Butch O'Hare breaks up the second Betty attack

A second Japanese formation approached Lexington from the side left exposed by the opening interception. Only Butch O'Hare and Marion Dufilho were immediately available, and Dufilho's guns jammed during his opening attack. O'Hare repeatedly attacked the outside of the Betty formation, damaging or destroying aircraft and forcing the bombers to maneuver as they neared release range. The victory estimates differed: O'Hare believed six bombers had fallen, Sherman reduced that to five, and Thach's assessment was three from an eight-aircraft formation. The formation lost cohesion and failed to place a bomb on Lexington. Shipboard anti-aircraft fire, evasive maneuver, and returning fighters finished the defensive sequence. Disrupting the coordinated attack mattered to the combat air patrol's protective role regardless of the disputed kill count.