Prof. Greg Jackson

Around this same time, as the fog finally begins to clear, Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance is making a crucial decision, the decision to listen to Chief of Staff Miles Browning.

Likewise, assuming that the Japanese will need to make a second strike, Miles believes that, if American aircraft strike right now, they can catch the Japanese busily refueling and unable to fight.

Though just put into this command due to the hospitalization of his predecessor, Rear Admiral Spruance is a deeply analytical man and sees the logic.

Damn the well over a hundred mile distance and lack of other details then.

They will not wait.

Time is of the essence.

As three waves of midway-based aircraft take to the no longer foggy sky and ineffectively attempt to torpedo and bomb the Kido Butai, Raymond orders every aircraft on the Enterprise and the Hornet, apart from 32 Wildcat fighters held back as his fleet's defending combat air patrol, to attack the Japanese fleet.

Seems it really will be, as our patrolling pilot, Lieutenant Howard Addy put it, the biggest show on earth.

But as these planes take off, flying at different speeds, some in different directions, the attack is not getting off to a good start.

It's sometime between 9 and 10 a.m., June 4th, 1942.

Having taken off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet about an hour earlier, U.S.

Naval Aviator Ensign George Gay is in one of 15 Douglas TBD-1 Devastator bombers that make up Torpedo Squadron 8, also known as VT-8.

George is flying as Tail End Charlie, which is to say as the navigator at the back of the group.

As he and the squadron fly north of Midway, George sees black smoke far out on the right horizon.

That's got to be the Japanese fleet, or rather the black stains of downed aircraft, American aircraft, sent to their watery graves while attempting to strike the dreaded Hidobutai.

Closing in, George hears squadron leader, Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron trying to radio in the sighting to Hornet Air Group Commander Stan Ho Green.

No one responds.

Worse still, as they approach the Kido Butai, George realizes that their 15-plane squadron of torpedo bombers has no accompanying dive bombers.

Should they wait and regroup?

There's no time.