How the Douglas TBD-1 Devastator Helped Win the Battle of Midway

June 4, 2020 Topic: History Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: Battle Of MidwayHistoryWorld War IIMilitaryDefense

How the Douglas TBD-1 Devastator Helped Win the Battle of Midway

The Americans were lucky as the Japanese had made an ill-fated decision to rearm and refuel their aircraft. The Japanese were now sitting ducks for the American dive bombers. Within three minutes Japanese aircraft carriers including the Akagi, Kaga and Soryu were hit and would soon sink.

The Second World War is one that was won as much by older and even antiquated equipment as by the most advanced military hardware. While it is true the Allies developed some truly advanced weapons, notably the atomic bomb, it was Nazi Germany that developed its V1 and V2 rockets, jet aircraft and even introduced the StG44, the world's first assault rifle.

The Allies' tanks were generally considered inferior to the German-made tanks, but in the end the superior numbers made the difference. When it came to aircraft the British made excellent use of the aging Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber, which helped sink German battleship Bismarck and cripple the Italian fleet in port at Taranto.

Then there was the American Douglas TBD Devastator, a torpedo bomber that entered service with the United States Navy in 1937. It was a two-seater, manned by a pilot and rear gunner. While it was the most advanced aircraft at the time by Pearl Harbor it was outdated and outclassed by the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero. Yet, use and the sacrifice made by its pilots at the Battle of Midway may have helped the Allies win the battle and turn the tide of the war.

On June 4, 1942, a total of 41TBD's were launched from the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and USS Yorktown. As the pilots took off they knew they faced a serious flaw – the torpedoes were unpredictable and could be ineffective. With a maximum speed of just 200mph, the 41 aircraft lumbered toward the Japanese ships staying as low as possible so as to maintain aim and to successfully drop their torpedoes. The aircraft also had to slow as they neared the enemy carriers as the torpedoes couldn't be released at speeds above 115 mph.

Flying so low made the aircraft essentially sitting ducks and the pilots faced incessant fire from shipboard batteries. The aircraft was all but a death trap for its crews. A total of 35 of the aircraft were shot down, and because the Americans failed to mount a coordinated attack it looked as if the day could go to the Japanese.

However, the TBSs – without really intending to do so – kept the shipboard guns and more importantly the defending Japanese aircraft occupied at low altitude. The American aircraft also managed to strafe the Japanese fleet, which caused the carriers to take sharp evasive maneuvers, which limited the Japanese ability to quickly recover and refuel their fighters.

That gave a huge opportunity to the American dive bombers, which arrived undetected to zoom down from high altitudes and dropped bombs on the carrier flight decks.

The Americans were lucky as the Japanese had made an ill-fated decision to rearm and refuel their aircraft. The Japanese were now sitting ducks for the American dive bombers. Within three minutes Japanese aircraft carriers including the Akagi, Kaga and Soryu were hit and would soon sink.

Of the 35 TBDs shot down that day, only one airman survived: Ensign George Gay of Torpedo Squadron 8. He was rescued and continued to serve throughout the war. When he died in 1994 he requested that his body was cremated and his ashes scattered in the area where the other 69 TBD airmen had died.

While the pilots flying the TDBs didn't score any hits that day, the sacrifices they made helped ensure the American victory at Midway.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.