He immediately began his recovery by pulling the stick hard back, raising the dive flaps and pushing the throttle forward to full military power. At the designated altitude, with his “pipper” on the target, the pilot reached for the bomb release lever on his left and pulled. He typically picked a specific spot on the ship, such as the large red “Rising Sun” painted on the decks of Japanese carriers. He tried to ignore the AA, and his rear gunner kept an eye peeled for enemy fighters.īecause the Japanese carriers were probably maneuvering by now, the pilot tried to roll to keep his ground track aligned with his target. Pulling the throttle to idle, the pilot would lean forward in the straps and divide his attention between the altimeter (rapidly decreasing) and the bomb-sight in the forward windshield. Release airspeeds were generally between 240 and 250 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS). Typical bomb-release (or “pickle”) altitudes were 2,000 to 2,500 feet above the target, but could be lower if more “g’s” were used during pullout. Without the dive flaps, pullout altitudes were higher, increasing exposure to enemy fire and reducing accuracy. He deployed the SBD’s “dive flaps” - perforated devices on the rear of the wing that added significant drag to keep the airspeed from exceeding pre-planned limits. As he did so, he rose a bit in his seat and loose items in the cockpit floated. Since his pullout would be at low altitude, he wouldn’t need the power provided by “high blower.”Īs the target began to disappear under the aircraft’s nose and passed under his feet, the pilot pushed the stick well forward to begin his steep dive. Just before pushover, he would increase engine RPM to “high” and select “low blower” on the supercharger. The SBD pilot generally approached his target at altitudes ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 feet, cruising at about 150 knots (one knot equals one nautical mile per hour). Let’s fly through one of these maneuvers under enemy fire - virtually, of course. “Hurling yourself at the ground,” as dive-bomber pilots often described the act, required a lot of training. Shallow “glide bombing” often resulted in short hits and made the attacking aircraft more vulnerable. Second, high dive angles significantly enhanced bombing accuracy. Attacks by Japanese Zeros also were complicated by the high dive angles. Barrage fire (shooting at a predetermined spot) forced an aircraft to fly through the anti-aircraft (AA) fire, but because of the high dive angle, they quickly traversed the area. Guns on the carriers had to be elevated to high angles, making tracking and leading much more difficult. SBDs used a dive angle of about 70 degrees, virtually straight down, which provided two great advantages:įirst, with an angle that steep, it was difficult for Japanese gunners to score hits. Lieutenant Junior Grade Kleiss rose to the grade of Captain before retiring from the Navy. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions. He was the only dive-bomber pilot during the battle to score three direct hits on Japanese ships. He flew two more missions over the next two days, making a direct hit on the Mikuma. Later that day, Kleiss and 23 other SBDs attacked the Hiryu. His bomb struck the Kaga’s flight deck, starting major fires that led to its sinking. On the morning of June 4, 1942, he joined 31 other SBDs of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) in one of several American attacks on the Japanese carriers. SBD pilot Norman “Dusty” Kleiss flew from the Enterprise. They were credited with sinking all four Japanese carriers and the Mikuma. Navy, Marine Corps and Army Air Forces planes were involved, but the carrier-based SBD Dauntless dive-bombers were the only American planes to score significant hits. lost 307 men, 1 aircraft carrier (Yorktown), 1 destroyer (Hammann), and 147 aircraft.Īmerican planes from Midway Atoll and three carriers (Enterprise and Hornet, in addition to Yorktown) attacked the Japanese carriers. Sources differ, but Gordon Prange’s “Miracle at Midway” says Japanese losses were about 2,500 casualties, 4 carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu), 1 heavy cruiser (Mikuma), and 332 aircraft. The Battle of Midway has been described as the turning point of World War II in the Pacific.
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