The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-06-09
Midway
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beloved from the three stricken
/ C -riers as their now helpless
planes lowered over them, and
he saw smoke and flame leap
in.o the sky as great explosions
ripped through their hulls.
When the dive bomber at
tack ended one of the Kaga
carriers was aflame from bow
/ TO stern.
RESCUE ATTEMPT
Gay saw vain attempts TO
/ rescue the crews and a Japa-
nese cruiser pump shells into
one of the carriers in an at
tempt TO sink it with its crew.
He saw a destroyer rescue some
men
AS night fell, he saw Japa-
ncSe planes still towering above
their mother ship, those that
we're left, which now was utter
| ly useless TO them, and next
day, when a Navy plane res
cucd him, black life RATS, the
debris and great oil patches
were alone left to tell of the
disaster which had befallen the
cremy fleet.
Gay was certain that one
Kaga carrier was sunk and
thought the two other carriers
probably sank. As they were
burning fierCely when he last
saw them and United States
forces were on the scene in
force. 1t seemed hardly likely
/ that either survived.
Gay took off from plane car
ricr with other planes of his
/ squadron on the morning of
June 4 when the Japanese made
their attack on Midway.
1t was mid-morning when the
| planes reached the scene. They
saw below them, on the sea,
three Japanese carriers in line,
| 10 miles between the first and
/ third, with a considerable force
Of cruisers and destroyers
Ground them.
HAIL OF FIRE
Hundreds of anti-aircraft guns
burst into fire when their planes
were sighted.
The Americans t t a cked
through Japanese fighter planes
which raced into challenge
! T. IN.
Gays machine gunner was
hit but the plane kept on. Gay
held his torpedo until he was
almost on the carrier, AS he let
90, he swung his plane sharply
over his target and sped astern.
An explosive she'll tore
through his rudder controls and
scared his left leg. A bullet
struck his upper left arm.
Gay brought his plane into a
stall and pancakcd into the sea.
His gunner had died. The radio
fr-S.
At II a. M, alone, struggling
in the water in the middle of
the enemy fleet, Gay watched
his wrecked plane slide under
tie waves.
AS it disappeared there float
ed out from it a bag containing
his Debated rubber life raft and
the black cushion on which the
radioman -bombardier kneels
during attack.
Gay struggled to the raft,
which was awash because it had
not been inflated.
He had heard that the Japa-
nese aviators, under their code
Of buShido, the Japanese YER
SIGN of chivalry, were wont to
machine gun Allied aViators
afloat on RATS, so he hid under
the cushion as enemy fighter
T mes swarmed overhead.
Now he had time to find out
about his wounds. He felt his
arm, the bullet there apparently
had been spent when it struck
him. for it dropped from his
arm into his hand.
For some reason | put it in
my mouth" he said. Maybe !
wanted it as a souvenir. Any
way. | lost it before long
GAYS wounded leg was I'M
der water. but he managed to
bandage if.
At hospital here, a surgeon
asked him what treatment he
had given the burns on II.
We'll, I soaked them in salt
water for 10 hours he said.
Gay watched all three CARR
crs, taking on planes, the KagaS
at each end Of the line with the
smaller one between them.
One Of the Kagas was burn
ing fcrccly even while planes
landed on it,
japanese cruisers and dc
strovers were circling 4,
awaiting a chance TO rescue the
crew.
Twenty minutes later Amcri-
can Navy dive bomberS rOarCd
over the Japanese formation,
DIRECT HITS
Gay watched as they shrickcd
down. He saw them score di-
rect hits on the other carriers.
Great fires burst out i'm both
ships. Smoke rose in sky-dark-