Battle of Midway Dive-bomber Dispels Myths of Sinking Japanese Carriers

[@americanveteranscenter]

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[@earlworley-bd6zy]

Turn up the sound a little bit.,Its very low.

[@melinda5777]

WHAT'S THE NAME OF HIS BOOK?? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE❤❤

[@Dave5843-d9m]

@@earlworley-bd6zy Use earphones. The sound is better anyway.

[@CemtekComInc]

My friend, Wiggs Anderson of Tinley Park, IL outside Chicago, was on the Ticonderoga when those 2 Komikazies hit as mentioned here by Mr. Walsh. He told me that if he had been at his regular duty station that day on one of the bridge lookouts, he would have been killed. Wiggs survived the war and has gone on to be with the Lord after a full, long life.

[@secretagent86]

WOW it is extremely rare to find a front line soldier/marine/naval aviator/ etc with such a strategic overview!!! hats off

[@shawnpa]

I think he is a hero and credible historian. Dive bombers turned the tide in Midway, which turned the war in the Pacific.

[@SMGJohn]

Thats true, but the proximity charge was the true hero, without the proximity charge, lets just say the Japanese dive bombers would been seeing a lot more of american ships in their sights. As the British can attest to, they did not have the proximity charge and they almost must their entire Pacific fleet as a result.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

The Japanese could not understand how Allied AA gunnery was so accurate. Though by war end they were thinking it had to be a new technology.

[@galjorbismarck7324]

Not just dive bomber...scout dive bomber.A truly American heroe

[@nickinportland]

It is absolutely unbelievable how sharp these guys are. Every interview I am floored. I’m 30 I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast. Built different.

[@TheVigilantEye77]

You are very healthy and high IQ to be a military combat pilot. Elite

[@fazole]

​@@TheVigilantEye77 This is especially true of the pilots that were selected for training pre-war, as the standards were very high then, particularly in the US Navy. Once the war started, the pilot training was rushed as well.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

With life going 10/10, every memory got welded into them. What’s really amazing is how those guys just kept going. Day after day. Week after week.

[@matthewswan9419]

I mean maybe all he’s done in his life is soldiering it might be all he lnowsb

[@nickinportland]

@@matthewswan9419 yeah probably. I imagine it’s a combo of them being sharp guys plus they are into it so they have prob told the stories, read about the war a lot.

[@SkylerinAmarillo]

Fascinating. I’ve never seen a dive bomber pilot from Midway get interviewed before. I like his perspective. As we used to say in my A-6 squadron, “Fighters make movies, attack aircraft make history.”

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

You still haven't. He wasn't at Midway. 1:10 he clearly states he didn't even graduate pilot training until after the battle, at the end of 1942.

[@nickcharles1284]

Their reports are on record.

[@robynn144]

As a Navy veteran myself (although not from World War 2!), I only wish I could have done as much as you did, Mr. George Walsh. I salute you, Sir. You are a true hero.

[@BermondseySteve]

G. Walsh is an absolute true hero. He risked his life for us daily for years. Can we even imagine what courage and selflessness that took? And how he remembers and understands the complexity and bravery of the many battles and strategies of a time that was like no other - 75 years later, no less. Such men deserve our highest regards and the best our country can bestow upon them, and should not have needed to spend even a moment fighting yet again, this time for the truth of his and his fellow pilots' story. It's an honor to hear him speak with the same fortitude and determination he had when our country needed it most.

[@fitzspike]

Great story Mr. Walsh! Well done Sir!

[@markhughes7927]

From 35 mins in - this becomes a verbal testament of immense importance in understanding the pivotal role of mid-way not only for the pacific but for the European war as well - a sword in the stone moment..

[@simonvirus6417]

What an interesting interview, definitely a case where truth is harder than fiction. What a Pilot, from Australia

[@rolandgard6984]

I would like to thank Mr. Walsh for his service and say that a radio announcer named Michael Savage proclaimed years ago that the American dive bombers were braver than the Kamakasi pilots when a caller tried to comment on how brave the Kamakasi's were. I wish he could have heard the broadcast.

[@gordonhall9871]

American diver bomber pilots did it over and over flying into the mouth of the dragon

[@georgeburns7251]

Savage real name is Wiener. He never served in the military. Another phony.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Exactly.

[@JohnMoses1897]

Dr. Michael Savage is also noted for "Liberalism is a mental disorder." Very little mental illness till after multiple encounters, & most persevered until after the war

[@alvermeil5884]

he puts a whole new light on the importance of the battle of midway. And it's effect on the outcome of the war. Hopefully future historians will revise their interest in the battle of midway.

[@anonymike8280]

Midway is widely studied. It is considered, you know, like, important.

[@tyson31415]

Revise their interest? Midway is one of the most studied naval battles in history. Read a goddamn book.

[@joshwise9894]

Thanks for your service!

[@kiteman357]

God bless these men. I wish the current generation had such heart. Yes I am a vet, Just Cause and Desert Storm. When I grew up, war hero's and astronauts were my role models. Two of my uncles fought in WWII. Both flew the hump in the 1st air commandos and one went on to fly SAC bombers. These men were hero's.

[@TheVigilantEye77]

Sensible men don’t want to die in immoral unnecessary wars for a decadent corrupt empire pushing lies as truth

[@raymondschlichting6778]

Outstanding interview. Very informative.

[@catinthehat906]

I don't know when this was filmed exactly but hopefully Roland Emmerich's 'Midway' movie that came out in 2019 has set the record straight and given the dive bombers the credit they deserved. I can only think that the US Navy's long pretence that the torpedo bombers sunk these carriers was out of some sort of guilt that they sent brave men (who virtually all died) on a mission with defective torpedo's that were completely ineffective.

[@manilajohn0182]

@@catinthehat906 The Navy quickly came around to the conclusion that dive bomber attacks sunk the carriers. The U.S. Army Air Force on the other hand, maintained until after the war that U.S. heavy bombers did the majority of the damage to the carriers. The USSBS's interviews of senior Japanese officers put an end to the USAAF version of events.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

@@catinthehat906 when I was in elementary school in the 1970s, Captain Edmund Castillo's history of Midway was on our library shelves and I avidly read it after the 1976 movie came out. I bought my own copy in recent years remembering my fondness for the book. P. 106 - "not a single torpedo had struck an enemy ship." I read Walter Lord's Incredible Victory shortly after. Likewise, he accurately reported the torpedo planes were all shot down without managing to hit anything. The "record" has been clear for at least 50 years. In fact, take a look at The Oregon Daily Journal from April 14th, 1946.The Navy Department wrote a letter to the newspaper correcting points of fact in the book "The Case Against the Admirals" by William Huie, one of the points BY THE NAVY DEPARTMENT reads: "...the facts as established by recently captured Japanese official reports....show that no hits were made by high-level bombers and that all damage suffered by Japs was accomplished by navy dive bombers." No mention of torpedo planes. The Chicago Tribune of January 7, 1947 talks about a bun-fight between the Army and the Navy, when the Navy claimed publicly the B-26 and B-17s on Midway scored no hits. The Army tried to claim three hits on two Japanese carriers from torpedos carried by the B-26s. The Navy's statement, on December 22, 1946, said "carrier based dive bombers scored all the hits during the Midway battle, sinking four Japanese cruisers (sic) and routing the big Japanese fleet. The navy's claim was based upon the post-war interrogation of Japanese naval officers and upon Japanese who gave the American army bombers a score of zero." Again, no mention of torpedo planes until later in the article, where it says "...the navy's torpedo planes were shredded by Japanese fighters before they were able to carry out their attack." This was all public knowledge within a couple of years of the war ending.

[@tomref4001]

@@catinthehat906 Agree, and I think USN were shielding some hugely incompetent armourer types after the events with defective torpedo production which is what is so upsetting to Mr Walsh and his contemporaries. However it has been well established that the torpedo bombers unorthodox and prolonged serial attacks kept the Japanese carriers from launching and attacking and sinking the American carriers (certainly judging by the damege Hiryu did on its own) until the dive bombers arrived to prevent that-it was that brave near kamikaze-equivalent effort of the torpedo-bomber squadrons eating up time for the Kido Butai to respond which eventually led to the crushing blow being delivered by the dive bombers with the combat air patrol also displaced from their positions. Kido Butai would have got their attack off otherwise and the ripple effects for the rest of the war as outlined by Mr W. Probably the Torpedo pilots actions and sacrifice did change the whole war-it seems UNfitting that their endeavours are not more recognised even posthumously and belatedly. Of course effective torpedoes might also have assisted considerably to reprise. The fogginess and chaos of war.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Ships were incredibly hard to hit from high altitude. Even when in dock. eg Tirpitz was maintained at anchor in German ports and Norwegian Fjords for years. The British sent a total of 26 bombing raids but 24 caused little if any damage. She was eventually damaged then finally removed by five ton Tallboy (earthquake) bombs that went supersonic on the way down. Even that needed the highest elite crews. Words will hopefully avoid the comment being removed.

[@Chiller11]

This guy is a gem. I hope he read Shattered Sword. That book was an extraordinarily detailed analysis of the events at the Battle for Midway. It did the SBD Dauntless pilots justice in my view anyway.

[@manilajohn0182]

Then you weren't reading Shattered Sword. The two authors claimed that that dive bomber crews were telling "lurid tales" for which they can "be forgiven". In fact, the two authors' primary source- Senshi Sosho- is 'not' the official history which they claim it to be. Moreover, they conveniently left out statements from the senior surviving officers of both Soryu and Kaga which completely support the statements of our dive bomber crews- and directly contradict the authors' claim that all of the Japanese attack aircraft were in the carriers' hangars when the dive bomber attack began.

[@RonaldGilbert-de1ui]

⁠​⁠@@manilajohn0182 They were all in the hangers. There were a few Zeros on deck as CAP aircraft.

[@manilajohn0182]

@@RonaldGilbert-de1ui Soryu's executive officer stated for the USSBS that her strike was on the flight deck awaiting the order to launch when the ship was attacked. Kaga's air officer stated for the USSBS that she had approximately 30 aircraft in her hangars, six fighters in the air, and the rest (approx. 20+ aircraft) on her flight deck. Parshall and Tully mentioned both of these men in their book, but omitted their USSBS statements, as they directly contradict Parshall's and Tully's theory. The dive bomber attack ended at approximately 1030. At 1050, Hiryu's retaliatory strike began rolling down her deck. The Japanese could not possibly have spotted 24 aircraft in just 20 minutes- and Hiryu had the longest amount of time between last landing and the dive bomber attack of any of the four carriers. Only Akagi had all of her attack aircraft in her hangars, and she had 6 zeros at her stern just beginning to takeoff when Akagi was attacked.

[@jamespriddy8275]

John Parshall, the author of Shattered Sword has many KZbin videos alone and with guests that thoroughly recount all the dive bomber pilots stories. And the pilots themselves have books. I’m missing something here. This guy didn’t get Parshalls stories?

[@manilajohn0182]

@@jamespriddy8275 You honestly need to read more than just Parshall and Tully's work. "Shattered Sword" is a mixed bag at best.

[@HissingKitty2008]

Thank you for your service sir.

[@waikukujk]

Thanks for that. Those guys saved us down here in New Zealand. My wifes aunt married a Pacific Marine. Lest we forget

[@ellieprice363]

What an interesting interview. I was stationed on Iwo Jima in 1954 and early 1955 with the 808th engineer aviation battalion. Every handful of black beach sand contained several spent bullets. Our bulldozers pushed up navy shells almost every day. Luckily they were all duds and none of them exploded.

[@ckaz007]

A great book that tells the story of the Battle of Midway and the success of the US dive bombers is by Victor Davis Hanson, Carnage and Courage. It's well worth the read.

[@TheVigilantEye77]

CULTURE

[@JohnMoses1897]

The unwavering dedicstion to duty & honor by Walden & Torpedo squadron 8 whose sacrifice by valiantly attacking relentlessly alone against overwhelming odds earned them respect from the Japanese who mentioned them in their records. Torpedo 8's unwavering attack caused the CAP & all airborne Japanese planes down low in attempt to save their carrier from torpedo attack. They unwittingly became the diversion, allowing the Dauntless dive bombers to attack virtually unaposed. The rest is history.

[@Rob-fx2dw]

Fascinating interview about the dive bombers with amazing revelations of the facts by a first hand participant. You can't get better than this.

[@Trobtwillis]

Great interview. Very interesting & informative. Thank you, Sir & your comrades, for your service.

[@tmoney007confederation7]

Yes! This is a man that actually fought in WW2.... and he admitted that the Allies could have been defeated by the Axis! Most historians fail to mention that? Great documentary my fine SIR!

[@macguru9999]

America could never have been defeated by Japan, but they could have lost all sway in the western Pacific ocean if they had given up on it, of course they did the opposite and took on a war on 2 fronts , winning the pacific war and hugely contributing to the winning in europe as well, in both men and material support to their allies. I think there was a lot of propaganda designed to galvanise the armed forces and the public, and it was a huge success.

[@RonaldGilbert-de1ui]

@@tmoney007confederation7 Nimitz knew the Japanese could not hold Midway if they captured it. That’s why he told the carrier commanders not to sacrifice their ships defending Midway.

[@ToreDL87]

@@macguru9999 Yeah a lot of American installations in the Pacific were hugely obsolete by the time it started, it's speculated they were lowkey planning to pull out (ofc it can't be conclusively proven).

[@macguru9999]

@@ToreDL87 makes sense, it was 40 years after the expansion into the Philippines etc. american policy must have shifted considerably

[@30AndHatingIt]

I love the audacity of people who say the US wasn’t the deciding factor in the Second World War. At the same time that they celebrate Germany courageously fighting on two fronts, they ignore the fact the US did exactly the same thing… ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PLANET. The US essentially fought two completely different wars, simultaneously, spearheading both, maintaining all of the insane logistics that involved, all while keeping the rest of the Allies alive with food, medicine, weapons, ammunition, vehicles, comms and tech, etc. At the end of the war in Europe, Patton was told to HALT and let the Soviets into Berlin first! The US was going to drive right into Berlin and accept their surrender! Then, at the end in the Pacific, they made a 2000 year old empire surrender. What the US did in WW2 was astonishing… then emerging from it and building the greatest economy in the history of human civilization, peaking with landing 12 of their citizens on the surface of the moon? Incredible. The hatred and vitriol being poured on the US today, and watching the collapse of it (and the west, and everyone else) is a tough thing to watch unfold. But hundreds of years in the future, they’ll look back with admiration, despite the flaws.

[@msk806]

Thank you for your service sir!

[@mariekatherine5238]

Fascinating, what is said about the Battle of Midway.

[@richardthornhill4630]

Interesting perspective on the Battle at Midway, a pivotal moment in history. Thanks to all our Veterans who served. Semper Fi.

[@59ogre]

My grandfather was part of MAG-22,which was rushed to Midway for the defense of the island.He was one of the senior engine mechanics at the time.He told me he watched the pilots take off in their obsolete aircraft to attack,knowing they didn't stand much of a chance.Most of them were shot down and killed,including 3 squadron commanders.He knew these guys personally,some even before the war started.That has always kind of stuck with me.We lost a lot of good Marines in that battle.Semper Fi indeed.

[@stephenvaccarezza4781]

This interview is one of the best recollections of this veterans account of war in the pacific. His memory is like it all happened yesterday. WOW. Thank you.

[@kevinballenger1211]

I Served 4 Years Aboard The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), In Air Dept/V-1 Div, As An ABH3, From 1980 - 1984. I Love Listening To Their Stories! ⚓

[@erintyres3609]

"Miracle at Midway" by Gordon W. Prange gives the dive bombers plenty of credit for sinking the four carriers. His book has excellent depth and detail.

[@EDLaw-wo5it]

Wonderful how he remembers so much detail. I am 82 and marvel at his memory. God blessed him with a good life and helping him survive.

[@robertotaglienti6406]

It's definitely one of your better interviews. Very informative and interesting. He was really well spoken

[@PeterMosca-c5s]

Yes Sir. It was the brave young man flying the dive bomber of the u.s. navy that won the battle of midway.

[@jwardcomo]

This guy is a national treasure.

[@melinda5777]

OH, I LOVED THIS! I'M GOING TO SHARE IT WITH MY MOM, MY UNCLE, MY AUNT AND 2 OF MY NEPHEWS!!! THANK YOU SIR! IF YOU STILL HERE, I WOULD LOVE TO MET YOU!!!✝️🙏❤🇺🇸

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Great fellow and real hero.

[@jimnewman5230]

Thanks for your service and facts. This is why you survived to give us the facts, thank-you

[@RonDoty-i7z]

Neighbor when a kid was a dive bomber pilot. Both eardrums damaged and scarred from pressure changes dive bombing. Neat old guy. Great neighbor.

[@riverbender9898]

I salute you Sir!

[@GaveMeGrace1]

Thank you.

[@jcmalex1]

Impressive, a true hero

[@stephenfoster8414]

There's actually a movie on HBO Max about Midway and it's specified on The dive bombers

[@adamtennant4936]

I hope he got to see it.

[@chadlisko415]

Best interview and history lesson I have heard so far... God bless you and thank you!

[@DanBeech-ht7sw]

Torpedo bombers worked at Taranto and they slowed the Bismarck down. They also worked for the Japanese at Pearl

[@stargazer5784]

True enough, but the torpedoes that the United States fielded in early WW2 were pieces of junk.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Gen. Billy Mitchell experienced the exact same treatment by naval leadership: use of air power was always secondary to battle by surface action. He was even court-martialed for calling out military leadership for their campaign of misinformation and conspiracy which led to US military failures. Mr. Walsh is a gentleman, a soldier, and an airman who knew what to do when it needed to be done. War is a filthy, filthy job; there is no glamour in it. Thank you sir.

[@garnetstewart3461]

After this interview, the book 'Shattered Sword' the definitive story of the battle of Midway was published. A great read that starts with the Japanese navy developing their battle plan. Rich with detail but it's all relevant and holds your attention. I hope George Walsh got to read it.

[@robertdendooven7258]

@gafnetstewart3461 Not true. This was recorded just before Mr. Walsh's book on Midway came out in early 2017. Shattered Sword was published on Nov. 1, 2007. I am sure Mr. Walsh had read it. His book is more of a bitter diatribe against somebody. His story of Hornet's dive bombers and fighters has been disproved in other books. They went too far north and not south as mentioned. another pilot (brown shoe) who had issues with surface warfare admirals (black shoes) commanding Task Forces containing aircraft carriers. I commend Mr. Walsh's service, but think his book is not that good.

[@phillipphil1615]

My father chose the navy in WW2 for the same reason, the trench stories of WW1 spooked him, the navy offered a bed and decent food until sunk and then that would be a short delay before drowning. Ended up on Enterprise.

[@claylynn6391]

I really like listening to him, the real story, the facts, and I'm glad this channel interviewed him for posterity. Kind of understand more about that war from this.

[@randalljohnson8293]

Great interview! This Guy was in almost every Battle of the Pacific! Amazing stuff!

[@derweibhai]

My grandfather was a SBD tailgunner on Enterprise from 43-45. Wish he hadn't taken all his stories with him when he died in 04.

[@2Oldcoots]

Thanks!

[@brianpesci]

Wade McClusky has never been given the proper amount of credit or awarded equitably for his critical decision to keep looking for the Japanese fleet and like Mr. Walsh says the incredible effect that it had on the course of the war.

[@manilajohn0182]

Spruance called McClusky "The only hero in the battle of Midway".

[@christiancruz4533]

You Sir are a National treasure

[@marthavaughan4660]

Bless you for making this narrative available for posterity. Succeeding generations now have this to hopefully learn from and remember those who gave their all for our future. The most we could do is to know that they asked for nothing more than a chance to redeem and redress the naked aggression perpetrated on the world by the yellow swine.

[@tommyjenkins7453]

It's going to happen again if this current administration don't stop bowing down to China the other swine

[@hooper4581]

These interviews are outstanding. Thank you for sharing these stories before they are lost to time. Ps. I didn’t know uncle junior was a dive bomber 😝

[@joslynscott466]

Excellent. A must watch

[@jeffreyphelan3515]

My step Dad was in the U.S Army in Hawaii and left 1 month before the Japenese attacked Pearl. He said they expected an attack any day when he left.

[@dudleylitz7369]

I am blessed with the wings of a HellDiver Aviator!

[@charleschandler9855]

That's one badass dude, for certain. And still amazingly sharp.

[@colder5465]

As I understand correctly the problem at Midway was the torpedo aircraft and dive bombers acted disconcertedly. If it was a concerted in time attack the result for the torpedo aircraft would be better. But all the same, Dauntless made the key thing: they distracted the Zeros down on low heights and that allowed the dive bombers attack without Japanese fighters' counteraction.

[@fazole]

There was no long range radar then. The weather was not good, with broken clouds and rain showers. A seaplane spotted the fleet thru clouds, but that report was hours old by the time the USN attackers arrived in the area and after that, they had to use only their eyes to find the Japanese fleet, so coordinating the attack was impossible.

[@johncaldwell-wq1hp]

You know,--interveiwing-this Gentleman is so important,-this man is part of an 'INCREDIBLE-PART-OF-HISTORY"--AND YOUR FRIGGING "PHONE-GOES-OFF"-!!!---gimme a break !!--(there was one interview,-with a F4F-Cactus airforce -PIlot,="and a bloody Lawnmower started -up !!)

[@brendanoreilly6917]

Incredible.

[@christiancruz4533]

Great take. Midway got the love it deserves. Midways was key to turn the tide. Theres a documentary in netflix of WW2 that does mention that . Also Midway movie its pretty good & accurate .

[@gordonwood1594]

I have always believed that Midway was the most important single battle of WWII. If the US had lost, Roosevelt would not have been able to maintain his unpopular Germany first policy and Britain's situation would have become untenable.

[@RonaldGilbert-de1ui]

Nimitz told the carriers not to sacrifice themselves defending Midway. If Midway fell we would go back and take it later. He knew that Japan could never match the U.S. in naval construction.

[@stevenpace892]

At the battle of Midway, one squadron of new Avengers was stationed on Midway. The torpedo bombers on the carriers were the obsolete Douglas devastators. Everyone was aware that those aircraft were very poor. But they were the torpedo planes available. And they did scare the Japanese; forcing them to divide the CAP attention. This was the winning edge. The CAP let the dive bombers in while dealing with torpedo bombers.

[@dukecraig2402]

The Avengers didn't perform any better than the Devastators did, it was the torpedoes that dictated the parameters that they had to operate under, they required the the plane be flying at no more than 50 feet off the water and at a slow speed, releasing the torpedo at a higher altitude or speed would cause it's gyros to tumble and it wouldn't have any guidance. Flying at such low speed and at only 50 feet made it impossible for one to maneuver if attacked, any attempt at any kind of maneuver would cause either one of those aircraft to immediately stall and drop into the water. The Japanese torpedo planes were so much more successful because their Long Lance torpedo was specialized to be aerial dropped, it enabled them to fly much faster and at altitudes of 400 to 500 feet that they could drop their torpedo from, that gave them the ability to maneuver if attacked. The US Navy could have had all new Avengers as torpedo planes at Midway and it wouldn't have changed anything, because on their torpedo run they'd still have had to fly as slow and at such of a low altitude because of the limitations of the torpedo the US Navy was using at that point.

[@anonymike8280]

If I knew what CAP meant, I might even agree with you.

[@garrybrischke53]

Perhaps the ineffectiveness of the torpedos in the early years was an embarrassment to the US navy , prompting the misleading storyline fed to the public. We Australians and our Kiwi brothers are forever gratefull to the US for coming to our assistance in our hour of need. 🇦🇺

[@kevinkenney5228]

I wish this man’s story could be told in the movies

[@marcwinfield1541]

Can see the video was posted 6 years ago, that would be 2018. It would be good if these veteran interviews had Date of Interview prominently displayed. (edit, 32 minutes in...) Mr Walsh refers to his having researched the Battle of Midway for some 27 years! It's hard to gauge age here but this man's recall is astonishing nonetheless

[@RichardMyers-gx5fw]

I'm so jealous! Your the last of the greatest generation. Thank You Z so much!!! I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Marines, not mean to be.

[@RichardMyers-gx5fw]

.my father was a marine Corp. Corsair fighter pilot

[@yossarianmnichols9641]

I heard from another source that the quality of the torpedoes was not good enough to make them effective. Also it is now common knowledge that one squadron of attacking dive bombers took the incorrect azimuth to reach the Japanese fleet and they all sank in the ocean without dropping a bomb. They were all awarded medals and the Navy hid the whole mess under the rug.

[@johnhallett5846]

Hornets crew was very green; and they did not get more training due to the Doolittle raid. Torpedo 8 was the only ones that got into the battle

[@hancehanson4000]

The Navy has a bad history of doing that... the under-the-rug sweeping of disasters & tragedies & bad command decisions that result in needless loss.

[@johnhallett5846]

@@hancehanson4000 not just the navy

[@Paul-lm5gv]

True American valor! Wikipedia: Torpedo Squadon 8 (VT-8's) first and best-known combat mission came during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. Flying obsolete Douglas TBD Devastators, all of Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron's fifteen planes were shot down during their unescorted torpedo attack on Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carriers. The squadron failed to damage any Japanese carriers or destroy enemy aircraft. Only one member of VT-8 who flew from Hornet on that day survived in the action, Ensign George Gay. Gay was rescued the day following the battle. VT-8 was afterwards awarded the American Presidential Unit Citation.

[@russellkeeling4387]

From my understanding of the Midway battle the torpedo planes weren't useless, they were sent into battle without air cover from fighters. I seems they were sacrificed.

[@59ogre]

It wasn't by design,but their sacrifice helped out the dive bombers,because most of the Japanese combat air patrol was down at low level,shooting them all down.We lost 35 out of 41 torpedo bombers from all 3 carriers,Including all 3 squadron commanders,which I believe were all married with young children.

[@joxyjoxyjoxy1]

Midway was yet another example of how the officers in command tried their best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and needed men like this to bail them out.

[@marthavaughan4660]

`Impressive. He knew what was coming and acted appropriately.My father went through Naval flight w/o a down check and an old grizzled chief instructor stated that NO-ONE went through his program unscathed, so he got his down. This upset him more than anything that happened throughout. Aviators forever. To have them back for direction. Ahh, yes

[@AndrewGrey22]

So it was Fletcher who got all our torpedo bomber guys killed at Midway.

[@randygerman2176]

Interesting point, there is a two second difference between being a dive bomber and a kamakasi.

[@tommychew6544]

What a sharp mind! Things have always been held back and will never be known. The failings of some in power will always be covered up. What some would call luck is actually intervention. Like being a kid and suddenly knowing what to do, I experienced it playing sports, and further on onto my live in the Marines. I just understood when it was time to hit the clutch or the brakes for older people like me. Ignoring this instinct we have been given will be the end of us. People in power today wouldn't want any of that, they think we should be followers, and that's all the major parties.?? I don't see a way out of this.

[@86chanko]

wow, what a story

[@paulysewad1869]

Well worth a listen if you get the chance.

[@dLimboStick]

He says he got his wings at the end of 1942. The Battle of Midway happened in June 1942. He wasn't there as a pilot. Headline is misleading. He is not a Battle of Midway dive bomber.

[@rm8281]

Thank you. I was about to post the exact same thing. His WWII service was extraordinary, but the title is quite misleading.

[@joeymaterese8095]

Pure hero

[@doughumphries2329]

Actually, the torpedo bombers drew the Zeros down low so that they were out of position to defend against the dive bombers.

[@jasonrusso9808]

What George said about not wanting to be in the trenches is what my great grandfather said to my grandfather during the war, which is why he joined the Navy. Exact same reason lol.

[@craigholloway506]

My uncle, George Hall, was on the ticonderoga when it was hit

[@edl617]

Later in WW2. The torpedo bomber and torpedos were able to attack shipping from as high as 4,000+ feet and over 2 miles away.

[@tomref4001]

Would have been interesting to hear what Mr Walsh thought of the idea of the three carriers launching their groups in concert-one group composed of each of each other carriers' complementary group-eg Fighter, torpedo and dive from Enterprise Hornet and Yorktown rather than each carrier waiting to muster their own groups together and then flying off together?

[@secretagent86]

RESPECT SIR

[@mechengineer4894]

Torpedo bombers failing to hook up with their fighter escort is what won the battle of Midway. If you went through Japanese war archives you'll see quite a few logs from their Navy calling the strategy of the slow lumbering torpedo bombers making their run without fighter escort brilliant. They thought it was a ploy to bring their fighter umbrella down to sea level opening the door for the dive bombers. At the end of the 1976 movie Midway, Henry Fonda posed the question were they just lucky. With no intention of diminishing the courage and sacrifice of the torpedo crews, I'd call it dumb luck.

[@jkorshak]

Much of the battle of midway was to an extent glossed over because of the terrible destruction and losses the torpedo groups took and because of the failure of the Hornet bombers to find the Japanese fleet and losses due to ditching. It was enough at the time to herald the major victory that it was but it really wasn't until Gordon Prange's "Miracle at Midway" that a more complete picture of how the battle proceeded was understood. Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully (2005) is the most comprehensive account I have read.

[@suchdevelopments]

😁🥰Good day from GOONELLABAH, NSW, Australia! George, a fascinating story. You are fantastic. You are a veteran who shall listened to. I'll embark on a six-month journey to circumnavigate Australia in two CYBERTRUCKs and a Tesla Semi, covering 22,000 kilometres at the beginning of February 2025.

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

I remember seeing documentaries about the torpedo planes all being shot down but the dive bombers being successful, in part because Japanese interceptors were changing out armaments.

[@shawnpa]

I think I saw what you did. Good memory, I forgot that was in the movie.The movie made it look like the US Navy just caught the Japanese by surprise. Hollywood dramatization made it look like it was a huge lucky break. It makes much more sense that it was because of the tactics this veteran said were used.

[@paulmiddleton4215]

@@shawnpa by pure chance McClusky found the Jap destroyer steaming full bore all alone. the destroyer had been shadowing the US sub Nautilus from attacking the Jap fleet. McClusky , lost as to where the fleet was, then followed the course of that lone destroyer catching up, to set up the most fateful 5 minutes in history. sinking 3 of Japan's fleett carriers.

[@RonaldGilbert-de1ui]

Get the book Shattered Sword. This is the best account on what actually happened.

[@manilajohn0182]

They Japanese fighters weren't rearming. They were pursuing torpedo aircraft which had already dropped their ordnance or were in the process of regrouping and climbing back to altitude.

[@RonaldGilbert-de1ui]

@@manilajohn0182 The torpedo attack had ended an hour before the dive bombers attacked. This did play apart though.

[@PDZ1122]

The repeated failure of American torpedoes must have been a huge embarrassment to the navy, no wonder they twisted the truth a bit.

[@danam0228]

I believe him about dive bombers being more popular with commanders. The Japanes had great torpedoes but spent an inordinate amount of time developing them and training their pilots on using them as is widely known. The bombs used by dive bombers were much simpler to develop and use. And as documented in some battles, much more effective.

[@clarencehopkins7832]

Excellent stuff bro

[@tractortalkwithgary1271]

Excellent interview! We have lost so many of these American heroes. If they were to return today, after fighting and winning the SECOND world War, They would most likely affix bayonets!

[@WilhelmSallsten]

It wasn't the torpedo bombers that were useless. It was the torpedoes

[@johnbaxter3676]

Both were useless

[@andrewlowry2142]

very eloquent

[@kevin040160]

My uncle Joe Sullivan was a flight instructor in the Navy in Pensacola FL during WW2. He joined before Pearl Harbor was attacked too . 👍

[@Sequatchiemm]

Someone please tell this man there is a movie called midway literally all about dive bombers it is a great movie