Charles Lamb watched the torpedo aircraft descend beneath the flak level and disappear into smoke and explosions. From his higher flare-dropping position, he could not see them emerge. He returned believing his friends had died and that the attack might have failed. Finding the other crews waiting aboard Illustrious conveys the psychological uncertainty of the raid before reconnaissance confirmed the result.
Notable Point · 3:09:49-3:11:02
Charles Lamb expected to be the sole survivor
From his flare aircraft, Charles Lamb saw friends vanish into flak and smoke and only learned on return that most had survived.