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" �

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Thanks for the heads up and the link. Good work.

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.

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.

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.

AMEN to all.

+ 1!

'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.

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?

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

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.

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.....

I will never forget

Admiral Yamamoto?

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

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.

That is correct.

Excellent post, sir.

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.

I was ten or so when the movie with Chrlton Heston and James Coburn came out. My mothers uncle, who was a Corregidor/Bataan veteran took me to it three times. He'd spend hours telling me stories about the war, before and after his capture.

The stories of bravery from the navy pilots won't be forgotten.

Yes, that movie was awesome.
I don't remember exactly how old I was when I first watched it(this was in the mid seventies?) but it seemed like I was in the cockpit with those Dauntless and Zero pilots.

A classic, in my book.

If you guys want the BEST account ever written on Midway, read 'Shattered Sword'. Magnificent. Been a student of Midway practically my whole life and I attend as many of the celebrations held at the National Museum Of Naval Aviation as I can. On the Battleship issue, the PoW and Repulse was a sad issue. Both lacked the AAA armament BBs had after we learned these lessons and as a result, not a single BB American or British BB was lost due to air actions after that. Repulse was a WWI ship and very poor AA armaments although she was very maneuverable and avoided a LOT of fish and bombs before she went down. PoW was a victim of bad luck an inexperienced crew and Brit damage control not up to our standards. First torpedo hit her right where the screw shafts enter the ship and the runaway turbine after the hit did some serious damage, essentially shutting down the entire port side of the ship. Inexperienced crew left in the dark panicked and left a lot of WTD open. That, combined with more torpedo hits made damage control impossible. Took at least seven torpedoes before going down. Lessons learned were applied to the surviving members of that class along with LOTS of AAA armament added and electrical cross feeds port/starboard. Back to Midway, the authors did a great job with their level of detail regarding the inherent (non-existent) damage control practices and fire prevention. Basically the japs relied on offense and didn't bother with damage contol on their carriers. jorge

Thanks Jorge, I just ordered a copy.

And in a nice tie in to Midway - The USS Spruance DDG-111 will be commissioned tomorrow.

http://www.timesrecord.com/articles/2010/06/04/news/doc4c094644bdbbc832905963.txt

BIW�s newest destroyer honors �hero of Midway�

The sunrise this morning casts a warm light over the DDG-111 as the ship is prepared for its christening ceremony Saturday. Bath Iron Works will provide bus service to shuttle attendees to and from the Taste of Maine restaurant on Route 1 in Woolwich and the "James Building" at 290 Bath Road in Brunswick. The christening begins at 10 a.m. and attendance is free.

On June 5, 1942, Adm. Raymond Spruance made a name for himself by leading a decisive victory over the Japanese Navy in the Battle of Midway, widely considered a turning point in World War II.

On Saturday, the 68th anniversary of the final day of that battle, Spruance�s name will be given new life through the christening of the DDG-111 at Bath Iron Works.

The shipyard�s 33rd Arleigh Burke Class destroyer is not the first ship to bear the now-legendary admiral�s name � a whole class of destroyers started in the 1970s was also named Spruance � but the connection to a Bath-built ship brings the title back to Spruance�s Navy roots.

Spruance�s first command over a new ship came in the City of Ships. He was put in charge of the sparkling USS Aaron Ward, which he saw christened in 1919 not far from where Saturday�s ceremony will be held.

Spruance christening Bath Iron Works� South Gate opens at 9 a.m., Saturday.

Free shuttle service from The Taste of Maine Restaurant on Route 1 in Woolwich and the Surface Ship Support Center at 290 Bath Road in Brunswick.

Saturday morning�s event begins at 10 a.m. and will feature the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle on the bow. The honors will be performed by namesake descendant Ellen Spruance Holscher. Remarks will be offered by Gov. John Baldacci, the four members of Maine�s U.S. congressional delegation and keynote speaker Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition.

The South Gate of the shipyard, on Washington Street, will open to the public at 9 a.m. Bus services have been organized to shuttle attendees to and from The Taste of Maine Restaurant on Route 1 in Woolwich and the Surface Ship Support Center at 290 Bath Road in Brunswick.

The buses will run from 7 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. before the event, and from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. after the event. Attendance is free.

The ship�s namesake rose to Navy heroism almost by chance.

In the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, American code crackers intercepted news of a planned Japanese move on Midway, the westernmost island in the Hawaiian chain. The plot was to lure U.S. aircraft carriers to the location for a potentially crippling attack.

�The next logical move was to ambush the ambushers,� reads an account of the historical battle issued by BIW. �And this is the point in history when Rear Adm. Spruance became recognized as a carrier warfare genius, by a twist of fate.

�Adm. Halsey (whose carriers Spruance was accompanying with a cruiser division) was hospitalized with psoriasis, and recommended Spruance as his alternate commanding officer for the carrier group�s next sortie, despite reservations on the part of Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Chester W. Nimitz,� the BIW history continues, in part. �What could an engineer, a �destroyer and cruiser guy� know? The world quickly found out.�

Spruance led a bold attack on the Japanese carriers, ultimately sinking three of the four fleet carriers by hitting them with Navy dive bombers in the morning while the ships were in the process of refueling and rearming planes. The fourth carrier was located and sunk that afternoon, and the larger Japanese battle fleet retreated.

Spruance�s memorable order on that fateful day is now the ship motto for the DDG-111: �Launch the attack.�

A very good friend of Jorge's and mine was the last CO of the carrier Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and in July of 2007 was transiting the Coral Sea and passed directly over the point where the USS Lexington took her first torpedo in 1942. That day at GQ drill the DCA read the Damage control after action reports and the ship's chaplain deliver the following prayer over the 1MC.

26 JULY 2007
TRANSITING THE AREA OF THE BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA

LET US PRAY. ALMIGHTY AND ETERNAL GOD, THE MYSTIC BEAUTY OF THE SEA SEEMS TO RISE IN BENEDICTION TO YOU. AS WE PASS OVER THESE HALLOWED WATERS WHERE 65 YEARS AGO, THE USS LEXINGTON WAS LOST IN THE BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA, IT IS ONLY RIGHT THAT WE STOP AND PAUSE FOR A MOMENT TO REMEMBER THE MOMENTOUS SACRIFICE OF OUR ELDER SHIPMATES. FROM THEM, WE LEARN THE HIGHEST IDEALS OF THE WARRIOR SPIRIT: SELF-SACRIFICE, MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT, TENACITY.

IN THE DOGGED FIVE-DAY BATTLE THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF WORLD WAR II, SAILORS FROM ACROSS AMERICA AND FROM EVERY WALK OF LIFE, BANDED TOGETHER WITH A COMMON FOCUS OF DEFEATING A FORMIDABLE ENEMY.

LORD GOD, WE REMEMBER THOSE WHO FOUGHT AND PERISHED HERE. WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THEIR LIVES EVEN AS WE ARE WE ARE INSPIRED BY THEIR MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT. WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO SERVE IN OUR NATION�S DEFENSE AND TO CARRY ON THESE HIGH IDEALS. WE ASK THAT YOU WILL WALK WITH US TO REMIND US THAT THE TRADITION WE INHERIT DOES NOT BELONG TO US INDIVIDUALLY, BUT IS A SACRED TRUST GIVEN TO US BY THOSE UPON WHOSE SHOULDERS WE STAND.

AS TAPS IS PLAYED FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED WHO IN THIS PLACE FOUGHT AND DIED SO MANY YEARS AGO, WE OFFER YOU OUR MOST HUMBLE PRAYER. MAY THEIR SOULS, AND THE SOULS OF ALL WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR FREEDOM�S CAUSE, THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD, REST IN PEACE. AMEN.

Thanks Pugs.

Thanks, Jorge, and I will also look into buying a copy of that account.

You mentioned in your last sentence the lack of emphasis on damage control in the Japanese Navy. The total disregard for damage control systems also extended to their aircraft, making them virtual crematoriums for the pilots.

HEROES, ALL

Yes same principle. The US Navy has always been the "king" when it comes to damage control. The Germans were very good to as where to Brits to some extent, but not in the same league as us. Fast Forward to 1982 and the Falklands when HMS Sheffield took a direct hit from an Exocet that did NOT detonate high order, only the solid fuel burned yet they still lost the ship to fires. Contrast that with the USS Stark that took an Iraqui Exocet that did detonate and we saved her. Even as early as WWII, we purged all AVGAS fuel lines and filled them with CO2, split, stand-alone fire mains, etc. Where we lacked is we did not armor our flight decks and the Brits did. The tradeoff of course was less hangar bay capacity, but we still managed to save ships even after multiple kamikaze and torpedo hits, witness the USS Franklin for example. jorge

Didn't the Battle of Midway last for three days? The 4th, 5th and 6th?

Nonetheless, I've always thought God played a pivotal role in that battle! When U.S. Naval Air successfully and fatally attacked three enemy carriers with their decks full of aircraft being refuled and re-armed - killing hundreds of Japanese naval pilots who were never replaced! As well as the carriers themselves. The fourth carrier would be found and destroyed the next day.

Plus there was the Doolittle Raiders who flew their famous missions on 18 April 42, as well as the Coral Sea battle. I had a 9th grade geography teacher who was a 19yo on the Lexington when she sank after 5 bomb and torpedo hits. Also and uncle who along with 180 or more USAAF airmen, tried to bomb the Jap fleet at Coral Sea after launching from Pearl Harbor. Everyone of those B17's had to ditch when they ran out of fuel before reaching Australia.

Normandy and D-Day are not forgotten, but those Pacific operations are also not forgotten by many folks.

A couple other facts, of the 42 'TBD Devastator' torpedo bombers that fought in that battle, only three survived. And Torpedo Squadron Eight from the Yorktown, was totally wiped out but for one lone surivivor, Ensign George Gay.

Also the 'F2 Brewster Buffalo' was totally outclassed by the Japanese Zero fighter, and withdrawn from service after Midway. I'm not aware if any that launched that day (4 June 42), survived to even land afterward!

If the United States faced a similar fate in June of yr2010 (like we did in April, May and June of 1942), would we survive again?

In Herman Wouk's account of Midway in War and Remembrance, the narrative is interrupted for an emotionally moving recitation of the names and hometowns of the heroes of the squadron.

Gay wrote an account of his exploits, Sole Survivor. At a Rockford IL airshow about 23 years ago, I saw him at a table signing and selling copies of the book. At one point he ran out of books, so he went to his car and pulled more out of the trunk to autograph. He was driving a Honda!

--Bob

Excellent point. Your references to Coral Sea, the 'canal, and many other battles bring back memories. Dad was inNorth Africa, Sicily, and Italy. My uncle was on New Guinea, Palau, and Pelelui. Next door neighbor who died recently armed mines for the B-29s to drop in Jap harbors. All fine men, and I've been priveleged to know others like them.

My reference was actually the battle of Coral Sea, Midway did last three days - sorry for the confusion.



While VT-8 off the Yorktown lost everyone don't forget that VT-8 also had a det at Midway flying the then very new TBF Avenger. The suffered some tremendous losses, along with the USAAF (flying B-26's with torpedoes!) but they had survivors. I had the pleasure of shaking the hand of, and buying a beer for CDR Harry Ferrier at the NAS Whidbey O'club in 92 who was a radioman in the only Avenger that made it back.

A picture of the PBY Catalina crew that discovered the Japanese fleet and reported the location. Iron men did not just serve on ships.

My understanding is that a Japanese officer made a comment commending the bravery of the TBF and B-26 crews, which would be a compliment of the highest order, considering the typical Japanese opinion of Americans at the time.

Vic, I don't recall, but even then the japs were showing their true colors. They captured two Americans floating on a raft shorlty after we had whacked their fourth carrier. They fished then out of the water, beat them, tied them to empty oil drums and threw them overboard-alive- Too bad we didn't drop the nukes on Tokyo...jorge

I am damn proud to have worn wings of gold like these hero's and don't forget the USAAC B-26 guys.

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Wow, pretty sobering losses Pugs. jorge