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Health & Fitness

Details On Battle Of Midway June 4, 1942

Amazing -- if you want to know something, type it in and click "Go."

After my writing about the Battle of Midway, using only memory of early findings, some readers responded seeking more details concerning the action.

The USS Weber was named for Frederick Thomas Weber of Iowa. He, after attaining flight status, spent his entire Navy career on the Enterprise, including backing up the Carrier Hornet on the Doolittle Tokyo Raid in April 1942.  Earlier he was returning from Wake Island and missed the Pearl Harbor bombing in 1941.

The hastily put together Carrier fleet left Pearl Harbor on May 28, 1942, and was waiting for the Japanese to appear, and found them on the morning of June 4, 1942.  Just think, that is 69 years ago from this coming Saturday.

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The first contact was made by Torpedo Squadron 6, which was all shot down, with only one survivor, who watched the coming battle from under his life jacket in the ocean.  He was Ensign Gay.

The Bombing 6 group of planes were to hit the Carrier Akagi, but due to a mixup, part of them took on the Carrier Kaga.  Weber's flight leader led his group to the Akagi.  His flight leader was Lt. Commander Richard Halsey Best.  Three of the flight each had a 1000 bomb.  Weber's bomb hit right beside the Carrier, disabling the steering. One other had a clear miss, but Best's bomb had a direct hit, sinking the ship.

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By afternoon, what was left of our planes were assembled on the Enterprise as the Yorktown was disabled and later sunk.  As near as I can count, the new group had four planes from Bombing 6 and 14 from Bombing 3, the Yorktown number.  All fighter planes stayed near the fleet to form a protective shield.

When they found the Hiryu at about 4 p.m., they climbed to 19,000 feet and positioned themselves to make the attack out of the sun.  Just before pushover, Weber's plane was attacked by Japanese fighter planes, and he and his Aircrewman Ordinanceman 3d Class, E. L. Hilbert spiraled into the sea and their death.

Commander Best made a successful attack and all four Japanese Carriers were at the bottom.  So were all the Japanese aircrews.

Most of our U.S. top air people also were lost.  I spoke to Mr. Best almost 50 years after and found, just as the Navy records show, that at 19,000 feet, he inhaled his oxygen and gained a bunch of gas that affected his lungs, so he stayed in the Pearl Harbor hospital until he was discharged.

Perhaps that is why we recite our vows at each Legion meeting, namely "To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great Wars." So few people are left to do so.

I read the testimony of the Kamakazie Pilot, who was saved by the crew of Joseph Wallach, Jr. Destroyer and in finding them by using Navy records. He was amazed at the accuracy of Navy reporting. We are fortunate today, that all this is available at our computer desks. 

Another cousin, Bill Roques, was a Marine pilot on the Bennington, and when I wrote my book, could not find how he died.  I was frustrated, so way back, I typed Captain William Roques into my machine, and there it was.  

So, if you want to know something, type it in and click "Go."

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