Defeating the Japanese Zeros

Lieutenant Commander John S. ‘Jimmie’ Thach: One U.S. Navy Pilot and his Part in the Victory in the Pacific

R J Gorman

• Publisher: Air World
• Year: 2026
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781036137618
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

"… a worthwhile and enjoyable introduction for general readers to the Navy's significant role in World War II and to a naval aviator whose memory should enjoy a large and enduring popular legacy." – National Maritime Historical Society

In the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, a report from Nationalist China described a mysterious "super fighter plane" used by Japanese forces, said to be faster and more maneuverable than anything in America’s arsenal. U.S. intelligence dismissed it as exaggeration, underestimating Japan’s capabilities. The plane was later identified as the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero," which dominated the Pacific skies after Pearl Harbor.

Lieutenant Commander John S. "Jimmie" Thach of the U.S. Navy recognized the threat posed by the Zero and devised a tactic to counter it. With the Japanese preparing to attack Midway Atoll, Thach trained his pilots in the "Thach Weave," a revolutionary formation designed to offset the Zero’s superior performance. This tactic proved highly effective in air combat and allowed Thach’s squadron to neutralize the Japanese advantage.

The battle at Midway became a turning point in the Pacific War. The U.S. Navy’s victory, aided by Thach’s tactical innovation, crippled Japan’s offensive capabilities. After Midway, the Japanese would never win another major battle, while the Americans would never lose one, marking a decisive shift in the war’s outcome.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: When War Came to Paradise
• Chapter 2: Inventing the Zero Fighter
• Chapter 3: Pearl Harbor: The Shock Felt Around the World
• Chapter 4: Admiral Yamamoto’s Plan to Attack Midway
• Chapter 5: Thach Loses His Squadron
• Chapter 6: ‘It Was Like Flying Inside a Beehive’
• Chapter 7: Six Minutes to Victory
• Chapter 8: The Lost Zero of the Aleutians
• Chapter 9: Thach Goes Back to the War
• Chapter 10: The End Game
• Appendices
• Notes
• Index
• Plates