Major Henderson was appointed the Squadron Commander of a group of SBD Dauntless Dive bombers on the Island of Midway on April 17, 1942. On June 4, 1942, the Japanese bombed the island of Midway in preparation for an invasion. In response, Major Henderson and his squadron took to the skies to attack the approaching Japanese fleet. During the attack, Japanese Zeros shot Henderson and other pilots down, but not before they delayed the Japanese enough for later attacks that resulted in a huge win for the United States.