When word of the American attack in the Kido Butai, and the subsequent destruction of the Kaga, Akagi and Soryu, made its way back to Admiral Yamamoto aboard his flagship Yamato, he was stunned. Information […]
Just before noon, and before the Japanese began their attacks on her, the Yorktown had launched a search mission consisting of 10 SBD Dauntlesses. After almost three hours one of these aircraft came across the […]
The vicious dive-bombing attack by the American SBDs on three of Kido Butai’s carriers had left the Japanese reeling, but not completely out of the fight. One carrier, Hiryū, remained intact having manoeuvred away from […]
The American dive bomber force launched with the torpedo bombers, but each of the three squadrons involved took paths to the target the diverged greatly from the torpedo squadrons, and from each other. The contingent […]
Following the May 1937 tests of the SCR-268 searchlight-control radar, the US Army expressed an interest in obtaining an early warning air search radar with much longer range. A US Army Signal Corps Laboratories team, […]
In 1938 Japan acquired one of the prototype Heinkel He 118 dive bombers that the Luftwaffe had rejected in favour of the Junkers Ju 87. Although this aircraft crashed during trials, its overall performance had […]
Task Force 16 – Enterprise and Hornet, under RAdm Raymond Spruance – sailed for Midway on the 29th of May, just two days after Kido Butai departed from Japan. RAdm Frank Fletcher’s Task Force 17, […]
As the Japanese were pounding Midway, the motley collection of bombers that had cleared the airfield headed in the opposite direction, determined to attack the carrier fleet spotted earlier that morning. In the weeks preceding […]
In 1934 the US Navy invited bids for a new carrier-based scout bomber, and received no less than six competing designs. Four of these would be ordered into production – Curtiss’ upgraded SBC-3 biplane, the […]
In March 1939, the US Navy requested design proposals for a new carrier based torpedo bomber to replace the Douglas TBD in the fleet. The requirements for the new aircraft included a desired top speed […]
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