Combat· World War II
Battle of Midway
On 4 June 1942, Marine aviators and the small garrison on Midway Atoll fought at the center of the Pacific War's decisive turning point.
While Navy carrier dive bombers shattered Japan's main carrier force, Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron 241 flew SBD Dauntlesses and obsolete SB2U Vindicators against the enemy fleet, and the 6th Defense Battalion manned the atoll's antiaircraft and shore guns under heavy air attack. The Marine air losses were severe for so small a force. Midway broke the offensive power of the Imperial Japanese Navy and shifted the strategic initiative in the Pacific permanently to the United States. Marine ground and air casualties in the defense came to 49 killed and 53 wounded, a heavy toll for the handful of leathernecks who held the atoll.
Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 562