It was June 20, 1944, 1900 hours (7:00 PM), in a tropical sky, 450
nautical miles northwest of Guam.We were at 16,000 feet. In the
cockpit, the sun was still shining brilliantly. On the surface,
daylight was turning to dusk, and the large Japanese carrier,
Zuikaku, was maneuvering frantically at flank speedin anticipation
of the forthcoming attack. We would have preferred to be at 18,000
feet or higher to reduce further the danger of the intense
antiaircraft fire we were encountering, but we were at theabsolute
maximum limit of our aircraft's range. If we were to return to our
ship, USS Hornet CV-12, after the attack, it was necessary to
conserve fuel by approaching and attacking our target from
thelesser altitude. In a moment, we would be rolling into our
dives, and attacking the most importanttarget we would ever
encounter.
Every Navy dive bomber pilot dreamed of this moment. It was the
moment I had visualized, andanticipated since I was sworn in as an
Aviation Cadet on that March day in 1942.
General
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