They Left Him for Dead — What He Did Next Saved an Entire Squadron

They left him for dead.
But he refused to die.

On June 4th, 1942, during the pivotal Battle of Midway, Ensign Albert Kyle Earnest climbed into his brand-new TBF-1 Avenger for its first combat mission — and flew straight into one of the most brutal air attacks of World War II.

Outnumbered.
Outgunned.
Unescorted.
And marked as “already dead” by Japanese Zero pilots.

His squadron was wiped out around him.
His plane was shredded by cannon fire.
His gunner was killed, his radioman wounded, his controls destroyed.
The Japanese broke off, convinced the wreck would tumble into the Pacific.

But they were wrong.

In one of the most incredible survival stories in aviation history, Earnest wrestled a dying aircraft back into the air using nothing but trim tabs — a technique that should have been impossible. Then, bleeding and alone, he carried out his attack, dropped his torpedo, and somehow made the 200-mile crawl back to Midway… on one wheel… carrying intelligence that helped change the course of the battle.

This is the story of the man who crawled back from the dead and helped save an entire squadron — and perhaps even the Pacific War.

🌊 WHY THIS STORY MATTERS

The Battle of Midway turned the tide of the Pacific War.
While dive bombers delivered the fatal blows, they succeeded only because of the sacrifice and courage of torpedo pilots like Earnest — men who attacked anyway, knowing the odds.

Their courage changed history.

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"They Left Him for Dead — What He Did Next Saved an Entire Squadron"