Torpedo 8
Naval aviation tactics in World War II called for coordinated attacks on enemy ships. The torpedo planes were to come in low, dive bombers would strike from high altitude, and fighters would provide air cover against enemy fighters. During the Battle of Midway there was no such coordination. The various types of squadrons arrived on the scene piecemeal and disorganized. Low on fuel and knowing that any opportunity might be fleeting, leaders had to make split-second decisions.
The fifteen slow-moving TBD Devastators of Torpedo 8 found the Japanese carriers first at 9:20 a.m. on June 4. Sighting the enemy ships on the horizon at a distance of about four miles, Jack Waldron waggled his wings, signaling, “Follow me,” dropped down in altitude and bore in on the Soryu, one of the four enemy carriers. Suddenly, anti-aircraft fire began exploding among his aircraft. Japanese Zeros appeared and began riddling the formation. One by one Waldron’s aircraft plunged into the sea. The rest continued the attack. Within eight minutes only three were left. Then two more went down. The last TBD, piloted by Ens. George Gay, was able to drop a torpedo, passed over the Soryu, and crashed into the sea.
Twenty-nine airmen died in this attack. Ensign Gay was the only survivor. The individual courage of every one of these pilots is almost unfathomable. During the agonizingly slow, low-altitude run, every pilot witnessed the destruction of his fellow airmen and his own leader. Any pilot could have rightly concluded that this was a futile effort. Anyone could have turned back. Not one did.
Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage.
—Ezra 7:28