Скачать или смотреть When 4 Zeros Swarmed This Bomber — The Bleeding Gunner Refused to Stop

Why a wounded Marine gunner kept firing through 219 bullet holes during WW2 — and brought his pilot home against impossible odds. This World War 2 story reveals how the Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless defied every rule of aerodynamics.

June 4, 1942. First Lieutenant Daniel Iverson Jr. and Private First Class Wallace Reid manned SBD-2 Dauntless Bureau Number 2106, attacking the Japanese carrier Hiryu at the Battle of Midway. Four Mitsubishi Zeros pursued them home. Reid took shrapnel in his foot. Iverson's throat microphone cable was severed by a bullet. The hydraulic system failed. Oil sprayed across the windscreen. Every aviation expert said an aircraft with 219 holes, no hydraulics, and a wounded crew couldn't make it forty miles back to base.

They were all wrong.

What Reid discovered that morning wasn't about following procedures. It was about defending your pilot in a way that contradicted everything he'd been taught about stopping when wounded. By the end of June 4, 1942 — a day that sank four Japanese carriers — only eight of sixteen Marine dive bombers returned to Midway. BuNo 2106 was one of them. Iverson landed on one wheel.

The story of those 219 holes became legendary among SBD Dauntless crews across the Pacific. The aircraft earned its reputation that day, proving why dive bomber pilots called it "Slow But Deadly." Iverson received the Navy Cross. Reid received the Distinguished Flying Cross. What happened to that bullet-riddled Dauntless after Midway would become one of the most remarkable preservation stories in aviation history.

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This is entertainment storytelling based on WW2 events from internet sources. While we aim for engaging narratives, some details may be inaccurate. This is not an academic source. For verified history, consult professional historians and archives. Watch responsibly.