The Faces of Midway
Artist R.G. Smith’s depiction of SBD Dauntless dive-bombers attacking the Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu during the Battle of Midway.
Whether they strapped into cockpits of airplanes on the sandy shores of Midway Atoll or on the wooden planks of carrier decks, a select group of young men faced a daunting prospect in early June 1942. Bearing down on them was a mighty Japanese Fleet, some of the ships of which had last ventured this far east in the Pacific Ocean the previous December en route to launch air attacks against Pearl Harbor. This time, owing to code breaking by Naval Intelligence, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz knew details of the enemy’s plans. Yet, as it always does in war, success or failure hinged on those closest to the action, which in a carrier battle included naval aviators who winged their way towards the enemy.
The National Naval Aviation Museum holds a collection of archival records in its collection consisting of the flight training records of individual aviators. They provide a unique glimpse into the months in which young men first learned to fly, taking the first steps towards active service in the fleet. Using these records, and other sources in the historical collection, we present the faces of Midway.
Ensign John S. Thach in Combat Class #13
Though his name was John, he went by Jimmy, a nickname given him by upperclassmen because an older brother named James had preceded him in attending the Naval Academy. Yet, as his career progressed following his own graduation from the academy, John Smith “Jimmy” Thach became one of the most recognized individuals in naval aviation, owing primarily to his development of the “Thach Weave,” a defensive fighter tactic to combat the Japanese Zero fighter. At the Battle of Midway, Thach commanded Fighting Squadron (VF) 3 off the carrier Yorktown (CV 5). On June 4, 1942, while leading a group of six F4F-4 Wildcats, Thach led his pilots in a pitched air battle while TBD Devastator and SBD Dauntless dive bombers attacked the Japanese carriers. Confronting between 15 and 20 Zero fighters and employing the “Thach Weave,” the VF-3 pilots were credited with shooting down six Japanese fighters with two probables. Thach personally accounted for three of them. Later, in the day, while defending Yorktown during a Japanese air attack, Thach was credited with another kill and one probable. All told, during the Battle of Midway, VF-3 was credited with shooting down 33 enemy aircraft. Thach’s road to Midway passed through Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, this image of Combat Class #13 taken at Corry Field on January 17, 1930, showing then Ensign Thach standing second from left.