Posted on 06/21/2012 5:15:50 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Fuchida, Mitsuo and Masatake Okumiya. Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy’s Story. Annapolis MD: Naval Institute Press, 1992. 300pp. ISBN 1-55750-428-8.
“With Midway as the turning point, the fortunes of war appeared definitely to shift from our own to the Allied side. The defeat taught us many lessons and impelled our Navy, for the first time since the outbreak of war, to indulge in critical self-examination.” – Mitsuo Fuchida
It was designed to be the crowning achievement of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Fueled by memories its other great naval victories; the Battle of the Yalu River (1894), the Battle of Tsushima (1905), and the stunning victory at Pearl Harbor, this was to be the pentacle achievement as the navy would eliminate the remaining forces of the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet. 
As followers of naval tactician Alfred T. Mahan, they would draw the U.S. Navy into the decisive battle that would allow the Japanese to destroy the last threat to their dominance of the Pacific basin, the American carrier force.
The Japanese was anything but simple. It would comprise itself of a diversionary force that would attack the Aleutians while the main force would drive on the little island of Midway. The attack was designed to draw the American carriers into the teeth of the Japanese offensive force with 4 main battle carriers ready to take out the U.S. fleet. By the end of the battle, this great dream lay in complete shambles. The four main carriers under Admiral Nagumo had been destroyed. The majority of Japan’s first rate pilots had been killed. The Imperial Japanese Navy would no longer wield absolute dominance over the Pacific and would remain on the defensive for the rest of the war.
Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy’s Story examines the events and mistakes that lead to this greatest of Japanese defeats from an interesting perspective. It looks at the defeat from the Japanese perspective. Authors Mitsuo Fuchida and Masatake Okumiya both have unique insight in the battle that allows them to put together a clear picture of what was happening with the Japanese commanders. Fuchida, well known as the commander of the air fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor, was aboard the Akagi during the fateful battle having just undergone an emergency appendectomy the day they had left port. Okumiya was serving aboard the Ryujo with the Aleutian attack force allowing the two to collaborate in producing a complete picture of the fight.
The authors take their own personal experience in the battle and combine it with the official post battle work they did as well with the official U.S. Naval records on the event to put together a very complete account of the Japanese defeat. They conclude that the most responsible party in this loss falls on the shoulders of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. The book provides extensive analysis of the failures in Yamamoto’s plan which left Nagumo with a plan of attack too rigid to withstand any deviation or eventuality. As a result when things did begin to go wrong, there was no alternative that would readily keep the bad situation from getting worse. Yamamoto had doomed his fleet to destruction.
This book is a fascinating read for anyone who is interested in the Japanese mindset at this critical point in history. The astute reader will pick up on the cultural aspects that contributed to the failure beyond the collapse of the plan. Fuchida makes his case for Yamamoto’s responsibility for the failure, yet you still detect a sense of respect and subservice to the man in his criticisms. This can also be seen in his description of the Naval General Staff which in accordance of the chain of command should have been able to reel in Yamamoto, but were unable to oppose him because of the amount of prestige he had garnered as a result of the success at Pearl Harbor. This book illustrates that the defeat at Midway was as much a cultural defeat as it was an operational one. For anyone looking to get a broader perspective of the battle of Midway, this should be considered required reading.
CougarGA7
The West Point Military History Series, Thomas E. Griess, Editor, The Second World War: Europe and the Mediterranean
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The New York Times Book Review
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Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy’s Story, by Mitsuo Fuchida and Masatake Okumiya. Reviewed by CougarGA7 – 21
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1942/jun42/f21jun42.htm
Allied garrison at Tobruk surrenders
Sunday, June 21, 1942 www.onwar.com
In North Africa... The garrison at Tobruk surrenders. 30,000 prisoners are taken by the Germans, but more importantly the huge storehouse of food and fuel fall into the German hands. More than 3,000,000 rations and 500,000 gallons of gasoline replenish the Afrika Korps meager supplies. Rommel requests and receives permission to continue the drive to Egypt over the objections of Kesselring who wishes to focus German forces on Malta with Operation Hercules.
From Berlin... Hitler promotes General Rommel to Field Marshall in recognition of the successes of the Afrika Korps.
In Washington... Churchill receives the news of the fall of Tobruk while meeting with US President Roosevelt. FDR immediately offers aid and 300 Sherman tanks and 100 self-propelled guns are immediately dispatched to North Africa. The better equipment will make a difference in the British performance at El Amien.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm
June 21st, 1942
GERMANY: U-760 launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: RAF Continues its Beaufort Operations.
The British forces holding the captured Italian fortress of Tobruk surrender to Rommel. The vital port on the North African coast has fallen barely three weeks after Rommel was being reported by British newspapers as trapped in the area known as the “Cauldron”. Today he has captured 35,000 Allied soldiers, 70 tanks and in immense store of supplies, while dealing British morale its heaviest blow since the loss of Singapore. Winston Churchill was told of Tobruk’s fall while meeting President Roosevelt in Washington.
The Eighth Army, confident of success in North Africa after driving the Axis forces so far westwards last year, has allowed Tobruk’s defences to deteriorate. The British also lost their numerical advantage in tanks through a series of piece-meal attacks on the Cauldron.
With Rommel’s tanks racing in pursuit of a shattered Eighth Army, no one expected him to turn back to attack Tobruk. But then, with incredible speed, Rommel captured two airfields at Gambut and turned back towards Tobruk.
He struck as dawn yesterday with a heavy bombardment by air and artillery before an infantry assault followed by Panzers which he himself led. By the afternoon it was all over.
PACIFIC OCEAN: A PBY-5A of Patrol Squadron Twenty Four (VP-24) operating from Midway Island rescues the two man crew of a Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6) Douglas TBD-1 Devastator 360 miles north of Midway Island. The two were from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and were shot down by the Japanese on 4 June These are the last survivors of the Battle of Midway that are found. (Jack McKillop)
A US submarine sinks a Japanese gunboat in the Solomon Islands. (Jack McKillop)
TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: US submarine operations continue.
U.S.A.: Fort Stevens, Oregon is shelled by Japanese submarine HIJMS I-25. (Jack McKillop)
As well I-25 arrived off Cape Blanco, Oregon and launched a E14Y GLEN Yokosuka recon aircraft by catapult which flew inland about 50 miles and dropped 2 incendiary bombs on Oregon forest area, two such mission were flown. (Dave Shirlaw)
Submarine USS Haddo launched.
Destroyers USS Jenkins and La Vallette launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Ex-USA R.19 submarine now RN P.514 is rammed by mistake by Canadian minesweeper Georgian. The minesweeper had not been warned of the presence of P.514, but had been notified that two German U-Boats were in the area. There were no survivors. Location E coast of Canada at 43 33N 53 40W. (Alex Gordon)(108)
Among the lost were Lt (E) James Flevelle MAGILL, RCNR, Halifax Memorial; OSST Albert Edward Lidstone RN of St. John’s, Nfld. Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire, UK. P514 was on passage from Argentina to St. John’s, under the escort of HMS Primrose, just after midnight on 21 Jun 42 HMS/M P514 was sunk in error by the minesweeper HMCS Georgian. The tragedy took place off Cape Race when the path of the eastbound submarine and her corvette escort, intercepted that of a westbound convoy CL.43 being escorted by the minesweeper. Problems with one of the ships in CL.43 had delayed the start of the convoy and it was several hours behind schedule. At the same time an eastbound convoy, SC.88, which had been blown north of its intended track, intercepted and passed through CL.43. The situation was confusing and dangerous. Visibility was poor and the night sky was overcast with frequent mist patches. Georgian detected approaching diesel engine HE on her hydrophones and turned onto the bearing to investigate. When the lookouts spotted the submarine the helm was immediately put over and she rammed P514 amidships. According to one testimony, the submarine’s navigation lights flicked on, then off. According to the CO of the corvette escorting P514, her lights had been on for some time. The bridge personnel in Georgian could look down into the bridge of the submarine and they observed that it was empty and the hatch was shut. At 00 -40 hours Atlantic Time, the submarine went down in 27 fathoms. There were no survivors. A lone body was spotted in the water at the time but sank before it could be recovered. The body of ERA, N.C. Bennett came ashore near Ferrylands a month later. He was interred in the local graveyard with full military honours. At the enquiry, no blame was attached to anyone concerned. It was NSHQ policy then, and throughout the war, to not inform escort forces of the movements of Allied submarines for fear they would hesitate in attacking U-boats. The only measure of safety offered to Allied submarines passing through an operational area was the establishment of temporary no-attack zones for aircraft, but the submarines were always on their own when it came to both ships and aircraft. Lt (E) James Flevelle Magill RCNR, was onboard, for passage, OSST Albert Edward Lidstone RN (of St. John’s Nfld) crew, of HMS/M P514, when lost with all hands. (DS)
Thank you for taking the time and effort to post these important historical documents.
regards
Spokeshave.
I don't think this will go anywhere. Who would Gen. Patton be reporting to over there, Ritchie? Eisenhower? Either option raises thorny questions. Also, how long would it take to transport an armored division from continental U.S. to N. Africa? By the time they get there Rommel may control the Red Sea.
"Jan Kubis, the man who threw the grenade that mortally wounded Reinhard Heydrich, was killed during the gun battle at St. Cyril's crypt.
The killing of Kubis, however, did not quiet Hitler's fury.
The German chancellor ordered a series of reprisal operations."
Knowing the NY Times, they probably never even asked about Free Republic University.
US history is a big deal here... ;-)
And it's the real thing, too. I couldn't make this stuff up.
Of course, for a lot of the stuff you post I wouldn't want to make it up.
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