The USS Marblehead (CL-12) passes the heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30) in Tjilitjap, Java, on the morning of 6 February 1942.
Posted on 06/04/2023 6:12:16 AM PDT by Jacquerie
Battle of Midway, (June 3–6, 1942), World War II naval battle, fought almost entirely with aircraft.
The Midway Islands were claimed for the United States on July 5, 1859, by Capt. N.C. Brooks. The coral atoll—consisting of Eastern Island and the larger Sand Island to the west—has a total land area of just 2.4 square miles (6.2 square km). Midway was formally annexed by the U.S. in 1867. A coal depot was established for transpacific steamers, but it was never used.
It was World War II which conclusively demonstrated the strategic importance of Midway. In 1940 the U.S. Navy began work on a major air and submarine base there. By the following year Eastern Island would boast three runways, while on Sand Island a seaplane hangar was built for a squadron of PBY Catalina flying boats.
So prominent was Midway in Japanese war planning that it was included in the opening offensive of the Pacific War on December 7–8, 1941. Roughly 12 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese destroyers Sazanami and Ushio bombarded the power plant and seaplane hangar on Sand Island.
Despite a strategic setback at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4–8, 1942), the Japanese had continued with plans to seize the Midway Islands and bases in the Aleutians. Seeking a naval showdown with the numerically inferior U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Yamamoto Isoroku sent out the bulk of the Kidō Butai (“Mobile Force”), a massive carrier battle group under the command of Vice Adm. Nagumo Chuichi. The 4 heavy aircraft carriers Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, and Soryu were supplemented by 2 light aircraft carriers, 2 seaplane carriers, 7 battleships, 15 cruisers, 42 destroyers, 10 submarines, and various support and escort vessels.
Their orders were to destroy the American fleet and invade Midway.
(Excerpt) Read more at britannica.com ...
The point of Midway was to force FDR to sue for peace.
The Japs had no intention of invading and holding the Hawaiian Islands.
Quite right.
With many thanks to Henry Ford, American youth were far more “mechanized” than young Japs.
Links are no workee.
If they are the Parshall-based YouTubers, they are great.
Encyclopedia Britannica isn't what it used to be.
I thought Tora, Tora, Tora was pretty realistic and I believe historically accurate.
TTT was based upon Gordon Prange’s difinitive work and was pretty much based upon witness/participant testimony. If only Hollywood could combine such a respect for actual history with CGI capabilities today.
From Google: “Prange was a popular lecturer at the University of Maryland. The Terrapin, the university’s yearbook, said of his World War I and World War II history classes: “Students flock to his class and sit enraptured as he animates the pages of twentieth century European history through his goosesteps, ‘Sieg Heils’, ‘Achtungs’, machine gun retorts and frantic gestures.”
He would probably be run off the campus today. He would hurt the feelings of too many students. I would have loved to have taken his classes. Students at the University of Maryland were lucky to have taken his courses.
Agree. Nothing more fun & interesting than a history teacher who is passionate about their subject.
This satire was cribbed from FreeRepublic: https://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_jokes_200510220.asp
“Agree. Nothing more fun & interesting than a history teacher who is passionate about their subject.”
I can think of one: an economics professor who is passionate about his or her subject. Just kidding-I taught economics for about 30 years but I passionate about it-but nothing compared to Professor Prange.
It is amazing that the US military has such capacity to collect every form of electronic communications on the planet. Too bad that the communists have taken over the USA and are now using it against us.
The funny thing is the earlier 70’s version vs 2010’s was more Woke. Probably the only example of an earlier movie being the one that’s too PC.
Not enough credit was given to the USS Yorktown damage control group.
They were able to get an already damaged Yorktown from the Battle of the Coral Sea back into action within an hour of the three bomb hits. If the Yorktown wasn’t underway and still burning the Hiryu torpedo planes go after the Enterprise and Hornet instead and sink or badly damage at least one of them.
The battle then becomes Hiryu against an American aircraft carrier with a large battle surface fleet a day away to sink any aircraft carrier not underway.
Turned the IJN back after a long winning streak. In the next three years we would build over thirty new carriers. The Japanese, none.
I thought the point of Midway was to push the USN further east to prevent another Doolittle raid which was a major embarrassment for the IJN. There was a simultaneous invasion of the Aleutians, which was meant to lure the USN north, but thanks to code breakers, the US did not bite. Establishing airbases in the Aleutians was intended to protect the home islands.
Exceptionally detailed, animated recounts of the battle, told from both perspectives with the information they had to help see how they reached their decisions.
And stoner Woody Harrelson as Chester Nimitz?!
“.....still want to see a sweeping movie made about the Battle of Leyte Gulf”
I would like to see that...my father was a 17 yr old navy guy in the middle of that battle...he never talked about it, tho.
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None of your links work. I’m getting this reply.
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