Made possible through a gift from the Lupo Family in Honor of Alvena and “Commodore” Thomas J. Rear-Seat Gunners at Midway Three Navy ‘back-seaters’ recollect their experiences aloft during early World War IIincluding taking off against a Japanese carrier force on 4 June 1942 without having received gunnery or flight training. After Lupo expended all of his ammunition, he continued making runs on Yamato, throwing a Coke bottle and other loose articles from his aircraft at the ship’s bridge. planes that sank onboard the Lexington included Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighter planes and Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers. Flying from the USS Fanshaw Bay, Lupo made repeated attack runs on the IJN Yamato, one of the largest battleships in history. Lupo’s Avenger at the Battle off Samar, one of the three naval battles collectively known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Despite this disappointing action at Midway, the Avenger served as the US Navy’s primary torpedo bomber, effectively interdicting enemy shipping and delivering ordnance on enemy positions throughout the Pacific. Six Avengers from Midway Island attacked the Japanese carrier strike force, but only one bullet-riddled Avenger made it home to Midway, and none of those scored hits on the Japanese ships. Most importantly, was the use of the Naval Air Station for training pilots and air crews on the Grumman Avenger TBF/TBM torpedo bomber, which was the. The Avenger’s combat debut was at Midway in 1942.
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