While their decks were filled with fuelled and armed aircraft. This resulted in catastrophic explosions and fires; and although the surviving carrier Hiryu launched strikes that heavily damaged the carrier Yorktown, she was smashed in turn by aircraft from carriers Hornet and Enterprise. By the morning of June 5, all four Japanese carriers had been abandoned and sunk, and a retreat ordered by Yamamoto. On June 6, American carrier dive-bombers sank one Japanese heavy cruiser and severely mauled another. American attempts to salvage Yorktown failed on June 7, when the Japanese submarine 1-168 torpedoed the carrier and an accompanying destroyer, sinking both.
In spite of enjoying what should have been an overwhelming superiority in numbers, the Japanese effort was compromised by faulty strategy, poor intelligence, tactical error, and misfortune on the one hand and the excellence of American intelligence, naval air organization, tactical command, and luck on the other. Japan’s heavy losses equalized the naval balance of power in the Pacific. JTS.
MiG 15/15bis, “Fagot” (USSR, post-WWII). Single-seat high-altitude interceptor fighter. Prototype flew December 30 1947; deliveries began 1948, with production extended to Czechoslovakia and Poland. Extensive use, flown by Chinese pilots in Korean War. Several thousands built; in production until late 1951. One 5,0051b (2,270kg) s. t. Klimov RD-45F/5,9521b (2,700kg) s. t. Klimov VK-1 engine; max. speed 692mph (l,114kph); two 23mm and one 37mm cannon.
MiG-17 “Fresco” (USSR). Singleseat fighter. Prototype flew January 13 1950; early production aircraft entered service late 1952. M1G-17F with more powerful engine produced from 1953, together with MiG-17PF all-weather fighter; these produced in Poland (as LIM-5 and LIM-5M) and China (as Jian-5 and Jian-5A); several thousands built. M1G-17F had one 7,4521b (3,380kg) s. t. Klimov
VK-lF engine; max. speed 711mph (l,144kph); one 37mm and two 23mm cannon (MiG-17PFU, four K-5 beam-riding missiles).
MiG-21 “Fishbed” (USSR). Singleseat interceptor fighter. Prototype (Ye-6) flew late 1957; production as MiG-21 began 1958; improved development MiG-2 IF entered service late 1959. Licence-built Czechoslovakia; copy manufactured China as Jian-7 (with developments Jian-7B and 70. Supplied to most Russian satellite countries and to Cuba, Egypt, Finland, India, Indonesia, Iraq. Developed through several sub-types to MiG-21bis “Fishbed-N” with 19,8401b (9,000kg) s. t. R-25 engine. MiG-21F had one 12,6751b (5,750kg) s. t. Tumansky R-llF-300 engine; max. speed l,320mph (2,124kph); one 30mm cannon, two K-13 missiles.
MiG Alley. The area of most intense enemy air activity during the Korean War. It ran in a curve from the Chinese border at the Suiho reservoir in the east over Huichon to end on the Korean coast at Sinanju in the west. It first emerged at the end of 1950 when MiGs based across the Yalu in Manchuria challenged un control of the air. Normal counter-air attacks on this airfield complex were ruled out for fear of expanding the war and causing unacceptable attrition to un air power. Instead the MiG threat was contained by two wings of Sabres which flew patrols in the alley to prevent interference with interdiction operations. CM.
“MiG” Operation. Mounted in July 1951 during the Korean War. Its objective was to seize a MiG which had crashed on a coastal sandbar in northwest Korea and return it to the US for intelligence evaluation. The aircraft was successfully raised by a US naval task force.
Mihailovich, Gen Draza (1893
1946). Yugoslavian. A staff officer in the Yugoslavian Army at the time of the German invasion of
1941. Formed a Serbian-based guerrilla organization, the Chet-niks, largely made up of elements from the old royalist army. He was initially supported by the Allies and in June 1942 was appointed war minister by the Yugoslavian government in exile. However, his opposition to the Germans was matched by his anti-communism and his Chetniks frequently clashed with Tito’s partisans. Pursuing this internecine conflict led to cooperation with the German and Italian occupying forces and he thereby alienated himself from the Allies. In May 1944 Britain withdrew support for Mihailovich and gave Tito full backing. Following the partisans’ victory, Mihailovich went into hiding but was captured in March 1946. He was subsequently executed for having collaborated with the enemy. MS.
Milan missile. A Franco-German wire-guided anti-tank missile. The system automatically commands the missile to fly down the operator’s line of sight tracking the missile by infra-red means. Milan, widely exported, is also produced in India, Italy and the UK. It has been used with success against the Libyans in Chad, in the Falklands (against strongpoints) and by Iran and Iraq in the Gulf War. A larger, more powerful Milan 2 is under development.
Milch: major architect of the Luftwaffe
Milch, Field Marshal Erhard
(1892-1972). Ger. Transferred from the artillery to train as an aircraft observer, July 1915, Milch, although not a pilot, commanded a fighter squadron, October 1918. After commanding a police air squadron, 1919-21, he began a successful career in civil aviation with Junkers and by 1929 was chief executive of the German national airline, Deutsche Lufthansa. A close associate of Goring, he became State Secretary, Reich Air Ministry, when the Nazis came to power in 1933.
Although Goring was its figurehead, Milch was the true architect of the Luftwaffe, his knowledge of the civil aircraft industry proving invaluable in its rapid expansion.
World History
