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Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway
by
With an extraordinary paperback selling track record of 230,000 copies sold, this is the definitive and compelling account of the Allied battle and victory at Midway in June 1942.
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Paperback, 352 pages
Published
April 25th 1998
by Burford Books
(first published 1967)
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Start your review of Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway
Mr. Lord does and excellent job describing this epic battle to where even the layman can watch and follow the events as they unfolded. Many authors want to get so detailed, like Glantz, that they forget what the subject matter is about and confuse the reader. That is not the case with this work.
His execution of taking you from the American to Japanese and American forces is superb. For such a complex battle it would be easy to get lost in the action and turn it into an uncontrolled tennis ...more
Written while many of the participants were still alive, this story effectively covers what most likely was the most pivotal battle of the Pacific in World War II.
What is striking is how much timing and luck play a role in history.
Also, how what appeared to be pointless bravery on the part of a squadron of American torpedo planes, pressing the attack and having every plane shot down without a single torpedo hitting, actually was the catalyst for the American victory by drawing the Japanese air ...more
What is striking is how much timing and luck play a role in history.
Also, how what appeared to be pointless bravery on the part of a squadron of American torpedo planes, pressing the attack and having every plane shot down without a single torpedo hitting, actually was the catalyst for the American victory by drawing the Japanese air ...more
This is a decent account of the Battle of Midway, told from both the Japanese and the American perspectives. I felt the narrative was a little clunky and trite at times. The middle of the book, when the battle is actively underway, was actually quite riveting for the most part. Midway is known as the battle that changed the course of the war in the Pacific. Never again after Midway would the Japanese take the offensive. What really struck me was how easily the battle could have gone the other
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I had no idea how apparently rare and expensive this book was until I decided to post a review. Like all of Walter Lord's WWII books, this one jumps from head to head, giving the viewpoints and musings of a great number of the players in the action. It can be a bit confusing at times because of this, but IMO that only adds to the overall sense of what it might have felt like being there in the "fog of battle" where no one was ever quite certain of what was happening, outside of the precise
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Walter Lord, an American with a British-sounding name, writes like a Brit benefitting from a classical education and he does a fantastic job here. This is one hell of a book.
Giving the backstory to both sides of the battle, Lord effectively zeroes in on the Japanese and the American commanders, but then goes further: making the everymen who fought and died in that battle come alive, right down to the cooks and signalmen and mechanics on both sides of the conflict.
Quoting hundreds of ...more
Giving the backstory to both sides of the battle, Lord effectively zeroes in on the Japanese and the American commanders, but then goes further: making the everymen who fought and died in that battle come alive, right down to the cooks and signalmen and mechanics on both sides of the conflict.
Quoting hundreds of ...more
What an incredible story about the Battle of Midway and Walter Lord did an exceptional job putting down into paper what transpired in that fateful event in WW2 history.
Its an underdog story. I was hooked from the beginning. The heroism, courage, determination of those American men who were outnumbered, out-skilled and had older planes against the Japanese were truly inspirational. The accomplishment of the intelligence-gathering team was equally impressive when it was still a new practice.
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Its an underdog story. I was hooked from the beginning. The heroism, courage, determination of those American men who were outnumbered, out-skilled and had older planes against the Japanese were truly inspirational. The accomplishment of the intelligence-gathering team was equally impressive when it was still a new practice.
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An excellent, thorough account of this incredible and complicated battle. The author does a great job of showing both the American and Japanese perspectives of each event, and he keeps a good pace in his account, making it an engaging read. I picked this book up in anticipation of the 2019 Midway film, and I was hooked. I am very unfamiliar with the Pacific front of the war and this book really helped. I highly recommend to an fellow WW2 nerd.
For my Christian friends, I paired this reading with ...more
For my Christian friends, I paired this reading with ...more
Although I enjoyed the book, felt it such a part of our history, it was well researched and important to be out there for us to 'not forget', I had a little trouble keeping everyone and everything straight in my mind. There was just so much going on and the author did a fantastic job presenting it.
My husband was in the Navy (too young for WWII) but 16 years after that horrific, but victorious, battle my little family was living on Sand Island. There were signs of battle still visible. Reading ...more
My husband was in the Navy (too young for WWII) but 16 years after that horrific, but victorious, battle my little family was living on Sand Island. There were signs of battle still visible. Reading ...more
I chose this book because a newly released epic movie Midway will be one of my pursuits, and since I love WWII history I wanted to get a refresher on the tactics as well as enjoy reading about this US victory. It appears Walter Lord in this 1967 research was among the first to study everything and interview survivors ... so I took it as a good early authoritative interpretation of the battle. Its 300 pages were an easy read. Lords style is superb, he having written griping tales of Pearl Harbor
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Good account. Written in 1967 in a breathless style, it's a bit dated. It has some photos but disappoints in failing to include maps. There is little discussion on the significance of the battle in the direction of the war.
This book has been on my list since 2012 (!!!) and I put it off because of the military nature of it. I'm not generally a fan of the military genre, but I should have trusted myself more, because it was really great! It treats both sides with respect and a very human element. The research that went into this is impressive too. And this is the second or third military book I've read that I've surprisingly liked.... So maybe I'm a fan of the genre after all??
After a battle is over, people talk a lot about how the decisions were methodically reached, but actually theres always a hell of a lot of groping around.
Admiral Frank Fletcher, commander of Task Force 17 during the battle of Midway
How true! Although signal intelligence and cryptography had tipped off the U.S. Navy about Japans plans to attack Midway, Admiral Nimitz had to keep that information under wraps and manage powerful and influential critics convinced that they would instead attack ...more
Admiral Frank Fletcher, commander of Task Force 17 during the battle of Midway
How true! Although signal intelligence and cryptography had tipped off the U.S. Navy about Japans plans to attack Midway, Admiral Nimitz had to keep that information under wraps and manage powerful and influential critics convinced that they would instead attack ...more
I thought I knew about the battle of Midway. Ive watched numerous documentaries, movies, and TV shows; and Ive read numerous history books, memoirs, historical fictions about the battle of Midway. When I read Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, I realized that I didnt know as much as I thought I did. Lords research and writing style are superb. Although I already knew many of the historical facts, the way that Lord writes about those facts, the individual stories, the
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The book Incredible Victory, The Battle of Midway falls in the Non-Fiction genre, and as the title says it describes the battle of Midway. I chose to read the heavily detailed book because last year my great grandma gave me the book because she believed I would like it. As many teenagers do, I cast aside the book for whenever I felt like I should read it, which came at this current point. I was actually assigned this book for a book assignment in my english class. I usually dont read
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A pretty good historic retelling of the Battle of Midway, which was the crucial turning point in the Pacific theater during WWII. Lord does a very good job of weaving together the stories of sailors and airmen from both sides of the battle, based on personal interviews and tons of research through personal letters, after action reports and piles of naval records. The result is, surprisingly, an easy read for anyone interested in WWII history. It never bogs down and manages to keep a truly human
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A classic one-volume account of one of the most critical battles in World History, this work about Midway immediately puts the reader right into the preparation and start of the battle. It doesn't try to recount all the events that led to the battle, but highlighting the key points that set events in motion leading to this critical battle. He makes effective use of first person accounts, ranging from American naval aviators, sailors, soldiers to Japanese military personnel. This work was
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For as great as the reputation of this account of Midway is, I found it a little disappointing. Whether talking about Big Strategy, or the tactics of WWII naval warfare, or even the lived experience of the men caught up in the fray, Lord writes as if he assumes you already know all about it. And that's true, in a way; probably almost everyone who reads this book knows how it's going to end and why it's important. But, especially as we get further and further from the 1940s, it's harder to have
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I enjoyed reading this book and did learn a lot about the history of this particular engagement.
Mr. Lord mixes quite nicely many of the facts of what took place with the personal
observations of those of the men who were there as they unfolded. From reading the
book I came away with a better understanding of why Japan chose to attack Midway, and
why the United States was compelled to defend this island and as well try to hurt Japan's effort to
dominate the Pacific.
Certainly luck was on the side of ...more
Mr. Lord mixes quite nicely many of the facts of what took place with the personal
observations of those of the men who were there as they unfolded. From reading the
book I came away with a better understanding of why Japan chose to attack Midway, and
why the United States was compelled to defend this island and as well try to hurt Japan's effort to
dominate the Pacific.
Certainly luck was on the side of ...more
Walter Lord's account of the battle of Midway is clear and concise. His efforts to tell the story from both sides of the battle are very insightful. The Japanese plan and execution appear to present a inevitable victory for the Japanese, making the American victory all the more incredible. This is the fourth book I've read this year on Midway and it should have been the first to lay out the principle characters, decisions and results. Forced to use aging antiquated equipment and very
...more
Walter Lord always offers a very well researched account of history. The Battle of Midway is perhaps one of the most significant turning points in the Pacific theatre in WW II. Had events gone in favor of Japan on that day, the Western coast of the USA would have become a battlefield. Japan would have controlled the Pacific, and Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco among other coastal cities would have become targets for bombardment off the coast.
The incredible odds the American fleet faced was ...more
The incredible odds the American fleet faced was ...more
Excellent Book On The Battle of Midway
Excellent read on the Battle of Midway. This started with the details of how and why the battle occurred to the end where some key decisions allowed the US forces to sail away with a victory as opposed to pursuing the Japanese forces into potential defeat.
I thought this provided the perfect amount of detail before, during, and after the battle. The book read like a story providing pertinent details while not getting too deep into certain areas and losing ...more
Excellent read on the Battle of Midway. This started with the details of how and why the battle occurred to the end where some key decisions allowed the US forces to sail away with a victory as opposed to pursuing the Japanese forces into potential defeat.
I thought this provided the perfect amount of detail before, during, and after the battle. The book read like a story providing pertinent details while not getting too deep into certain areas and losing ...more
A view of both sides, Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway, offers a fascinating picture of an incredible upset: the US forces were green, badly equipped, and badly outnumbered. In spite of a ragged, faltering start to the battle, they somehow managed to pull out a victory. Reading it, all laid out so you can see just how long the odds were, the only word that comes to mind is "miracle". Our nation's birth was in God's hands, and it seems clear to me (though the book never said so), that the
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I hadn't read any of Walter Lord's historical writings until this one. In this book (and I suspect others) Lord was a great writer, a relentless researcher and an objective observer.
"The Battle of Midway" was the turning point in the war of the Pacific. In this, the undersized U.S. Pacific fleet won a victory over the Japanese navy's massive task force. This much history tells us and much has been "glorified" in the near-75 years since it took place.
Lord's objective look at the battle, though, ...more
"The Battle of Midway" was the turning point in the war of the Pacific. In this, the undersized U.S. Pacific fleet won a victory over the Japanese navy's massive task force. This much history tells us and much has been "glorified" in the near-75 years since it took place.
Lord's objective look at the battle, though, ...more
A fascinating read
Perhaps like many others while I knew some history on the battle of Midway I'm afraid much of it was based on the movie "Midway". While the movie was entertaining I feel the script writers both took liberties with the truth as well as not acknowledging many of the people who helped defeat the Japanese navy at Midway. For example the movie doesn't mention Midway having any PT boats to help defend the island nor did it mention Pearl Harbor reinforcing Midway with troops and ...more
Perhaps like many others while I knew some history on the battle of Midway I'm afraid much of it was based on the movie "Midway". While the movie was entertaining I feel the script writers both took liberties with the truth as well as not acknowledging many of the people who helped defeat the Japanese navy at Midway. For example the movie doesn't mention Midway having any PT boats to help defend the island nor did it mention Pearl Harbor reinforcing Midway with troops and ...more
I had a vague knowledge of the Battle of Midway: a carrier duel between the US Navy and the Japanese Imperial Navy, but no real idea of the battle's significance or that its outcome was based on almost astonishing circumstances, so astonishing that it would seem the ancients would have explained what happened best by simply saying the Gods favoured the USN.
A visit to the USS Midway in San Diego and an entertaining and fascinating lecture/film about the battle in the cinema on the ship earlier ...more
A visit to the USS Midway in San Diego and an entertaining and fascinating lecture/film about the battle in the cinema on the ship earlier ...more
Details of the Battle of Midway
I read this for two reasons. I enjoy reading historical books and in this instance I had a particular interest because my father was a crew member on the USS Pensacola in this battle. He never talked about his experiences very much. I think many years later he still found the memories too painful. This book gave me a better understanding of how truly awful this battle was. It also gives one such a feeling of awe at the selflessness and bravery of all the men ...more
I read this for two reasons. I enjoy reading historical books and in this instance I had a particular interest because my father was a crew member on the USS Pensacola in this battle. He never talked about his experiences very much. I think many years later he still found the memories too painful. This book gave me a better understanding of how truly awful this battle was. It also gives one such a feeling of awe at the selflessness and bravery of all the men ...more
I've read at least a couple of dozen books about the Battle of Midway, and this one is my favorite. Clear, concise, not too long, and filled with individual stories of human drama, as well as the grand sweep of this monumental battle. It shows how codebreaking, tactics, courage, and plain luck (both good and bad) on both sides led to the outcome. The story is told in an engaging style that makes the story come alive. The author is most famous for his book about the Titanic, A Night to Remember;
...more
A Classic on The Battle of Midway
Much has been written about the Battle of Midway during WWII as being the turning point during the war in the Pacific, but Walter Lord has taken the battle into the personal detail level of all of those that fought and died in the US victory and the Japanese defeat. A classic read that needs to be read by those interested in WWII History. A well scripted review that keeps your intrested through every page.
Much has been written about the Battle of Midway during WWII as being the turning point during the war in the Pacific, but Walter Lord has taken the battle into the personal detail level of all of those that fought and died in the US victory and the Japanese defeat. A classic read that needs to be read by those interested in WWII History. A well scripted review that keeps your intrested through every page.
Like being there.
This book was more like a story than a battle history. The author made me feel like I was there for I felt that I could truly understand what the characters were doing and saying. The excitement that the pilots felt when finding a good target, the sense of duty and courage of attacking against all odds, and the characters Pain at losing shipmates, while and a battle.
This book was more like a story than a battle history. The author made me feel like I was there for I felt that I could truly understand what the characters were doing and saying. The excitement that the pilots felt when finding a good target, the sense of duty and courage of attacking against all odds, and the characters Pain at losing shipmates, while and a battle.
Feels like a first hand account.
By telling this story from the perspective of both the Admirals and the enlisted men (from both sides), the book gives the feeling of 'being there'. This made it feel like I couldn't put it down until I finished. I didn't read it in one sitting; but I sure wanted to keep on reading the rest of the way through to the end of the war.
By telling this story from the perspective of both the Admirals and the enlisted men (from both sides), the book gives the feeling of 'being there'. This made it feel like I couldn't put it down until I finished. I didn't read it in one sitting; but I sure wanted to keep on reading the rest of the way through to the end of the war.
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