The Battle of Midway: The Airplane Section
by Jill S. in North Carolina


I see you found your way here from my Original Page. This section has technical information about some of the American and Japanese aircraft in the Battle of Midway. After you read this Table of Contents, scroll down to learn more information about each airplane.


Japanese Airplanes


The Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 Carrier Fighter


The Aichi D3A1 Type 99 Carrier Bomber


The Nakajima B5N2 Type 97
American Planes


The Grumman F4F Wildcat Carrier Bomber


The Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless Dive Bomber


The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator Torpedo Bomber



The Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 Carrier Fighter
The A6M2 Type 0, known as the Zero, was a Japanese plane used from 1940 to the end of the war. It was one of the fastest (if not the fastest) airplane used in the Battle of Midway. The Zero could fly up to 340 miles per hour. It had two 20 mm. cannons and two 7.7 mm. machine guns. This plane had only 1 pilot.


The Aichi D3A1 Type 99 Carrier Bomber
By the Allies, the Aichi D3A1 Type 99 Carrier Bomber was known as the "Val." Its top speed was 281 miles per hour. It was generally known as a dive bomber, but could also be used as a fighter, because it was easy to maneuver. It had three or four 7.7 mm. guns. It could also carry a total of 814 lbs. of bombs!!


The Nakajima B5N2 Type 97 Carrier Bomber
The Nakajima B5N2 was code-named "Kate" by the Allies. In 1941, it was the best torpedo bomber in the world. It could hold a maximum of 1,764 lbs. in bombs, and had a top speed of 225 miles per hour. The "Kate" also had three 7.7 guns.


The Grumman F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat had lots of protection. It had an armor plate and self-sealing fuel tanks. This plane seemed VERY slow, because its max speed was 318 miles per hour. This fighter had six .50 calliber machine guns. Here is a table that I saw at http://www.ixpres.com/ag1caf/usplanes/aircraft/wildcat.htm:

Grumman F4F Wildcat
TYPE:                                      fighter
CREW:                                      1, pilot
ARMAMENT:                                  six .50 calliber machine gun





  





        









Specifications
     LENGTH:                                    28'  11.5"
     HEIGHT:                                    11'  9"
     WINGSPAN:                                  38'
     EMPTY WEIGHT:                              5,895 lbs.
     MAX WEIGHT:                                79755 lbs.
Propulsion
     # OF ENGINES:                              1
     POWERPLANT:                                Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp
     HORSEPOWER:                                1200 hp

Performance
     RANGE:                                     770 mi.
     CRUISE SPEED:                              155 mph.
     MAX SPEED:                                 318 mph.
     CLIMB:                                     1950 ft/s
     Ceiling:                                   34,800 ft.


The Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless Dive Bomber
The SBD-3 Dauntless was the most famous of the Navy dive bombers. In the battle of Midway, it destroyed all four of the Japanese carriers. It had special dive brakes, that could open on the far edge of the wings to decrease the planes speed before it dove. Here is another table that might be of some use to you. 

Type:                                     dive bomber/scout bomber
Crew:                                     2, pilot/observer/rear gunner
Armament:                                 2 .5 calliber machine firing forward,
                                          2 .3 calliber machine guns in rear cockpit,
                                          up to 1600 lbs. in bombs centerline, 
                                          650 lbs. more under the wings
Specifications:
     Length:                              32'  8"
     Height:                              13'  7"
     Wingspan:                            41'  6"
     Wing Area:                           325 sq. ft.
     Empty Weight:                        6181 lbs.
     Max Weight:                          10,200 lbs.
Propulsion:
     # of Engines:                        1
     Powerplant:                          Wright R-1820-60
     Horsepower:                          1200 hp.
Performance:
     Range:                               950 mi.
     Cruise Speed:                        173 mph.
     Max Speed:                           250 mph.
     Climb:                               1700 ft/s
     Ceiling:                             26,000'


The Douglas TBD Devastator
 This airplane was the most sorry excuse for a plane in the Battle of Midway, mainly because all 35 planes that were sent to Midway Island were shot down before destroying their targets. Devastator was the Navy's first low wing aircraft. It was also the first all-metal aircraft made by the Navy. Here is some more-detailed information:

Type:                                   Torpedo Bomber
Crew:                                   2, pilot/observer/rear gunner
Armament:                               1 .30 calliberfiring fwd., and 1 firing bkwd.
Specifications:
     Legnth:                            35'
     Height:                            15'  1" 
     Wingspan:                          50'
     Wing Area:                         422 sq. ft.
     Empty Weight:                      5600 lbs.
Propulsion:
     # of engines:                      1
     Powerplant:                        Pratt & Whitney R-1830-64
     Horsepower:                        900 hp.
Performance:
     Range:                             716 mi.
     Cruise Speed:                      128 mph.
     Max Speed:                         206 mph.
     Climb:                             720 ft/s
     Ceiling:                           19,500 ft.