75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway

[High Exposure 5,664]

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the battle of Midway, the turning point in the PTO.

On June 3, 1942 the initial sightings of Japanese forces en-route to Midway are reported. The Americans strategically place their ships and on June 4th the real fighting starts. In the end, we sink 4 Japanese carriers, they sink the Yorktown. The Japanese Navy will now be on the defensive for the remainder of the war. 

The strategies used in this battle will influence Naval doctrine through the present. 

 

https://www.navy.com/battle-of-midway

 

[GRIZ 3,369]

Many overlook the significance of Midway.  The credit for knowing it was going to happen belongs to what we would today call a nerdy code breaker. Bull Halsey was laid up so we had our second choice carrier group commander ran it.  Our carriers had to make repairs while underway as they were returning from the Battle of the Coral Sea.  When you look at the numbers we sent vs the Japanese we should have lost. Yet we smeared them.  Inflicted casualties on the Japanese way more than might be expected.

How's that for what someone referred to in another post as "American Exceptionalism".

[GRIZ 3,369]

I also have a August 1942 Life magazine with Ensign George Gay on the cover.

Military history buffs know who he is.  Use Google for the rest of you.

[High Exposure 5,664]

That's pretty cool Griz.

[Zeke 5,504]

I have read " the battle of midway"

a good friend of mine, told me of " pacific payback "

got it. Not a binder crease yet. Friend is NOAA

[GRIZ 3,369]

2 hours ago, Zeke said:

I have read " the battle of midway"

a good friend of mine, told me of " pacific payback "

got it. Not a binder crease yet. Friend is NOAA

Best account is Gordon Prange's book "Miracle at Midway".  He also wrote "At Dawn We Slept" the lead in to Pearl Harbor and several other books on WW2.  All worth a read.  They are the authorative works on Pearl Harbor AFAIC.  I became very familiar with them when I did an Indications and Warnings study on Pearl Harbor when I was at Fort Huachuca.