On this 67th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, I would like to highly recommend a book I read last month which has significantly changed my views on that battle: Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully.
Two things are singularly impressive about this work.
First, the scholarship and diligence with which the authors approached the topic. The use of original Japanese source documents in crafting this history shows a side of the battle we have never seen, nor much thought about. Additionally, much is developed in the way of Japanese tactics and the state of the IJN at that point in the war.
Secondly, the debunking of several myths which have surrounded the battle. Most significant was the myth that the Japanese aircraft were caught on deck changing armament when they were attacked by US dive bombers.
Read it. I promise that you will not be disappointed.
A few years ago, I read “Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan.” One of the authors was Mitsuo Fuchida, the pilot who lead the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was aboard the Akagi when it was attacked. An emergency appendectomy had grounded him, forcing him to stay behind.
As he tells the story, their deck was full of planes getting ready to be launched as part of the second wave. Immediately after the first of that wave left the deck, the someone shouted “Helldivers!”, then everybody looked up and…
I’m very interested in reading this book, but part of me is skeptical. I’m sure it’s very well researched, but part of me goes back to the fact that Fuchida was actually there.
Another book that I recently read was “A Dawn Like Thunder” that was about Torpedo Squadron Eight at Midway and (later) Guadalcanal. It featured none other than ENS (and now retired CAPT USN) Albert K. “Bert” Earnest VMI ’38. It was also a tremendous read. Was a little disappointed we didn’t feature it on this site, given its VMI content, but I guess being a part-time writer for this site, I’m partly to blame.
I also recommend The Barrier and the Javelin, which looks at Midway in detail, but is a general overview of the basis behind the American and Japanese strategies during the first six months of the war.
Also, Fuchida would not have yelled out “Helldivers” as they did not enter service until late 1943-44.
Yeah, yeah, CDR Bullard is already making me read it. You know you guys are killing me with all these books.
For those who can’t get enough of this, tomorrow’s DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable has naval historian Robert J. Cressman.
The authors of Shattered Sword and others (in Japan) have figured out that Fuchida – well, to put it bluntly – lied in his book
Ah so! Fuchida-san a firthy riar!!! He must do honorable thing! TORA TORA TORA