World War II: Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Campaign

The Atlantic ^ | Aug 28, 2011 | Alan Taylor

[MtnClimber]

Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan prepared to deal one more decisive blow to the U.S. Naval forces in the Pacific. The aim was to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers and occupy the strategically important Midway Atoll, a tiny island nearly halfway between Asia and North America that was home to a U.S. Naval air station. American codebreakers deciphered the Japanese plans, allowing the U.S. Navy to plan an ambush. On June 3, 1942, the Battle of Midway commenced.

[rmlew]

What blew my mind in reading about the Pacific War was that by FEBRUARY of 1942 we were already launching carrier-based air attacks on some of the Jap-held islands. I thought we didn't start to bounce back until the Coral Sea in May '42.
Bounce back? Those were desperate operations to keep the Japanese distracted and off balance. The closest we got to any serious confrontation was the abortive campaign to rescue Wake Island. The operations were useful in giving us tactical experience and learning things like the poor quality of our 5" anti-aircraft ammunition.

[Oatka]

I enjoyed "The Lonely Ships"; by Edward P. Hoyt

Other good ones: "The Fleet the Gods Forgot" by W.G. Winslow (nice detail on each ship), "The Last Battle Station" (USS Houston) by Duane Schultz, "Pawns of War" (total FUBAR on the loss of the USS Pecos and USS Langley) by Dwight R. Messimer, "Where Away" (USS Marblehead - kept in one piece by a steel cable) by George Perry and Isabel Leighton, and the off-the-wall "Cruise of the Lanikai" by an old China hand Kemp Tolley (possible suicide mission saved by the bombing of the Philippines).

"The Pacific War" by Costello is another comprehensive read of the naval and island battles.

we traded this old fleet with its antiquated fleet and its thousands of sailors first to try to help the Americans at Corregidor, and also to help the Brits at Singapore.

As well as the Dutch in Java. Brave men in antiquated ships sent up against the world's 3rd most powerful navy. At least two were sunk with all hands. The Charge of the Light Brigade had nothing on those men. Heroes indeed.

[Oatka]

Bounce back? Those were desperate operations to keep the Japanese distracted and off balance.
I used that term as, from many books I had read, I got the impression that we were flat on our backs after Pearl Harbor and couldn't do anything to stop the Jap rampage.

. . . and learning things like the poor quality of our 5" anti-aircraft ammunition.
Boy, that period was a litany of how unprepared we were. When the USS Langley was under horizontal bomber attack in early '42 their WWI 3" couldn't reach higher that 15,000 feet. The Japs quickly recognized that, came in at about 17,000 and used the attacks as a training session for the green pilots and bombardiers.

On Bataan, we had WWI Stokes mortars that had an 80% misfire rate. The few times we retook a position, the contemptuous Japs had left flowers stuck in the tubes. I also understand that the Filipinos were issued M1917 Enfields that were missing cartridge case extractors, so they had to carry a wooden ramrod to knock out the cases.

[TheOldLady]

Click the Pic               Thank you, JoeProBono

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[bt_dooftlook]

Great pictures! One comment - in picture 18, should be “Mogami” class cruiser, not “Mogima”...