Like Three Haystacks on Fire, with special guest Jon Parshall
- Author
- Jon Parshall, William Toti, Seth Paridon
- Published
- Tue 25 Oct 2022
- Episode Link
- https://the-unauthorized-history-of-the-pacific-war.simplecast.com/episodes/like-three-haystacks-on-fire-xwOI_ZV_
- Aboard the Japanese CVs
- What is the morning looking like at this point aboard the CVs?
- What are the Japanese briefed about?
- When do they launch?
- Who is the strike leader?
- Talk about the flight into Midway…
- Aboard the American CVs
- Reveille for US aircrews is at 0300, breakfast at 0400, ready rooms shortly after that
- Talk about the anticipation in the ready rooms
- Nervous energy
- Aboard Midway island
- Search planes take off around 0415
- Americans prepare for the battle they know is coming today
- Planes fueled and armed
- Bert Earnest and his two dollar bill
- At 0545 a search plane sees the incoming strike and radios “Many Planes Heading Midway”
- PBY search planes sight Japanese CVs at 0552
- Because of incoming aircraft and CV sighting, Midway scrambles damn near everything with wings by 0600
- Japanese Midway strike
- Give us the run-down of the Japanese attack on the island and the aerial encounters with the American fighters
- Bill Brooks and his Brewster engage Japanese as they come into the island around 0616
- What are the effects of the Japanese strike on the island?
- Who decides another strike is needed?
- Why?
- When does Nagumo get word of another strike being needed?
- Take us through his decision making here
- Aboard the American CVs
- 0645 Pilots Man Your Planes!
- Dusty Kleiss
- Don Hoff
- Spruance on orders from Fletcher decides to launch at 0700
- CV6 launches and orbits the TF awaiting CV5 and her birds
- US CV strike launch is discombobulated and unorganized
- (clusterfuck is a good term but we shouldn’t say that)
- “Proceed on mission assigned” flashed to McClusky
- Hornet’s strike
- Stanhope Ring versus John Waldron
- As the American CVs strike is being launched, the first attackers from Midway see the Japanese CVs…
- Bert Earnest and Harry Ferrier in 8-T-1 attack Hiryu
- The B26s attack Akagi at almost the same time
- Talk about the near miss by the B26 on Akagi’s bridge
- 0800 VMSB-241 attacks Japanese fleet
- Japanese CAP proves to be incredibly deadly to these attacks
- While the Midway based aircraft are attacking the fleet, the Japanese are also attacked by a submarine
- Talk about the effects that the Nautilus attack on the fleet have as far as timing is concerned, and what do the Japanese do
- Nautilus’ attack, while not successful, is HUGE when it comes to the events that soon follow
- Arashi…
- Around 0840 the American attacks cease
- Talk about Nagumo’s timetable…
- What does it look like inside the hangar decks of the Japanese CVs right now?
- US VT attacks on Kido Butai
- VT8 and VT6 shortly afterwards
- Let’s once and for all dispel the George Gay myth…
- The Flight to Nowhere
- Where the hell is HAG?
- What happens to them?
- Could they have helped?
- Tease the cover up by Mitscher for Ring to be discussed at length in the next episode
- EAG flight and McClusky’s decision
- Talk about what is happening in the air right now
- What is McClusky thinking
- What is happening to the SBD formation?
- McClusky’s decision to continue the search
- Seeing Arashi…
- Set up the attack of EAG on Kaga and Akagi from Japanese and US sides
- What is going on aboard the Japanese CVs right now?
- PLANES ON THE FLIGHT DECKS MYTH!
- Flash warning to Kaga
- McClusky breaks doctrine and attacks Kaga
- Attack on Kaga and Akagi
- Earl Gallaher
- Dusty Kleiss
- Don Hoff
- Aboard Kaga
- Briefly discuss attacks on Soryu
- Talk about the damage done to Kaga, Akagi and Soryu
- Just how bad is it?
- Discuss the Hiryu strikes on CV5
- Afternoon strike on Hiryu
- Lots of AAA this time and CAP
- Dusty Kleiss
- Don Hoff
- Wrap up June 4 and tease the next episode
- Japanese losses
- US losses
