Posted on 02/08/2021 11:28:26 PM PST by Berlin_Freeper
This is part one of a three part video series covering Operation MI. As you can see I spent a considerable amount of time covering Nagumo’s Dilemma. To me it's one of most striking examples of how tough it can be for a commander to make a decision based on the information at hand. I found that to be the most interesting aspect of the battle.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtu.be ...
The Battle of Midway: The American Perspective and The Strategic Consequences of the Battle (3/3)
Pearl Harbor & Beyond: Conquest of the Japanese Empire
You will find about a dozen with differing views of the battle at Midway...
However, it was the many huge naval battles associated with Guadalcanal that gives the most comprehensive and interesting history of the early stages of WWII pacific theatre when the U.S. was hanging on by its fingernails...
There are dozens of videos of those naval battles... Some were the largest naval battles in world history...
This collection of more than 600 Pacific Theatre videos contains much film of Japanese origin as well...
Ping
Thanks for adding.
Hory clap!
CC
Hanging by it’s fingers is sort of accurate. But not quite. The USN’s problems in late 1942 were primarily an equipment shortage, not enough carriers, not enough tankers.
Then in 1943 the Essex carrier Pez Dispenser opened up...
No matter what happened in 1942, the USN was going to hit the Japanese Empire with overwhelming force in 1943 - 1944.
The Japanese did have a strategy to deal with that. Basically, as long as they had more carriers than the Americans could produce in a year they could periodically swamp them, defeat them, and keep their numbers inferior. Dan Carlin referred to this strategy as "mowing the lawn". It's not a great strategy. It meant that they could not afford to lose a single big battle, and unfortunately for them that happened at Midway.
Wonder what their feelings were about Matt Garth. After all he single-handedly destroyed the Hiryu.
Ping
His view was the only good Jap was a dead one. After witnessing the atrocities they committed
BIL fought under Merrill to Myitkyina (pronounced "Mitchinaw". The other BIL served on the 2nd LADY LEXINGTON. Plank owner.
None of them talked much about the war
That certainly affected U.S. strategies...
However, as most of the early, post Midway, naval battles showed, the USN was consistent in the rookie errors committed during battle...
Things didn't turn around until Halsey replaced the incompetents and turned things around...
If you listen to the post-battle reports in late 1942 and early 1943, those errors cost many lives and ships...
However, the USN listened and learned and became unstoppable by late 1943...
Japanese sailor: “We did not think the Americans would sink our ships. Boy were we wrong!”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.