They did the impossible!
Posted on 06/04/2007 2:29:23 AM PDT by Zakeet
The Battle of Midway was a pivotal naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It took place from June 4 to June 7, 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, about five months after the Japanese capture of Wake Island, and six months after the Empire of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor that had led to a formal state of war between the United States and Japan. During the battle, the United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll (located northwest of Hawaii) and destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser while losing a carrier and a destroyer.
The battle was a crushing defeat for the Japanese and is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of World War II. The battle permanently weakened the Japanese Navy, particularly through the loss of over 200 naval aviators. Strategically, the U.S. Navy was able to seize the initiative in the Pacific and go on the offensive.
Much more information about this decisive battle can be found HERE and HERE.
They did the impossible!
Losing four carriers was a blow that sent Imperial Navy reeling. That WAS the turning point.
The demorats and their media toadies would have sold this to us a great failure today.
Murtha would be bemoaning the loss of 307 men in one week for “a handful of Jap rust-buckets”.
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!
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.
Yep, the headline, if written by today's standards would state:
U.S. loses carrier and a destroyer in battle. Democrats demand Congressional investigation.
Thanks for the Day in History reminder...love these post!
God Bless the USN and Aviators....and God Bless the USA
Frank Jack Fletcher would have backed them up with a quote.
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.
Let’s all take a moment to remember CDR Waldron and the valiant men of Torpedo 8...
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.
Lofton Henderson...
Imperial Navy Pilots Doomed by Sinkings
US Guilty of War Crimes?
Or, more likely, the NY Slimes or the Washington Compost would have leaked the battle plan....
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.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.