After watching the movie “Midway” this past Memorial Day weekend, I went to IMDB to check out some factoids on the film. There was a thread there discussing whether or not the Battle of Midway truly was the turning point in the Pacific theater. IMHO there is no question that it was, but it was an interesting debate.
Well, the tide was turning, but there was still Guadalcanal and a lot of fighting left to keep it in going the right direction.
The movie is largely based on the writings of I believe commander Fuchida and is factually wrong in many details
To learn what really happened, read Shattered Sword by Jon Parshall. The book was recommended by a now departed Freeper and changed my thinking on the battle. It is agreat historical document and people will be reading it forever as the definitive work
It is a truly outstanding historical work based on actual Japanese Naval records that have become available and that contradict the self serving Fuchida.
The book describes the Japanese bravado and unpreparedness to fight the battle. They did not have all their carriers and those they did have were way under strength. The carriers themselves were incapable of fighting a contested air battle because the flight management and damage control did not allow victory against a halfway decent air foe.
Moreover, the Japanese lacked the ability to carry out a landing and invasion against the Americans on Midway. Had there been no Naval battle, the landing force would likely have failed. Thus, the whole Japanese operation was something of a grand fiasco