The fall from roughly 130 procured aircraft and about 100 at the start of the war to 41 aboard the Midway carriers was not caused by combat alone. Carrier landings damaged aircraft, structural fatigue accumulated, and some airframes became sources of spare parts. Training and target-tug assignments also removed machines from the front-line pool. Naval aviation therefore consumes aircraft while merely building and sustaining readiness, before an enemy fires a shot. A force that buys only its immediate establishment will predictably be short when a major operation arrives.
Notable Point · 35:52-36:56
Carrier aviation consumes aircraft before battle
Routine landings, structural wear, and spare-parts demands had already reduced the TBD inventory before Midway.