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Battle Of Midway in 1942... eyewitness accounts...
Battle Of Midway in 1942... eyewitness accounts...
Item # 721359
June 21, 1942
THE NEW YORK TIMES, June 21, 1942.
* Battle Of Midway victory - 1st photo
* Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma sinking
* George H. Gay Jr. & Elbert S. McCuskey
* Imperial Japanese Navy defeated
* World war II - WWII naval
The front page has a four column photo with heading: "Efficiency: What Happens When U. S. Navy Planes Strike" with brief text.
The top of page 13 has a one column heading: "U.S. FIGHTER SCORE OFF MIDWAY LARGE" with subheads. (see images)
Complete with 40 pages, light toning at the margins, nice condition.
AI notes: At the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, Ensign George H. Gay Jr. of Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT‑8) and Lieutenant Elbert S. McCuskey played dramatically different but complementary roles in the pivotal clash. Gay, flying a Douglas TBD Devastator from the USS Hornet, led a nearly suicidal torpedo attack against the Japanese carrier fleet, pressing home his run without fighter escort; all his squadron mates were shot down, and he became the sole survivor, spending over 30 hours in the water before being rescued, witnessing the devastation of the Japanese carriers from his vulnerable position. Meanwhile, McCuskey, flying from USS Yorktown as a fighter pilot in the Combat Air Patrol, engaged Japanese dive bombers and Zeros defending the fleet, applying emerging tactical techniques like coordinated dives and defensive maneuvers, ultimately helping to protect U.S. carriers from destruction. Gay’s account underscores the extreme sacrifice and peril faced by torpedo squadrons, while McCuskey’s emphasizes the evolving fighter tactics and fleet defense that were crucial to the U.S. Navy’s decisive victory; together, their experiences illustrate both the human cost and the strategic ingenuity that defined Midway.
* Battle Of Midway victory - 1st photo
* Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma sinking
* George H. Gay Jr. & Elbert S. McCuskey
* Imperial Japanese Navy defeated
* World war II - WWII naval
The front page has a four column photo with heading: "Efficiency: What Happens When U. S. Navy Planes Strike" with brief text.
The top of page 13 has a one column heading: "U.S. FIGHTER SCORE OFF MIDWAY LARGE" with subheads. (see images)
Complete with 40 pages, light toning at the margins, nice condition.
AI notes: At the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, Ensign George H. Gay Jr. of Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT‑8) and Lieutenant Elbert S. McCuskey played dramatically different but complementary roles in the pivotal clash. Gay, flying a Douglas TBD Devastator from the USS Hornet, led a nearly suicidal torpedo attack against the Japanese carrier fleet, pressing home his run without fighter escort; all his squadron mates were shot down, and he became the sole survivor, spending over 30 hours in the water before being rescued, witnessing the devastation of the Japanese carriers from his vulnerable position. Meanwhile, McCuskey, flying from USS Yorktown as a fighter pilot in the Combat Air Patrol, engaged Japanese dive bombers and Zeros defending the fleet, applying emerging tactical techniques like coordinated dives and defensive maneuvers, ultimately helping to protect U.S. carriers from destruction. Gay’s account underscores the extreme sacrifice and peril faced by torpedo squadrons, while McCuskey’s emphasizes the evolving fighter tactics and fleet defense that were crucial to the U.S. Navy’s decisive victory; together, their experiences illustrate both the human cost and the strategic ingenuity that defined Midway.
Category: World War II
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$52.00
