Posted on 06/04/2021 4:46:39 PM PDT by MAGA2017
On June 4, 1942, the US and Imperial Japanese navies faced off a few hundred miles from Midway Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean.
The US Navy learned many lessons from the battle that helped win the war. Even now, 79 years later, the battle is still studied extensively — including by China.
Today, however, a similar fight between the US and Chinese navies would likely play out much differently.
Longer-range weapons would increase the distance over which both sides' could operate. Anti-ship missiles in particular have raised the stakes for surface ships and added to the importance of airpower and submarines. Satellites have also made it harder for navies to hide.
Moreover, China would be in a much different position than Japan.
While Japan never recovered from losing four of its best fleet carriers, China has in recent years proved itself a highly capable shipbuilder, albeit in peacetime. (By the end of World War II, the US had built another 28 fleet carriers and 71 smaller escort carriers.)
With China's navy now the largest in the world and its relationship with the US tense, it makes sense for the Chinese to study one of history's greatest naval battles, even if times have changed.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Don’t change your mind too many times? Bombing mission, or fighter mission. Hmm. Let me think about that for a while.
As many have said, “peacetime generals are always fighting the last war instead of the next one.”
Midway was a very unique battle. I’m not sure how much it can teach China aside from “make sure you break the enemy’’s encryption”.
They learned that spreading the rot from within an enemy country is much easier than a pitched battle.
In the age of missles and electronics, are navy warships little more than floating coffins? Can defenses cope against overwhelming numbers let alone hypersonics? The old plan to fight the last war syndrom. Or am I foolishly mistaken?
Yes, and make sure he hasn't broken yours.
The only people who read Business Insider are the mommies of the aborted feces who write for this trash neo-commie website.
A W-88 to your shipyard would effect your productivity.
“They learned that spreading the rot from within an enemy country is much easier than a pitched battle.”
Why fire a shot when the enemy can be taken down like this??? Been happening to us for awhile now.
I think China’s ultimate goal is to “get even” with Japan.
The Japanese did put out a good scouting line to detect the carriers sailing from Pearl Harbor. And their arrival was based upon the Japanese not expecting the US fleet to depart Pearl Harbor until AFTER their initial strike on Midway.
Unfortunately the subs arrival at their scouting line was after the US fleet had already sailed to “Point Luck” and was “behind” the scouting line.
And that was due to the code breaking at Pearl, thus permitting the US Navy “to get inside the Japanese decision cycle.”
The US received a lot of “breaks” during this battle. From the code interception, the breakdown of one of the Japanese scout planes, the timing of the attacking waves, etc. Many, including me, believe in Devine intervention that day.
I wonder if the lesson that we should consider is whether the US will receive such favorable intervention in our next war given where we are as a nation.
> Midway was a very unique battle. I’m not sure how much it can teach China aside from “make sure you break the enemy’’s encryption”. <
I’m thinking Midway also taught the value of distance, as in strike from a distance. Admiral Yamamoto brought a number of battleships with him. But the Americans wouldn’t get drawn into a surface action. They kept their distance.
Interesting that for all the strategy behind Midway, it was perhaps still Admiral Nagumo’s tactical errors during the course of engagement that resulted in the heaviest possible losses to the IJN. BTW the recent Midway movie I thought was quite good for a modern Woke Hollyweird production.
The Chinese simply need to stand, watch and laugh as the US self-destructs
It’s worse than that. In a peer-to-peer conflict our massive weapon systems can never be used. It takes 12 years as $13 billion to build a new carrier. The only time you can let them out of port is when they have a 0% chance of being lost.
The shortest explanation is the US kept all their abilities hidden from the Japanese and the Japanese followed their doctrine even as the doctrine started working against them.
US struggled initially but we denied them their full capabilities by harassing their fleet with constant attacks. They didn’t have the time to arrange their forces they had nor the forces needed to keep on the offense.
"Breaks" = the hand of God.
Exactly. There will be no wars between superpowers as one thinks of war. There may be proxy wars in poor, dirtbag countries, but the battle between the big players will be cyberwar, biowar, and infiltration. If it ever comes to a “shooting” war, it will be drones, missiles, and perhaps nukes. Forget the big naval battles and tank battles on the plains. That’s so 1940s.
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