18. The Slaughter of the American Torpedo Planes
As the Japanese steamed to Midway, they were unaware that the US Navy had more carriers in the Pacific than expected. One had been transferred from the Atlantic, and another, damaged in an earlier battle and expected to take months to fix, was rushed back into service after 48 hours of repairs. Thus, the Japanese would meet three American carriers and an alert enemy waiting in ambush, rather than one or two carriers caught off guard. The Japanese launched a carrier strike against Midway on the morning of June 4th. They inflicted damage, but a second strike was necessary. So the Japanese aircraft were recovered and readied.
While preparing for that strike, the Japanese learned of the unexpected presence of American carriers. Midway wasn’t going anywhere, and destroying aircraft carriers was more important. So orders were given to switch bombs from ones intended for ground targets, to anti-ship bombs and torpedoes. In the meantime, American carriers had launched their own aircraft against the Japanese fleet. First to arrive were Devastator torpedo bombers – slow planes that had to fly low, steady, and straight, to launch their torpedoes. 41 Devastators attacked the Japanese carriers without fighter escort. 35 were shot down, without scoring a hit. The Japanese carriers resumed refueling and rearming to strike the American carriers.