SEM2.HW7

Question: How important was airpower in US fight v. Japanese, '41-42 (Battle of Midway)

Torpedo planes may not have enough fuel to safely fly back to the carrier. Hornet fighters would have to ditch their planes in mid air. Admiral Fletcher was then forced to launch his planes much later than the designated time.
(William L. O'Neill. Midway, Battle of. n.p., Oxford University Press, 1999. eLibrary. Web. 07 Mar. 2010.)


When the last bombers took off, others have already finished with their primary targets and were working on their secondary targets. In an interview with Navy Commander M.A. Merril, he recalls the primary target including a ship called Soryu was already on fire by the time he got in formation.
(McCaul, Ed. "DIVE BOMBER AT MIDWAY." Military History 19.2 (2002): 42. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 7 Mar. 2010.)