Are you sure, Dan? Perhaps I'm remembering wartime propaganda, which
may not have been exactly true, but it was that he shot down at least
five and the others turned tail and ran.

There were 8 planes in the 1st Chutai, in two flights. He shot down 3
and badly damaged 2.

Four planes managed to drop their bombs on Lexington. One bomb
exploded 100 feet off. The command plane, shot out of the formation
just before bombs away (and claimed by O'Hare), made a suicide run on
Lex but was unable to match the carrier's evasive turns and was shot
down by ack-ack. The Japanese, always optimistic in such cases,
reported that it hit the carrier.

A fourth plane (damaged and claimed by O'Hare) was shot down by
Sellstrom. Of the 3 planes still in the formation, one was shot up by
an SBD. Two of the bombers ditched successfully; one landed back at
Rabaul, and of the 3, two eventually flew again.

They claimed one warship sunk. I'm not sure if that was the Lex or
not.

all the best -- Dan Ford
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