A Dawn Like Thunder
Page 45
The handwritten coordinates scrawled by Ensign Jerry Crawford on the short snorter bill on June 9, 1942, augmented by the testimony of the pilots and staff officers he interviewed, were the keys to learning the truth. Weisheit was finally able to draw a new map that reflected what happened to the Hornet air group on the morning of June 4, 1942. I am proud to have his permission to reprint it as part of this appendix.
The noted Pacific War historians John Lundstrom, Robert Cressman, Jon Parshall, Anthony Tully, Mark Horan, Alvin Kernan, and James Sawruk have all endorsed Weisheit’s findings.
Perhaps the strongest endorsement came from Admiral Thomas H. Moorer. Upon reading Mr. Weisheit’s book, Admiral Moorer, who had served as a young naval aviator aboard the USS Lexington and was eventually promoted to Admiral Nimitz’s job as the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) before becoming chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under President Nixon, requested a personal meeting with Weisheit.
After spending two hours probing Weisheit’s case with a barrage of tough questions, Admiral Moorer’s conclusion was that the Navy “hadn’t gotten it right.” He then made a bulk order of Weisheit’s work, making sure the book went to every American naval library in the world, starting with the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Actual Flight of the Hornet Air Group, June 4, 1942
Why was Bowen Weisheit’s quest so important? It was significant because the Midway battle might well have turned out differently if Pete Mitscher hadn’t sent his air group in the wrong direction. If Stanhope Ring had chosen to follow John Waldron to the Japanese fleet, the Hornet’s thirty-four dive-bombers, ten fighters, and fifteen torpedo planes would have made a simultaneous attack. Conceivably, the death toll in Torpedo Eight might not have been so high.
Admiral Spruance believed that all four Japanese carriers would have been sunk on the morning of June 4 if the Hornet air group’s dive-bombers had participated in the battle, and that the American carrier Yorktown would have survived to continue the fight in the Central and South Pacific.
In April 2006, I met Bowen Weisheit, then eighty-seven, in his unimposing street-front law office in Bel Air, Maryland. My first impression was of a tall, craggy-faced man with bright and youthful blue eyes. He was wearing a tweed sports jacket with a red scarf around his neck and looked more like a retired college professor than the legal lion he was once reputed to be.
His large desk and the tables behind it were cluttered with piles of maps and navigation charts, and he was quick to tell me that he was in the middle of another quest, this one trying to help the family of a missing Army Air Force general who disappeared in a B-17 over the Japanese-held island of Rabaul. An hour later, we hadn’t even begun to touch on the subject I had come a long way to see him about. In our ensuing talk, and in many hours of conversation thereafter, we went over all of the raw material of his investigation into the death of his fraternity brother Mark Kelly, including the interview transcripts and the notes from his conversations with many of the men who were part of the Hornet air group on the morning of June 4.
Ultimately, the only aspect of the Midway controversy that Weisheit did not have a strongly held view on was why Pete Mitscher would send the Hornet air group so far north of the last reported location of the Japanese striking force, losing almost half of his planes in the process.
In a later interview, John Lundstrom, the leading historian on American naval aviation in the Pacific during the 1942 battles, stated his firm belief that the air group’s course was unquestionably chosen by Mitscher, who by temperament and personality would never have delegated responsibility to a subordinate on such an important decision. By all accounts, Pete Mitscher was incredibly strong-willed. Other historians have used words like “headstrong” and “obstinate.”
Mitscher had won his wings at Pensacola in 1916, one of the first thirteen men to go through the program, and in early 1942, he was convinced that he knew far more about carrier aviation than just about anyone else in the Navy, including his superiors at Midway, Fletcher and Spruance, neither of whom had any aviation training.
Lundstrom’s reasoning for why Pete Mitscher sent his air group west is that Mitscher had a strong hunch that the last two Japanese carriers in the striking force were lagging far behind the first two when they were initially spotted by American search planes.
American naval doctrine in early 1942 called for separating its own carrier forces so they would be less vulnerable to a single attack. In the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, American naval planners believed that the Japanese carriers had been separated by as much as five hundred miles.
If Pete Mitscher thought that the four Japanese carriers in the Midway striking force were operating in separate groups, it could explain why he sent his air group west instead of southwest.
Regardless of the reasoning, Admiral Mitscher never accepted responsibility for his decision, instead allowing Stanhope Ring to bear the weight of denigration and scorn from the Hornet pilots for the rest of his life. Ring never publicly confirmed the course he flew on the morning of June 4, although he was well aware that many of the men who flew with him at Midway thought he was a bungler and a coward.
If a Faustian bargain to remain silent was indeed struck, Stanhope Ring benefited by receiving the Navy Cross for his leadership at Midway, the same medal bestowed on John Waldron and the pilots who died with him. Before his retirement, Ring eventually reached the rank of vice admiral. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of sixty in May 1963. The headline of his obituary in the Washington Post read adm. stanhope ring, hero of midway battle.
Bowen Weisheit wrote another book about his own wartime experiences in the South Pacific, entitled How Nature’s Deadly Foresight Fashioned Weisheit Hindsight. It consists of his many adventures, some deadly, some whimsical, including a harrowing flight from Bougainville to Leyte in which his flight crew fought to survive the December 1944 typhoon that sank three American destroyers in Admiral Halsey’s task force.
Bowen Weisheit says he has several more books to write before he finally puts down his pen.
APPENDIX TWO
“They’re Still Out There”
The following list of the dead from Torpedo Squadron Eight is taken from a list of dead and missing dated November 26, 1942, and is reproduced exactly as written in the muster compiled by Yeoman Carroll “Jack” Stark. The list is part of the official squadron records.
Dead or Missing Next of Kin
William W. ABERCROMBIE Mr. G. W. ABERCROMBIE (father)
Ensign A-V(N), USNR 5811 Mastin Road
Merriam, Kansas
Charles E. BRANNON Mr. W. T. BRANNON (father)
Ensign A-V(N), USNR 808 Mulberry Street
Montgomery, Ala.
Charles E. BRANNON Mrs. C. E. BRANNON (wife)
George M. CAMPBELL Mrs. Genevive CAMPBELL (wife)
Lt. (jg), USN 3160 Suncrest Drive
San Diego, California
James H. COOK Mrs. Marjorie Stevenson COOK
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR (wife)
4002 Curtis Lane
Shreveport, La.
William W. CREAMER Mrs. Dora E. CREAMER (mother)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR Route #2, Box 545
Riverside, California
Harold J. ELLISON Mrs. Audrey Faye ELLISON (wife)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR 707 7th Street
Coronado, California
William R. EVANS, Jr. Mr. William R. EVANS (father)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR 5019 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
Langdon K. FIEBERLING Mr. Charles A. FIEBERLING (father)
Lieut., USN 623 Wesley Avenue
Oakland, California
Oswald J. GAYNIER Mrs. Ireta GAYNIER (wife)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR 563 Maple Street
Plymouth, Michigan
John P. GRAY Mrs. Roy C. GRAY (mother)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR 713 Missouri Avenue
Columbia, Mis
souri
Henry R. KENYON, Jr. Mrs. Verna M. Kenyon (wife)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR 122 J. Avenue
Coronado, California
Victor A. LEWIS Mrs. S. V. LEWIS (mother)
Ensign, A-V(N) USNR 245 Allen Street
Randolph, Massachusetts
Raymond A. MOORE Mrs. June Anita MOORE (wife)
Lieutenant, USN 155 Halifax Avenue
Petersburg, Virginia
Ulvert M. MOORE Mr. L. E. MOORE (father)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR 440 Union St.
Bluefield, West Virginia
James C. OWENS, Jr. Mrs. Helen Marie OWENS (wife)
Lieutenant, USN 1446 Belfast Drive
Los Angeles, California
John (n) TAURMAN Mr. Chastian TAURMAN (father)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR 2115 Gilbert Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
Grant W. TEATS Mr. Bert A. TEATS (father)
Ensign, A-V(N), USNR Sheridan
Oregon
John C. WALDRON Mrs. Adelaide W. WALDRON (wife)
Lieutenant Commander, USNR 932 Brandon Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia
Jeff D. WOODSON Mrs. J. D. WOODSON (wife)
Lieutenant (jg), USN 30 Hermosa
Vallejo, California
R. R. BIBB, Jr. (Ross E.) Mr. Ross R. BIBB, Sr. (father)
ARM2c, USNR Warrior, Alabama
Max Arthur CALKINS Mr. W. S. CALKINS (father)
ARM3c, USN 417 So. 11th Street
Wymore, Alabama
Nelson Leo CARR Mr. Leo J. CARR (father)
AM3c, USNR 263 Kenwood Court
Grosse Point Farms, Michigan
Nicholas Thomas CHORAK Mrs. Mary SHILEY (sister)
Sealc, USNR 1430 Shermer Avenue
Northbrook, Ill.
Darwin L. CLARK Mr. Lawrence CLARK (father)
ARM2c, USN Rodney, Iowa
Otway David CREASY, Jr. Mr. O. D. CREASY, Sr. (father)
ARM2c, USNR 327 Sowman Street
Vinton, Virginia
Horace F. DOBBS Mrs. Velma Margaret DOBBS (wife)
ACRM(PA), USN PO Box 1266
San Diego, California
Benjamin Monroe DOGGETT Mrs. Nana B. DOGGETT (wife)
CAP(AS), USN 4101 Colonial Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia
Bert “O” EDMONDS Mrs. Kathe EDMONDS (mother)
AOM1c, USN 1009 Alta Street
Longmont, Colorado
Charles Edison FAIR Mrs. Laura FAIR (mother)
AOM3c, USN East South Street
Whitesboro, Texas
George A. FIELD Mrs. Franklin E. SMITH (mother)
ARM3c, USN 1935 Second Avenue
St. Petersburg, Florida
Ronald Joseph FISHER Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. FISHER
ARM2c, USN 117 West 3rd Avenue
Denver, Colorado
James Cleveland HAWKINS Mr. J. F. HAWKINS (father)
Ptr3c, USN Cove City
North Carolina
John Duane HAYES Mr. & Mrs. George E. HAYES (parents)
ARM3c, USN Nashua
Iowa
Robert K. HUNTINGTON Mrs. E. C. WELSH (mother)
ARM3c, USN 1118 Donaldo Court
South Pasadena, California
William Clare LAWE Mrs. Nancy Lee LAWE (wife)
AM3c, USN 2403 Devries St.
San Diego, California
Conrad Hugh LAWRENCE Mrs. Magnolia PHELPS (mother)
AM1c, USN P.O. Box 414
Vivian, Louisiana
Amelio MAFFEI Mr. U. MAFFEI (father)
ARM1c, USN 2207 Olivet Rd.
Santa Rosa, California
Jay Darrell MANNING Mr. Jay MANNING (father)
AMM3c, USN Port Orchard, Washington
Hollis MARTIN Mrs. Josephine MARTIN (mother)
ARM2c, USNR 1525 Sixth Avenue West
Seattle, Washington
Stephen Joseph McGOWAN, Jr. Mr. S. J. McGOWAN, Sr. (father)
Sealc, USNR 323 Leah Street
Utica, NY
John William MEHLTRETTER Mr. John MEHLTRETTER (father)
EM3c, USN Dousman, Wisconsin
Arnold Theodore MEARS Mr. John MEARS (father)
Ptr2c, USN Ramel, Minnesota
Robert Bruce MILES Mrs. Doris Pauline MILES (wife)
AP1c, USN 3449 Myrtle Avenue
San Diego, California
Arthur Raymond OSBORN Mrs. Beulah May OSBORN (mother)
ARM2c, USN 3736 Tejon Avenue
Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
Tom Hartsell PETTRY Mrs. T. H. PETTRY (wife)
ARM1c, USN Beaver, West Virginia
Bernard P. PHELPS Mr. Ernest PHELPS (father)
ARM2c Arthur, Illinois
Aswell Lovelace PICOU Mr. Lovelace PICOU (father)
Sea2c, USNR Houms, LA., L.C. Route
Howard William PITT, Jr. Mr. Howard William PITT, Sr. (father)
Sea1c, USN Berlin, Illinois
Francis Samuel POLSTON Mr. Coy F. POLSTON (father)
Sea2c, USN Orange, Missouri
John ROBAK, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John ROBAK, Sr. (parents)
Sea1c, USN 5898 Broadway
Lancaster, N.Y.
William Franklin SAWHILL Mr. Earl SAWHILL (father)
ARM3c, USN 409 West 4th St.
Mansfield, Ohio
Charles Earnest THOMPSON Mr. Maynard Allen Thompson (brother)
Sea1c, USN 841 N.W. 69th Street
Miami, Florida
Darrel “D” WOODSIDE Mrs. Beulah WOODSIDE (mother)
AMM1c(NAP), USN Clearfield, Iowa
Acknowledgments
My first awareness of the story of Torpedo Squadron Eight came from the pen of novelist Herman Wouk, author of the masterpiece The Caine Mutiny. While working in my previous profession, I remember the jolt of pleasure I felt when informed by my staff that Mr. Wouk had given the maximum personal contribution to my first successful campaign for Congress in 1982.
That pleasure paled in comparison to the thrill I received reading his novels Winds of War and War and Remembrance. It was Mr. Wouk’s account of the sacrifice of the torpedo squadrons at Midway that first brought their story alive for me. My initial tentative thoughts of researching the lives of these men took root after reading the following words in War and Remembrance, which punctuated his riveting account of their action that day.
What was not luck, but the soul of the United States of America in action, was this willingness of the torpedo plane squadrons to go in against hopeless odds. This was the extra ounce of martial weight that in a few decisive minutes tipped the balance of history. So long as men choose to decide the turns of history with the slaughter of youths — and even in a better day, when this form of human sacrifice has been abolished like the ancient, superstitious, but no more horrible form — the memory of these three torpedo squadrons should not die.
Those lines have echoed within me ever since.
The second inspiration for writing this book was my uncle, Lieutenant Commander Robert Slezak, who was a Grumman Avenger combat pilot aboard the carrier USS Cowpens. A career naval officer, he was killed flying a jet fighter off Point Mugu, California, in 1955. We loved him very much.
A final source of inspiration was my longtime friend, the noted documentary filmmaker, Martin “Andy” Andrews. His laconic and self-deprecating accounts of being among the first American B-17 pilots to fly daylight bombing raids far into Germany in 1943 had a profound impact on me. Shot down in a mission over Stuttgart in September 1943, he later told me many stories of the bravery of these young American pilots that instilled a sense of awe in me.
I began to seriously investigate the story of Torpedo Eight in 2001, largely because I could not put the story out of my mind. My initial research was limited to John Waldron and the pilots who flew with him from the Hornet on June 4. It was only later that I came to focus on the relatively untold story of the pilots and crews from Langdon Fieberling’s detachment of Torpedo Eight at Midway Atoll.
I
am grateful to my old friend and mentor Julian Muller for encouraging me to pursue the story. As a young naval officer at the Battle of Salerno in 1943, Julian was awarded the Navy Cross for saving the lives of trapped shipmates in his shattered gun turret aboard the USS Savannah.
In 2005, I had finished my fourth novel, and decided to fully commit my time and energy to the Torpedo Eight story in order to see where the trail might lead. At that time, I wondered whether I had waited too long to attempt to resurrect the stories of young men killed more than sixty years ago.
My gifted agent at the Robbins Office, David Halpern, strongly urged me to start the journey, giving me sagacious advice at each step of the process as I gathered and organized the material that I hoped would someday become a book. Over the years we have worked together, he has become a stalwart friend.
Thanks to another good friend, the renowned Civil War historian Bob Krick, I received contact information for Torpedo Eight pilot Bert Earnest. After I called him in Virginia, Captain Earnest agreed to my coming down to see him for an interview, and I subsequently spent three days with him and his wife, Millie, at their home in Virginia Beach.
At the end of each day, I would go back to my room at the Dam Neck Bachelor Officers’ Quarters with a tape full of his stirring and powerful recollections. After I reluctantly said good-bye to Bert and Millie, my chase was on for the rest of the stories. It hasn’t stopped since.
This journey has been the most satisfying experience in my professional life. In time, it became an almost sacred trust. In the two years after meeting Bert Earnest, I was able to locate numerous other survivors of the squadron, many of whom I visited at their homes across the country. I was also able to contact or visit many of the lost pilots’ families, friends, and schoolmates, which led to the discovery of hundreds of letters and photographs that helped to illuminate their lives.