Richard Halsey Best

His grandfather Edward Best emigrated to the United States from England in the 1800s, living first in Wisconsin where he mustered into "F" Company of the 13th Wisconsin Infantry during the American Civil War, and later moving to California and then Oregon in his old age.

Edward's son Burt Best, born in California in 1878 would later be the father of Richard H. Best.

Richard Halsey Best (March 24, 1910 – October 28, 2001) was a dive bomber pilot and squadron commander in the United States Navy during World War II.

Richard H. Best was born in New Jersey in 1910.

Richard married Doris Avis Albro (November 21, 1914 – December 6, 1968) on June 24, 1932, in Washington, D.C., and they divorced on January 24, 1966.

Richard H. Best was appointed to the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in 1928, having graduated with honors in 1932.

His classmates included Bruce McCandless, Henry Munson, and Lloyd Mustin.

He served for two years aboard the light cruiser USS Richmond (CL-9).

In 1934 he was transferred to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, as a naval aviation student.

He completed his flight training in December 1935.

His first assignment was Fighting Squadron Two (VF-2B) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), flying the Grumman F2F.

In June 1938, Best was given the choice to either join a patrol squadron at Panama or Hawaii, or become a flight instructor at Pensacola: he chose Pensacola, and was assigned to instruct Training Squadron Five.

Anticipating what was probably coming, after a year and some months of instructing, Best decided that he could be of most use as a dive bomber pilot.

He put in a request for a transfer to the Pacific Fleet in that capacity.

On May 31, 1940, Best received orders to join Bombing Squadron Six (VB-6), which was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6).

Upon arrival at the squadron's base on land, Naval Air Station North Island, California, on June 10, Best was made flight officer (operations officer) of the squadron, who was third-in-command.

On December 7, 1941, Best was aboard Enterprise awaiting her return to port when he learned (along with most of VB-6) that several of his squadmates on morning search had flown into the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

That evening, he flew in the first Enterprise strike of the war as one of six SBDs carrying smoke generators.

His group was tasked with providing cover for Lieutenant Eugene E. Lindsey's torpedo bombers should they find the Japanese carriers.

However, the strike found nothing, and Best's group returned to Enterprise without incident, although he later called the resulting night landing "the worst...of [his] 330 carrier landings."

Stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6), Best led his dive bomber squadron at the 1942 Battle of Midway, sinking two Japanese aircraft carriers in one day, before being medically retired that same year due to damage to his lungs caused by breathing bad oxygen during the battle.

By early 1942, after the war in the Pacific had begun, he had advanced to executive officer (XO), a standard navy term for second-in-command, under his close friend and USNA classmate, William Hollingsworth, known as "Holly," as commander.

Best subsequently became squadron commander in time for the Battle of Midway.

Best saw his first real combat on February 1, 1942, flying in two strikes against the Marshall Islands.

At dawn, he led VB-6's second division as part of a full-scale strike against Japanese shipping off Kwajalein.

Before noon, he led eight SBDs from VB-6 and one from VS-6 to attack Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll, a mission that would cost him one plane.

On February 24, 1942, Best took part in the attack of Wake Island by the Enterprise Air Group, and on March 4 Marcus Island was attacked.

After these raids Enterprise returned to Pearl Harbor and accompanied USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Doolittle Raid in mid-April.

Both carriers then sped to the south, but were too late to take part in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Both carriers and their sister ship USS Yorktown (CV-5) were then recalled to participate in what was to be the Battle of Midway.

After contact reports from Midway-based PBY Catalina patrol aircraft on the morning of June 4, 1942, Enterprise started to launch her air group starting at 07:06.

Under the overall command of the air group commander (CAG) Lt.Cdr. Wade McClusky were 14 TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers of Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6), 34 SBDs of VB-6 and VS-6, and ten F4F-4 Wildcat fighters of Fighting Squadron 6 (VF-6).

However, the squadrons became separated and reached the Japanese independently.

Only the dive bombers stayed together and reached the Japanese by 09:55.

At about 10:22, the Enterprise dive bombers (minus three that had dropped out with engine trouble) started to attack the two nearest Japanese carriers, JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Kaga and JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Akagi.

At this point, the attack became confused, as all 31 remaining Dauntlesses moved to attack Kaga.

Best expected to attack according to U.S. dive bomber doctrine, which stated that the trailing squadron (VB-6) would attack the nearer target (in this case Kaga), while the leading squadron (VS-6) would take the farther of the two (here Akagi).

This was later explained as a radio error due to multiple people speaking at the same time.

McClusky had been a fighter pilot prior to becoming Air Group Commander and was very familiar with dive bombing doctrine.

McClusky's decision to lead his squadron in attacking the closer Kaga was in keeping with doctrine that stated it was the commander on the scene that could make the decision as to what target to bomb.