Torpedo Squadron 8

Edited version of John Ford's short film about Torpedo Squadron 8.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• torpedo
• squadron
• 8
• military
• battle
• midway
• USS
• Hornet
• aviation
• tribute
• memorial
• wwII
• navy
• waldron
• john
• ford

[knightflyer42]

...The heroes of Torpedo Squadron 8 caused the Japanese fighters to engage them instead!

Yep. The Japanese cover air patrol were all down at wave-top level when the SBD's arrived. Their attack wasn't in vain.

[hill9868]

@killingamps. Gay passed away in 1994 and upon his instructions, his ashes were scattered over the area of Pacific Ocean where his Torpedo 8 comrades had perished on June 4- 1942.

[hardbluesguy]

God Bless each of them...these men and others like them are what this country is all about...when I see what is going on today and what they fought and died to protect being spent, given and borrowed away for an ideology ... it makes me sick!

[acepilot1997]

@tundradirtbiker I love that book! I am reading it again now!

[acepilot1997]

@hill9868 Because of Stanhope Cotton Ring's iconic arrogance.

[siral000]

It seems almost like an eerie symbolism that only one of them is dressed in a blue shirt and pants. I also appreciate the lack of criticism, debate, and meaningless 2nd guessing that seems all too common about these things, by people whos perspective is lacking to say the least. These guys knew what their duty entailed, and I find it a solemn lesson of the kind of selflessness and courage that man is capable of, but seldom seen, and leaves a standard for all to aspire to.

[killingamps]

The Devastator was a very modern plane when fielded in 1935. By 1942, it was totally obolete, lacking armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, and only sporting a single .30 for rear defence. Waldron saw the futility of that, and had his planes rear guns doubled, but it did little good at Midway. These men changed the course of the war, and should be remembered.

[hill9868]

@usselliot76 Yes, you are right. Hornet's Bombing & Scouting Eight took a wrong turn and didn't find the Japanese carriers. Half of them landed on Midway island (where a couple crashed). Meanwhile the ten F4Fs of Fighting Eight, who had been following the dive-bombers, turned for home too late and all of them ditched in the sea after running out of fuel. Therefore Commander Waldron and Torpedo Eight attacked Nagumo's carriers alone.

[hill9868]

Look at the faces of these young men. Handsome, fresh, happy and vibrant young men with futures ahead of them, loved ones at home and childhood memories and dreams inside each of them. Shortly after this was filmed, all of them bar one were dead. Imagine one of them to be your dad, or your brother and then you may get an inkling of the magnitude of their loss to their families. These men had lives worth living and none of them hesitated to give them up. Never forget them. Rest in eternal peace.

[hill9868]

The two US Task-Forces embarked with 43 TBD Devastators prior to the Battle. At the end of the battle, they came home with just three. THREE! ( 34 shot down, three ditched due to battle damage, one lost in an take-off accident, one jettisioned due to damage and one pushed overboard during salvage attempts on the Yorktown). A total of 82 TBD crewmen took part in the fighting on June 4th flying with Torpedo Eight, Six & Three. Only 14 were still alive to see the sun go down. Please remember.......