The most stunning naval victory in history Let us begin by remembering a small island atoll in the Pacific called Midway. The United States suffered a horrible attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the following day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered his date which will live in infamy speech. America soon responded in the daring Doolittle raid on Japan on April 18, 1942, showing that America was not defeated and that we would strike back. However, we suffered a tough defeat May 7-8 at the Battle of Coral Sea, and the Imperial Japanese Navy fleet made its way back across the Pacific with its eyes upon a strategic location with a ready made airfield, Midway. Admiral Yamamoto commanded the fleet, which possessed heavy confidence of aircraft carrier superiority. Indeed, the USS Yorktown was badly damaged at the Battle of Coral Sea and limped back to its home station for repair. The damage assessment after the battle predicted that it would take months to repair the ship and make it battle ready. Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, knew we did not have months, and industrious Americans restored the Yorktown in 72 hours. It set sail to join the USS Enterprise and USS Hornet near Midway Island. Thanks to naval cryptologists and PBY search and reconnaissance aircraft, Americans spotted the Japanese fleet. And from June 4 to June 7, one of the greatest naval battles took place near that flat atoll. A truly classic study in naval maneuvers and carrier tactics ensued, something this ole Army doggie would be hard-pressed to understand and certainly to explain. But the key is that the carrier USS Yorktown made the difference. Even though it eventually sunk, the carrier made a vital contribution. Military historian John Keegan called the Battle of Midway the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare. It was Japans worst naval defeat in 350 years and a decisive turning point in the Pacific theater of operations. The battle set the stage for the Solomon Islands campaign -- first stop Guadalcanal, where heroism was defined.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 00:38:32 +0000
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