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1942 Battle of Midway... Eyewitness account...
1942 Battle of Midway... Eyewitness account...
Item # 722328
June 09, 1942
THE NEW YORK TIMES, June 9, 1942
* Battle Of Midway ends w/ win
* Japanese vs. American Navy
* Great eyewitness account - George H. Gay Jr.
The top of the front page has a four column headline: "U. S. FLIER SAW 3 ENEMY CARRIERS AFIRE; BIG ONE AMONG THOSE LOST OFF MIDWAY" with subheads that include: "Flier Down On Sea" "He Saw Japanese Planes Circle Blazing Carriers With No Landing Place" and more. (see) Lengthy text continues on page 3 with photo of George H. Gay Jr. (see) Always nice to have notable events in history reported in this World famous publication.
Complete with 44 pages, rag edition great condition.
AI notes: Ensign George H. “Buzz” Gay Jr.’s account of the Battle of Midway remains one of the most compelling firsthand narratives of June 4, 1942. As a pilot with Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) from the carrier Hornet, Gay launched that morning knowing the odds were grim: the slow, unarmored TBD Devastator torpedo bombers had almost no fighter cover and were approaching a Japanese fleet protected by combat air patrols of elite Zero fighters. VT-8 pressed on anyway. One by one, Gay watched his squadron mates shot down around him as they made low-level, straight-line torpedo runs against the carrier Kaga. His own plane was riddled with bullets, his gunner killed, and Gay crash-landed in the sea—becoming the only survivor of the 30 men of VT-8 who flew that attack. From the water, hidden beneath a seat cushion to avoid detection, he witnessed the dramatic turning point of the battle: American dive bombers roaring down on Akagi, Kaga, and Sōryū, setting the carriers ablaze. Hours later he saw the sinking of the last Japanese carrier, Hiryū. Rescued the next day, Gay’s detailed testimony—of courage under impossible odds and of the decisive American strike—became a defining eyewitness account of Midway and a tribute to the sacrifice of Torpedo Squadron 8.
Category: The 20th Century
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