The Battle of Midway

Well, it is time f or a short history lesson ladies and germs. Today is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. For my post on that please go here. However today we will be looking very briefly at the Battle of Midway. Man I sound like a boring history professor. Sorry about that.

June 4/5 is the 67th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. I am amazed at how many people know nothing about this battle that many feel was the actual turning point in the War in the Pacific. I know that most of you will skip this particular post but for those who might be interested here we go.

A bit of background is in order. The attack on Pearl Harbor was not a distant memory at this point in history, it had happened 6 months previously and the intervening time had not been a good one for the US forces battling Japan. The Japanese had made steady advances across the Pacific Basin and were making plans to strike Port Moresby in New Guinea which would put them within easy striking distance of Australia. The Battle of Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) was a direct result of this plan. During that engagement the carrier USS Yorktown was heavily damaged, in fact the Japanese believed they had sunk her. But they were wrong. She was towed slowly back to Pearl Harbor, arriving on May 26th where the damage repair estimate was that she would have to be in dry dock for at least 3 months to effect repairs. They didn't have that long. She was given a "down and dirty" repair over 4 days and then shipped back out.

Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto's plan was two fold. A feigned attack on the Aleutian Islands would draw the US fleet away. That would give the Japanese invasion forces the opening to invade Midway Island. When the US fleet returned to fight the invasion forces the Japanese Northern Fleet would surprise them and wipe out the US fleet. The plan had been in discussion for several months without a final decision. The Doolitle raid on Japan sealed the deal. The Japanese felt that they had to cement their line of defence as far east as possible so the attack on Midway was given the OK. What the Japanese didn't know however was that on March 13th American cryptanalysts had broken the Japanese Navy's "general purpose code" thereby setting in motion the events of June 4/5. By May of 1942 they were able to decipher that the Japanese planned to attack Midway Island and that the date had been set for June 4th.

On May 26th the USS Yorktown arrives in Pearl Harbor to begin repairs. On that same day the US fleet leaves for Midway and the Japanese Northern Fleet with the four carrier Kaga, Akagi, Soryu and Hiryu leaves for the area north of Midway.

Early on June 4 patrol planes spotted the body of the Japanese task force and the battle was joined. One of the most interesting things about this battle is that the ships in the task forces never actually saw each other, the battle was conducted by air with some submarine involvement. If you want an hour by hour description of the battle there are many sources that you can go to. In a condensed and abbreviated version here is what happened.

• The Japanese launch air strikes on Midway, where heavy damage is inflicted
• US carrier aircraft groups are launched and sustain terrible losses but are able to draw off Japanese defenders thereby leaving the way open for dive bombers from the carriers EnterpriseHornet to hit and sink Kaga and Akagi.
• Planes from the Yorktown wreck the Soryu
• Planes form the Hiryu inflict terrible damage on an already limping Yorktown
• Planes from the Enterprise mortally wound the Hiryu
• All four Japanese carriers are sunk outright or scuttled by the Japanese. Admiral Yamamoto abandons Midway invasion plans and withdraws from the field of battle.
• Desperate measures are not enough to keep the Yorktown from rolling and sinking on June 7th.

The Battle of Midway was won because of good intelligence, good carrier tactics, a whole lot of luck and the courage and determination of many pilots who lost their lives. Japan lost all of the carriers which were responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor and which represented 2/3 of her carrier fleet. She also lost over 100 well trained pilots who would be difficult if not impossible to replace. The Japanese advance was halted permanently and the balance of power in the war shifted to the US and her allies.

And that is your history lesson for the day.

This Day in History

Have you noticed that some days are just packed with things that have happened in history. This just seems to be one of those days.

1828- Noah Webster published his American Dictionary of the English Language.

1865- John Wilkes Booth assassinates President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. An excellent book to reading on the assassination and subsequent search for and death of John Wilkes Booth is Manhunt by James L. Swanson.

1912- The "unsinkable" Titanic, on her maiden voyage, hurrying to break an Atlantic crossing record, strikes an iceberg. She sinks within three hours with the loss of almost 1500 lives. A Night To Remember by Walter Lord may be an older book but is still a good one to read.

1939- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is published.

1944- The cargo ship Fort Stikine explodes in the port of Bombay. India. Bales of cotton had been stored in the hold of the ship one level below a shipment of TNT, even though it was known that bales of cotton had a tendency to spontaneously combust. The blast killed 1300 people (everyone who was close to the ship) and injured 3000 others. The force of the explosion lifted a nearby, 4000 ton ship from the bay onto land.

1969- in a first for the Academy Awards, Barbara Streisand and Katherine Hepburn share the Oscar for Best Actress.

2004- Marine Corporal Jason Dunham gives his life for his fellow Marines in Iraq by throwing his Kevlar helmet and then himself on a grenade. His act of heroism contained the blast but left him mortally wounded. Cpl. Dunham became the first Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq. Michael Phillips has written a wonderful book on Jason Dunham, The Gift of Valor. It is well worth your time to read.

A Date That Will Live In Infamy

I felt that we needed a history lesson today. So I thought I would remind you that today is the 67th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. we all know that I love history and for some reason the period from 1900 to 1945 happens to be my favorite. Not sure why but it just is.

A visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Honolulu is a must if you ever make it to Hawaii. It is interesting and sobering. The motor launch ride out to the Arizona memorial is quiet, as it should be. I don't think that many of us remember that that simple white building that stretches across the remains of the battleship Arizona is, in essence, a grave stone for the 1177 men who died on that ship.

We have visited the memorial several times, the last on in 2005 and it was certainly memorable though not for the reasons that you might be expecting. The day was lovely (what day isn't lovely in Hawaii) and it was our first full day of vacation. So, we wanted to do what everyone does and go to the memorial. So we grabbed our purses etc. and drove the short distance.
We were surprised to be greeted by this sign when we got in line. Drat! So, we trugded back to the car and threw everything in the trunk. I was hurrying because the line was getting longer and longer to get in. Dan made me stop and take my wallet out of my back pack. More time wasted (good thing I listened to him).
The one sign that we didn't pay any attention to was the BIG one that you see when you open the trunk. You can see what's coming can't you. Too bad we didn't. So, we trudged back and got in line, did all the stuff you do at the memorial, had a great time.
Look at how happy we are, having spent the better part of the day soaking up history (OK, SOME of us enjoyed it and others just endured it, sheesh). And we stayed happy, walking and joking until we saw..............
Hey, is that glass on the ground beside the car?!? If you have ever been robbed then you will know that sinking feeling of violation. Sure enough, the window glass was smashed, the trunk had been popped open and everything was gone, except for one small camera bag that was missed in the grabbing. I didn't lose anything except a small back pack (thanks to my husband). Meg's favorite backpack was gone and unfortunately so was her wallet which contained a copy of our credit card. Beth lost the most, her favorite purse, her money and her very expensive TI83 calculator. Only my kids would bring their calculators on vacation. We quickly called the police (and also got the military police thrown in for good measure) and canceled the credit card. Thankfully the charges that had already been rung up on the card were minimal. We survived the incident and learned a valuable lesson. I can't think of what it was right now but I know that it was valuable.

So, now your assignment is to go and read something about Pearl Harbor and the aftermath. It will be interesting I promise you. And remember not to leave valuables in your car trunk.

Some further reading and viewing for you just in case you wanted to learn more. Yes, I have read the books and the films are my favorite.

At Dawn We Slept by Gordon W. Prange
Day of Infamy by Walter Lord
December 7, 1941 by Gordon W. Prange
Tora, Tora, Tora
In Harms Way (my personal favorite, who couldn't love John Wayne)

This Day in History

1944: The Landings begin in Normandy

I was going to add more things to the list but then I decided that this was all I wanted to add. I have long been a student of history and of WWII in particular. Who knows why we are drawn to one particular time in history over another but this just happens to be the period that I like to read about the most.

Just about this time, eight years ago, Dan and I stood on Omaha beach and looked out at the expanse of sand and ground that needed to be taken by our troops on that fateful day. The sand stretches out before you as far as the eye can see. On June 6, 1944 that expanse of beach wasn't the vacation spot that it is today. It was covered with barbed wire and massive pieces of steel meant to stop ships from landing. The Germans had calibrated all of their gun emplacements to be able to put up a whithering cross fire meant to cut down anyone audacious enough to actually attempt a landing. They didn't expect that anyone would get through.

We then went over at Point du Hoc where the army Rangers scaled cliffs in order to disable the big guns that were supposed to be there (but in reality had been moved). So many have never heard of this amazing feat of sheer determination. It is well worth exploring.

Finally, we spent time in the American Cemetery in Normandy. That, most of all, was a sobering experience. Contemplating the row upon row of simple crosses (with Stars of David sprinkled in) marking the graves of the brave men and women who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. Yes, there are women who are buried there for there were women, nurses and others in the military, who gave their lives during that conflict.

I don't think that you can visit these places, especially the American Cemetery, and not be changed. If you can visit and come away the same person then my heart breaks for you.

Take a moment to listen to FDR's prayer for D-Day. It is worth the time


Some excellent books to read about this particular issue. This is a VERY small list, I have read more but these are the ones that I most enjoy.
D-Day the Sixth of June by Stephen E. Ambrose
Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose
The Boys of Pointe du Hoc by Douglas Brinkley
Brave Men by Ernie Pyle
And If I Perish by Evelyn Monahan

This Day in History

1533: King Henry the Eighth succeeds in having his marriage to Catherine of Aragon declared null and void (the sneaky old man)

1934: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are gunned down in Bienville Parish, LA by Texas Rangers and Louisiana lawmen.

1945: Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Nazi Gestapo, commits suicide after his capture by the Allies.

1960: Israel announces the capture of Nazi fugitive Adolph Eichmann in Argentina. (a great book to read on the subject is Eichmann in My Hands by Peter Z. Malkin)

On This Day in History

Just because I haven't done one of these for a while. I give you some things that happened on May 19th

1536 Anne Boleyn is beheaded on Town Green

1780 Near total darkness descends on New England at noon. No explanation is ever given.

1964 US diplomats find at least 40 microphones planted in the newly built US Embassy in Moscow. The building was abandoned.

San Francisco, 1906

On this day in 1906 San Francisco was hit by a massive earthquake measuring 8.25 on the Richter scale.

Several books to read if you are interested in learning more about this are:

A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester
The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906 by Philip L. Fradkin
San Francisco is Burning by Dennis Smith

I am sure that there are a lot more books on the subject but these just happen to be the ones that I have read.

On this day in History

Did you know that on this day in history:

1865: Abraham Lincoln died from wounds he received at the hand of John Wilkes Booth

1912: The "unsinkable" Titanic sank in the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage from Southhampton to New York City. 1517 of her 2240 passengers and crew died in the disaster.

1955: Ray Kroc starts the first McDonald's.