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To: Jacquerie

Good reminder.
We were very lucky.

I’m not one who thinks breaking the code made victory automatic. We knew their general direction and their target. That meant they were in an area of a gazillion square miles.

We got some really good breaks like radio failures on their float planes, timing of our uncoordinated torpedo attacks that pulled their CAP to the surface, Nagumo becoming flustered and ordering rearming when he could have hit us with HE ordinance (our carriers had wooden decks).

I’ve read the naval academy uses the most sophisticated technology and fights the battle over as a war game every year. That we have never pulled such a one sided victory in any scenario since WW2.


6 posted on 06/04/2024 4:29:19 AM PDT by Phoenix8
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To: Phoenix8

At Midway, we were lucky with bombs.
Torpedos are the real ship sinkers.
The Yorktown was heavily damaged by aerial torpedos, and sunk by sub launched torpedos.
For the IJN torpedo bombers to hit a moving ship with bombs would much more difficult and dangerous than a torpedo attack. Plus, the bombs they loaded with were fused for surface bursts, damaging for ships, but not ship sinkers. A greater question is his course change to the NorthEast, and not West.

On Youtube, Montemayor has some excellent presentations on Midway, and some other actions.

Students, or others who have refought the battle are hampered, knowing too much or not enough, and will almost never get the same results.


15 posted on 06/04/2024 5:24:21 AM PDT by JackFromTexas (- Not For Hire -)
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To: Phoenix8

Heroic aviators and a huge helping of luck.


20 posted on 06/04/2024 6:57:58 AM PDT by Romulus
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