BATTLE OF MIDWAY - 65 years ago today

June 4, 2007

[Zakeet]

They did the impossible!

[Zakeet]

In memory of the 307 brave American sailors who didn't get to come home.

[Thrownatbirth]

Losing four carriers was a blow that sent Imperial Navy reeling. That WAS the turning point.

[johnny7]

After a terrible and costly start... the patience and determination of exceptional individuals paid off... putting four Jap carriers to the bottom along with some of their best airmen.The tide had truly turned.

[Chi-townChief]

The demorats and their media toadies would have sold this to us a great failure today.

[Thrownatbirth]

Murtha would be bemoaning the loss of 307 men in one week for “a handful of Jap rust-buckets”.

[elcid1970]

You’re right about that. “Was the carrier Yorktown lost due to incompetence or overreaching?” would have been the lead editorial of the New York Slimes.

“Four Japanese Carriers Sunk - Overkill or Racism in Action” screams the Washington Post.

Thank G-d for our brave military - they made it possible for me to be able to write this!

[rickdylan]

Bravery made this one possible, but the most major factor involved was a victory in the realm of information and code breaking. Americans had the edge in information, the Japanese had every other kind of edge in this battle; the info edge trumped all the rest of it.

[Loyal Buckeye]

The demorats and their media toadies would have sold this to us a great failure today.

Yep, the headline, if written by today's standards would state:

U.S. loses carrier and a destroyer in battle. Democrats demand Congressional investigation.

[iopscusa]

Thanks for the Day in History reminder...love these post!
God Bless the USN and Aviators....and God Bless the USA

[johnny7]

You’re right about that. “Was the carrier Yorktown lost due to incompetence or overreaching?” would have been the lead editorial of the New York Slimes.

Frank Jack Fletcher would have backed them up with a quote.

[robertpaulsen]

"Democrats demand Congressional investigation"

The Democrats in Congress would never have sent the U.S. fleet to Midway to begin with. They would have said it was too provocative.

[IGOTMINE]

Let’s all take a moment to remember CDR Waldron and the valiant men of Torpedo 8...

[Dilbert56]

If Midway had been reported by today's media.

---

Midway Island Demolished. Yorktown, destroyer sunk.

Many US planes lost

June 7, 1942

The United States Navy suffered another blow in its attempt to stem the Japanese juggernaut ravaging the Pacific Ocean. Midway Island, perhaps the most vital U.S. outpost, was pummeled by Japanese Naval aviators. The defending U.S. forces, consisting primarily of antique Buffalo fighters, were competely wiped out while the Japanese attackers suffered few, if any, losses.

In a nearby naval confrontation, the Japanese successfully attacked the Yorktown which was later sunk by a Japanese submarine. A destroyer lashed to the Yorktown was also sunk.

American forces claim to have sunk four Japanese carriers and the cruiser Mogami but those claims were vehemently denied by the Emporer's spokeman.

The American carriers lost an entire squadron of torpedo planes when they failed to link up with fighter escorts. The dive bombers had fighter escort even though they weren't engaged by enemy fighters. The War Dept. refused to answer when asked why the fighters were assigned to the wrong attack groups. The Hornet lost a large number of planes when they couldn't locate the enemy task force. Despite this cavalcade of errors, Admirals Fletcher and Spruance have not been removed.

Code Broken

The failure at Midway is even more disheartening because the U.S. Navy knew the Japanese were coming. Secret documents provided to the NY Times showed that "Magic" intercepts showed the Japanese planned to attack Midway, which they called "AF".

Obsolete Equipment

Some critics blamed the failure at Midway on the use of obsolete aircraft. The inappropriately named Devastator torpedo planes proved no match for the Japanese fighters. Even the Avengers, its schedule replacements, were riddled with bullets and rendered unflyable. Secretary of War Stimson dodged the question saying simply: "You go to war with the Navy you have, not the Navy you want or would like to have". Critics immediately called for his resignation.

[Dilbert56]

BTW, I posted that a couple of years ago and got the name of cruiser we sank wrong. It was the Mikuma, not its sister ship Mogami. Mogami had some serious damage though.

[johnny7]

Lofton Henderson...

[MBB1984]

It was a tremendous victory for America. I always loved the movie. It seemed to be historically accurate. Sinking four Japanese carriers was almost a miraculous accomplishment.

[johnny7]

Follow-up Story:

Imperial Navy Pilots Doomed by Sinkings
US Guilty of War Crimes?

[Thermalseeker]

The demorats and their media toadies would have sold this to us a great failure today.

Or, more likely, the NY Slimes or the Washington Compost would have leaked the battle plan....

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

The “Sleeping Giant” knocked their socks off.As they japs were withdrawing from midway they knew it was over.The rest of the war was mopping up and included the most brutal fighting of the war.We were justified in nuking them in ‘45.The Greatest Generation.