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1942 Battle of Midway naval victory...
1942 Battle of Midway naval victory...
Item # 723811
June 10, 1942
MINNEAPOLIS MORNING TRIBUNE, June 10, 1942
* Battle Of Midway - Carriers
* United States Navy vs. Imperial Japanese Navy
* The sea battle that changed the course of WWII
The front page has a three column heading: "Midway Shows U.S. Planes Can stop Jap Super-Ships" with related photo showing Ensign George H. Gay Jr. More on page 2. (see images)
Complete with all 20 pages, light toning at the margins, small binding holes and minor wear along the spine, generally nice.
AI notes: Ensign George H. Gay Jr. was a U.S. Navy torpedo bomber pilot and one of the most poignant figures of the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. Flying a TBD Devastator with Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, Gay took part in the squadron’s desperate low-level attack on the Japanese carrier force. VT-8 flew in without fighter escort and was annihilated by Japanese fighters and anti-aircraft fire; of the 15 aircraft and 30 men, Gay was the sole survivor. His plane was shot down before he could release his torpedo, and he escaped the sinking aircraft, clinging to a seat cushion in the water. From there, he famously witnessed the decisive moment of the battle, watching U.S. dive bombers attack and fatally damage three Japanese carriers—Akagi, Kaga, and Sōryū. Gay was rescued the next day by a Navy PBY Catalina flying boat. His survival and eyewitness account became a powerful symbol of the courage and sacrifice of the torpedo squadrons at Midway, whose losses helped set the conditions for one of the most important U.S. naval victories of World War II.
Category: The 20th Century
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