It was always a mystery to Danny42C, our greatly missed stalwart of the WWII RAF Pilots Brevet thread, as to why the success of USN Dive Bombers at Midway is not more celebrated. Admittedly that elephant in the room, luck, was ever present as it usually is in war. The planned co-ordinated attack of torpedo bombers and dive bombers came awry and the TBDs paid a dreadful price for that. The SBD dive bombers in contrast were spared in the main by the Japanese fighter screen being at low level, having despatched the TBDs. Thus they were able to carry out their surgical work largely unmolested save for AA fire, and despite not having a fighter escort. The result was arguably the greatest naval victory of WWII. Before it the IJN reigned supreme, after it the USN did. It was the beginning of the end indeed.