Thach Weave
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The Thach weave is an aerial combat tactic that was developed by naval aviator John S. Thach and named by James H. Flatley of the United States Navy soon after the United States' entry into World War II.
An example of the Thach weave: An enemy following planes A or B is vulnerable to attack from C and D.
John Thach
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John Smith Thach was a World War II Naval Aviator, air combat tactician, and United States Navy admiral. Thach developed the Thach Weave, a combat flight formation which could counter enemy fighters of superior performance, and later the big blue blanket, an aerial defense against kamikaze attacks.
Official Navy portrait of Admiral John S. Thach
LCDR John S. Thach wearing M-450 helmet, AN6530 goggles and inflatable life vest, 1942.
Thach (right) teaches new pilots.
Captain John S. Thach (right) as commanding officer of the escort aircraft carrier USS Sicily (CVE-118) during the Korean War, discussing a mission with two United States Marine Corps pilots, Major Robert P. Keller (center) and First lieutenant Roland B. Heilman (left), from his ship while aboard Sicily off the Korean Peninsula.