Miracle at Midway

Although containing less details than Parshall & Tully (sometimes this is actually better) it is a good addition to that one, as well as to Lord and Fuchida&Okumiya

Japanese Hubris and a streak of bad luck

Recently I read a book about the hubris of United States leadership in their campaign in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr Prange recounts the battle of Midway and the events that lead up to it. This was the battle that turned the tide of the war in the pacific and revived the fortunes of the United States navy just six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto, lead the Imperial navy into a war with the United States navy upon the concept that the war would come eventually. A strong offensive would knock the United States out of the war for a long time and give the Japanese Empire enough time to establish domination of Southeast Asia. Unfortunately the attack on Pearl Harbor did not achieve the results they hoped for. This along with the ability of United States code breakers know what the Japanese plans and a series of bad luck turned what looked like a sure victory into a major defeat for the Japanese navy. Admiral Spruance always said they were just plain lucky that day. This book follows up on his previous book on the attack on Pearl Harbor (At Dawn We Slept). He shows the direct connections between the two battles. he also goes into the thinking and plans of both combatants. He has delivered a fine history that reads like a sea story.

Good stuff

This author is known for his attention to detail and covers all aspects of this operation. While this books lacks a little of the immediacy of Walter Lord's work it is still a very worthwhile read.

midway

A turning point in the Pacific War at sea. With the tradition of AT DAWN WE SLEPT Gordon Prange sets out to pinpoint all the strategy behind the great struggle which saw the destruction of four Japanese aircraft carriers. But we also glimpse the mistakes and failures of the commanders especially the destruction of four American fighter squadrons and the loss of the YORKTOWN carrier. Prange gives important insights and eyewitness accounts from both sides of the enemies at war. The result is a vast panorama as wide as the ocean itself where Midway was fought out. With the book on Pearl Harbor and this one on Midway, Prange has covered an important aspect of the great Pacific War prophesied in 1925 in Hector Bywater's novel THE GREAT PACIFIC WAR, another great read.