Product Description

The Battle of Midway was one of the most famous battles of World War Two. Now, for the first time since Gordon Prange's bestselling Miracle at Midway, two authors offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement. Unlike previous accounts, this book makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources which correct previous accounts and assumptions of the battle. This book forces a major, potentially controversial, re-evaluation of the great battle. The authors re-assess the battle in great detail and within the context of the Imperial Navy's doctrine and technology. Midway is the battle which turned the tide of the Pacific war during WWII - and one of the most famous naval battles in history. This is the first time that the Japanese side has been so fully presented and explained through use of Japanese primary sources. This book debunks popular myths about the Battle of Midway, including some concerning its defining moment of the Americans' last-minute dive-bombing attack.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #405125 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 640 pages

Customer Reviews

Well-written Narrative, Fine Analysis
Much has been written about the Battle of Midway; gripping stuff with Hell-divers arcing out of the sun and tales of tardy scout-planes and missed messages upon which the battle turned. What there has been precious little of is decent analysis based on clear timelines and an analysis of the actual capabilities of the combatants, especially from the Japanese side. This book corrects that. Starting from an appreciation of Japanese carrier operations, and especially the mechanics of setting up an air mission, and using the historical record the authors describe the battle in detail and in the process demolish many myths that have grown up around it. The battle is placed not only in its tactical, but its strategic context and the reasons for its outcome are shown to lie less in chance and more in operational planning, Japanese doctrine and the command philosophy of the Imperial Japanese Navy. If you are interested in Midway then read this.

Outstanding research
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly with its unusual approach of viewing the battle from the side of the Japanese. I was less enamoured by the authors' attempt to fix the book's viewpoint to the carriers themselves (thus, when the Japanese aircraft leave on a raid, we hear nothing further, apart from a few radio messages, until they return and can be debriefed). While clearly designed to emphasise the lack of information available to the Japanese commanders, I felt that this writing device unnecessarily impeded the reader's understanding of the battle.
I was also distracted by an occasionally lax writing style. As an example, at one point it is claimed that the commander had little time to "internalise" the problem.

Nevertheless, the above issues are minor. What comes shining through is the breadth and depth of the authors' research and their clear determination to produce an account that is factual and unbiased. By clearly explaining the mechanics of Japanese carrier operations of the time (without boring the reader), the authors are able to convincingly dispell many of the misconceptions and fallacies regarding this great battle.

This is an excellent account of the Battle of Midway, presented in an unbiased and logical fashion and which uncovers many previously disregarded aspects of the battle - thoroughly reccommended

If you're interested in the Pacific War you need this book.
The most interesting book on Midway I've ever read especially as it's written from the Japanese perspective. Covers every aspect of the forces, plans, lead up and the action itself and along the way explodes many myths about the battle. What myths? Buy it and find out, you won't regret it! The amount of research that's gone into this book is staggering, the bibliography is immense and includes tha Japanese Official History which many other books do not. The authors knowledge and dedication to the subject are obvious from the outset and by the end of the book you are left hoping they are working on other books on the Pacific War. If you need further persuasion, look at the price and look at the page count, it is excellent value for money in terms of weight alone.