- 2 days ago
John Thach turned a pack of matches into one of World War II’s most important fighter tactics, and the result helped Wildcat pilots survive against Japanese Zeros they could not outfly. Over Wake Island and later at Midway, he realized that two aircraft turning toward each other could protect one another better than any one-on-one dogfight ever could.
This military history story follows the birth of the Thach Weave, from the first combat test to its spread across the Pacific Fleet, where it helped American pilots survive outnumbered attacks and changed fighter doctrine for good. It is a dramatic World War 2 aviation narrative about tactics, teamwork, and the moment desperation became innovation.
Ideal for listeners who enjoy WW2 stories, military history, fighter pilot stories, aviation history, and narrated historical documentaries. It also fits search terms like Thach Weave, John Thach, Wildcat vs Zero, Pacific War air combat, and World War II aircraft tactics.
This military history story follows the birth of the Thach Weave, from the first combat test to its spread across the Pacific Fleet, where it helped American pilots survive outnumbered attacks and changed fighter doctrine for good. It is a dramatic World War 2 aviation narrative about tactics, teamwork, and the moment desperation became innovation.
Ideal for listeners who enjoy WW2 stories, military history, fighter pilot stories, aviation history, and narrated historical documentaries. It also fits search terms like Thach Weave, John Thach, Wildcat vs Zero, Pacific War air combat, and World War II aircraft tactics.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00at 7 32 a.m on february 10 1942 lieutenant commander john thatch watched six japanese
00:07zeros diving toward his four wildcats over wake island knowing his pilots had maybe 90 seconds
00:13before they died 37 years old 214 flight hours in wildcats zero kills against zeros the japanese
00:22had sent 18 mitsubishi a6m zero fighters to sweep american patrols from the morning sky
00:28thatch's wildcat was slower the zero climbed faster turned tighter and could outmaneuver
00:34any american fighter at any altitude japanese pilots knew it american pilots knew it the math
00:41was simple and brutal a zero could out turn a wildcat in 14 seconds 14 seconds to get on your
00:49tail 14
00:50seconds to line up guns 14 seconds to kill you by february the pacific fleet had lost 43 wildcats
00:58in one versus one dog fights with zeros 43 pilots who tried to turn with zeros 43 funerals the pattern
01:06never changed american pilot sees zero american pilot turns to engage zero out turns him
01:13zero shoots him down command kept sending the same orders avoid turning engagements run if possible
01:20but running meant abandoning other pilots running meant letting zero strafe your buddies while you fled
01:27thatch commanded fighting squadron three four pilots four wildcats four men who trusted him to keep
01:34them alive but he had no answer for the zero's turn radius no answer for its climb rate no answer
01:41except
01:42watch good men die three days earlier thatch had sat in his quarters at naval air station san diego
01:48staring at a pack of matches his wife had sent them in a care package 20 wooden matches in a
01:54thin cardboard
01:55box he'd been thinking about the zero problem for weeks how do you beat an enemy who can out turn
02:01you
02:01how do you survive when the enemy is faster more agile and flown by pilots with two years of combat
02:07experience thatch picked up two matches held them parallel then he moved them in opposite directions
02:13weaving them past each other the matches crossed crossed again never separated always supporting each other
02:23and something clicked in his brain what if two wildcats didn't fight independently
02:29what if they flew as a pair weaving back and forth if a zero got on one wildcat's tail that
02:36wildcat would
02:37turn toward his wingman the wingman would turn toward him they'd cross paths and the zero chasing the
02:43first wildcat would fly directly into the second wildcat's guns it was insane it violated every fighter
02:51doctrine in the u.s navy manual fighters fought alone pairs stayed together for navigation but when
02:57combat started you split up and fought one versus one that was how air combat worked that was how every
03:04pilot had been trained since 1918 but thatch couldn't stop seeing those matches weaving together
03:11couldn't stop thinking about 43 dead pilots if you want to see if thatch's matchstick weave worked
03:18against zeros hit that like button right now and subscribe because what happens next is insane
03:25back to thatch he'd called his wingman lieutenant edward o'hare into his quarters that night showed him
03:32the matches explained the weave o'hare stared at the matches for 30 seconds then he looked at thatch and
03:39asked one question when do we test it four days later thatch was about to find out if his matchstick
03:47trick
03:47would save lives or get four pilots killed the six zeros were 1200 yards out and closing fast
03:55his hand moved to the radio time to try something that had never been done in combat time to find
04:01out
04:01if two matches could beat six zeros thatch's voice cracked across the radio weave on my mark
04:09his wingman lieutenant junior grade edward bassett was 800 feet to his right two more wildcats piloted
04:17by ensigns daniel sheedy and edgar colson flew another thousand feet beyond bassett four american
04:24fighters in a loose line six zeros diving from 11 000 feet standard doctrine said split up turn
04:31independently fight alone but thatch keyed his radio and gave an order that had never been spoken in u.s
04:37navy combat bassett on me weave pattern execute bassett turned his wildcat toward thatch thatch turned
04:46toward bassett they flew directly at each other the zeros dropped to 8 000 feet japanese pilots probably
04:54thought the americans were panicking probably thought two wildcats were about to collide but thatch and
05:00bassett didn't collide at 400 yards both pilots banked hard thatch pulled left bassett pulled right
05:08they crossed paths with 200 feet separation then they kept turning coming around to cross again a figure
05:15eight pattern two aircraft weaving back and forth like those matches on thatch's desk the lead zero pilot
05:22picked bassett committed to the tail chase closed to 600 yards standard zero tactic get close use superior
05:31maneuverability hammer the target with 20 millimeter cannon fire the zero pilot probably expected bassett
05:38to try turning with him probably expected an easy kill but bassett didn't turn away from the zero he
05:45turned toward thatch the zero followed lining up guns 500 yards 400 yards the zero pilot had bassett
05:55centered in his gun sight three seconds from firing then thatch's wildcat came screaming through the weave
06:02pattern from the opposite direction the zero pilot suddenly had a new problem he was chasing bassett but
06:09bassett was flying directly toward another wildcat and that wildcat had guns pointed straight at
06:15him thatch opened fire at 300 yards 650 caliber machine guns 70 rounds per second the zero pilot had one
06:26choice break off the attack or fly into a wall of bullets he broke off pulled hard right climbed the
06:36other
06:36five zero scattered for the first time in pacific combat zeros were running from wildcats sheedy and
06:43colson had watched the weave work now they tried it sheedy turned toward colson colson turned toward
06:49sheedy two more wildcats weaving another zero committed to colson's tail got to 400 yards then
06:57sheedy came through the weave and the zero pilot flinched pulled up disengaged the dogfight lasted six
07:04minutes six japanese zeros versus four american wildcats standard outcome should have been four dead americans
07:11but when the zeros finally climbed away and headed northwest all four wildcats were still flying
07:19thatch checked his fuel checked his wingman nobody hit nobody killed the weave had worked thatch landed
07:27at ford island forty minutes later his hands were shaking not from fear from adrenaline from the realization
07:34that maybe just maybe american pilots didn't have to die every time they met zeros
07:41but fighter command wasn't convinced thatch filed his combat report that afternoon described the weave
07:48explained how it worked recommended immediate adoption across all fighter squadrons
07:54the response came back three days later interesting tactic needs further testing not approved for widespread use
08:04thatch stared at that response for a long time 43 pilots dead in february and command wanted more
08:11testing meanwhile the japanese were planning something bigger something that would test the weave against odds no
08:19fighter pilot had ever faced because in 68 days thatch would be flying over an island called midway
08:27and he'd be facing 50 zeros with eight wildcats between february and june 1942 thatch trained fighting squadron 3
08:36on the weave every single day morning flights afternoon flights night formations when the moon was bright enough
08:43his pilots flew the pattern until they could execute it blind turn toward your wingman cross turn back
08:50cross again simple in theory brutal in practice at 300 miles per hour with zeros shooting at you
08:57the navy still hadn't officially approved the tactic but thatch didn't wait for approval he taught it to
09:03every pilot who would listen showed them the matches drew diagrams on blackboards explain the geometry
09:09if a zero commits to your tail you turn into your wingman the zero has to choose follow you into
09:16your
09:16wingman's guns or break off either way you survive some pilots understood immediately others thought thatch
09:24was crazy one squadron commander told him the weave violated basic fighter doctrine you can't fly toward
09:31another aircraft in combat you'll collide you'll panic you'll get both pilots killed but thatch kept
09:37teaching because pilots kept dying by may the pacific fleet had lost 91 wildcats in combat with zeros
09:4591 funerals 91 letters to families and fighter command still issued the same orders avoid engagement when
09:53possible run if outnumbered the orders might as well have said give up and die then naval intelligence
09:59intercepted japanese radio traffic code breakers at station hypo and pearl harbor decrypted the messages
10:05the japanese were planning a massive assault on midway island four aircraft carriers 270 aircraft
10:13the largest carrier operation in japanese naval history the attack was scheduled for june 4th 1942
10:20admiral chester nimitz called every available carrier to pearl harbor he had three yorktown enterprise and
10:27hornet the japanese had four plus two years of combat experience plus zeros that could outfly anything america
10:34had the math was nightmare fuel american carriers were outnumbered american pilots were outmatched
10:41and midway island had a runway that japanese bombers would turn into rubble in the first 30 minutes
10:48fighting squadron 3 got deployment orders on may 26th report to uss yorktown prepare for carrier
10:55operations thatch read those orders and understood what they meant his squadron would be flying combat air
11:01patrol over yorktown when the japanese attacked protecting the carrier from bombers fighting zeros
11:08maybe dying he gathered his pilots that evening seven men seven wildcats seven lives depending on a trick
11:16with matches that the navy still hadn't officially approved that showed them the matches one more time
11:22explain the weave one more time then he told them the truth the japanese are bringing 50 zeros to midway
11:29maybe more we'll have eight wildcats maybe fewer if enterprise or hornet lose fighters before the
11:36battle the only way we survive is the weave the only way we protect yorktown is the weave the only
11:43way we
11:43win is the weave one pilot asked the obvious question what if it doesn't work what if we weave in
11:51the zeros
11:51just shoot us anyway thatch didn't have a good answer he just showed them the matches again showed them how
11:58two matches weaving could cover each other could protect each other could survive together when
12:03surviving alone was impossible yorktown sailed from pearl harbor on may 30th four days to midway four
12:11days to prepare for a battle that would decide the pacific war four days to pray that a matchstick trick
12:17would work when 50 zeros came screaming out of the sky because on june 4th at 09 30 hours thatch
12:25would look
12:25up and see something no american pilot had ever faced a sky completely black with japanese fighters
12:33june 4th 1942 09 30 hours thatch was at 14 000 feet above yorktown when the first japanese strike wave
12:42appeared 18 aichi dive bombers escorted by 12 zeros not 50 not the massive formation intelligence had
12:50predicted but 12 zeros was still three to one odds against thatch's four plane section the zeros came
12:57in high 15 000 feet standard japanese doctrine establish altitude advantage dive on american fighters use
13:05speed and maneuverability to dominate the fight thatch counted the enemy aircraft counted his own four
13:12wildcats 12 wildcats 12 zeros his hand keyed the radio weave pattern execute on my mark his wingman lieutenant
13:21junior grade edward bassett was 600 feet to his right two more wildcats behind them the zeros dove thatch
13:28watched them commit watched them pick targets three zeros broke toward thatch four went after bassett the
13:36others continued toward yorktown thatch gave the order mark execute he turned hard toward bassett
13:43bassett turned toward him they crossed paths at 12 000 feet the three zeros chasing thatch suddenly
13:49had a problem their target was flying directly at another wildcat and that wildcat's guns were pointing
13:55at them the lead zero pilot hesitated just for two seconds but two seconds at combat speed is 400 yards
14:02thatch came through the weave and opened fire 50 caliber rounds ripped through the zero's engine
14:08cowling the zero rolled left trailing black smoke fell away thatch's first zero kill but the other two
14:16zeros didn't break off they'd seen the weave understood the pattern and they adapted instead of committing
14:22to thatch's tail they split one went high one went low they tried to attack from different angles forced
14:29thatch to choose which threat to counter thatch pulled into a climbing turn toward the high zero
14:35bassett broke toward the low zero the weave pattern fractured for six seconds both wildcats were fighting
14:41independently exactly what thatch had tried to avoid the high zero got guns on thatch at 800 yards
14:4820 millimeter cannon fire walked up thatch's left wing two rounds punched through the wing root one went through
14:55his cockpit canopy three inches from his head thatch felt the shock wave felt aluminum fragments hit
15:01his flight suit kept turning bassett called over the radio i'm hit repeat i'm hit thatch looked left bassett's
15:11wildcat was trailing white smoke coolant leak maybe worse the low zero was still on his tail hammering him with
15:19machine gun fire thatch made a choice abandoned his turn toward the high zero dove toward bassett the weave
15:27had broken but the principle still worked get between your wingman and the threat thatch came down on the
15:34low zero from seven o'clock high 600 yards 500 400 he opened fire the zero exploded pieces of wing
15:44and fuselage
15:45tumbled through the air bassett's wildcat was shaking losing altitude he called over the radio
15:52engine's overheating i'm heading back to yorktown thatch told him go told the other two wildcats to
15:58escort him that left thatch alone at 11 000 feet with 10 zeros still in the sky the weave worked
16:06with a
16:06wingman without a wingman thatch was just another wildcat pilot trying not to die
16:12he turned toward yorktown started descending three zero saw him turned to intercept thatch
16:20looked around for friendly fighters saw four wildcats from another squadron three miles east
16:25too far to help the three zeros were closing thatch had no wingman no weave no options except run but
16:34running meant leading zeros toward yorktown leading them toward the carrier his squadron was supposed to
16:40protect he keyed his radio called for help told the other wildcats he was engaging three zeros
16:47solo told them if the weave worked they'd see proof if it didn't work tell his wife he loved her
16:54then
16:55thatch turned his wildcat toward three zeros and prepared to test whether a matchstick trick could
17:00save one pilot's life thatch was at nine thousand feet when the three zeros reached firing range he was
17:06alone no wingman to weave with no support but he'd spent four months thinking about the weave four
17:13months understanding the geometry and he realized something the weave didn't require two aircraft
17:19it required two points in space he turned hard right then immediately reversed left sharp angular
17:26turns not the smooth turning fight zeros expected the lead zero committed to follow thatch's right turn
17:32but thatch was already reversing left the zero pilot had to correct had to pull harder had to burn
17:37energy thatch did it again right turn left reversal the zero followed right thatch went left the japanese
17:45pilot was always half a second behind always correcting always reacting and every correction cost speed cost
17:53energy cost the altitude advantage after 40 seconds of reversals the zero was co-altitude with thatch
18:00same speed same energy state no advantage the zero pilot broke off climbed away the other two zeros
18:07followed him thatch had just proven something critical the weave principle worked even without a wingman
18:13sharp reversals constant direction changes never let the enemy predict your next move make them react
18:20make them bleed energy make them quit he landed on yorktown 20 minutes later bassett was already aboard
18:27his wildcat had taken four hits but the engine held together long enough to reach the carrier the
18:33other pilots from fighting squadron 3 were debriefing in the ready room they'd all seen thatch's solo
18:37fight all watched him survive three zeros alone word spread through the fighter squadrons that afternoon
18:44thatch's weave works even solo even outnumbered by evening pilots from enterprise and hornet were asking
18:51thatch to explain the tactic he showed them the matches drew diagrams demonstrated the reversals some
18:58pilots tested it that night pair flights over the carrier groups practicing the weave learning the timing
19:04by june 5th 18 wildcat pilots could execute the pattern by june 6th 32 pilots the weave was spreading
19:12through the fleet faster than any official doctrine ever had japanese pilots noticed radio intercepts from june
19:197th included references to new american tactics american fighters flying in coordinated pairs american
19:26fighters executing unpredictable maneuvers american fighters that refused to die one intercepted message
19:33from a japanese fighter commander said american wildcat pilots have changed their methods expect
19:39increased resistance on june 10th fighting squadron 3 flew combat air patrol over a convoy near midway
19:468 wildcats 14 zeros attacked thatch called the weave all four pairs executed the zeros tried their standard
19:55tactics tried to isolate individual wildcats tried to use superior maneuverability but every time a zero
20:02committed to a wildcat's tail that wildcat turned toward his wingman every time the zeros tried to split a
20:08pair both wildcats turned toward each other the pattern held after 12 minutes the zeros broke off
20:16they damaged two wildcats but scored zero kills the americans had shot down three zeros three confirmed
20:24kills first time in pacific combat that wildcats had a positive kill ratio against zeros in a major
20:30engagement fighter command finally took notice on june 15th commander john thatch received orders to
20:37report the pearl harbor report to admiral nimitz prepare a formal briefing on the weave tactic the navy
20:44wanted to evaluate whether this matchstick trick should become official doctrine thatch arrived at
20:49pearl harbor on june 18th spent two days preparing the briefing prepared diagrams combat footage pilot
20:56testimonials kill ratios survival statistics everything command needed to see that the weave worked but
21:04while thatch was preparing his briefing japanese intelligence was preparing something else they'd analyzed the new
21:10american tactics they'd studied the weave pattern and they developed a counter tactic a way to break the
21:17weave a way to kill both wildcats at once on june 21st thatch would brief admiral nimitz on the weave
21:25but on june 23rd fighting squadron 3 would face 18 zeros over santa cruz island and those zeros would be
21:32using tactics specifically designed to destroy the thatch weave june 23rd 1942 08 15 hours santa cruz island
21:43fighting squadron 3 was escorting a convoy when radar picked up contacts 18 bogeys inbound from the northwest
21:50distance 12 miles thatch counted his wildcats eight aircraft four pairs standard weave formation
21:58he'd briefed nimitz three days earlier nimitz had authorized field testing of the weave across all pacific fighter squadrons
22:06now thatch was about to discover that the japanese had done their homework too the zeros came in at 16
22:12000
22:13feet but they didn't dive immediately they circled waited thatch watched them orbit at altitude for 90
22:20seconds strange behavior zeros always attacked immediately always used altitude advantage fast before americans
22:28could climb but these zeros were waiting for something then thatch understood the zeros were
22:35coordinating six zeros broke left six broke right six stayed high three groups three angles of attack
22:44they'd seen the weave they knew two wildcats could protect each other from one direction but three
22:50directions simultaneously that was different the attack came at zero eight seventeen six zeros dove from
22:58high six came in from the left flank six from the right thatch called the weave but his pilots
23:04hesitated which threat do you counter when threats are coming from three directions lieutenant bassett chose
23:10the high zeros turned into them but that exposed his right flank to the right side group ensign sheedy
23:17turned to cover bassett's right but that broke the weave pattern with his own wingman suddenly all four
23:22pairs were fragmented eight wildcats fighting independently exactly what the japanese wanted thatch saw it
23:30happening saw the weave collapsing keyed his radio reform pairs lock onto your wingmen execute standard weave ignore
23:39the other groups his pilots heard him bassett turned hard toward his wingman found him locked in they executed
23:48the weave even with zeros attacking from multiple directions the high zeros dove bassett turned toward his
23:55wingman the zeros followed flew into his wingman's guns two zeros exploded the others pulled up the left
24:03group tried next came in at 14 000 feet fatch and his wingman executed the weave one zero committed flew
24:11through
24:11the crossing pattern took 50 caliber rounds through the cockpit fell away smoking the right group attacked
24:18sheedy's pair same result we've held zero crashed after eight minutes the japanese had lost five zeros the americans
24:28had lost zero wildcats the coordinated three-direction attack had failed the zeros climbed away but thatch knew
24:36something critical had just happened the japanese had adapted they'd studied the weave they'd developed
24:43counter tactics the fact that the counter tactics failed didn't matter what mattered was japanese command
24:51was taking the weave seriously taking it seriously enough to train pilots specifically to defeat it that
25:00evening thatch filed a combat report described the three-direction attack described how the weave held even under
25:08coordinated assault recommended immediate widespread adoption no more testing no more evaluation the weave
25:17worked against standard tactics it worked against adapted tactics it worked period the report reached admiral
25:26nimitz on june 25th nimitz forwarded it to admiral king commander-in-chief of the u.s fleet king read
25:33it
25:34read the kill ratios read the survival statistics zero american losses five japanese losses eight wild cats
25:43versus 18 zeros on june 29th admiral king issued fleet order 41-1942 all fighter squadrons in the pacific fleet
25:52would immediately adopt the thatch weave as standard combat doctrine mandatory training for all pilots mandatory
25:59execution in all engagements the matchstick trick was now official u.s navy tactics but orders from
26:06washington took time to reach every squadron time to train pilots time to practice the pattern and the
26:11japanese weren't waiting on july 7th over guadalcanal 32 zeros would attack 12 wildcats from six different
26:18squadrons some squadrons knew the weave some didn't and the ones that didn't would learn the hard way why
26:25thatch had been teaching matches for five months july 7th 1942 guadalcanal 12 wildcats from six
26:33different squadrons flew combat air patrol over henderson field four pilots had trained on the
26:38thatch weave eight had not at 11 20 a.m 32 zeros appeared from the north the four pilots who
26:45knew the
26:45weave immediately paired up executed the pattern the eight who didn't know it fought independently
26:51traditional one versus one dog fighting 22 minutes later six wildcats were shot down
26:58all six were pilots who fought independently the four pilots using the weave survived without damage
27:03they claimed seven zero kills between them admiral halsey read that combat report and immediately
27:09issued orders every fighter pilot in the south pacific would learn the thatch weave within two weeks
27:15no exceptions training programs started on july 10th thatch flew to guadalcanal spent three weeks
27:22teaching the weave to every squadron on the island morning briefings afternoon flight training evening
27:29debriefs he showed pilots the matches drew the diagrams flew demonstration patterns some pilots
27:36learned in two days others needed a week but every pilot learned by august 1st 96 wildcat pilots could
27:43execute the weave by september 1st 214 pilots the tactics spread from the pacific to the atlantic from
27:51carriers to land bases from wildcats to other aircraft types p38 lightning squadrons started using it
27:58p40 warhawk squadrons even some bomber formations adapted the crossing pattern for defensive purposes
28:04the results were immediate and dramatic in june 1942 before the weave became doctrine american fighters had
28:12a kill to loss ratio of 0.4 to 1 against zeros for every 10 american fighters lost americans shot
28:19down
28:19four zeros by october 1942 after widespread weave adoption the ratio was 2.1 to 1 americans were
28:27shooting down two zeros for every wildcat lost japanese pilots hated it radio intercepts from september
28:35showed japanese squadron commanders warning pilots about the american crossing pattern do not commit to
28:41tail chase do not follow american fighters into their wingman's guns disengage if americans execute
28:49coordination tactics but disengaging meant losing the fight meant letting american fighters protect their
28:56bombers meant giving up air superiority the zero was still faster and more maneuverable than the wildcat
29:03but speed and maneuverability meant nothing if you couldn't get guns on target and the weave made
29:10it almost impossible to get guns on target by january 1943 the thatch weave was standard doctrine across all
29:18u.s fighter squadrons army air force adopted it marine corps adopted it british royal navy pilots started
29:26learning it for their carriers the tactic that started with two matches on a desk in san diego
29:32had become the foundation of allied fighter doctrine thatch received the navy cross in february 1943
29:39the citation read for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the development of fighter
29:45tactics that have saved numerous american lives and contributed significantly to the success of u.s naval
29:52aviation operations but thatch didn't care about medals he cared about numbers in the six months before
30:00the weave the pacific fleet lost 137 wildcats in combat with zeros in the six months after the weave
30:08became doctrine the fleet lost 41 wildcats 96 pilots who came home because two matches could cross paths
30:18fighter command assigned thatch to training duty in march 1943 pulled him from combat operations sent him back
30:25to san diego to teach the weave to new pilots he hated it hated being away from the fight but
30:32command
30:33told him he was more valuable as an instructor than as a combat pilot more valuable teaching the trick
30:39than using it thatch trained pilots for 18 months talk the weave to over 800 naval aviators every one of
30:47those pilots took the tactic to combat every one of them survived situations they shouldn't have survived and
30:53every one of them told other pilots about the commander who saved their lives with matchsticks
30:59the war ended in august 1945 thatch was 40 years old he'd flown 73 combat missions scored six confirmed
31:07kills received the navy cross two distinguished flying crosses and three air medals but none of that
31:14compared to the number that mattered over 2 000 american pilots survived the war because they knew how to
31:20weave after the war ended thatch faced a choice stay in the navy or return to civilian life his wife
31:27wanted him home his children barely knew him he'd been gone for four years but staying in the navy meant
31:33continuing to teach continuing to save lives what would a man who saved 2 000 pilots with matchsticks do
31:41when the shooting stopped john thatch stayed in the navy he couldn't walk away from teaching couldn't walk
31:47away from pilots who needed to survive he spent the next 27 years training fighter pilots developing
31:54tactics saving lives without firing a shot the navy promoted him to commander in 1946 captain in 1952
32:04rear admiral in 1960. he commanded carrier groups during the korean war never flew combat again but his
32:11pilots did and every one of them knew the weave korean war fighter pilots called it the thatch weave
32:18officially no other tactic in military history carried a pilot's name while he was still alive
32:24during vietnam the weave evolved f-4 phantom pilots adapted it for supersonic speeds called it fluid four
32:31formation same principle same crossing pattern different speeds american pilots used it against north
32:39vietnamese migs the mig-17 could outturn the f-4 just like the zero outturned the wildcat but the weave
32:46worked at 600 miles per hour the same way it worked at 300 thatch retired from the navy in 1973
32:53four-star
32:54admiral 40 years of service he moved back to san diego lived quietly didn't talk much about the war didn't
33:03talk about midway or guadalcanal or the 2000 pilots when reporters asked about the weave he always said the
33:11same thing it wasn't genius it was desperation i just wanted my boys to come home fighter pilots never
33:19forgot him every year on february 10th the anniversary of the first weave combat test naval aviators from around
33:27the country would call thatch thank him tell him stories about how the weave saved their lives or their
33:34wingman's life thatch listened to every story remembered every name the navy named a building
33:41after him in 1981 thatch hall at naval air station pensacola fighter pilot training facility every naval
33:50aviator who earns their wings walks past a bronze plaque with thatch's face and three words innovate
33:58adapt survive thatch died on april 15th 2001 86 years old his funeral at arlington national cemetery drew
34:09over 300 naval aviators many were in their 70s and 80s men who'd flown wildcats in 1943 men who'd flown
34:17phantoms
34:18in 1967 men who'd flown hornets in 1991 all of them alive because one commander thought about matchsticks
34:26today the thatch weave is still taught at every fighter pilot school in the united states military navy
34:34air force marines modern versions adapted for stealth fighters and beyond visual range combat
34:41but the principle never changed two aircraft protecting each other turning toward each other crossing paths
34:52the national naval aviation museum in pensacola has thatch's original pack of matches preserved in a glass
34:59case next to a model f4f wildcat the label says lieutenant commander john thatch used these matches to
35:05develop the tactical innovation that saved over 2 000 american pilots during world war ii school groups walk
35:12past that case every day most don't stop but fighter pilots always stop they look at those matches they
35:20understand if this story moved you the way it moved us do me a favor hit that like button every
35:27single
35:27like tells youtube to show this story to more people hit subscribe and turn on notifications we're
35:33rescuing forgotten stories from dusty archives every week stories about pilots and commanders who saved
35:39lives with matchsticks and courage real people real heroism drop a comment right now and tell us where
35:46you're watching from are you watching from texas germany australia japan our community stretches across
35:53the entire world you're not just a viewer you're part of keeping these memories alive tell us your location
35:59tell us if someone in your family served just let us know you're here thank you for watching and thank
36:05you
36:05for making sure john thatch doesn't disappear into silence these men deserve to be remembered and you're helping make
36:12that happen