Biggest Little Air Show Recreates Battle of Midway

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Abrams | FORD ISLAND (June 3, 2017) - A model P-40 Warhawk receives maintenance prior to performing in the Biggest Little Air Show June 3, 2017, at the Pacific Aviation Museum. As part of the commemoration activities for the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway, the airshow gave museum guests the opportunity to see a small-scale reenactment of some of the battles off the coast of Midway Atoll. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communicaton Specialist 2nd Class Jason Abrams/Released).  

OAHU, HI, UNITED STATES

06.07.2017

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Abrams 

Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet

FORD ISLAND, Hawaii (NNS) -- Model aircraft pilots from around the country gathered at the Pacific Aviation Museum for the Biggest Little Air Show June 3-4, to recreate air-to-air battles during the Battle of Midway.

The museum hosted the air show, commemorating the Battle of Midway 75th anniversary, to honor Sailors, Marines and Airmen who fought in one of the most decisive actions of World War II and the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

"This year we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway and dedicate this air show to the men who flew in this historic battle," said Kenneth DeHoff Jr., executive director for the museum, during his opening remarks.

The air show utilized scale-models of P-40 Warhawks, F4F Wildcats and SDB Dauntless bombers, which were used during the battle, to recreate the air-to-air combat that led to the sinking of four enemy carriers.

Also represented at the air show were three scale-model Mitsubishi A6M Zeros, long-range enemy fighter planes that played a significant part in the attack on Pearl Harbor but were ultimately not enough to defeat U.S. forces at Midway.

The Battle of Midway is one of the most decisive victories in U.S. military history, turning the tide of World War II in the Pacific theater and allowing U.S. forces to take the offensive for the first time following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The museum's mission is to develop and maintain an internationally recognized aviation museum on Ford Island that educates young and old alike, honors aviators and their support personnel who defended freedom in the Pacific Region and preserves Pacific aviation history.

"These are the very hangars that withstood the attack on Oahu," said DeHoff. "Ladies and gentlemen, you are on sacred ground, where the first bombs fell at Pearl Harbor. You're on America's aviation battlefield."

For more information on historic military battles, including the Battle of Midway, see https://www.history.navy.mil.

For more news from U.S. Pacific Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cpf/.

• Date Taken: 06.07.2017
• Date Posted: 12.29.2017 21:47
• Story ID: 260908
• Location: OAHU, HI, US