[massgopguy]

How’s the Water Purification Unit looking now Naguma?

[Paladin2]

"all that was left in the way of aircraft carriers after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. "

Uh, no carriers where hit at PH.

[Hugin]

The damaged carrier Yorktown had to be repaired in a mere three days, to be used along with the Enterprise and Hornet, all that was left in the way of aircraft carriers after the bombing at Pearl Harbor.

Fortunately they didn't have to file environmental impact reports and ensure that the repair crews had the correct racial balance.

[Tallguy]

As part of a strategy to widen its sphere of influence and conquest, the Japanese set their sights on an island group in the central Pacific, Midway, as well as the Aleutians, off the coast of Alaska. They were also hoping to draw the badly wounded U.S. navy into a battle, determined to finish it off.

I often wonder about the "what if's" of major turning-point battles. Assume, for instance, that Nagumo's air strikes against Midway had succeeded to the point where no 're-strike' was required. Then his carriers would have been free to re-arm for anti-shipping strikes earlier. Would that have made a difference?

I think not. Here's my reasoning.

1. The invasion force would soon be ready to land and would presumably require close air support in the landing phase.

2. Nagumo still had no clue that there were American carriers lurking in the area. The Op Plan called for seizing Midway first then waiting to ambush the US counterstroke. I don't think that capturing Midway would have been easy. In light of what happened at Wake Island it is entirely possible that the initial assault would have been repulsed -- and that would have forced Nagumo into further strikes against landbased targets. We're right back to Nagumo's initial dilema -- what should I arm for, land-attack or anti-shipping?

3. Perhaps most important was the Japanese neglect of shipboard damage control. This meant that their aircraft carriers, on average, were extremely fragile compared to US carriers. Even if the Japanese carriers weren't caught with decks full of munitions - making them a one-hit kill target - they still would have been suseptible to a single-hit "mission kill" -- and they were a long way from any support base.

[Lockbar]

SBD, the hero of Midway. Bombs Away, SUCKERS!

[SunkenCiv]

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[Dilbert56]

How today's media would have reported the battle.

If 0bama had been President in 1942 he would have sought indictments against the bombardiers and gunners of the Japanese planes.

[pa_dweller]

Excellent read on the subject:

http://www.shatteredswordbook.com/