Anniversary of Midway

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Midway. 4-7 June 1942. Military historians have considered it one of the most decisive battles in naval warfare, ranking it with Salamis and Trafalgar. Both tactically and in terms of its strategic impact. John Keegan described it as “the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare". It was a game changer for the Allies, debilitating the Japanese navy so that they could focus on Guadalcanal.

This comes to mind today as I had family there, and lived on a street named after the battle, the naval station the anchor of the community. It also seems important to remember these things. It is part of our history and nationalistic pride.

There is a lot that could be said. From my study, it seems the American success at Midway came down to leadership and innate brilliance. Few Americans with as natural instinctual leadership as Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. Few with such innate gifts as Fleet Admiral William Halsey and Admiral Raymond Spruance.

The thing is— today we’d trash these men. We’d mock Halsey for getting shingles days before Midway. The judgement of Nimitz would be questioned for taking Halsey’s advice and making Spruance his replacement— he had no experience in carrier command. Our breaking the Japanese codes would be turned into some conspiracy theory that Nimitz was in cahoots with the enemy— how else would he have known their positions? And Spruance would be deemed a coward for not following the remains of the Japanese surface fleet. Idiots and hacks all around.

Times were different.