Yorktown's separation from Enterprise and Hornet worried Jimmy Thach because the carriers needed mutual defensive support. A late decision reduced his escort from eight Wildcats to six, disrupting the four-aircraft divisions he had intended to use. He placed four fighters above the torpedo bombers and assigned the remaining pair a lower position astern. The Wildcats flew S-turns to stay with the much slower TBDs while retaining enough speed to manoeuvre if attacked. His last briefing stressed keeping the formation together because an isolated fighter was unlikely to survive the expected opposition.
Notable Point · 1:11:35-1:13:33
Fitting six Wildcats around a slow torpedo formation
A late cut to six Wildcats forced a four-plus-two escort arrangement, while S-turns kept the fighters beside the slower TBDs without sacrificing manoeuvring speed.