The Battle of Midway

Pivotal Moments in American History

by Craig L. Symonds

There are few moments in American history in which the course of events tipped so suddenly and so dramatically as at the Battle of Midway. At dawn of June 4, 1942, a rampaging Japanese navy ruled the Pacific. By sunset, their vaunted carrier force, the Kido Butai, had been sunk and their grip on the Pacific had been loosened forever.

In this absolutely riveting account of a key moment in the history of World War Ii, leading naval historian Craig L. Symonds paints an unforgettable portrait of ingenuity, courage, and sacrifice. Symonds begins with the arrival of Admiral Chester A. Nimitz at Pearl Harbor after the devastating Japanese attack, and describes the key events leading to the climactic battle, including both Coral Sea the first battle in history against opposing carrier forces and Jimmy Doolittle's daring raid of Tokyo. He focuses throughout on the people involved, offering telling portraits of Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance and numerous other Americans, as well as the leading Japanese figures, including the poker loving Admiral Yamamoto.

Symonds' account of the battle itself is masterful, weaving together the many disparate threads of attack attacks which failed in the early going that ultimately created a five minute window in which three of the four Japanese carriers were mortally wounded, changing the course of the Pacific war in an eye blink.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History, War, Military Fiction, Naval History

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2011

About the author

Craig Lee Symonds is a retired professor and former chairman of the history department at the United States Naval Academy. He earned both his MA (1969) and Ph.D. (1976) from the University of Florida.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“[T]here are few moments in American history in which the course of events tipped so suddenly and dramatically as it did on June 4, 1942. At ten o’clock that morning, the Axis powers were winning the Second World War…In the Pacific, Japan had just completed a triumphant six-month rampage, attacking and wrecking Allied bases from the Indian Ocean to the mid-Pacific following the crippling of the U.S. battle fleet at Pearl Harbor. Japan’s Mobile Striking Force (the Kidō Butai) was at that moment on the verge of consolidating command of the Pacific by eliminating what the strike at Pearl Harbor had missed: America’s aircraft carriers. The outcome of the war balanced on a knife-edge, but clearly leaned toward the Axis powers…An hour later, the balance had shifted the other way…”
- Craig L. Symonds, The Battle of Midway

For lovers of decisive battles and high drama, the allure of the Battle of Midway is irresistible. On June 4, 1942, two American carrier task forces confronted the mighty Japanese Kidō Butai around the pinprick of an island known as Midway. There, over the course of a day filled with mistakes, errors, wrong-moves, and faulty logic, along with an inordinate amount of courage and self-sacrifice, the U.S. Navy sank four Japanese aircraft carriers for the cost of one of their own. After Midway, there was still a lot of fighting to go. Tens of thousands more men (along with tens of thousands more civilians) would die before it ended. But at the end of June 4, the best-laid plans of Japan were irrevocably destroyed. Soon, the Americans would land on Guadalcanal and the Japanese would spend the rest of the war fighting from their heels.

It is, I believe, going a bit far to claim that the fate of the world hung in the balance at Midway (though it certainly felt that way at the time). After all, in the worst-case scenario for the Americans, they would have lost an island the Japanese could not hold, along with the bulk of their carrier forces. Nonetheless, the U.S. Navy had no fewer than twelve aircraft carriers ready to go on-line within the next year. By the time the dust settled in 1945, America would have churned out the greatest naval force in history.

This reality should not detract from what was actually at stake. Moreover, it does not change the fact that to a tremendous extent – not seen in land battles, with their undifferentiated masses of men – the clash at Midway turned on the individual decisions of oftentimes low-ranked men. These men – by and large American pilots – changed the course of the war by their willingness to hazard all and lose all in order to strike a blow.

The battle of Midway has been told before, by some of the most famous historians of the Second World War. Specifically, I am talking about Walter Lord’s Incredible Victory and Gordon Prange’s Miracle at Midway.

In this crowded arena (made more crowded by Parshall and Tully’s Shattered Sword, which is fantastic), is there room for another volume on this famous duel of carriers?

The answer: Yes. Especially if that volume is written by Craig Symonds.

Symonds is a noted naval historian who teaches American history at Annapolis. Recently, he produced the epic and sweeping World War II at Sea. Despite a propensity for blunt and artless titles (come on, get creative!), Symonds is an excellent narrative historian, with a real gift for the art of storytelling. Just as important, he is capable of perceptive and learned judgments.

In the totally-made-up ranking system I have in my head, I believe that all great history books need to combine three elements: novelistic set pieces (because history is exciting); biographies of the main players (because history is made by people, not Tolstoy’s invisible forces); and impeccable research (because if you’re twisting the record, you’re wasting my time). Symonds does all three at a high level.

Despite its relative brevity (366-pages of text, plus some worthwhile appendices), Symonds’s The Battle of Midway begins well before the titular fight. He starts with a highly-informative comparison of the culture and armaments of both the Japanese and U.S. Navies, while listing the advantages and disadvantages of both sides. The thing I appreciated most about these early chapters is that Symonds explains concepts that are often ignored. For instance, he describes the process of dive-bombing in a way that is not only informative, but gave me an incredible appreciation for the difficulty of the task, and the sheer guts it took to pull it off. This front-loading of technological detail pays dividends later, during the account of the battle itself.

Symonds also takes you through early carrier operations in the Pacific War, including the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and the Battle of the Coral Sea. This provides a nice context if you haven’t read anything about Midway before, and is done skillfully enough that even those who have covered this ground (er, water) before will not be bored. And of course, Symonds covers the American intelligence coup by Commander Joseph Rochefort and his analysts, who correctly divined Japanese intentions, and gave Admiral Chester Nimitz the information he needed to take some calculated risks.

The battle itself is handled with skill and verve and a special attention to forging a coherent timeline out of a chaotic mess. Because of their foreknowledge, the Americans were able to surprise the Japanese at Midway. This benefit was almost squandered entirely away due to uncoordinated, piecemeal attacks and substandard technology (especially the slow Devastator torpedo bombers, with their questionable torpedoes). Indeed, the battle opened with a sortie from the U.S.S. Hornet, led by Stanhope Ring, which would live in infamy as the “flight to nowhere.” The only planes from the Hornet to find the Japanese did so after a pseudo-mutiny, when Lieutenant Commander John Waldron left Ring and took his squadron in a different direction.

If you are unfamiliar with Midway, it is worth noting that Waldron led Torpedo 8, one of the most famous small units in military history. Attacking without fighter cover, Torpedo 8 was massacred. Only one man, Ensign George Gay, survived, floating in the water after being shot down. In early retellings of the battle, Torpedo 8 was given credit for distracting the Japanese fighters long enough for the dive bombers to deliver the death blow. This interpretation has been hotly disputed and dismissed as the ex post facto glorifying of a tragic blunder.

In Symonds view, though, Torpedo 8 deserves its accolades. Along with several other failed torpedo squadron attacks (and earlier, failed high-level bombings), the constant (though ineffectual) American pressure left the Japanese carriers exposed. Symonds demonstrates this by continually reminding us of the constrains faced by airmen on both sides. In particular, planes had limited fuel, which was burnt quickly as planes tried to gain altitude, and limited ammunition, which could be expended entirely within a minute. Thus, the botched torpedo runs did in fact put the Japanese in a bad position, with fighters that were low on fuel and ammo. That’s when the Dauntless dive bombers arrived:

Because the Zeros were still focused on [Lem] Massey’s torpedo bombers, they were unable to interfere even minimally with the attack. Moreover, the guns of Kaga’s antiair battery were still at low angle. With the shouted warnings, the gun crews furiously began to crank the ship’s sixteen five-inch guns up to the vertical position, but it took only about forty seconds for the first of the plunging American bombers to reach the release point…The first three bombs all missed, but the fourth plane, piloted by Earl Gallaher…placed its 500-pound bomb squarely atop the flight deck of the big flattop. It was the first time all morning that American ordinance had found a target. The 500-pound bombs had a fuse with a 0.01-second delay, so that it pierced the flight deck before exploding in the crew’s berthing compartments, starting the first of many fires that would eventually consume the big ship. That hit was followed by two more misses, and then by several hits in succession. One bomb struck on or near the forward elevator and penetrated to the hangar deck; another smashed into the flight deck amidships, and yet another hit squarely on the Kaga’s small island structure, killing Captain Okada and most of the senior officers, rendering the Kaga leaderless…

Like all big historical events, Midway has its share of controversies and romances, legends and myths. The accomplishment of The Battle of Midway is not in unearthing anything that was previously unknown (and it is definitely not in coming up with an interesting title). Rather, its accomplishment is in harnessing a huge quantity of oft-conflicting information and molding it into something both highly-readable and easily understood.

When speaking of Midway, Prime Minister Winston Churchill later remarked that the “annals of war at sea present no more intense, heart-shaking shock than this battle.” Churchill, of course, was prone to exaggeration, but in this instance, he wasn’t wrong. In The Battle of Midway, Symonds proves the validity of Churchill’s conclusion with crisp narration, cool judgment, and no distracting hyperbole.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nemo Atoll

Author Craig L. Symonds was asked to write about one of the most important points in the Second World War, The Battle of Midway for the Pivotal Moments in American History series. Symonds is an American naval expert and has thus created a wonderful book based on his expertise, an already solidly built foundation on the battle and his own research. This brings together a thoroughly entertaining, albeit safe read. For me there is nothing controversial or unexpected in this book, which is no bad thing. I wasn’t looking for it, I just wanted to be told about the battle and that’s what I got.

Perhaps the largest revelation in Midway is Symonds focus on individual decisions set the course of the battle rather than luck, which has been the explanation before. For example, Wade McClusky’s spotting of the Japanese carrier fleet Arshai was due to an aggressive following of the fleet by USS Naultilus’ commander Bill Brockman, which meant the Arshai had to be detached to defeat the submarine threat that this caused. One might say that this is still luck and that the stars simply aligned behind these decisions. However Symonds states that the personalities of those involved on both sides made measured and informed decisions which dictated the course of the battle. Another reason to read the book is that Symonds focuses on the commanders interactions with each other. You get a real sense of the personalities, frustrations and motivations. Sometimes there is conflict, which can often be forgotten when the day is won.

The Battle of Midway was fought between 04-07/06/1942 and as Symonds explains this was perhaps the most important and decisive naval battle since Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805. But whereas Napoleon won at Austerlitz soon after, evening the score. Midway on the other hand gave the USA and its allies the momentum it needed. This and Guadalcanal were the turning points of the Pacific war and after the near destruction of the Kido Butai, the carrier fleet in the Pacific. The plan failed and from there the US military might grew, but the Japanese shrunk couldn’t keep up. There was not enough, oil, planes, ships or men. This was more true with the huge loss of experienced naval personnel in the battle. It changed the Japanese grand strategy and also highlighted the importance of air superiority for the rest of WWII. It was the end of Japanese major expansion, if not complete territorial gains at that point. A Japanese victory may have allowed Isoroku Yamamoto to seek the peace as he had hoped, but a defeat sealed the Japanese fate. Midway is straight down the line, to the point but also shows the wider importance of the code breakers and the Doolittle Raid which all pushed events in the direction they took. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learnt a lot.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yamamoto was convinced that an alliance with Germany meant war with the West, including the United States, and insisted that a war between Japan and the United States would be a major calamity. His concerns fell on deaf ears. One year later, Japan signed what became known as the Tripartite pact with Germany and Italy, and a year after that the Army’s domination of the government became complete when General Tojo Hideki became both war minister and prime minister. By then the descent into war had generated its own unstoppable momentum.

The Battle of Midway occurred on June 6-7, 1942 — exactly six months after Pearl Harbor. The American Navy won an overwhelming victory over Yamamoto’s Kido Butai. It is considered a major turning point of the War in the Pacific

My daughter had previously read this book by Craig L. Symonds as research for her IB History project on the Battle of Midway.

I found the book to be highly informative. It certainly filled a large gap in my understanding of what transpired in the Pacific theater in that critical six months that followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The first third of the book provides the background and context. The Vinson-Trammel Act of 1934 was an ambitious rearmament act passed by Congress and meant that the U.S. already had eight battleships, twelve carriers, thirty-five cruisers, 196 destroyers and three thousand airplanes under construction by the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a force larger than Japan’s entire Navy. America’s industrial might and advanced planning was unmatched and would ultimately spell doom for Japan.

Japan had a 1922 treaty with the United States called the Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty which limited Japan to 60% of the U.S. or British fleet size. So Japan built their battleships bigger to get around this — four Yamamoto-class battleships were twice the size of other battleships.

Prior to the war, Japan was completely reliant on the United States for their fuel oil. This need for oil necessitated their attack in SE Asia and on the Dutch Indies and British interests in the region.

We find out that the United States Navy had a major problem with their torpedo accuracy early in the war that would plague them at Midway. Although the US submarines were high tech, the torpedoes had faulty magnetic proximity detectors. This was also true of the torpedo planes which had zero hits during the Battle of Midway and over 90% of these Douglas Devastators were destroyed by Japanese Zeros.

We learn of the American code breaking team, Hypo, that was vital to correctly anticipating the Japanese attack at Midway. We also learn of America’s superior radar systems.

There is a chapter on the American naval victory in the Coral Sea in May, an American victory but it also involved the loss of the USS Lexington.

We learn that both of the top Japanese Admirals, Yamamoto and Nagumo attended Harvard University decades prior to WWII. They both recommended against attacking America but were overruled.

By the end of 1941 the Japanese had a total of ten carriers. They had 1,800 front line aircraft. The U.S. had fewer but a year later were turning out thousands of aircraft every month! Japan production capacity was in the hundreds per month. The Japanese did possess the Zero fighter planes which were formidable on offense. Generally considered a superior plane in the dogfights against the American wildcats.

There were many brief bios on the Navy commanders in the Pacific theater. This was excellent.

In the final five chapters we get to the coverage of the Battle of the Midway and its dramatic conclusion. There aren’t many quotes in the book here so the narrative is quite linear. It lacked a little bit on the human drama.

In the first hours the battle was a disaster for the Americans including huge losses of their torpedo planes and heavy damage to their airfield on the atoll. But the Americans had the element of surprise with two aircraft carriers that the Japanese were unable to locate. Eventually the four Japanese fleet carriers were left without formidable air defenses as their planes were either refueling, shot down or searching for targets. The tipping point of the battle came in the waning daylight after 12 hours of fighting when the American bombers found the largely unprotected Japanese carriers. Employing steep dive-bombing descents against the Japanese targets, three of the carriers were destroyed in a mere five minutes. There was some additional drama when the Yorktown was sunk and the final Japanese carrier was destroyed but the outcome was at this point determined.

5 stars overall. The coverage of the Battle at Midway and the maps were more like four stars but everything else including the crisp writing, the background and context leading up to June 6th, the photographs of the battles, and the effort to quantify and detail each tactical situation was all five star stuff.

[happy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good overview of US Naval operations in the Pacific from the time Nimitz takes command of the Pacific Fleet in December of '41 thru the Battle of Midway.

Dr. Symonds does a good job of laying out the problems Nimitz had with both the Japanese and dealing with Adm King and the Washington establishment and how he dealt with them.

I felt the author has a reader friendly writing style and I was never bored or felt that he was overwhelming me with detail. At the same time, he does not gloss over important facts.

As for the tone of the book - It seems that he is trying to make the point that a "miracle" did not happen at Midway. The results of the battle were the result of decisions that were made and actions taken, by both the Americans and the Japanese. In some respects he defends Nagumo's decisions during the battle. He takes the position that Nagumo's decision to rearm his aircraft was logical and flowed from information Nagumo had at the time. In some respects he throws the blame for the disaster onto Yamamoto, both is a strategic and tactical sense.

He also takes a look at how differences in doctrine lead to the way the battle was fought. The fact the Japanese did not move air groups from carrier to carrier lead to the Japanese being down 1 carrier at Midway, while the Americans mixed and matched (the Saratoga's Air Group was embarked on the US carriers - bringing them up to strength)

On the American side, Symonds also offers a defense of the actions of Cmdr Ring (CHAG) who took the Hornet's bombers and fighters on a trip to nowhere he basically blames Mitchner, CO of the Hornet. He qualifies that opinion by saying we will never know for sure because the all the After Action Reports from the Hornet are missing.

All in All and excellent look at the battle and the events leading up to it.

One note, Dr. Symonds covers much the same ground as Ian Toll in Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost skipped over this book as over the years I have read so many books about the Battle of Midway; I thought to myself do I want to read another book on this subject. I am glad I did decide to read this book as I learned more about the battle from it.

Midway was a pivotal battle of WWII. Symond is a professor emeritus from the U. S. Naval Academy.
Many historians including Symonds have compared the Battle of Midway to that of Lord Nelson’s win at the Battle of Trafalgar. The comparison is apt as both battles had far-reaching effects on the course of the conflict during which they occurred.

The U.S. Navy was on a defensive position after Pearl Harbor. At the battle of Midway the Japanese lost four of the largest aircraft carriers with their crews and aircraft. The U.S. Navy gained a strategic initiative that it maintained for the rest of the War.

Symond insist that victory was the result of decisions and actions taken by certain individuals. He proceeds during the book to build his case. Symond recounts and explains the events of the battle both from the Japanese and American viewpoint.

Symond also covers the story of the Navy code breakers and how critical that was to the success of the battle as the Navy knew the Japanese intentions. At the end of the book Symonds reviews what happened to each of the key people after the War.

Symond provides a lucid, intensely researched account of the battle of Midway. If you are interested in WWII history this is book you must read. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. James Lurie narrated the book.

[Ree Linker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I have never found the study of history to be entertaining. Thus I am embarrassingly ignorant about anything historical. I came into this book with no background on the battle of Midway, the war in the Pacific, or, to a large extent, WWII (sad, I know. I'm working on it).

Liked:
* Symonds does a great job of providing the background and the lead up to the battle itself. So while things didn't really get exciting until about half-way through (the battle of the Coral Sea), it wasn't a torturous slog to get through the information presented before things really got underway. Seriously, this is where most history books lose me. There's so much to explain before you can get to the good stuff that by the time things start to happen I've long since abandoned ship. (nyuk nyuk)
* The Battle of Midway. Such an amazing, heart-breaking, exciting, aggravating series of events.
* The utter chaos of sea battles in the time before the technological advantages we take for granted today. It's amazing that enemies ever found each other at sea.
* Speaking of chaos, the author does an excellent job of showing how small, almost random events can have a huge impact on subsequent events. As a fan of Connie Willis's time travel series, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Midway is a crisis point, and no fictional future historian is ever going to get anywhere near it.
* Symonds makes the reader care about the individuals chronicled in the book. This is often painful.

Not so much:
* Not Symonds' fault, but there are SO MANY people involved in this drama that it was hard for me to keep everybody straight. Fortunately, the book is so well written and the story so exciting that I won't mind re-reading it next year.
* Probably best read with a map handy. And an atlas of ship types. And plane types. Again, not really a fault of the book, just a necessity of the subject matter.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone, even those who, like me, typically don't enjoy history books.

[Carlex · Rating 5 out of 5]

No complaints. A very good presentation of the subject matter, engaging and comprehensive for the level I expect in a popular history book. It includes an in-depth analysis of the historical and political context of both sides, as well as biographical notes on the main protagonists, from high-ranking officers to soldiers who played an important role in this battle.

[Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent military history of the Battle of Midway. Author avoids the trap of taking sides, doesn't call U.S. victory a "miracle,"' doesn't say we won because of democracy or being braver than the Japanese. Just a straightforward analysis of a military battle in which one side had radar (US), one side had advanced warning of the other side's intentions thanks to code breaking (US), one side was dropping 1,000-pound bombs vs. one side that had 500-pound bombs, etc. Extremely detailed analysis of the key players on both sides, the context in terms of the larger war (for example, the US strategy was that the European theatre took precedence in terms of resources). Lots of vignettes of individual soldiers who flew into certain death. Particularly riveting is a scene in which the Japanese conduct a war game exercise and the Japanese officer assigned to take the American side offers up a scenario in which the US detects the Japanese attack on Midway Island and launches a powerful strike against the Japanese fleet. Of course, the Japanese, after Pearl Harbor, believe the US fleet incapable of such an attack and shrug off this possibility. Their plan is to attack Midway, lure the American fleet from Hawaii into the open ocean and systematically destroy the US fleet. And of course, the Japanese officer predicted exactly what happened.

[J.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his introduction, Symonds says that prior accounts suppose "that the American victory at Midway was the product of fate, or chance, or luck, or even divine will" (pg 4). Of the many who held beliefs that the Americans were recipients of Divine intervention, he says "they were products of their society" (pg 5). Instead he posits that the outcome was because of the people involved - history as hero-worship, in other words. And while I'd be very hesitant to proclaim God Was at Midway, I couldn't help but be struck by how lucky the Americans were.

Symonds has written an excellent account of the Battle of Midway, a battle which many have credited with turning the tide of the war toward the Allies. He also takes 200 pages to even get around to the actual battle, but in that lengthy build-up he outlines the confrontations that influenced the decision makers and lead to the conditions at Midway. And it's a very enlightening and interesting read, even exciting at times. I've read other accounts, such as the excellent one at the end of Pacific Crucible, but this goes into more detail and fleshes out many of the actual confrontations. And it's almost excruciatingly painful (for an American) to read of how American bombers and torpedo planes were slaughtered without landing a single bomb on Japanese ships. In the end the Americans caught four Japanese carriers at a crucial moment and they were destroyed practically within a few minutes, and the advantage in the Pacific began to shift. A very good read for those who like detailed WW2 history!

[Piker7977 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midway is right up there with Lexington and Concord, Yorktown, Antietam, Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Iwo Jima, and Ira Drang for being significant to America's military history and prominent in our historical imagination. This battle can inspire hero worship and thoughts about divine intervention given its events and important role in changing the course of World War II and world history.

Craig Symonds provides a solid account of the lead up to the contest between the navies of Imperial Japan and the United States through final outcome of the ships, planes, subs, men, and nations involved in this clash. It's perfect for the historian and enthusiast looking for a closer look at this battle without getting to nerdy in the jargon, tactics, or other details that can be off-putting for those not steeped in military expertise. It has a good balance. What stands out most might be how unpredictable, surprising, and brutal combat can be. Whether it's torpedoes skimming into the water, downed pilots avoiding sunburn and shark attacks, or the luck of being undetected by your adversary, Symonds's history illustrates how a million little components add up to one awe inspiring event for the ages and a turning point for the twentieth century.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to pick five books to read around WW2, I’d put this in there as a must. A breezy yet detailed read that introduces you to a vast array of characters some you’ll know others not as much. It rights some wrongs and misconceptions from the battle and how certain events actually unfolded. If you are just getting into the pacific theater, I’d read this immediately following any book on Pearl Harbor.

[Atay Kozlovski · Rating 5 out of 5]

very well written history of the battle. Gives great background information about both sides and tries to contextualize the battle rather than merely presenting what happened. This is not a character driven story and there is no real main character although some actors receive more attention than others e,g Nimitz, Yamamoto, and Fletcher. I really enjoyed this and flew through it so i recommend it to anyone interest in historical writing.

my subjective grade: 7.5-8.5 /10

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed, filled with history, plenty of interesting characters! This was a great book!

5/31/22, now the best week of the year for history (well one of them at least!) midway is perhaps the most exciting and thrilling event for me of the war. This is the best overall book about the entire lead up, battle and aftermath I have found.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful;, and readable history from Pearl Harbor and the first six months of the Pacific War culminating the the US Navy's victory at Midway, a victory which in 24 hours changed the balance of the Pacific War with Japan.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Battle of Midway by Craig Symonds is an excellent addition to the Pivotal Moments in American History series. This book provides a critical look at the time between Pearl Harbor and just after the Battle of Midway where America was finding its way against the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy. The book includes a discussion of Pearl Harbor and its impact on naval operations as well as the Doolittle raid that followed. Some time is spent on the Battle of the Coral Sea as well as the victories of the Japanese navy in the Philippines and elsewhere in the Pacific to Indian Ocean. The books primary focus is on the destruction of the Kido Butai (the combined fleet of carriers) that the Japanese had put into battle. Although outnumbered in carriers the US carriers had some advantages in terms of armor and firefighting systems that would prove important when the Japanese believe they had sunk carriers that could return to active duty quickly. Symonds does an excellent job covering the successes and the failures on both sides of the war at Midway and easily sells the reader that this was the turning point in the Pacific forcing the Japanese onto the defensive. Overall a very well written narrative and one of the best books in the series.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very detailed history of the famous battle that in 2 hours changed the course of WWII. About 1/3 of the book is a blow by blow account of the actual battle and the first 2/3's is a very good history of the key events that led up to the battle. These include the Doolittle raid on Japan and the Battle of the Coral Sea. Midway has long been hailed as a miracle for the U.S. and in the introduction the author suggests that the victory was really not all that surprising. I don't think he makes his case and I believe the judgment that it was a miracle should stand. With these two considerations: First, the U.S. had broken the Japanese naval code, and second, the U.S. had radar and the Japanese did not. Without these two elements we would have been slaughtered. Even with these two enormous advantages our planes and weapons were so poor and our pilots so untrained that we only just managed to sink their carriers. We were so unprepared, of course, because of Roosevelt's pledge to keep America out of the war. In this wicked world if you wish for peace, then prepare for war.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

** 4.5 stars! **
Such a good historical text, very much recommended !

This was such a comprehensive account of the Battle of Midway, and the events leading up to the battle. I believe it is a well- balanced, accurate, portrayal of both sides. You learn about all of the major players and events from both sides.

I did slightly struggle with how the author chose to discuss the battle. He chose to discuss the different attacks ship by ship instead of chronologically and I did struggle to comprehending when attacks where happening. This was easily remedied by looking T a timeline of the day.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on World War II. I would definitely recommend this one!

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad that I read this book prior to Pacific Crucible. This is a good book that has some new information, but Ian Toll really pulls it altogether in a very readable volume.

[Mac McCormick III · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many histories of the Battle of Midway consider the US Navy lucky in defeating the Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Historian and author Craig L. Symonds, in The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History), argues that luck wasn't the primary factor in the US victory at Midway. In the process of showing that there was more than just luck involved Symonds shows how the US and Japanese navies came to be in their respective positions, debunks a myth, and casts a shadow on an American carrier aviation hero. He also shows how the Battle of Midway was a pivotal moment in World War II, shaping how the rest of the Pacific War would pan out.

"Certainly chance - or luck - played a role at Midway, but the outcome of the battle was primarily the result of decisions made and actions taken by individuals who found themselves at the nexus of history at a decisive moment. In short, the Battle of Midwayis best explained and understood by focusing on the people involved."

Symonds argues that "the Battle of Midway is best explained by focusing on the people involved." He does this by focusing on the command staff of the American and Japanese fleets including Nimitz, Fletcher, Spruance, Mitscher, Yammamoto, Nagumo, and others. He develops the personalities of these leaders before the battle because their personalities played into their decision making. He also looks at how cultural differences between the Americans and Japanese played into their decision making. Additionally, he explores the Pacific War from prior to the war up to the battle itself to show how the fleets came to be in the strategic and tacitical positions they were in and how those positions would effect decision making in the battle to come. By focusing on the individuals involved and the path to the battle, Symonds set not only the stage for the battle but the pieces to be involved.

Once he comes to the battle itself, Symonds manages strike an excellent balance between being detailed and capturing the attention of the reader. He goes into great detail about the classes of the ship and the types of planes involved. He also explores the decisions made on both the fleet staff level, ship/air group level, and even down to the squadron level. He gives a blow by blow account of the air strikes on both sides, sometimes down to the level of individual planes and crews. In doing so, he tells how the strikes were either successes or failures and explains why. It isn't difficult to to lose the attention of the reader, especially one that isn't a military or naval history anorak, when getting into such detail but Symonds did so while still engaging the reader and keeping things interesting.

The Battle of Midway also explores the role of something that, as an amateur radio operator and radio hobbyist, is close to my heart: Communications Intelligence. COMINT played a key role in the Battle of Midway and in some circles a myth has grown up that US Navy code breakers were able to provide the fleet with an order of battle and battle plans that enabled a US victory. Symonds demonstrates that while the code breakers and analysts made a significant contribution to victory they most certainly did not provide a full order of battle and set of battle plans that gave the US fleet leadership a key to certain victory at Midway.

Admiral Marc Mitscher became a hero of American carrier aviation later in World War II via his exploits with the Fast Carrier Task Force but this book casts somewhat of a shadow on Mitscher's actions at Midway while in command of the USS Hornet. Of the three US Navy carriers involved in the battle, Hornet contributed the least as Symonds shows in his account of the battle. The Hornet's squadrons performed poorly due to leadership problems and the after action reports attempted to cover it up. Symonds explores the Hornets actions and attempts to explain what, in the absence of any after actions reports other than Mitschers, may have happened and why. He also confronts the issue of how Admiral Fletcher was moved aside and Admiral Mitscher moved on to further combat command. Personally, I would like to think that Mitscher took Midway as a learning experience in combat command and applied what he learned toward future successes such as the Marianas Turkey Shoot.

"None of this detracts from the crucial contributions of the code breakers, but it does remind us that the subsequent decisions made by the commanders on the scene were more complex and open-ended than might otherwise be assumed. The Battle of Midway was not won by the code breakers alone but by the analysts, the decision makers who trusted them, and finally by the men who drive the ships, manned the guns, and flew the planes at the point of contact. Certainly there is enough glory for all of them."

Symonds makes clear that that while COMINT played a significant role in victory, it was not the key in victory. He shows that decision making was the key role, not just decisions made by American leadership but Japanese leadership as well. He shows that the decisions to made weren't always easy. Sometimes the code breakers and analysts put leadership in the position of making informed decisions but not always. There were times when the decision making process was complex and made with incomplete information and this often where cultural differences and strategic considerations effected tactical decision making. He also gives credit to the men who carried out the plans of the decision makers with the bravery and determination to push the attacks home despite the destruction of entire squadrons (VT-8 for example).

Finally he describes how Midway was a pivotal battle. Through the almost complete destruction of the Japanese Navy's striking force, the US Navy didn't just balance the scales in the Pacific after 6 months of Japanese domination, they tilted the sales in American favor. The Japanese lost four aircraft carriers and squadrons of planes and pilots. They were never able to recover from that loss; the US had the industrial capacity and manpower reserves to replace what they would lose not only at Midway but in the hard slog across the Pacific to come, the Japanese did not. While the were able to make the US pay a heavy price for victory in the Pacific, the Japanese would never be able to stem the tide of the American advance.

While secondary sources were used in writing The Battle of Midway, Symonds made heavy use of both oral histories and interviews in research for the book. No doubt the use of those primary sources helped him explore the role of communications intelligence and tell the detailed story of the carrier strikes in the battle. Simply put this book is well researched and Symonds presents the results of that research in a very interesting, very engaging, and very readable form. Not only that, I consider it a very balanced look at the battle. Symonds grinds no axes, shows no allegiances toward any particular personalities, and points out mistakes where they are made regardless of who made them. If you are a student of World War II or Naval history I strongly recommend this book.

[James Currin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I am an ex-Navy man, I am not a particular student of military history. Even so, I was curious about what happened at Midway and this book satisfied my need to know. There were heroes and remarkable leaders on both sides. What impressed me more than anything, though, was the number of mistakes made by both sides - a fact made obvious by such an accurate and honest after-the-fact account. It was so exciting that I found it hard to put down. Now I'm curious about what a modern picture of naval warfare would look like. This book was so well written that I had no hesitation in giving it a 5 rating.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully-written and authoritative account the US Navy in the turning-point battle. Symonds' smooth and clear narrative makes easy meat of this complicated battle, the maps are well-drawn and helpful, and his brilliant portrayal of the background and battle tactics themselves takes into account much of the recent research on Midway. Excellent.

[A.J. Antczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well researched, written by a History professor. With that said, he is a very good writer, keeping the book’s pace up for over close to 500 pages. I came away feeling like I learned several things I never knew about, let alone the countless anecdotes and facts that he shared along the way. Ultimately, I was very impressed and entertained.

[Kevin Keating · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable and straightforward book. Really rips on the performance of the Hornet and some of her crew. Amazing how many planes were lost simply by running out of gas. Torpedo squadron totally sacrificed. This book really shows how poorly our military and Navy were for war in 1941. Equipment was mostly inferior to the Japanese. Well written.

[Jake Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class piece of history. Feel like I’m in the cockpit about to drop a couple bombs on a few flattops. Every decision is dissected and the reader understands the wisdom or the unwise aspects of every decision made thanks to Symonds.

[J Rife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly informative and thoroughly readable, this book flew by and left me wanting more.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has revealed to me. that Midway is much more than I thought it to be. This book details the riveting account of the battle incredibly. There is no stone left unturned and hour by hour the chaos of battle unfolds.

This book is specific to a University course I am taking regarding the role of chance within the battle and I have no doubt that I have all I need to thoroughly examine that role through this book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

When considering the truly pivotal events in American history, it is difficult to find many that are as significant as the battle of Midway. As Craig Symonds notes in his introduction, “there are few moments in American history in which the course of events tipped so suddenly and so dramatically as it did on June 4, 1942.” For it was on that day that the United States Navy succeeded in smashing the heart of the Japanese carrier force that had so completely dominated the Pacific Ocean during the first six months of the war there, scoring a victory that changed the course of World War II. Symonds’s book provides an account of this dramatic battle, as well as an understanding of the chain of events that led up to the clash between the American and Japanese fleets.

One of the key factors he identifies early on is the growing presence of the “victory disease” infecting the thinking of Japanese naval officers. An increasing assumption of victory was perhaps understandable, though, given the successes Japanese forces enjoyed at the start of the war. Much of this success was the consequence of the quality of Japanese equipment, as well as the demanding levels of training and previous combat experience of Japanese forces. Yet these advantages would prove to be temporary the longer the war wore on, as they were products of a system ill capable of replacing losses at the pace necessary. In the short term, though, Japan went from triumph to triumph, conquering southeast Asia and dominating Allied forces in the naval battles waged.

Yet American commanders were determined to punch back. Symonds’ account of the war in the early months of 1942 is one of the great strengths of his book, as he shows how a seemingly minor series of carrier strikes against Japanese forces in the Pacific influenced subsequent events. Faced with a number of options, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku ultimately resolved to attack Midway as a means of drawing out the American carrier forces and forcing the “decisive battle” called for by Japanese doctrine. The overly complicated plan was compromised almost from that start, though, as American codebreakers quickly uncovered some of its basic details. Armed with this information, the American commander of Pacific forces, Chester Nimitz, set a trap of his own, using all of his available carriers in a bid to cripple the Kido Butai, the carrier strike force that was the core of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s offensive power.

The outcome was devastating for the Japanese. Symonds relies upon a mixture of published accounts and interviews to reconstruct events, using them to address the myths and misconceptions that have emerged about the battle. Among the participants whose role he highlights is that of Frank Jack Fletcher, the commander of American forces in the battle. Long overshadowed by other figures, Symonds credits his cool and experienced judgment for much of the outcome. The pilots are also prominently featured in his account, and he makes clear just how devastating a toll the battle took among the ranks of American flyers as well as the Japanese forces. Yet he demonstrates how their sacrifice contributed to the American victory, which permanently shifted the balance of power of the Pacific and forced the Japanese to adopt a defensive strategy that could only delay their eventual defeat.

Clearly written and supplemented with a helpful collection of maps and photographs, Symonds’ book provides an excellent introduction to the battle. Though not as detailed as Gordon Prange’s classic Miracle at Midway, it benefits from the insights of more recent studies such as Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully's Shattered Sword, while the extensive coverage of the context of the battle offers a perspective lacking in most other accounts. With this book, Symonds has set the standard by which other histories of the battle are judged, one that is unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding history of this pivotal battle which turned the tide of the War in the Pacific and WWII in favor of the American's.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Battle of Midway" is a great read for naval history aficionados as well as for those who want to learn more about this pivotal battle of World War II but don't know too much about military history, as Symonds is fairly careful to explain the terms he uses which may not be known to the casual reader.
The book begins with the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack in December, 1941, and includes the events (the Battle of the Coral Sea, etc.) that lead up to the Battle of Midway in June, 1942. It is difficult to imagine the psychological shock that Pearl Harbor inflicted on Americans, and how this pervaded the atmosphere at the time. The battle itself is dissected with care, one event after another. Symonds seems particularly interested in documenting a case against those who feel that the U.S. won the Battle of Midway because of luck, and does so convincingly.