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Link to full essay at VT Tiger By Daniel Foty When early June rolls around each year, June 6th is accorded a great deal of reverence for the well-known events of the Normandy landings of 1944. On the decadal anniversary years, there are major ceremonies and there is extensive news coverage. Sadly, an equally (at least) important anniversary on June 4th goes largely neglected. On June 4th 1942, an outnumbered American fleet won a staggering upset victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy in the waters near Midway Island. This battle was arguably the single most important military action by the United States during the entire 20th century. However, Midway remains largely forgotten and uncelebrated; the only �observance� I can recall on the milestone 50th anniversary back in 1992 was that one of the networks showed the slightly-loosely based-on- events Hollywood movie of the battle�s name. Midway deserves better than that - and the story deserves to be told anew. Hence, we tell that story here. Continue reading "June 4th 1942 - Midway, The Forgotten Victory" � Email this
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Thanks for the heads up and the link. Good work.
My home is the "sanctuary residence" for my firearms.
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Amen to that. A huge gamble that had this battle been lost would've pretty much gave the Pacific to the Japs and left our west coast poorly defended.
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I'd say it was more important than D-Day. If we hadn't stoped them there, the Pacific might stil be a Japanese pond. The 3rd Reich was all ready going downhill, between us and the Russians, although, Europe might have been all Russian without the Normandy invasion. So much accomplished, and we're pissing it away.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing."
Robert E. Howard
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Well if you think Midway is forgotten, Try Coral Sea May 4-8 1942. Japan was force to leave New Gunia and its plans for Austraila, at the time it was a draw or considered to be such. Japan Lost Word War II at Coral Sea, a month later at Midway doomed them to defeat that would come in August 15 1945 a little more that three years later. As a whole the War in the Pacific is the forgotten child of World War II, I was Europe and Germany first and that front gets all the books and movies. The only time we hear about the Pacific is the two Nukes that ended the war and how wrong we were for doing so. The Pacific war was the harder of the two fronts we fought in WW-II, people when talking about WW-II tend to forget that little fact, America Fought a two front war, and you could make a case for three fronts. If you count China. All the While keeping England, The Soviet Union (Russia) and the rest of the allies afloat. And when it all ended all we asked for was enough ground to bury our dead. We as a nation tends to get spit on a lot these days and the revision of history to fit the template that the United States was a minor player in the Second World War. A war we didn't go looking for by the way.
"Any idiot can face a crisis,it's the day-to-day living that wears you out."
Anton Chekhov
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George Orwell was a Prophet, not a novelist. Read 1984 and then look around you!
Old cat turd!
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I am too old to fight but I can still pull a trigger. ~ Me
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Campfire 'Bwana
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'Twas a famous victory.....and an incredibly near run thing. Watched the old Midway movie the other night where Henry Fonda as Nimitz says at the end....were we better than the Japanese, or just luckier?
the battle could easily have gone the other way....and with the almost complete ineffectiveness of US land based air against ships it is unlikely we could have held Hawaii for long.
Proudly representing oil companies, defense contractors, and firearms manufacturers since 1980. Because merchants of death need lawyers, too.
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I loved that movie, Steve. Reminds me of a little story-When I was about 10 years old? I went to the county fair in Boise, and I walked under an entry way that said "Midway." I was like, "Cool, Midway, where are all the ships and planes." Pretty sad, eh? 
"For joy of knowing what may not be known we take the golden road to Samarkand."
James Elroy Flecker
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I don't think Midway is forgotten at all� even if you don�t study it you see it on the Military and History channel almost once a month, the Miracle at Midway. Now Coral Sea I do agree with� it was the first battle we did not lose and could claim as a strategic victory� even though it was virtually a draw. The Japanese were forced to leave parts of New Gunia alone and it did save Northern Australia. It was a classic example of the combination of Fog of War and spectacular intelligence. Now if you want an example of a forgotten battle� the battle of Galveston... also a fine example of fog of War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Galveston
That which does not kill us makes us stronger
Friedrich Nietzsche
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I always remember the words off the Japanese Admiral when this date is brought up.
"I will run wild in the Pacific for six months"
Pretty close, came up three days short.
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gmsemel, I think both you and Shootinurse have very valid points in the importance of the aforementioned victories against the Japanese forces.
The Battle of the Coral Sea marked a major turning point in how naval warfare would be waged, and affirmed the end of the BB as the king of the sea (not to diminish the importance of the Battleship, but the Aircraft carrier had come of age.) after the debacle suffered by the British when the Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk, and the American disaster at Pearl Harbor. The Coral Sea fight was the first Carrier to Carrier fight, and though a tactical victory for the Japanese, it was the end of their invasion plans. I believe at this point, their expansion had been halted.
Midway was their high-water mark, much the same as the wall at Gettysburg for the confederate forces.
Guadalcanal was the beginning of the end.
Pelelui was a total waste of American lives, and was never well known, even during the war years.
We owe that generation so much.....
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A Doe walks out of the woods today and says, that is the last time I'm going to do that for Two Bucks.
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I always remember the words off the Japanese Admiral when this date is brought up.
"I will run wild in the Pacific for six months"
Pretty close, came up three days short. Admiral Yamamoto?
"For joy of knowing what may not be known we take the golden road to Samarkand."
James Elroy Flecker
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Leaders like Wade McCluskey are still out there at the tip of the spear but they are rarely promoted to flag any more. http://home.centurytel.net/midway/durling/sbd4618_mcclusky.html
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Neither is forgotten, we in Australia remember.
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Neither is forgotten, we in Australia remember. Welcome aboard. The whole South Pacific war was a pretty close run thing at times for you blokes and I'm sure it's still a fresh memory for lots.
If something on the internet makes you angry the odds are you're being manipulated
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I always remember the words off the Japanese Admiral when this date is brought up.
"I will run wild in the Pacific for six months"
Pretty close, came up three days short. Admiral Yamamoto? That is correct.
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world. - Thomas Jefferson
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Well if you think Midway is forgotten, Try Coral Sea May 4-8 1942. Japan was force to leave New Gunia and its plans for Austraila, at the time it was a draw or considered to be such. Japan Lost Word War II at Coral Sea, a month later at Midway doomed them to defeat that would come in August 15 1945 a little more that three years later. As a whole the War in the Pacific is the forgotten child of World War II, I was Europe and Germany first and that front gets all the books and movies. The only time we hear about the Pacific is the two Nukes that ended the war and how wrong we were for doing so. The Pacific war was the harder of the two fronts we fought in WW-II, people when talking about WW-II tend to forget that little fact, America Fought a two front war, and you could make a case for three fronts. If you count China. All the While keeping England, The Soviet Union (Russia) and the rest of the allies afloat. And when it all ended all we asked for was enough ground to bury our dead. We as a nation tends to get spit on a lot these days and the revision of history to fit the template that the United States was a minor player in the Second World War. A war we didn't go looking for by the way. Excellent post, sir.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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My dad fought all across the Pacific,he actually met both Nimitz and MacArthur and said both them treated him with respect eventhough he was just an enlisted man doing menial tasks for both.
He was standing on the beach when MacArthur 'returned' to the Philipines.
Like many of his generation,he was kind,gentle,and absolutely fearless.
Once when he was 65 years old,he was attacked by an 18 year old thug with a knife. The old man beat the kid almost to death with a broom stick he managed to grab and had him in a choke hold,semiconscious when the police arrived.
He had faced Japanese Imperial Marines,one thug with a knife did not particularly intimidate him.
The amazing thing is that his character was pretty much the norm for an entire generation of men.
Like the battles they won,these men are largely forgotten now,I tell the stories my dad passed to me to my son,at least he will know that our country was once a place that had many men such as these.
Last edited by ruraldoc; 06/04/10.
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