Posted on 05/18/2009 9:54:09 AM PDT by Notoriously Conservative
A color documentary short that portrays the decisive battle of Midway. The naval/air confrontation between the carrier forces of Japan and the U.S. is considered to be the turning point of World War II in the Pacific. Directed by John Ford
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle, widely regarded as the most important of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. It took place between 4-7 June, 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States Navy decisively defeated an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) attack against Midway Atoll, inflicting irreparable damage on the Japanese navy and seizing the strategic initiative.
The Japanese operation, like the earlier attack on Pearl Harbor, aimed to eliminate the United States as a strategic Pacific power, thereby giving Japan a free hand in establishing its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. It was hoped another demoralizing defeat would force the U.S. to negotiate an end to the Pacific War on conditions favorable to Japan.
The Japanese plan was designed to lure the United States' few remaining carriers into a trap. The Japanese also intended to occupy Midway Atoll as part of an overall plan to extend their defensive perimeter in response to the Doolittle Raid. This operation was considered preparatory for further attacks against Fiji and Samoa. The plan was handicapped by faulty Japanese assumptions of American reaction and poor initial dispositions.
American codebreakers were able to determine the date and location of the attack, enabling the forewarned U.S. Navy to set up an ambush of its own. Four Japanese aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser were sunk in exchange for one American aircraft carrier and a destroyer. The heavy losses, particularly the four fleet carriers and their aircrews, permanently weakened the Imperial Japanese Navy.Japan was unable to keep pace with American shipbuilding and pilot training programs in providing replacements.
It's an excellent read. Be sure to check out the introduction at the link above. It explains the book in much more detail.
Not sure what they can do to change the loss of 4 carriers, or the facts that the planning was not as stringent as for Pearl.
The Japanese made a LOT of mistakes from the begining, the lack of more scouting of Pearl, or of the area in front of the fleet. The lack of training the fliers, no flexibility for the orders given, especially if the U.S. fleet arrived earlier rather than later.
Had the Japanese planned the Midway campaign based on intelligence reports, instead of guessing, it might have been a totally different outcome.
But the Japanese did make mistakes, by not having half the fleet armed for ship to ship attack, the time needed to rearm was too long, enabling U.S aircraft to catch them flat-footed. By concentrating the carriers together instead of spread out, made them even easier targets. Hiryu falling behind in recovering aircraft is a good example of that. Kaga, Akagi, and Soryu were too close in formation and too easy a target. Had the fleet turned South instead of NE, the American forces would have missed them altogether.
So many things that make up winners and losers. In our case, God, dumb luck, the Great Pumpkin or whatever gave the American fleet a break.
The Corsair was in development and the Lightning was deployed before the US had an example of a Zero to play with. Both were excellent Zero killers. There is some truth that the F6F was designed to pit its strength’s against the Zero’s weaknesses.
However, well before the Hellcat or Corsair became available, American aviators had developed tactics to deal with Zero, like the “Thach Weave.” They fighting on even terms or better using Wildcats and P-40s. By the time the Corsairs and Hellcats became available in large numbers, the balance had already tilted in favor of the Allies.
A good book on this is Fire In The Sky: The Air War In The South Pacific by Eric M Bergerud.
Many thanks. We wrote it using their information.
Has any Japanese historian written about Midway? We’ve written plenty about Pearl, Viet Nam, and all kinds of tactical or strategic defeats - and pretty critically.
I’m starting to see more Japanese write about Unit 731.
Read the Introduction at the link provided before you rush to attach a negative connotation to “re-interpretations”.
I recall some movie where I think it was Midway where they didn’t know WHAT island the Japs were attacking because of the code. The Americans then put out a false report of “water pump is broken on Midway...” (or something), and heard the Jap’s radio chatter regarding it and figured out it was Midway.
Although I seem to recall that part was historically accurate.
There are unsubstantiated accounts that the IJN picked up American survivors then executed them.
That’s the version I read but I can’t find anything substantial when I search for it.
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