American Valor Quarterly Issue 9 - Summer 2012

We had sunk the Zuikaku. Her sister ship, the Shokaku, had been sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea. They were the two largest operational carriers the Japanese ever had. The Zuikaku was the last Japanese aircraft carrier afloat that had taken part in the raid on Pearl Harbor, and assisting in her sinking was beyond my wildest expectations. The Zuikaku had been commissioned on September 25, 1941, and was the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy as well as the flagship of Admiral Ozawa. She displaced thirty thousand tons and could carry eightyfour aircraft. Her antiaircraft guns numbered sixteen 5-inch and ninetysix 20mm cannons. We had a number of hits on the carrier: 500-pound bombs from the fighter planes, 2,000-pound bombs from our dive-bombers, and several torpedo hits from the torpedo squadron. We lost one torpedo plane and a crew of three. The Japanese lost 843 officers and men when she went down. They and other countries were learning the consequences of a sneak attack on the United States. Bill Davis would be awarded the Navy Cross— second only to the Medal of Honor—for his part in the sinking of the Zuikaku on October 25, 1944. This article originally appeared in the Summer 2007 edition of World War II Chronicles, the precursor publication to American Valor Quarterly, and is adapted from William E. Davis’ book, Sinking the Rising Sun: Dog Fighting & Dive Bombing in World War II. It is available from Zenith Press at bookstores around the countr y and at www.zenithpress.com. Exclusively for American Veterans Center & World War II Veterans Committee Supporters! THEIR FINEST HOUR Profiles of American Veterans The American Veterans Center & World War II Veterans Committee is partnering with Harris Connect to produce a new book, THEIR FINEST HOUR: Profiles of American Veterans. The book will feature profiles of dozens of veterans who have appeared on our Veterans Chronicles radio series over the years, and will make for a fantastic keepsake, and tribute, to those who have served

American Valor Quarterly Issue 9 - Summer 2012 | Page 36