Lovely, energetic & handsome young men. I'm a fan of American writer Herman Wouk, from his "The Wind of War" & "War and Remembrance" I got to know these heroes and what they did...thanks a lot🥰🥰🥰
Dick Best and Dusty Kieiss were both Academy grads and highly trained dive bomber pilots as were many in there squadron. They always resented comments like the one here that they "never had been in the plane" and were brand new. Actually, they were seasoned and knew there stuff and that is why they hit their targets.
Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell
I thought there was 1 survivor who ditched in the water but can't be cause Huntington was his gunner and radio man and they are both listed dead. Absolutely fantastic bravery by these men
There were actually other survivors from Torpedo Squadron 8 from the Battle of Midway besides George Gay. 6 crews of VT-8 had the new Avenger aircraft and were stationed on Midway Island during the attack. They attacked along with 4 B-26 bombers and I believe 5 were shot down but a few of these were rescued and the one aircrew landed safely back at Midway.
@@CorsetGrace They also fought in the Guadalcanal campaign. There were more pilots than aircraft, but that battle really ripped the heart out of the unit and they were disbanded before the war ended. There was a second VT-8 re-established on the Bunker Hill later.
Ensign George Gay sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron VT-8's attack on the Japanese carriers. He would spend some 30 hours in the water and bear witness to destruction of Akagi, Kaga, and Soryuu. After he was rescued he returned to service with Torpedo Squadron VT-11, serving at Guadalcanal. He was then rotated back to the States as a Navy Flight Instructor. He passed away from a heart attack in 1994.
Torpedo 8 did their jobs as soldiers despite the long odds of success and their sacrifice helped in the victory. There have been some who have said that torpedo 8 did not matter, but how can the results be disputed?
While they didn't do any damage they tied up the Japanese defenses and disrupted the flight decks and the helped draw away the Japanese fighters for the dive bombers who made good use of the disarray. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway
If I recall, 2 others were picked up by Japanese and summarily executed on the Ship deck a day or two later by beheading and remains dumped in sea. This was not determined until much later or after War. I don't think those two unfortunates were ever definitively identified. Ensign Gay was lucky enough to be found by an American PBY and rescued so he was the only one from Torpedo 8 to survive the attack.
There were actually other survivors from Torpedo Squadron 8 from the Battle of Midway. 6 crews of VT-8 had the new Avenger aircraft and were stationed on Midway Island during the attack. They attacked along with 4 B-26 bombers and I believe 5 were shot down but a few of these were rescued and the one aircrew landed safely back at Midway.
Always remember the American Heroes at the Battle of Midway. And remember that the Americans won because the Japanese aircraft carriers run out of aircraft.
If Hornet from Azur Lane saw this, she'd be crying tears of joy and say something like... "Thank you so much for Torpedo Squadron 8, John Ford. I love it...🥹"
The bravest of the brave, and lovers of our country. The exact opposite of the cowards, socialist/communist bottom feeding traitors that represent our youth in places like Seattle.
That is a myth, there were three survivors one being Capt. Albert K. “Bert” Earnest and his radioman/nav. They landed their shot up AC at midway and got the Navy Cross as well, Capt Earnests third by the way. Always funny how myths get spread. Credit where credit is due. TGB
@@vecair Gay was the only survivor from the planes that took off from the Hornet. Earnest took off and landed from Midway's airfield as a detached squad of VT-8 since Earnest was a member of VT-8. His new plane arrived at Pearl from the Saratoga the day after the Hornet sortied for Point Luck with a full complement of aircraft. Therefore, Earnest and his squad were directed to Midway from Pearl. Once in the air during the battle, Waldron had overall command of VT-8. Earnest and his wingman would joke that they were the "other two sole survivors of VT-8". Every crew of VT-8, regardless of where they took off from, are true American heroes and we all owe them the deepest gratitude for their gallantry and sacrafice.
@@vecair correct. they were part of a Torpedo 8 detachment of 6 aircrews flying the new Grumman TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber off of Midway Island itself. 5 of the 6 were lost in an earlier attack, and the one machine you mention limped back home. They deserve remembrance as well. Ensign Gay was the only survivor of the carrier borne contingent from the USS Hornet that attacked about an hour later.
My sons' great uncle (from their mother's side) at 4:36 Amelio Maffei. Proud, very Proud. God Bless him.
Extremely difficult to watch this and not be moved to tears.
Seeing this is very haunting and sad. May these heroes rest in peace.
They made this and showed it to their folks. I’m sure they appreciated seeing their sons one last time full of life.
Brave, brave men, thanks for your service, guys.
"A whole squadron ... 15 brave crews!"
Lovely, energetic & handsome young men. I'm a fan of American writer Herman Wouk, from his "The Wind of War" & "War and Remembrance" I got to know these heroes and what they did...thanks a lot🥰🥰🥰
Dick Best and Dusty Kieiss were both Academy grads and highly trained dive bomber pilots as were many in there squadron. They always resented comments like the one here that they "never had been in the plane" and were brand new. Actually, they were seasoned and knew there stuff and that is why they hit their targets.
One man lived this awful fight. US pilot George Gay (March 8, 1917 - October 21, 1994).
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
The American aerial Charge of the Light Brigade
Robbed of life in the prime of their lives , so we can live ours , It's why I stand
god bless them all
Thank You from Poland
They should include this in the DVD version of the new movie
I thought there was 1 survivor who ditched in the water but can't be cause Huntington was his gunner and radio man and they are both listed dead. Absolutely fantastic bravery by these men
That would be Ensign George Gay. See 5'32". He's listed as "Rescued" on the plaque.
There were actually other survivors from Torpedo Squadron 8 from the Battle of Midway besides George Gay. 6 crews of VT-8 had the new Avenger aircraft and were stationed on Midway Island during the attack. They attacked along with 4 B-26 bombers and I believe 5 were shot down but a few of these were rescued and the one aircrew landed safely back at Midway.
@@CorsetGrace They also fought in the Guadalcanal campaign. There were more pilots than aircraft, but that battle really ripped the heart out of the unit and they were disbanded before the war ended. There was a second VT-8 re-established on the Bunker Hill later.
Just read ensign Gay’s book Sole Survivor, really good
Winston Churchill is reported to have wept when he heard the news of the sacrifice of Torpedo Squadron 8.
Ensign George Gay sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron VT-8's attack on the Japanese carriers. He would spend some 30 hours in the water and bear witness to destruction of Akagi, Kaga, and Soryuu. After he was rescued he returned to service with Torpedo Squadron VT-11, serving at Guadalcanal. He was then rotated back to the States as a Navy Flight Instructor. He passed away from a heart attack in 1994.
Torpedo 8 did their jobs as soldiers despite the long odds of success and their sacrifice helped in the victory. There have been some who have said that torpedo 8 did not matter, but how can the results be disputed?
no the zeros were dragged down to wave level by these chaps so mc clusky and co had a clear run in
@@steveswitzer4353 And the Japanese AA batteries were focused low. They were too distracted to see what was coming down on them from above.
While they didn't do any damage they tied up the Japanese defenses and disrupted the flight decks and the helped draw away the Japanese fighters for the dive bombers who made good use of the disarray.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway
Damn RIP fellas
Kids. They were literally kids
Just read ensign Gay’s book Sole Survivor, really good
There were actually three survivors out of 48.
If I recall, 2 others were picked up by Japanese and summarily executed on the Ship deck a day or two later by beheading and remains dumped in sea. This was not determined until much later or after War. I don't think those two unfortunates were ever definitively identified. Ensign Gay was lucky enough to be found by an American PBY and rescued so he was the only one from Torpedo 8 to survive the attack.
There were actually other survivors from Torpedo Squadron 8 from the Battle of Midway. 6 crews of VT-8 had the new Avenger aircraft and were stationed on Midway Island during the attack. They attacked along with 4 B-26 bombers and I believe 5 were shot down but a few of these were rescued and the one aircrew landed safely back at Midway.
@@CorsetGrace There were two survivors that launched from Midway out of 18 men. Gay was the only survivor from the Hornet.
shame that US became an opposite of its ideals novadays..
hail to hte fallen, anyway.
Always remember the American Heroes at the Battle of Midway. And remember that the Americans won because the Japanese aircraft carriers run out of aircraft.
no the zeros were dragged down to wave level by these chaps so mc clusky and co had a clear run in
If Hornet from Azur Lane saw this, she'd be crying tears of joy and say something like...
"Thank you so much for Torpedo Squadron 8, John Ford. I love it...🥹"
I had a chance to meet Ensign George Gay, but missed it...
The bravest of the brave, and lovers of our country. The exact opposite of the cowards, socialist/communist bottom feeding traitors that represent our youth in places like Seattle.
you forgot trump and band of traitors, must have just been a oversite on your part.
None braver......none...
2:50 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Waldron
George Gay was the only survivor in this squadron.
That is a myth, there were three survivors one being Capt. Albert K. “Bert” Earnest and his radioman/nav. They landed their shot up AC at midway and got the Navy Cross as well, Capt Earnests third by the way. Always funny how myths get spread. Credit where credit is due. TGB
@@vecair Gay was the only survivor from the planes that took off from the Hornet. Earnest took off and landed from Midway's airfield as a detached squad of VT-8 since Earnest was a member of VT-8. His new plane arrived at Pearl from the Saratoga the day after the Hornet sortied for Point Luck with a full complement of aircraft. Therefore, Earnest and his squad were directed to Midway from Pearl. Once in the air during the battle, Waldron had overall command of VT-8. Earnest and his wingman would joke that they were the "other two sole survivors of VT-8". Every crew of VT-8, regardless of where they took off from, are true American heroes and we all owe them the deepest gratitude for their gallantry and sacrafice.
@@vecair correct. they were part of a Torpedo 8 detachment of 6 aircrews flying the new Grumman TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber off of Midway Island itself. 5 of the 6 were lost in an earlier attack, and the one machine you mention limped back home. They deserve remembrance as well. Ensign Gay was the only survivor of the carrier borne contingent from the USS Hornet that attacked about an hour later.
god bless them all