Miracle at Midway

by Charles E. Mercer

Recreates the naval battle between Japanese and American forces which was the decisive factor in the Pacific theater during World War II.

Genres: History

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Joe Dang]

This book is was written using dated and limited source material. It sums up personalities of the commanders but describes the entire battle in only a few pages. Midway was certainly no Miracle as the Americans were able to ambush a numerically superior Japanese Naval force that divided its forces so it the multiple elements could not support each other.

I good brief read on the personalities of the commanders of the American side.

[Matt]

Go, America!

That is what I say every time I read about The Battle of Midway and this time was no different. Charles Mercer's light weight account does a fine job presenting the coordinated efforts of the fighting navy force, America's crack cryptanalysts who predicted the attack on midway, and the yard workers who repaired the nearly destroyed USS Yorktown in three days in order to get it to Midway in time to fight.

Mercer's presentation of the friendship between Bull Halsey and Spruance was particularly interesting to me. As a fan of science fiction, I could not help but think the gregarious Halsey and taciturn intellectual Spruance were a real life Captain Kirk and Spock.