Introduction| The
Battle of Midway June 3 - 6, 1942 |
TORPEDO EIGHT: IN COLOR1 |
Pilots and
Gunners2
1st
Division
LCDR John C.
Waldron (CO) and Horace F. Dobbs, CRMP
LT Raymond
A. Moore and Tom H. Pettry, ARM1c
ENS
William R. Evans, Jr., A-V(N) USNR and Ross E. Bibb, Jr., ARM3c
ENS Harold
J. Ellison, A-V(N) USNR and Frank Carnerio, SEA1c
LT(jg)
Jeff D. Woodson, USN and Otway D. Creasy, Jr., ARM2c
ENS
William W. Creamer, A-V(N) USNR and Francis S. Polston, SEA2c
ENS John P.
Gray, A-V(N) USNR and Max A. Calkins, ARM3c
ENS
Ulvert M. Moore, A-V(N) USNR and William F. Sawhill, ARM3c
2nd
Division
LT
James C. Owens, Jr., USN (XO) and Amelio Maffei, ARM1c
ENS
Henry R. Kenyon, Jr., A-V(N) USNR and Darwin L. Clark, ARM3c
LT(jg)
George M. Campbell, USN and Ronald J. Fisher, ARM2c
ENS Grant W.
Teats, A-V(N) USNR and Hollis Martin, ARM2c
ENS George H.
Gay, A-V(N) USNR and George A. Field, ARM3c
ENS
"Frenchy" Fayle and Aswell L. Picou, SEA2c
Crewman
Not Photographed in Torpedo Squadron Eight
ENS
William W. Abercrombie, A-V(N) USNR and Bernard P. Phelps, ARM2c
Robert Bruce
Miles, AP1c
Robert
Kingsbury Huntington, ARM3c
Planes
T-3 taxiing up the
flight deck of Hornet
circa 15 May 1942
T-5 taxiing up the
flight deck of Hornet
circa 15 May 1942
An
unidentified TBD taking off Hornet
on 4 June 1942
T-16
flown by LCDR J. C. Waldron taking off Hornet
on 4 June 1942
All of the color photos presented here, some of which are also shown in other locations on this web site, are taken from the movie Torpedo Squadron 8. and are displayed at one-half of their original size. To view each image, click on the picture and a new window will be opened, complete with a full-sized photo.
As an introduction to these pictures, I present the following from Mark Horan, who has been so gracious to send them to me for use on my web site.
RADM Mitscher, captain of USS HORNET was fascinated by the possibilities presented to the navy by photographs and movies. By his order, virtually every flight operation on board ship was filmed or photographed, as were all of the pilots. After Midway, Mitscher, for the reasons I could reiterate, felt personally responsible for the loss of Waldron and all but one of his men. He discovered that CDR John Ford (of Hollywood movie fame) had been on Midway Island filming the battle from the pilots of VB-8 that landed there to refuel on 4 June. When Task Force 16 returned to Pearl Harbor, Mitscher and Ford talked. As a result of their conversation, much of the movie footage taken on board HORNET during the battle was supplied to Ford to use in his movie, "The Battle of Midway." At the same time, Ford made a special memorial movie, "Torpedo Squadron 8," for the 30 families of the members of VT-8 who flew on 4 June. Only 30 copies of this movie were made, and all were sent to the families by the navy. This 56 year old copy was loaned to me by John Waldron's daughter. She saw it once, in 1955, the year I was born. It had never been shown in public.
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Pilots and Gunners
LCDR John C. Waldron, Torpedo Eight's CO, and Horace F. Dobbs, CRMP on the flight deck of Hornet in the Coral Sea.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
LT Raymond
Austin Moore and Tom
Hartsel Pettry, ARM1c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS
William Robinson Evans,
Jr., A-V(N) USNR and Ross Eugene Bibb, Jr., ARM3c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS Harold
John Ellison, A-V(N)
USNR and Frank Carnerio, SEA1c.
Frank Carnerio did not fly with ENS Ellison at Midway, as he was sent to gunnery or radio school on 28 May. Ellison got to pick the one guy to go, and he selected his gunner because he didn't think they were coming back.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
LT(jg)
Jeff Davis Woodson,
USN and Otway David Creasy, Jr., ARM2c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS William Wilson Creamer, A-V(N) USNR and Francis Samuel Polston, SEA2c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS John
Porter Gray, A-V(N)
USNR and Max Arthur Calkins, ARM3c.
Note: Gray flew in VT-6 at Kwajalein and Wake, and so was VT-8's most combat experienced pilot.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS Ulvert
Matthew Moore, A-V(N)
USNR and William Franklin Sawhill, ARM3c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
LT
James Charles Owens, Jr.,
USN (XO) and Amelio Maffei, ARM1c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS
Henry Russell Kenyon, Jr.,
A-V(N) USNR and Darwin Lawrence Clark, ARM3c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
LT(jg)
George Marvin Campbell,
USN and Ronald Joseph Fisher, ARM2c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS Grant
Wayne Teats, A-V(N)
USNR, left, and Hollis Martin, ARM2c.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS George
Henry Gay, A-V(N) USNR
and George Arthur Field, ARM3c, who flew with ENS Harold
Ellison on 4 June.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
ENS
"Frenchy" Fayle
(not with VT-8 at Midway, in hospital at Pearl with a machete
wound of, according to the surviving members of VT-8, very
questionable origin) and Aswell Lovelace Picou, SEA2c (who flew
with Robert
Bruce Miles, AP1c on 4
June)
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
 |
 |
 |
| ENS William Warner Abercrombie, A-V(N) USNR and Bernard Phillip Phelps, ARM2c3 | Robert Bruce Miles, AP1c, pilot3 | Robert Kingsbury Huntington, ARM3c, radioman/gunner3 |
| Photo courtesy Mark Horan |
Photo courtesy Mark Horan |
Photo courtesy Mark Horan |
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Planes
A TBD from Torpedo Eight, T-5, taxiing up the flight
deck of CV-8 circa 15 May 1942. This aircraft has already been
equipped with twin .30 cal rear mount and is carrying a live
torpedo. Note the placement of the number 5 on the cowl front
edge, and the size and location of T-5 on the side. Also note the
inside of the wing fold is intermediate blue. Other shots show
red-yellow-blue propeller tips, no LSO stripe, no port wing
number on upper surface.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
Another TBD from Torpedo Eight, T-3, taxing up flight
deck of Hornet circa
15 May 1942. Note the different placement of side number and
roundel from T-5. Further footage shows the under wing stars
still have red dots as they were too high to paint when folded on
the hanger deck. Note also, this TBD still has a single .30 cal,
though that would have changed by June.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
A TBD from the ill-fated Torpedo Eight begins its
take off run off Hornet.
This plane was the twelfth of fifteen TBD's (probably ENS W. R.
Evans, Jr., A-V(N) USNR and R. E. Bibb, Jr., ARM3c in
T-4, BuNo 0321) launched by VT-8 on the morning of 4 June.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
The last of Torpedo Eight's TBDs, T-16 (BuNo 1506), flown by LCDR John C. Waldron with Horace Franklin Dobbs, CRMP, in the rear seat, taking off Hornet on 4 June 1942. Notice the unstowed twin .30 cal.
Photo courtesy Mark Horan
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NOTES: