A couple of points about the Vindicators on Midway. I believe that prior to Pearl Harbor the Marine Vindicator Squadron at Ewa flew en mass to Midway, up the island chain. The photo of the burning Vindicator at Ewa on 7 Dec is one of their reserve aircraft. The aircraft were at Midway until the battle, probably in the open, as Midway was a transit point before the Japanese increased its importance. Recall that the rear fuselage of the aircraft is fabric. The photo of the two aircraft taking off to attack the Japanese fleet shows what appears to be white stripes on the rear fuselage. It is surgical adhesive tape, which on the old days was fabric, and nigh impossible to remove- my Mother was a Nurse. The tape was to keep the fabric from letting go, it needed to be replaced, and they hadn't been able to do so. Bare base facilities. Also, the Vindicators were painted overall gray when they and other Navy tactical aircraft went into camouflage, later the uppers were painted blue-gray, per the next change. Some of the Vindicators were described as being "mottled", leading me to believe the blue-gray was a hasty paint job, and sitting in the sun and the tropical rains on Midway, and usage tended to erode the camouflage.
A little food for thought.
