Sbd dauntless dive bomber8/25/2023 In the lead aircraft of the 32-plane formation, Commander McClusky agonized over what to do. They had been flying for hours, already passing the supposed point of interception and had seen absolutely nothing of the Japanese fleet. Beating his hands on the fuselage of the Dauntless helped keep them warm, but annoyed his pilot James Dexter, so he stopped the drum beat and looked at the ocean below, scanning the sea for the wakes of enemy ships. The air at 20,000 feet was significantly colder than at sea level, and although calm thanks in part to the oxygen he was breathing, his legs were shaking again from the cold. Wade McClusky, that said, “Proceed on mission assigned.” With that order, Kleiss and Hoff, flying on Kleiss’s wing, throttled away from their floating home, bound for destiny.ĭespite the heat of the Pacific, Hoff was freezing in the rear seat of his SBD. The aircraft of VS-6 formed up above the “Big E” and orbited their carrier for over 20 minutes when the ship flashed a message to Enterprise Air Group commander, C. However he and the other SBDs of Enterprise Air Group had to find them first. Supremely confident in his ability as a dive-bomber pilot, Kleiss knew that if he found the Japanese carriers of Kido Butai, he would hit them, no doubt. Jack “Dusty” Kleiss had seen combat already, several times actually, having participated in the early hit-and-run raids in February and March. Hoff had never been in combat before as this would be his baptism of fire, and he knew it would be his ultimate test.įurther up the flight deck, the pilot of Sail 7 from Coffeyville, Kansas, swung into the cockpit of his mount with ease and confidence. That’s when he noticed his legs shaking, then his hands, and finally his pounding heart. that morning for chow and had been sitting in their ready room for what seemed like an eternity when finally, they heard the loudspeakers blare, “Pilots man your aircraft!” Hoff raced to the flight deck along with his buddies, the harsh sun blinding him momentarily when he got to the flight deck. He wasn’t alone, as the other radioman/gunners in his squadron, Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6), couldn’t sleep either. The night before, Hoff couldn’t sleep he knew the next day would be a busy one. Yet, as the anxiety started to overtake him, he remembered why he was sitting in that rear seat aboard Sail 18 on the deck of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) that bright sunny morning of June 4, 1942: His job was to help protect his airplane, and if he could, help avenge the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then noticed his heart, which was nearly pounding out of his chest. He looked at his hands as they gripped the rear cockpit of the US Navy airplane-they were shaking too. Top image: Japanese aircraft carrier KagaĪs 18-year-old Californian Don Hoff clambered up the wing of his SBD Dauntless dive-bomber, he couldn’t help but notice his legs were shaking.
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