"Marine Scout Bomber Squadron 241" (VMSB-241) was formed at Midway Atoll on March 1, 1942 as part of Marine Aircraft Group 22 (MAG-22). From June 4–6, 1942 the squadron fought in the Battle of Midway where it lost 23 of its 30 aircraft and suffered 22 killed in action and 14 wounded in action. At 0605 on June 4 the squadron received word to scramble all of their aircraft to attack a Japanese aircraft carrier task force that had been spotted 180 miles of the atoll. VMSB-241 had divided into two striking units, the first composed of 16 SBD-2s led by Major Lofton Henderson, and the second of 11 SB2U-3s commanded by Major Benjamin W. Norris. Henderson's group climbed to 9,000 feet to locate the enemy carriers, which were then undergoing an attack from United States Navy TBFs and the B-26s. Fliers of this group sighted the Japanese ships at 0744, but as the SBDs spiraled down they were set upon by swarms of Nakajima B5Ns and A6M Zeros flying air cover, which were soon reinforced by more fighters from the carriers below. Henderson and several other were shot down (only eight of these planes got back to Midway) and the strike scored no hits although some were claimed. At 1700 a burning enemy carrier was reported 200 miles northwest of Midway, and Major Norris prepared VMSB-241's six operational SBD-2s and five SB2U-3s for a night attack. The planes took off at 1900, but could not find the carrier. Major Norris failed to return from this mission, although the other pilots managed to come home by the light of oil fires and the antiaircraft searchlights which were turned up as beacons.