Posted on 06/04/2021 10:02:44 AM PDT by Retain Mike
Dead reckoning navigation in a piston-engined aircraft, in a combat situation, with limited fuel...that is enough to make a man sitting in a comfortable chair under a dry roof pucker his sphincter.
Probably the most important air/sea battle in modern combat. Certainly a turning point in the Pacific in WW2. All down here for the Japs after Midway though it was a brutal tough slug island hopping afterwards. Probably go down in history as the apex of the “Carrier” navy battle as aircraft carriers are becoming outdated due to missile technology. And I’m pretty sure most of the flying in those days was VFR (or deadheading), amazing what they pulled off without the advanced electronics of today. Enjoyed the post.
Another wonderful book about Midway is “Joe Rochefort’s War”.
Joe and his cryptanalyst’s saved the day, and turned the tide. Instead of being honored as a genius, he was subsequently given command of a floating drydock. Huge waste of talent and skill. Nimitz should have protected him by assigning Joe to his staff. King and the politics in the Navy Department never fully appreciated Joe and his contributions. Excellent book...enjoy.
Yep no GPS. And the carriers couldn’t broadcast a homing signal. All they got is compasses and dead reckoning. And balls of steel.
I have had that on my list for a while.
One of the most fascinating books I have ever read on the subject was “Shattered Sword” that really filled in a lot of what what going on over in the IJN during that battle, the differences in the way carrier operations were conducted, damage control...radio communications(!!!), Combat Air Control, and even anti-aircraft techniques.
Simply astonishing, and I consider myself well read on the subject, and there was so much I didn’t know.
Balls of Steel indeed. Those were men.
Funny, I very much enjoyed the recent movie iteration of “Midway” (though I likely would have liked it even more if they had exhumed James Cagney and brought him back!)
I had read enough and knew all about Aviation Machinist Mate Bruno Peter Gaido who jumped into a parked SBD on the flight deck to fire at a plunging Japanese aircraft, which sliced his aircraft in half! When I saw the movie, walking out I heard someone say (a younger person) “That can’t be for real...”
I had to laugh at that. It was like the time I walked out of seeing Apollo 13 in the movies, and a young teenage couple were in front of us and the girl said “I’m glad the movie ended that way!” as if it didn’t actually happen in real life...:)
The greatest generation. A thank you to each and every one, heros all.
Midway was surprisingly accurate. There is not much to criticize about it, historically. Though picking an America-hater like Woody Harrelson to be Nimitz was a joke.
Our history seems unbelievable sometimes. How far we’ve fallen since then. If those sailors and soldiers and aviators could see the future 2020, they would have never believed it. It seems to me that their sacrifice has been for nothing. As of now, all of the wars, all of the sacrifices and deaths since the nation’s inception were all for nothing. Although it wasn’t the Redcoats, or the Nazis or Imperial Japan that won, the damned Communists have won after all.
Huge red oak on my property, well over a hundred years old died last summer. Heartbreaking that it died on my watch. Just like the country.
I think I will watch Midway tonight to honor those that lost their lives that fateful day.
Fascinating!
Joe’s assistant, Jasper Holmes wrote an excellent book about the code breaking. “Double Edged Secrets.”
Fascinating group of guys..
I was surprised that they showed the captured American pilots being shoved into the ocean with the weights tied to them, the way things are now, and all. Many Americans today know nothing of that.
I enjoyed the movie with the CGI-I could never get over the old “Midway” movie, I would watch it and think “Oh, come on. That is an Essex class carrier...”
I know you have to suspend criticism sometimes, but I could never look past it.
Back when DVDs were cutting edge technology, I bought a copy of, "A Bridge Too Far," which had some added features including a, "making of," documentary. In the film, Anthony Hopkins plays LTC John Frost who commanded the battalion of British paratroopers that went, "a bridge too far," and got trapped in Arnhem. The real John Frost was hired as a technical consultant for the film.
In an interview with Hopkins he related how in one scene he had to run across a street between a house the British had fortified, and a train station being used as a field expedient hospital for his wounded. The street was covered by German fire, and so Hopkins ran, ducking and dodging across the street. The real John Frost intervened, scolding Hopkins and telling him no British office worth his measure would ever let his soldiers see him ducking and dodging like that as it would induce panic. Frost stated that if they wanted to portray the scene as it actually happened, Hopkins should walk upright, move quickly, smartly and directly to where he intended to go, oblivious to the bullets and explosions around him.
The film makers rejected the reality suggested by Frost under the assumption the audience would not believe it.
Outstanding historical narrative, thanks!
The sacrifice made by the torpedo bomber squadron was staggering.
LOL, that reminds me of a scene I read about in “Colder Than Hell” about the Chosin Reservoir campaign, and a 6’5” Lieutanant (Joseph Owen) wanted to duck to the ground under fire, but he was near a Chinese American officer (Chew-En Lee) who probably stood a foot shorter than him, and had a habit of bravery in the face of fire that others thought insane, even as he wore large multicolored panels over his shoulders (that were used to help identify his troops as friendly to pilots providing air support) because he thought it helped his own troops to recognize him better, and that was important to him.
Chew-En Lee had a chip on his shoulder about being an Asian Marine officer, and felt he had to show leadership to prove he was as good as anyone.
Lt. Owen and Chew-En Lee were standing in the open with fire popping the dirt all around him, and Owen wanted to hit the dirt in the worst way, but Chew-En Lee was just adamant about standing there with those bright panels draped all over him...:)
So he stood there too, all 6’5” of him bent at an angle ready to dive to the deck but..unable to.
Just finished an outstanding trilogy of the history of the Pacific war by Ian Toll. Very detailed with a lot of stuff not read before.
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