14. A Dramatic Victory
The Japanese launched a carrier strike against Midway on the morning of June 4th, 1942. They inflicted significant damage, but a second strike was necessary. While their aircraft were recovered and readied, the Japanese learned of the presence of American carriers. Midway wasn’t going anywhere, and the destruction of enemy aircraft carriers was more important. So orders were given to switch bombs from ones intended for ground targets, to anti-ship bombs and torpedoes. In the meantime, the American carriers had launched their own aircraft against the Japanese. First to arrive were Devastator torpedo bombers – slow planes that had to fly low, steady, and straight, to launch their torpedoes. 41 Devastators attacked without fighter escort. 35 were shot down, and not a single hit was scored. While the American torpedo bombers were getting slaughtered, a flight of American Dauntless dive bombers was lost, trying to locate the Japanese.
They had neared the point beyond which they wouldn’t have enough fuel to return to their carriers, but their commander persisted. He was rewarded by spotting a lone Japanese destroyer below. Guessing that it was heading to rejoin its fleet, he used its wake as an arrow. It led him straight to the Japanese fleet. And a Japanese fleet caught at the worst possible time for an attack from dive bombers. The carriers were rearming and refueling, so their decks were full of bombs and torpedoes and fuel. There was also no fighter cover – the Japanese fighters had gone down to intercept and destroy the torpedo bombers that had attacked at low level. They hadn’t yet regained altitude when the American dive bombers showed up high above and dove down. Within five minutes, three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers were burning. The fourth was sunk later that day.
