on deck for the new Jersey. it had a manufacture year of 1937 stamped on it. it was made for Tojo not Ho chi minh
Just Me
I stand corrected. I forgot about the Devastators. The world's worst dive bomber.
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.” Edumnd Burke
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No.. The TBD Devastator was a Torpedo-Bomber, The SBD Dauntless was a Dive Bomber. The Devastator was replaced by the AVENGER torpedo plane and the Dauntless was replaced by the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Fighters at Midway were the Grumman F-4f Wildcat on the 3 US Carriers. Replaced by the F-6F Hellcat and the F-8F Bearcat at the end of the War.I stand corrected. I forgot about the Devastators. The world's worst dive bomber.
Douglass Devastator
Grumman TBF Avenger
Dauntless Dive Bomber
Sb2C HellDiver
You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.
Captain America
Tyr-Ziu Saxnot thanked this post
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Akagi, 1934 (sunk at Midway)
Educate man, Liberate man
Akagi, 1934 (sunk at Midway)
namvet. Thanks for that photo. But it reminded me of a song most of us still like.
Looking at the wing emblems with the Japanese RISING SUN?
That ship eventually became the House of the SINKING SUN!
By the way. That is a WORLD WAR 1 japanese flattop.
Last edited by aboutime; 06-05-2015 at 12:55 PM.
I love to make Liberals Cry, and Whine.
So, this is for them.
GOD BLESS AMERICA - IN GOD WE TRUST !
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Kamikaze v Yorktown
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namvet. Thanks for that photo. But it reminded me of a song most of us still like.
Looking at the wing emblems with the Japanese RISING SUN?
That ship eventually became the House of the SINKING SUN!
By the way. That is a WORLD WAR 1 japanese flattop.
that's actually the battle cruiser version. it was under construction at the end of WW1 and converted to a flattop
the had so damned many conversion jobs
Educate man, Liberate man
Agreed. But in the first photo. Those are WWI bi-wing, japanese planes.that's actually the battle cruiser version. it was under construction at the end of WW1 and converted to a flattop
the had so damned many conversion jobs
I love to make Liberals Cry, and Whine.
So, this is for them.
GOD BLESS AMERICA - IN GOD WE TRUST !
Tyr-Ziu Saxnot thanked this post
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oh for sure. im surprised they didn't build em and sell to the germans
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