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.
Second Lieutenant Robert J. Bear, USMCR
Ivy Leaguer Robert J. Bear arrived at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida, after his graduation from Cornell University. Born in Columbus, Ohio, but raised in New Jersey, Bear entered flight training in 1940, where one instructor found him “apt to become excited and confused under pressure,” an ironic statement given what the future held for him. Another instructor was James H. McCurtain, later the first director of the Naval Aviation Museum. Bear received his wings as a naval aviator in September 1941, and by the following April found himself assigned to Marine Scout Bombing Squadron (VMSB) 241 on Midway. Initially, he flew SB2U Vindicators, but on the morning of June 4, 1942, he launched in an SBD Dauntless to attack Japanese carriers approaching the atoll. Flying wing on First Lieutenant Daniel Iverson, whose SBD-2 Dauntless is on display at the museum, Bear pressed home a bombing attack against the carrier Hiryu, also strafing her deck. A second flight that day involved a search for Japanese ships and on June 5, 1942, Bear flew a strike mission against the Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma. For his actions at Midway, Bear received the Navy Cross. He flew combat missions later in the war in the Philippines and also served in Korea, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.