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 Robert M. Elder, USNR
Like many of his contemporaries raised during the trying economic times of the Great Depression, finances prevented Robert M. Elder from completing his studies at the University of Washington. Yet, he finished enough of his education to qualify for the aviation cadet program, reporting to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola in June 1940. In his training as a naval officer, he was exemplary, receiving not one demerit as a cadet, one instructor writing that he “gave his whole hearted cooperation to the task of learning to fly.” Elder’s first choice for assignment after receiving his wings was to fly scout-bombers from carriers in the Pacific, and he got his wish with assignment to Bombing Squadron (VB) 3 in the carrier Saratoga (CV 3). By the time of the Battle of Midway, VB-3 was operating from the carrier Yorktown (CV 5) and Elder was among those who launched from the flattop to attack approaching Japanese carriers, receiving the Navy Cross for his actions. He remained with VB-3 following Midway, participating in combat actions in the waters off Guadalcanal. Later, he became one of the Navy’s earliest jet pilots, uating the German Me-262 and performing carrier suitability for the FJ-1 Fury. He also served as Director of the Flight Test Division at the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, during 1958-1959. All told, Elder logged 8,258 flight hours in 142 different types of aircraft during his career. He carrier qualified in 34 different aircraft types.