Aircrfat used by VT-8 at the Batte of Midway

[JohnB]

Yesterday I was at the bookstore and saw a book that outlines the actions of VT-8 at the Battle of Midway..."A Dawn like Thunder".
That prompted me to ask...exactly what aircraft were they flying that day...Devastators or Avengers?

I've always thought it was the Devastator, indeed one book says they were flying "obsolete" aircraft (also for what it's worth, doesn't the film Midway suggest that?) . The Douglas was, while the Grumman was brand new.
Yet another book in my library, it clearly states they were flying the Avengers.

Any WWII USN experts care to wade in?

[SaxMan]

The answer is both:

VT-8 was in transition to be the first torpedo squadron operational with the TBF. The problem was, the Japanese were not sticking to Grumman's production schedule and were arriving before the TBFs could be delivered. Therefore a part of VT-8 led by Cmdr. Waldron embarked upon the Hornet with their TBD. VT-8's exec, Swede Larsen would stay behind with a group of VT-8 pilots transitioning to the TBF.

Six TBFs had arrived at Ford Island just prior to the battle. They were fitted with bomb bay tanks and sent to Midway Island with the detachment of VT-8 pilots and crew. The six TBFs were the first planes to engage the enemy on June 4th. Five out of the six were shot down. Only 8-T-1, flown by Burt Earnest returned, heavily damaged, to Midway, with a dead gunner.

The 15 TBDs from Hornet attacked the Japanese fleet and were wiped out, as anyone on this board knows, with only George Gay surviving.

I'd highly recommend the book. It's in my personal library. It not only tells the story of Torpedo 8 at Midway, but also gives a great background on the squadron as well as the very little known "rest of the story", at Eastern Solomons and Guadalcanal which is as riveting as the Midway section.

[wgrosz]

Robert Mrazek came to MAM in 2009 and brought Capt. Earnest with him when he spoke about his book. Unfortunately Capt. Earnest was not able to speak himself because of failing health, he past 5 months later.

Albert Kyle Earnest Virginia Beach - Retired U.S. Naval Captain Albert " Bert" Kyle Earnest, 92, of Atlantic Shores, passed away
October 27, 2009 at Sentara VA Beach General Hospital. He was born April 1, 1917 in Richmond Virginia and was the son of the late James
Gifford Earnest and Jessie Mullan Earnest of Richmond Virginia. Preceded in death by his wife, Mildred McConnell Earnest, he is survived by
daughter, Kathryn Lynn Earnest, of Alexandria VA, son, William Kyle Earnest and his wife Janet Murray Earnest of VA Beach VA, and their
children, Laura Ellen Earnest of San Francisco CA, Jessie Carolyn Earnest and Matthew Kyle Earnest of VA Beach VA. He attended Virginia
Military Institute, Class of 1938, graduating with a BS in Civil Engineering and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, Field Artillery, U.S. Army
Reserve. Worked as Assistant Engineer of the VA Fire Insurance Rating Bureau until February 1942. After resigning his Army Reserve
commission, he was commissioned in the US. Navy Air Corps Reserve as an Ensign. His first fleet assignment was with Torpedo Bomber
Squadron 8 (VT-8), reporting days after Pearl Harbor on Dec 8, 1941. He flew the Grumman TBF-1 in its first combat use in the Battle of
Midway and was the only pilot survivor (landbased). He continued serving in VT-8, aboard USS Saratoga (CV-3) on the Guadalcanal landing
and the Battle of Eastern Solomons, and then landbased on Guadalcanal. With the decommissioning of VT-8, he was transferred to Fleet
Composite Squadron 7. During his 31 years in U.S. Navy, CAPT Earnest attended Naval Postgraduate School in Annapolis MD, General Line
School, Newport RI and Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Washington DC. He commanded VA-14A May 1947-June 1948, ATG-181 at
NAS Oceana Aug 1957 – Sept 1958, USS Estes (AGC-12) Oct 1965 – Oct 1966, and NAS Oceana, Nov 1966 - Nov 1968. Additional aviation
tours of duty included Tactical Test Division (Aug 1944 – Apr 1947) where he was the first US pilot to fly a Japanese Torpedo Bomber "Kate",
Air Development Squadron Four (VX-4) and, Flight Test (Sept 1958- Jul 1960) at NATC Patuxent River MD. He was commissioned as Navy Jet
pilot #62, flying P-80As, P-59s, and FR-1s. He also serve two tours of duty at Attack Design Branch at BuAer/BuWeps, Washington DC. CAPT
Earnest rounded out his Naval career, serving as COMSTRIKFLTLANTREPEUR and SACLANTREPEUR in Paris France in the early 60s, Operations
Analyst at INSGENLANTFLT, Norfolk VA, before retiring as Assistant Chief of Staff (Logistics), SACLANT, Norfolk VA in 1972. Upon retirement,
Bert served as Executive Secretary, Operational Test and Evaluation Study Group, Cerberonics, Inc for a year, before becoming a real estate
salesman and broker for Professional Realty Corp, Virginia Beach VA for ten years. His awards include 3 Navy Crosses, 2 Air Medals, and a
Purple Heart, 2 Presidential Unit Citations with 1 Gold Star, Navy Commendation Medal, American Defense Service Medal, The American
Campaign Medal, The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with seven stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medial,
and the Vietnam Service Medal. He was a member of the Association of Naval Aviation, Early and Pioneer Naval Aviator's Association "Golden
Eagles" and Tailhook Association, VA Beach Sports Club, and the Princess Anne Hunt Club. Funeral services will be held at NAS Oceana Chapel
at noon, November 14th. Arrangements made by H.D. Oliver, 2002 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach VA. Internment will be in the Columbarium at
Arlington National Cemetery on 7 April 2010. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to VMI Foundation Inc., Box 932, Lexington VA
24450 or VA Beach Rescue Squad Foundation, 740 VA Beach Blvd, VA Beach VA 23451. The family wishes to thank of staff, both nurses and
nurses' aides of Assistance in Living/Seaside, Heartland, and Sentara VA Beach General Hospital for the care that they extended to him. We
will miss his wry sense of humor, his compassion, and his loving care for this family. - "a true Virginia gentleman."

[SaxMan]

Does anyone know if Earnest's radioman Harry Ferrier is still with us?

[BK]

Does anyone know if Earnest's radioman Harry Ferrier is still with us?

He was as of last year when I wrote to him. He liked to quip he and Earnest were the other sole survivors.

[SaxMan]

Does anyone know if Earnest's radioman Harry Ferrier is still with us?

He was as of last year when I wrote to him. He liked to quip he and Earnest were the other sole survivors.

I've heard that. History likes to refer to the land based contingent as "Torpedo 8, Detached"...but they were all part of the same squadron. I guess now Harry truly is the sole survivor of Torpedo 8 at Midway.

Do we know if any of the other survivors from Torpedo 3 or 6 are still with us? It's sad that we're going to be seeing a lot of "last survivor of..." in the next several years. I guess the best we can do is embrace those members of the Greatest Generation who are still with us.

[Russ Matthews]

Do we know if any of the other survivors from Torpedo 3 or 6 are still with us?

Yes and yes.

Lloyd Childers, a radioman/gunner with VT-3 is probably the last man alive who knows what it was like to fight in a TBD-1 against Kido Butai.

Ron Graetz, a radioman/gunner with VT-6 did not fly on the morning of June 4th, but did crew one of the three flyable Devastators that went out on a mop-up operation against the straggling Japanese cruisers Mogami and Mikuma. Amazingly, Greatz was with the Enterprise torpedo squadron from the outset of the war and participated in the Feb 1 raid on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands .. meaning he was present for the first and last offensive TBD-1 combat missions of WWII.

For more of Ron's story first hand, check out this well produced video interview from the National WWII Museum ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V0XOkg9a70

[DH82EH]

That's a great clip!

Thanks for that.

These guys either had giant brass ones, or just didn't know any different. WOW!

Andy Scott

[SaxMan]

Great clip! Thank you so much for sharing.

It takes a very special kind of person to knowingly strap themselves into a plane they know is obsolete, but they still go out and do their job.