Here’s Why The Brewster Buffalo Is Considered One Of The Worst Fighter Planes Ever Made – SlashGear

Aircraft carriers were the superior weapon of the day. In June of 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy was approaching Midway, a U.S.-held island in the Pacific, where multiple aircraft carriers deployed with the intention to invade. Over the course of the battle, Allied pilots flying Buffalos fought hard, but were unable to outmaneuver the much faster Zeros. They proved to be almost totally ineffective against Imperial Japan’s carrier-borne air fleet. 

Fortunately, planes like the torpedo bomber SBD Dauntless picked up the slack and succeeded in sinking four aircraft carriers, the Akagi, the Kaga, the Hiryu, and the Soryu, crippling the Imperial Navy for essentially the rest of the war. The Imperial Japanese Navy retreated, and Midway was won by the Allies. But the damage was done with regard to the Buffalo. Its dismal performance during resulted in early retirement after Midway. It was then used as a trainer plane in a limited capacity for the remainder of the war.

According to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a crashed F2A-3 Buffalo was found in the waters near Midway in 2012, 70 years after the battle. It had crashed in a storm, and the pilot, fortunately, was able to bail out in time.