June 4, 1942 - 9:17 AM

     The U.S. Combined Pacific Fleet was ready to strike against the Kido Butai. They launched fighter escorts, followed by the slow torpedo-bombers and then the faster dive-bombers. The torpedo-bombers faced a barrier themselves; their planes were slow, and they had to fly in the line of fire to release their load. Additionally, their torpedoes were not efficient. As the first wave of torpedo bombers reached the Kido Butai at 9:17 AM, they were quickly shot down by Japanese Zero fighters. The following waves suffered the same fate. However, in their sacrifice, they paved the way for the dive bombers to break through the barrier of enemy planes and anti-aircraft fire. The dive bombers landed direct hits, sinking all four of the Japanese carriers. Despite being outnumbered, the U.S. carrier fleet broke barriers, defeating the Japanese and leaving them on the defensive for the rest of the war.