This Fighter Flew Home With a Missing Wing — Then the Pilot Came Back for Revenge

Описание: #ww2 #ww2history #wwii

Title : This Fighter Flew Home With a Missing Wing — Then the Pilot Came Back for Revenge

Summary : At dawn on June 4, 1942, Marine Scout Bombing Squadron VMSB-241 launched from Midway Atoll on a mission few believed they would survive. Among the sixteen dive bombers was SBD-2 Dauntless Bureau Number 21106, flown by First Lieutenant Daniel Iverson with PFC Wallace Reed in the rear cockpit. Both men had less than ten days of experience in the aircraft. There would be no fighter escort.

When the Marines reached the Japanese carrier force, they arrived late. The fleet was alert. Zero fighters were already climbing, and flak filled the sky. Squadron commander Major Lofton Henderson was shot down during the dive. Iverson pressed on alone.

As four Zeros swarmed his aircraft, Reed opened fire with his single .30-caliber gun. Cannon shells and flak ripped through the Dauntless, destroying hydraulics, puncturing fuel tanks, and spraying oil across the cockpit. Reed was badly wounded but refused to stop firing. Iverson released his bomb at low altitude and pulled out under relentless pursuit.

For nearly twenty minutes, the shattered bomber limped home without instruments, hydraulics, or full control. Only one landing wheel deployed. Ditching meant death. Iverson chose Midway.

The Dauntless touched down on one wheel and its belly, sliding to a halt in coral dust. Reed was evacuated alive. Ground crews later counted the damage: 219 bullet and shrapnel holes—from machine guns, 20mm cannon, and flak. By all logic, the aircraft should not have flown.

VMSB-241 lost half its planes and scored no confirmed hits, yet their attack delayed Japanese operations just long enough. Thirty minutes later, U.S. Navy dive bombers found carrier decks packed with fuel and bombs—destroying four Japanese carriers and changing the Pacific War.

Bureau Number 21106 survived Midway, flew again, later trained pilots on Lake Michigan, then sank in a training accident. Recovered 51 years later, its patched holes remain visible—silent proof that survival is sometimes measured in seconds, strength, and refusal to quit.



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⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is an entertainment-based retelling inspired by real World War II events, using publicly available sources. While every effort was made to ensure historical accuracy, some details may be dramatized or simplified for narrative purposes. This content is not an academic source. For verified historical research, please consult professional historians, archives, and official records.
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