No anti-aircraft, all three (Japanese)carriers heading straight into the wind,” recounted Kleiss. “The situation was a carrier pilot's dream. (Jg.) Norman “Dusty” Kleiss and his radio operator/gunner were in one of the Douglas “Dauntless” dive bombers that attacked the aircraft carrier Kaga. Japanese fighters were concentrating on the torpedo bombers as American scout and dive bombers arrived overhead. The attackers’ bravery and determination made a great impression on the Japanese who witnessed it. Only four of 41 American carrier torpedo planes returned. Ferrier’s aircraft was the only one of Torpedo Squadron 8 to survive. I lost all sense of time and direction but huddled by my gun hoping for a chance to shoot back.” I had never seen death before, and here in one awesome moment my friends and I were face-to-face with it. Quite suddenly, I was a scared, mature old man at 17. “The sight of his slumped and lifeless body startled me. “On the second firing pass by the attacking Zeros, our turret gunner, Manning, was hit and his turret put out of action,” recounted Ferrier. One of the few to return was Radioman Ferrier: Flying from American carriers and Midway’s airbase to attack the Japanese aircraft carrier task force, the torpedo bombers suffered heavy losses flying low, and slow enough to drop torpedoes, through fighters and antiaircraft fire. Ferrier of torpedo squadron VT-8 served as a radio operator and lower gunner on a Grumman Avenger. To commemorate the 75 th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, below are first person accounts of what transpired on those days in June 1942. It’s the stories of the sailors and airmen, who witnessed these events, that provide a personal perspective. However, battle is a human event experienced by individuals. Military historians often dissect battles, opposing forces, and strategies employed. This allowed an inferior force of three American aircraft carriers and the Midway defenders to sink four Japanese carriers in a day and turn back the invasion. American Naval intelligence, using code breaking and false messages, discovered the Japanese plans. The story of this battle has often been told. Japanese control of Midway Atoll would have been disastrous, putting them in close striking distance of Hawaii. Navy and establish a base between Pearl Harbor and Japan. The Imperial Japanese Navy attempted to force a crippling battle on the U.S. While American morale had been lifted with the Doolittle Raid in April 1942 and success in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May, American forces would face their greatest naval challenge yet at Midway. In the months since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had seen victories throughout the Asia-Pacific region-from as far west as Sri Lanka to as far east as Wake Atoll. As a significant turning point in the Pacific during World War II, the Battle of Midway in June 1942 shattered the advancing Japanese forces.
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