Midway Anniversary

[sherpa]

Eighty years ago today, the US Naval strike forces turned the tide of the Pacific battle with Japan in a period of about ten minutes, with great loss of life.

Carrier airplanes from Enterprise, let by Buffalo born Wing Commander Wade McClusky found the Japanese task force and sunk four Japanese carriers in about ten minutes.

McClusky and his strike force were nearly out of fuel when McClusky spotted a lone Japanese destroyer, the Arashi, going full speed. He correctly surmised it was headed back to the main task force after dueling a US sub, the Nautilus.

Nimitz called McClusky's decision to head north instead of heading back to recover on Enterprise, where he then spotted Arashi as one of the greatest decisions of the war.

[Nextmanup]

One of my favorite pieces of art:

 

"The Famous Four Minutes" by R.G. Smith.

 

That's IJN Akagi burning in the foreground.  

 

 

[sherpa]

23 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

One of my favorite pieces of art:

 

"The Famous Four Minutes" by R.G. Smith.

 

That's IJN Akagi burning in the foreground.  

 

 

Funny you should mention R. G. Smith.

In the early 80's, the Naval Aviation Museum wanted to get rid of some of its art work.

Among the canvas pieces was "Enterprise on Yankee Station."

 

 

I'd always liked that piece, but it was unavailable.

Somehow, I got hold of R. G. Smith's daughter, who sold me a canvas print for $130. 

Around 2004 or so, I found this artist in Lima, Peru who did really good oils, so I had him use this print to do an oif for me that sits above the fireplace in my office.

Picking it up in Lima, the guy I was flying with liked it so much that he wanted to do the same thing. I lent him the print.

He never returned it.

Not two months ago, I figured I really wanted to get that original back. I remembered his name, called him, and sure enough, he had it still in the original shipping tube, eighteen years later.

I got it back, and it's worth over $1000.

[muppy]

I called hubby to read this thread. He is a huge history buff and wanted to share these stories and pics.  His father was a waist gunner on B-25's in the solomon islands and phillippines. He has MANY stories 🙂 Hubby says dad was in the Phillippines when the battle of Midway occurred. 

 

My dad was stationed in the Phillippines as an airplane mechanic. after the Americans recaptured it.

 

the ship The Midway is a museum here in san diego named after the battle. 

[sherpa]

If he, or anyone else is a history buff or at all interested in this war changing event, here is a great description without all the movie industry nonsense.

Two modern Naval Aviators who know the subject discussing it in detail.

 

 

[Tiberius]

On 6/4/2022 at 8:45 AM, sherpa said:

Eighty years ago today, the US Naval strike forces turned the tide of the Pacific battle with Japan in a period of about ten minutes, with great loss of life.

Carrier airplanes from Enterprise, let by Buffalo born Wing Commander Wade McClusky found the Japanese task force and sunk four Japanese carriers in about ten minutes.

McClusky and his strike force were nearly out of fuel when McClusky spotted a lone Japanese destroyer, the Arashi, going full speed. He correctly surmised it was headed back to the main task force after dueling a US sub, the Nautilus.

Nimitz called McClusky's decision to head north instead of heading back to recover on Enterprise, where he then spotted Arashi as one of the greatest decisions of the war.

Three carriers in ten minutes. The fourth carrier was sank later.