Cover art for The Silver Waterfall, a novel of historical fiction about the Battle of Midway, by Kevin Miller (June 2020 release)
Thursday morning, June 4th, 1942. The first division of Bombing Squadron SIX (VB-6), based on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), dives at 70 degrees and 240 KIAS on the Imperial Japanese Navy Fleet Carrier Akagi 150 miles northwest of Midway Atoll. The lead Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless was flown by VB-6 commanding officer LT Richard H. "Dick" Best. In the painting LT Best has just toggled his 1,000 lb. high-explosive bomb, and his wingmen, LT (j.g.) E. J. Kroeger and ENS F. T. Weber, follow behind. Fused to detonate 1/100 second after impact, their bombs scored one direct hit amidships and two very near misses on Akagi. The resulting conflagration, fueled by fully loaded and fueled aircraft in her hangar bay, crippled the huge aircraft carrier, effectively taking her out of the fight. Akagi's rudder was also damaged by one of the near misses off the rear of the ship, leaving it unable to maneuver defensively. The great ship was doomed.
The Battle of Midway of 4-6 June 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor, marked a turning point in the Pacific war. Four Japanese carriers were sunk, and from that summer until the end of the war the Allied forces were on the offensive. For his determined attack and aggressive leadership in the face of the enemy in this and a critical followup strike later that afternoon, LT Richard H. Best was awarded the Navy Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross.
The concept drawing (18.75 x 14 in., graphite on paper)
Cover art for The Silver Waterfall, a novel of historical fiction about the Battle of Midway, by Kevin Miller (June 2020 release)
Thursday morning, June 4th, 1942. The first division of Bombing Squadron SIX (VB-6), based on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), dives at 70 degrees and 240 KIAS on the Imperial Japanese Navy Fleet Carrier Akagi 150 miles northwest of Midway Atoll. The lead Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless was flown by VB-6 commanding officer LT Richard H. "Dick" Best. In the painting LT Best has just toggled his 1,000 lb. high-explosive bomb, and his wingmen, LT (j.g.) E. J. Kroeger and ENS F. T. Weber, follow behind. Fused to detonate 1/100 second after impact, their bombs scored one direct hit amidships and two very near misses on Akagi. The resulting conflagration, fueled by fully loaded and fueled aircraft in her hangar bay, crippled the huge aircraft carrier, effectively taking her out of the fight. Akagi's rudder was also damaged by one of the near misses off the rear of the ship, leaving it unable to maneuver defensively. The great ship was doomed.
The Battle of Midway of 4-6 June 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor, marked a turning point in the Pacific war. Four Japanese carriers were sunk, and from that summer until the end of the war the Allied forces were on the offensive. For his determined attack and aggressive leadership in the face of the enemy in this and a critical followup strike later that afternoon, LT Richard H. Best was awarded the Navy Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross.
The concept drawing (18.75 x 14 in., graphite on paper)