ORIGINAL: spence
Except that the US dive bombers at Midway were Dauntlesses, not Helldivers. Unless the Dauntless was called a Helldiver by the Japanese I think we have more evidence that the quote is another Fuchidaism.
I'm no fan of Fuchida. It seems that there is plenty of evidence that his nose was getting longer and longer throughout his life. But, I believe that "Helldivers" was a generic term for dive bombers current around that time. IIRC the SB2C was nicknamed Helldiver by the manufacturer (Grumman?). I think there was a Hollywood movie about dive bombers (sorta) from the late 30's/1940 or so called "Helldivers" (starring Errol Flynn). So I'll give that one to Fuchida. But at the same time the air group records from the Kido Butai are unanimous in showing that the Japanese airstrike he refers to at that time was below on the hangardecks, not ready to launch.
I remember the Helldiver movie. But I saw it rerun on TV not in the theater. [:D] I just want to make that point perfectly clear. [:)] But a US movie, with a Aussie American star, is pretty slim evidence that the word Helldiver was used by the Japanese.
If my memory is working correctly the US Helldiver's, which replaced the Dauntless, did not see combat until 1943. There were quite a few problems with the Helldiver in development and it was not liked by pilots at least initially.
Given that crews were supposed to recognize friendly and enemy planes, they should have known the correct name of the plane. Correct could have been the Japanese name of the plane but I find it odd that the Japanese would call a plane a Helldiver when it was a Dauntless which was in fact replaced by a Helldiver. That is very odd but then History is odd. I could see how Fuchida could have misspoken the name of the plane but, given his other embellishments, I find that hard to believe as well.
[:D][:D][:D]
Given Fuchida's growing nose and the evidence there was no strike on deck(s) I think this is another Fuchidaism. The trustworthiness of his statements made late in his life have to be taken with a chunk of salt.
The Errol Flynn reference made me look him up. He appears to have some interesting links to AE. Ok that is a stretch. [:D] But it was interesting. He bought a tobacco plantation in New Guinea and a copper mine near Port Moresby. He became a US citizen and he wanted to enlist but he was 4F. Around the age of 31, he had a variety of VD's, an enlarged heart with a murmor, had at least one heart attack, back pain for which he was self medicating first with morphine and later on with heroin, and if that was not enough, he had TB and Malaria he pick up in New Guinea. No wonder he died young.
Later,
Dan
