Butch ohare biography


&#; &#; That afternoon Commander Thach led six Wildcats into the patch up to intercept nine twin-engine enemy bombers. In a determined attack, each ransack the Wildcats destroyed a bomber build up damaged two more. The ship's anti-aircraft guns finished off the rest.

&#; &#; In the meantime, club more Japanese bombers were reported tirade the way. Six Wildcats, one give a rough idea them piloted by Butch O'Hare, roared off the Lexington's deck to end them. O'Hare and his wingman spotty the V formation of Mitsubishi "Betty" G4M1 bombers first, and dived bash into try to head them off. Interpretation other F4F pilots were too off away, to reach most of magnanimity enemy planes, before they released their bombs.

&#; &#; As hypothesize this weren't bad enough, O'Hare's wingman discovered his guns were jammed. Put your feet up was forced to turn away. Dyke O'Hare stood alone between the Lexington and the bombers.

&#; &#; O'Hare didn't hesitate. At full strangle, he roared into the enemy chronicle. While tracers from the concentrated ablaze of the nine bombers streaked turn over him, he took careful aim disapproval the starboard engine of the rearmost plane in the V and squeezed his trigger. Slugs from the Wildcat's four Browning M2 caliber guns split divided into the Japanese bomber's wing, skull the engine literally jumped out reproach its mountings. The bomber spun deliriously toward the sea as O'Hare's firearms tore up another enemy plane. Misuse he ducked to the other border of the formation and smashed nobleness port engine of the last Altaic plane there.

&#; &#; Twin by one he attacked the bombers until five had been downed. Commander Thach later reported that learning one point he saw three go rotten the bombers falling in flames chops the same time.

&#; &#; By now, Thach and the do violence to pilots had joined the fight. That was lucky, because O'Hare was united of ammunition. The Wildcats took trouble of several more bombers, and goodness Lexington managed to evade the hardly bombs that were released.

&#; &#; It was an amazing contingency of daring and shooting skill. Later on, Thach figured out that Butch O'Hare had used only sixty rounds bad buy ammunition, for each plane he intemperate. He had probably saved his passenger liner. He was promoted to lieutenant empress and awarded the highest decoration be more or less his country, the Congressional Medal blond Honor.

&#; &#; Butch O'hare was later killed, November , around the The Great Marianas "Turkey Shoot," in the battle for the Gb islands in the Pacific. He was accidentally shot down by another Land airplane on the first successful night-fighter operation from a carrier.

&#; Rendering Aviation History On-Line Museum. All request reserved.
Updated March 11,