Thach Weave

Thach had heard, from a report published in the 22 September 1941 Fleet Air Tactical Unit Intelligence Bulletin, of the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero's extraordinary maneuverability and rate of climb.

Before even experiencing it for himself, he began to devise tactics meant to give the slower-turning American Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters a chance in combat.

[citation needed] Working at night with matchsticks on the table, he eventually came up with what he called "beam defense position", but which soon became known as the "Thach weave".

"[citation needed] Thach carried out the first test of the tactic in combat during the Battle of Midway in June 1942, when a squadron of Zeroes attacked his flight of four Wildcats.

[citation needed] For instance, during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Flatley's division of four Wildcats encountered Zeros from Jun'yō and deployed Thach weave defensive tactics when they attacked.

Saburō Sakai, the famous Japanese ace, relates their reaction to the Thach weave when they encountered Guadalcanal Wildcats using it:[3] For the first time Lt.

Nakajima was raging when he got back to Rabaul; he had been forced to dive and run for safety.The maneuver proved so effective that American pilots also used it during the Vietnam War, and it remains a viable dogfighting tactic today.

In response, Ensigns Al Mead and Raleigh Rhodes in their Wildcats performed the maneuver, but were outmatched and were eventually forced to ditch their ruined fighters.