Bert Earnest

TBF Avenger Pilot, Midway 1942

By Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette

After earning his Navy Wings, Ensign A. L. Earnest reported to Norfolk Virginia on December 10, 1941. Just three days before Pearl Harbor was bombed Bert had just finished his primary training in fighters. The war changed everything and Bert was transferred to Torpedo Squadron Eight. Bert was not pleased to be bumped as a fighter pilot and sent to be a Torpedo Bomber pilot. The unit was preparing for their shakedown cruise on the new U.S.S. Hornet.

When Torpedo Squadron Eight was deployed it was split into two groups. The C.O., LCDR John Waldron and most of the new unit put to sea quickly equipped with the older TBD Devastator. The unit had been promised the new TBF Avenger torpedo bomber but the new aircraft had not been delivered in time. Some of the unit did receive the Avengers and they immediately started training in the new aircraft. It was impossible for the entire squadron to retrain at the last minute with a much larger and more powerful aircraft.

Bert and others were held back for training in the new Grumman TBF-1 Avenger. After their training, Bert and the remaining unit was then sent to Hawaii to meet up with the Hornet. Once in Hawaii, Bert volunteered with five other pilots, to be sent to Midway to help defend the American bases from the advancing Japanese Fleet. They would in fact beat the other half of Torpedo Squadron Eight to the battle zone. Together the Avengers took off and flew the long lonely flight to Midway. All aircraft carried extra fuel.

ESN Earnest was the oldest of his crew at the age of 25. Harry H. Ferrier was his radioman and tunnel gunner. Jay D. Manning was the turret gunner, both were 18. Bert felt good about his crew, they had trained hard and were now ready. Upon landing on Midway with their six new TBF’s, they found tensions were high. The whole island was in preparations for a strike from the Japanese Navy that they knew would come at any minute.

On the morning of June 4^th, ENS Earnest was up early and warming up his aircrafts engine. He was walking around the Avenger with the engine humming checking out his aircraft when a marine ran up and shouted “enemy forces at 320 degrees, 150 miles”. Bert threw himself into the cockpit and strapped himself in as he increased the RPM's of his engine. The blast of air from the spinning Hamilton propellers blew up a dust storm per aircraft. Ground crew pulled the wood blocks from under the wheels and Bert began to taxi out. Bert followed his squadron leader down the runway with their engines full throttle. They took off that fine summer morning into the beautiful South Pacific skies in search of the Japanese fleet.

After an hour of flying, Bert and the others sighted the Japanese fleet. Suddenly a call came form his rear gunner, Manning saying that they were being attacked by Japanese Zero fighters. Bert was amazed at the agility of the Zero’s darting in and out of their formation. Bert could hear Manning firing his guns as he tried to defend their bomber. The TBF was taking many hits from the fighters. The machine gun fire from the Avenger's turret stopped. Ferrier looked up to see his friend Manning hanging limp in his safety harness. He was dead.

Ferrier then went down into the belly of the bomber and tried to use the machine gun pointing to the rear of the bomber as defense. The Avenger had been shot up and suffered a severed hydraulic hose that dropped the tail wheel where the rear firing gun was useless. Enemy fire ripped through the Avenger's fuselage. Bracing himself in the compartment of the Avenger, holes were ripped through the side. Ferrier was hit in the wrist by a bullet and as he reeled from the wound a blow to his head knocked him unconscious.

Alone now in the Avenger thinking his crew was dead Bert jacked his now lumbering bomber into defensive maneuvers trying to avoid the Japanese fighters. Bullets ripped into the Avenger again. Bullets tumbled around in the bottom of the plane rattling like steel marbles. 

Bert wanted to put his torpedo into one of the Japanese carriers. He was trying to concentrate as he approached his torpedo run at the enemy fleet. Bert did not realize at the moment that all of the other TBF's in Bert's squadron had been shot down. Earnest’s plane was the only one left from his strike force. The other five planes with him had been shot down.

As Bert approached the enemy fleet he realized his elevator control had been knocked out and he was loosing altitude. His bomber was slowly heading towards the water and Bert would not be able to pull it back up. He would have to bail out of his stricken Avenger. He knew that he would not make it to the Japanese carriers. Suddenly Bert was struck in the neck by either a glancing bullet, a piece of scrap metal or glass.

Bert was stunned. He did not feel the pain from the wound probably from the excited state he was in. He bled all over himself as he pressed his attack. Bert kicked the rudder around and went for the closest enemy ship. He fired his torpedo at a destroyer. He then rolled the elevator tab back and the plane lifted with the loss of weight. The Avenger now lighter handled easier. The Zero’s continued to pursue Bert for a while but finally broke off. The sturdy TBF flew as Bert headed back for his airbase on Midway. As Bert approached his airfield Ferrier came to and helped guide the stricken bomber in.

As Bert came in to land he pulled the lever that would lower the landing gear. Only one of the landing gear came down. Ferrier confirmed this by looking out a window of the Avenger that only one of the landing gear was engaged. Bert was weary and this was not going to keep him from landing. His desire to get safely on the ground was his only thoughts as he struggled with the controls. He had injured men on board, he had been wounded, and his Avenger was porous from gunfire by the Zero's. The bomb bay door was still open and would not close. All Bert wanted to do was land.

Ignoring a wave-off form the signal officer at the end of the runway, Bert came in with one wheel down, bomb bay doors open, and no flaps. Bert’s TBF had been hit by sixty-four 7.7 mm bullets and nine 20mm cannon shells disabling his hydraulic systems. Bert climbed out of his seat and crawled through the body of the bomber to the exit door. He could see in the bottom of the Avenger a puddle of oils, hydraulic fluids, and blood.

ESN Earnest had been one of the first American pilots to engage the Japanese Fleet at the Battle of Midway. This battle alone turned the tide of the Pacific War in favor of the Americans. The Japanese lost four of their best aircraft carriers and numerous airmen and seamen.

Bert and Ferrier were the only survivors of Torpedo Squadron 8 stationed on Midway. Only two pilots Bert and Gay and radio operator Ferris survived the attack against the Imperial Japanese Navy. All the rest of Torpedo Squadron 8 both from Midway Island and from the carrier Hornet had been killed in action. Torpedo Squadron 8 attacked the Japanese fleet at two different times from two different directions.

Attack on the Japanese Fleet

The first aircraft to arrive over the Japanese fleet was a squadron of Marine dive-bomber pilots that were stationed on the island of Midway. The type of dive-bomber was an older model and the only practice the Marine aviators ever had with this aircraft was to make a genital glide bomb attack on the enemy. This was a deadly mistake by the Marines because the Japanese antiaircraft gunners were able to shot down the Marines as they approached. Every one was shot down.

The next attack was from Bert Earnest and the men from Torpedo Squadron 8. All of the Avengers except one was shot down. Several B-26 medium bombers attempted a torpedo attack on the Japanese fleet at this same time. This small group of B-26's was flown out to Midway. Only one out of the three B-26 returned to base. The B-26 that did survive was badly damaged. All attempts to strike the Japanese Fleet had been forted by the Japanese gunners and aerial cover.

A high altitude bombing attack by B-17s from Midway tried a feeble attack with no success. The attack did make the Japanese Navy maneuver the fleet hard back and forth avoiding one attack after another. Torpedo Squadron 8 then attacked the enemy fleet and was completely shot down. Again no strikes against the Japanese. Then the attack by TBD's from the USS Enterprise came in low on the water. Another torpedo attack. Again all but one of the attacking aircraft were shot down.

The Japanese Fleet had defeated one attack from low flying dive-bombers, then a wave of Torpedo Squadron 8 bombers form Midway, then an attack from the B-26 medium bombers followed by the attack form B-17's. The Fleet then shot down all of Torpedo Squadron 8 from the Hornet followed by the Enterprise's torpedo squadron. The Japanese had shot down 30 plus American aircraft and badly damaged every aircraft that survived the attack except for the B-17's that were at high altitude.

The Japanese fighters were out of ammunition and gasoline and started landing back on their carriers. The Japanese were celebrating with their success. It appeared to the Japanese that they had just whipped out the American Air Armada. The Japanese bombers on the carriers were loaded with land bombs for another attack on Midway. However the Japanese learned that the American Fleet was near enough to launch an attack. Immediately the Japanese officers changed the plan from land bombs to torpedoes and armor piercing bombs.

The Japanese Admiral and officers were reveling in their plan to launch their bombers and wipe out the American carriers who they assumed had lost most of their aircraft in the first strike. The only problem was that at this moment American SBD dive-bombers broke through the clouds and squarely put their bombs into the landing platforms of the Japanese carriers.

Three carriers were hit and disabled from the SBD's within minutes. The fourth carrier was five miles away and escaped the first attack for the American dive bombers. The decks of the three Japanese carriers were littered with aircraft, gasoline hoses, torpedoes and bombs. Now they were ablaze. The fourth Japanese carrier was able to launch its planes which included Maruyama a Japanese aviator I worked with on this project.. Maruyama had been at Pearl Harbor and put his torpedo into the side of the USS Oklahoma which sank. Now he was out for revenge for the destructing of three of his fleets carriers.

The Japanese were able to strike the American fleet with Maruyama putting his torpedo into the USS Lexington which eventually sank. Aircraft from the American carriers were able to launch another attack which found and sank the fourth and last of the Japanese carriers in this conflict. Thus ending the Battle of Midway.

It is exciting to have interviewed many of the combatants including one of the surviving Japanese aviators. It is meaningful for people like me to put the whole story together.

I am looking for an investor who is interested in buying the original painting of Bert's TBF Avenger. I would use the income from the painting to help publish a print honoring Bert Earnest. If you are interested please give me a call. The painting is almost finished. 1-904-282-4198.

All research, writings and artwork are by Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette.

No one is permitted to republish any part of this story with out my personal permission.

Please call or e-mail me for any use of this story.

I do not mind sharing, just call or e-mail and ask for permission.

Sir. Ernie Hamilton Boyette

904-282-4198

e-mail: aviationartstore@peoplepc.com

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