Battle of Midway: The Decision of the Pacific War | Frontlines Ep. 01 | Documentary
The Battle of Midway was one of the most decisive naval battle of World War 2 and the Pacific War.
It marked a turning point in the Pacific theater and changed the course of the war. This documentary takes you on a journey back in time to explore the strategies, tactics, and human stories behind this epic battle. We delve into the history of the Battle of Midway and how it was planned and executed by both the American and Japanese forces.
You'll learn about the leadership and tactics of Admiral Nimitz and how he led the American forces to a crucial victory against the Imperial Japanese Navy. One of the things that made the Battle of Midway special was the use of advanced intelligence and code-breaking by the United States. American cryptographers were able to break the Japanese code, which provided valuable information about the Japanese plans and allowed the US to ambush the Imperial Japanese Fleet.
Another important aspect of the Battle of Midway was the skill of the American pilots, who were able to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese carriers despite being outnumbered.
Additionally, the battle was significant for the Pacific War theatre because it marked the first time the Japanese had suffered such a defeat in open battle and it was a major blow to their naval power. The Japanese lost four aircraft carriers, a heavy cruiser, and over 250 aircraft, while the Americans lost only one carrier, one destroyer and about 150 aircraft.
The Battle of Midway was one of the most significant events of the 20th century, and this documentary provides an in-depth look at the battle, its significance and its impact on the outcome of World War 2 and the Pacific War. It's an opportunity to understand the importance of the Battle of Midway and how it changed the course of the war, and the world. This documentary is a must-watch for anyone interested in the history of World War 2 and the Pacific War, and the Battle of Midway in particular.
#documentary #midway #pacificwar
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Interesting links and sources:
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having these old sailors and Marines recall their stories 60-70 years later is a valuable part of history.
valuable and valid! its sad we have to go through it but telling the story is also a duty, to honor those that did not make it.
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My grandfather passed away in 2019. He was sunk on Lady Lex at Coral Sea, then transferred to a battleship then another heavy carrier (CV-20) to finish the war. He was in every major battle outside of Midway. These men were special. I miss him every day.
❤❤❤
👍
My grandfather was a tail gunner on one of the Marine SBD Dauntless dive bombers, he participated in Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Philippines. Like most guys of that era, he never really talked about it, been gone now nearly 10 years. Semper Fi Marine. Hell of a guy.
Salute to your grandfather, a member of The Greatest Generaiton
My Uncle, Fred Tuxworth (TUX), flew F6F Hellcats off the 2nd USS Hornet and then later off the USS Enterprise. He only spoke to me once about his combat experiences in the war. He said, "I was mostly scared from the second I strapped myself into the cockpit, until I stepped off the wing after returning from a mission." He added, "it was good to be scared. Being terrified helped fine tune you into paying absolute attention to absolutely everything."
That’s deep. I could only imagine what some of those men went through. There’s so many stories that never been told, and it will stay like that until the end of time. Some things are better left unsaid, and witnessing certain things will leave you speechless even years later still trying to wrap your mind around it. My Uncle was in the special forces, and he rarely ever talked about his combat experiences. Very vague, but he shared some things, but I know there’s alot more. War is treacherous.
Mad respect
Never forget about these brave men. They are truly heroes.
real breed
Yea Man Talking about being part of somethin bigger than yourself!! An remember now the Greatest Generation was Considered to be Soft at first but they proved everybody wrong!!!
2nd that....
I had a friend who was a pilot on Midway. He has since passed away. His name was Tom Noble.
My Great Uncle George Campbell was one of the pilots in Torpedo Squadron 8, Waldron’s squadron that attacked first. He and the entire group except for Ensign Gay was killed but they set up the victory for the Americans. He’s one of my heroes.
His sacrifice made a huge difference. Made the following attacks very successful. Just tragic that his Squadron did not have fighter cover ....they all should have gotten/stayed together.
Well that's just part of the story . The Air force attacked with B-26 torpedo attacks followed by B-17's which set in motion the inevitable victory for the United States. It's called giving credit where credit is due . Sadly these brave fliers seem to be forgotten . They were as brave as any Navy flier and deserve as much recognition and credit for this victory .
@@todd3285 Kinda…. Attacking at wave top level, flying slow is not the same as the higher speed, higher altitude attacks. The Attacks launched from Midway helped disrupt the Japanese Fleet Formation …and the Attack by the Torpedo Squadrons REALLY disrupted and brought the fighter CAP down to sea level…which was key to later Dive Bomber success
@@krismurphy7711 Well Little Krissy you might want to learn the facts before you run your mouth boy .
@@todd3285 LOL.... it seems you are not confident in your facts...or...you don't like responses to your claims? How old are you??? BTW, please point out anything that I said which is not 100% accurate.
The personal stories of the sailors and pilots involved in the Battle of Midway are truly inspiring. This video does justice to their sacrifices
We must never forget the price of Freedom and honor all those who paid the ultimate price for ours.
My ex wife’s grandfather served on the U.S.S. Alabama in the South Pacific in WWII. My ex’s dad still has a battle diary of the ship that was his fathers. Pretty interesting. It details all the battles the ship was involved in. Very detailed. I hope whoever he hands it down to takes care of it.
He needs to gift it to the USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park and Foundation!!! That way he will KNOW it is in good hands and will be well taken care of.
van
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Marines at Midway were equipped with the Springfield M-1903 bolt action rifle, not the M-1 Garand. When the Marines landed on Guadalcanal 2 months later (August 1942) they went ashore with Springfield M-1903's. Marines are always last to receive updated weapons, gear, vehicles, etc. They were still wearing the old WW1 helmets at Midway. Semper Fidelis Marines! 0352, TOW anti-tank guided missile gunner, March '86 thru October '93.
Yep, they still had the "doughboy" style helmets and even the 1970's movie "MIdway!" got that right.
Marines did get M-1 Garands when the Army arrived. . self-help.
Semper Fi!! Thanks for correcting the record about the M-1 Garand issuance and the WWI Kelly helmets the Corps had during the battle, my brothers!! I was 2nd Tank Bn, 2nd MarDiv ‘82-86….my dad was USAAF in the China-Burma-India theater during WW2.
@@Zerox_Prime- A little midnight requisitioning and a few other means we Marines know so well!! 😉🦅🌎⚓️
@@benjaminfrazier5419 WOW! I was in TOW anti tank guided missile Company, 2nd Tank Bn. April '87 - October '89. Semper Fidelis my brother!
My grandfather told me stories of midway. He was on Enterprise.
My dad was medic with the marines on Guadalcanal. On Iwo Jima, the 1st man to let go of the first flag was Ira Hayes, look at his story. 👍
YOUR DADS' A HERO
@@omairfarooq7962 That is amazing. Did your dad ever mention Chesty Puller?
The US Army has Medics. Marines have Corpsmen, and they work for the US Navy.
Im happy to see Chief Yeoman Bill Norbert (at 13:00) who gave many comments on the wonderful series Battle 360 (animated following the USS Enterprise), and still wears his cover with great pride. Thank you Chief Norberg!!!! And I'm learning more details about Midway missed in other features.
We must never forget the price of Freedom and honor all those who paid the ultimate price for ours. God Bless the "World's Greatest Generation" God, Family and Country. 1776
Really
Yeah, a bunch of people dying to satisfy the demand of the single sick tyrant causing war. Nothing honorable about that.
TV TV
What's not said is that the bomb strike on the Yorktown snuffed her boilers and left her dead in the water. The Japanese strike counted Yorktown as sunk and reported that. The torpedo strike that came about an hour later thought they were attacking a different carrier because Yorktown was under way after getting her boilers relit and moving at 14 knots about half an hour after being snuffed out.
@@greggarner4477 WW2 buff??? The Yorktown (CV-5), involved in the Battle of Midway, did NOT fight later. She was sunk at Midway. An Essex class carrier under construction, renamed Yorktown (CV-10) in honor of the original Yorktown, was the carrier that fought later.
Full credit is due to the damage control teams who were able to contain the damage, and get her underway. At this point in the war, the Japanese outperformed the Americans in many areas, such as airplane design, pilot experience, and coordinating operations. But the Americans were far superior in terms of damage control and salvage. Getting the Yorktown under way convinced the Japanese that they had crippled or sunk two American carriers.
Yorktown was being towed no? I thought the capt lead the damage control team trying to pump out boiler rooms
@@rogerfox9028 Yorktown was under tow after the second strike crippled her. She was ordered abandoned and boarded when she looked like she could be salvaged. It was I-168 that made her unsalvageable and our own torpedoes administered the coup-de-grace to prevent capture.
She was being towed at 3 knots
I’ve been reading books about WWII, the battles, the people involved, etc., with special interest in the Pacific Theater because my dad fought there as a US Marine, but never, _ever, have I read that “the American people” believed the Fleet was “invulnerable,”_ as the nice man said at 6:09. I think he was a little excited.
Thanks to the Greatest Generation we ALL enjoy Freedom today.
Woof, woof......woof, woof, woof, woof. If I learn what my master is teaching he will throw me scraps from his table.
And to think we have a good chunk of the American population supporting fascist Putin in his attempt to take over a sovereign democratic nation. For shame!
Nevermind that pesky military industrial complex that is the world's largest polluter and the end of life as we know it in the form of horrifying global climate change.
Freedom 😂😂
My dad was a SBD pilot and trainer!
So many heroes and so much personal sacrifice. I will grateful till my last breath here. ❤
Our dad was in the army and endured brutal fighting in the pacific island hopping campaign. He returned home deaf, reclusive, and broken. He wanted nothing to do with guns ever again. He never talked about the war or his experiences but it was obvious, according to our mother, he was a changed man. He found work away from home on pipelines mostly. We lived with our grand parents and mother. Although he wasn't there for us most of the time, we always acknowledged his selfless sacrifice when we were with him.
Chicago Municipal Airport, important to the war effort in World War II, was renamed Chicago Midway International Airport (or simply Midway Airport) in 1949 in honor of the battle. Waldron Field, an outlying training landing strip at Corpus Christi NAS, as well as Waldron Road leading to the strip, was named in honor of John C. Waldron, the commander of USS Hornet's Torpedo Squadron 8. Yorktown Boulevard leading away from the strip was named for the U.S. carrier sunk in the battle. Henderson Field, in Guadalcanal, was named in honor of the United States Marine Corps Major Lofton Henderson, who was the first Marine aviator to perish during the battle.
Thousands of men from most countries served their nation at one time or another including my father but they never wore those silly caps. As we say 'only in America'.
I notice none are named Somalia street,Afghan way nor Vietnam Park.
@@donaldgoodinson7550 That's because they weren't number one like the United States...
@@Rob-metoo527 Right,it only took a bunch of Vietnam peasants to kick your arse and not let us forget the Afghanistan stuff up and Somalia too.
Also, the main gate as NAS Jacksonville (Fla) is called the Yorktown Gate. As a side note, the Blue Angels initially began at NAS Jax.
The US " tactical " loss at the Battle of the Coral Sea was turned into a huge " strategic " victory at Midway. The Japanese lost the use of it's two most modern and largest carriers : the Shokaku to battle damage and had to return to Japan for repairs, and Zuikaku although undamaged had suffered the destruction of it's air group and had to return to Japan to train up a new group.
To add to the strategic victory for the USN, the IJN was forced to abort the planned capture off Port Moresby.
The other part is japanese carrier naval doctrine of the division only works together.
Not combining the 2 air groups to get Zuikaku in the fight was a major blunder. Victory Disease at it's best.
26:06 Nothing warms my Trekkie heart like knowing that The *Enterprise* is real!❤ This is *The* Enterprise that The Enterprise was based on!
The Nautilus was there too. Poor Japanese never had a chance.
The guy who started enterprise car rental served on bird the enterprise. That’s where he got the name.
No bloody A, B, C, or D.
Being a first generation Trekker, I'm happy to say the only carrier I've ever been on was the Big E! On the gangways there were banners that said "Fleet Starship." I'd wanted to see the carrier since I was a little girl reading "The Making of Star Trek." Per a diagram in the book, the carrier and the starship are about the same length, so I wanted a visual idea of how big NCC-1701 was supposed to be.
@@TomFynn LOL, that's what I muttered to myself when replying! NCC-1701 is my Enterprise!
Yes! The greatest generation for sure. I was born in 1957 and thank those who fought for the good life I’ve enjoyed. Thanks to great, brave young men.
Thank you for this video. The Battle of Midway was multi-faceted and multi-layered. Even for this 52:10 minute video and online posts, not all significant aspects of the battle can be covered. The more studious students of this battle may be interested to read the book entitled "Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway" by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. In the book, the authors painted a more complete and detailed picture of the battle, taking into account the culture, doctrines, conceptual flaws of the Japanese operation and key personalities in the Imperial Japanese Navy. They also explained the design and construction of the Japanese aircraft carriers that contributed their cataclysmic destruction.
Shattered Sword is nothing but baloney. All it does is focus on how the battle took place and what the IJN possibly could have done differently within the same lead carrier strike approach battle plan. It never goes outside of this box on purpose. Their whole strategy is to mislead all into believing the IJN had no chance of winning. Yet ironically the US Naval War College has already put out a declassified film on what the IJN should have done. Surface ships should have led the attack. The carriers should have been kept behind and used mainly for CAP. Study it and think it through.
@@f430ferrari5 Considering the fact that Shattered Sword is the winner of the 2005 John Lyman Book Award for the "Best Book in U.S. Naval History" and was cited by Proceedings as one of its "Notable Naval Books" for 2005, I'm not sure how/why you could be more authoritative than the authors on this matter.
@@lychan2366 but yet the US Naval War College states in a declassified film that the IJN should have used their surface ships and Parshall / Tully make no mention of this. Yeah? They are full of crap. Do more research. Parshall was asked by an audience member why the IJN didn’t use their battleships. His lame excuse was that none of them were fast enough to keep up with the Kido Butai. He’s lying. First of all a Kongo class battleship could do 30 knots and two Kongo class battleships were indeed with the Kido Butai.
@@f430ferrari5 My last post still stands. Bye.
@@lychan2366 no it doesn’t. You can’t even address the US Naval War College.
USS Enterprise CV6 should never have been scrapped by the many enemies of Adm Halsey. She was the most decorated ship in the USN. May her crew rest in peace with our thanks. And all the crews who fought in WWII.💪🇺🇸☮️
You're watching the epitome me of American bravery! When you lose hope or think something can't get done watch this video
I am an arm chair WW2 buff and Midway is by far my favorite battle of the entire war. No were else at anytime of that war was as significant or importance to American moral as the battle of Midway.
I have seen every documentary on Midway and I am still riveted to the screen, 5 minutes and Kaga, Soryu, Akagi gone flaming wrecks. Amazing. And Nimitz wants the fourth!!! Then the Hiryu is done for. Too bad for Yorktown, but we did not lose too many men, and ships will be built. Lives will not. It is funny if you remember the Hunt for Red October, Connery claims Bull Halsey was foolish, and he tells Jack Ryan his book was all wrong concerning Halsey at Leyte Gulf. He did act foolishly by splitting up his battle group, Imho. Bad military move in most military actions. Just look at Custer at Little Big Horn. He sent Reno and Bentine away, and look how that worked out. No factor in reality, as the 7th was going to get their butts kicked anyway. And rightly so. What we did to the Native Americans was equal to Rome`s promises broken time after time.to any "barbarian". Rome was the barbarian. Ask Jesus!
Halsey’s action @ Leyte Gulf. Any issues?
@@tjschakow I am talking about a movie. But it ha a story behind it on Halsey at Leyte. He almost got clipped by splitting the carrier groups up. Japanese carrier did a 180 on him and he was pretty lucky. But you need luck many times in battle. Midway is a perfect example. McClusky followed that Jap cruiser right back to the main fleet after all of our men were in all the wrong places. Add Nagumo switching from bombs to torpedo`s 2 times and he gets caught with his pants down, has no fighter defense and BOOM, 5 minutes ,and 3 of their carriers are inferno`s. Halsey was lucky and he was tough as nails, so he took the day. Custer dividing up, and Reno, Benteen are cut off and Custer is finished. Custer was brave, but he was an egomaniac. The 7th were gonna get crushed anyway, as they were outnumbered and outgunned . Halsey was much like Patton, but Patton was alot smarter. Bull got that name for a reason. He hit hard and often. I am no naval expert though. I am Army, and know more history on land. What do you think? Did Halsey act foolishly?
@Gib59er That's why you sit at home watching documentaries, and aren't out commanding troops under fire, you clearly have no clue what your on about
@@johnhildenbrand2642 Is that so? Well I am not commanding troops, and neither are you. You have an opinion, that is all. You saying I am watching video`s. WTF are you doing? You are watching video`s. That is why you are trying to insult me. Watching video. Do you hold a Phd in naval history, or history? No, you do not. You are a friggin hypocrite. You are not even a Veteran. It is very easy to insult people from your computer. So you can think whatever you want, but I will not be drawn into a keyboard argument. Englishman.
My Dad was on the USS Essex, the USS Boxer, and the USS Forrestal. He saw the world!!! I did the same thing, but on a Destroyer, and saw other side of the world in 72'.
Been to midway many times.. used to wonder how the heck our navigator even found this place.. it’s a spot out in the ocean
I was on a C141 once coming from New Zealand to Hawaii....got a medical emergency call and the plane landed on Johnston Atoll. Talk about out in the middle of nowhere....just a dot. (I can imagine how agitated and scared Amelia Earhart must have felt trying to find Howland Island....and all she had was a compass and her navigator's sextant.
@@krismurphy7711it really is amazing when you think about the way they used to navigate.
The Marines were given 1903 Springfield bolt action rifles until after the landings on guadalcanal in August 1942. The Army had the M1 Garand. The Marines always got the "left overs", hence the Buffalo fighters.
The Marines didn't trust the Garand at first. Get your facts straight.
@@scottbrower9052 I didn't say anything about the Marine's preferences. What is your problem?
@@tduffy5 I have a problem with people who make incorrect assertions. The USMC did not trust the Garand, initially. Got that, skippy?
@@scottbrower9052 I have a problem with people, if you are one, that latch on to someone else's comment to make their own irrelevant point. Got that, Peter Pan?
There are a couple of Midway documentaries on YT told from the Japanese side. They thought the torpedo bombers going in without fighter escort was deliberate and it was a brilliant strategy. They commended their courage and sacrifice of the crews. Truth of the matter is they just didn't hook up with their fighter escort and the Japanese fighters dropped down to sea level to wipe them out. It was at that point the bombers showed up and there was no way for the Japanese to recover.
Good video, and with intersting comments by participants on both sides. However it has an error, the dive bombers used were Dauntless SBDs, not Curtiss Helldivers, shown in some things which were developed later.
Those Dauntless pilots had a huge set of balls.
So. Many. Ads.
All those men killed right off the bat!! Just heatbreaking!!
0:16: ⚔ The Battle of Midway in 1942 becomes a major turning point in the Pacific War as the Japanese attempt to draw out and destroy American aircraft carriers. 8:15: ✈ The Battle of Midway sees carrier versus carrier battle, with airplanes being the decisive weapon. 16:36: 🔑 The code breaking effort at Pearl Harbor led by Joseph Roachford managed to break a fair amount of Japanese Naval codes, giving Admiral Nimitz a picture of the Japanese plans. 24:51: 🛫 The American pilots launch a chaotic and disorganized attack on the Japanese carriers, with some pilots disobeying orders and heading in the wrong direction. 32:25: ⚔ American dive bombers successfully attack Japanese carriers during the Battle of Midway. 40:57: 💥 American dive bombers successfully hit and destroy three Japanese carriers, but the Japanese counter-attack and severely damage the Yorktown. 47:58: 💥 The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War, with the US shifting the momentum and dictating the pace of the war. Recap by Tammy AI
If you look up climb rate of mid 1942 zero vs Wildcat, the climb rate advantage isn't anywhere near 3x. That sounded too far out, and it was.
Actually, the first carrier battle was a month earlier at the Coral Sea. The Japanese had to adjust their plans because our carriers weren't in Pearl Harbor at the time
Why cant I remember learning about this battle in school when I remember learning about every other battle? this was perhaps the most recent battle that was an actual fight for America's freedom.
"Nimitz shook hands with everybody." In fine naval tradition, the commander congratulated the officers. No, not with the people who got the carriers there. Speaking from experience.
I shook hands with a Nurse who shook his hand. LOL
My mom was a wac during WWII and was part of a unit that flew B-17s from the Everett plant here in Washington down to Southern California for deployment to the Pacific. She was on a base in Southern Cal and was in a hurry with an armful of documents and rounded a corner and bumped right into Eisenhower! That's right, Ike himself! She got him to autograph a napkin which we still have dearly framed! There's a true brush with greatness right there! I'm talking about my mom not Ike! JK!!❤😅
Sean you bring insight to all your videos! thank you. Lightfoot is a shock, a disaster to me.
This is a very well done 1 hour documentary on Midway, and I have watched half a dozen.
52 minutes of video and not a single mention of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher who was in overall command of the combined US task forces till past the hour when the final Japanese carrier was knocked out. He was the most underappreciated Admiral of WW2 it seems to me.
Blackjack Fletcher was brilliant
Es un buen documento sobre la visión estadounidense acerca de la batalla decisiva del Pacífico Midway en la segunda guerra mundial . Con mi aprecio. Ricardo Alegria Zambrano . Popayan Cauca Colombia
Interesting! Much that the movies did not show. The arrogance of individuals of knowingly not following orders especially those in command. Also the ship command officers who did not synchronize the tasks & duties of men, personal, pilots. Midway was won by the Holy Spirit, luck, & few pilots who got it right.
40:38 McClusky did not make a mistake. Naval attack protocols were very new and being written as the experiences came in. ALSO, SBD's arrived from the Yorktown arrived at the same time and already engaged the farther carrier making McClusky's next best choice to be the one in front of him!
There are a few items of concern in the docu.
@@ryanreedgibson ain’t that the truth.
They caught the IJN with their pants down, and McClusky, et al, made them pay dearly. # Much more devastating than Pearl strategically.
Actually McClusky did make a mistake. The Enterprise air group came up from south upon Kaga and Akagi. McClusky should have attacked the further of those two which was Akagi and Best should have attack Kaga. Instead McClusky and all his wing attack Kaga. Luckily Best and his two wingmen noticed and switched to the Akagi. The Yorktown Air group attack the 2nd Division made up of Hiryo and Soryu from the north and sank the Soryu. Now this is nothing against McClusky as he wasn't a Dive Bomber pilot till recently. And yes Naval attack protocols were still newish but not that new.
Always lots of errors on the first foray into battle. Tremendous experience was gained at Midway. Like a game of chess guessing the moves and the importance of timing deck space and what to reload aircraft with. We caught the Japanese in a bad situation and much of it was luck. 4 enemy aircraft carriers worth of luck!
It wasn’t _all_ luck, although that certainly plays a part in any battle, sometimes _many_ times in the same battle! It wasn’t luck that broke the Japanese codes, and that was the only reason such a large American presence was ready at Midway to sink those Japanese carriers; until the message about the desalination issue was sent and picked up, the US wasn’t sure what the Japanese target was.
Watching the documentary of our past, it makes us shame of what we are doing today.
Funny! Brave men sacrificed so you wouldn't be speaking German nor Japanese. Nor burnt alive......think! Or become sheeple 😂.
Agree
Yeah, Trumpism will do that
I mean as an Hispanic male I appreciate these men that fought for American freedom but let’s be real some of them was some racist S O Bs and did not see how America will be in a few years after this war
Our current leaders are cowards Liars and thieves no different than the enemies that these vets fought against back then
You never hear about the burn victims being given morel support, the nurse who talked said using Vaseline on burns then a bandage kept them from being infected, nice tidbit to add in this video. I was a medic during Vietnam and really never talk about it stationed at a burn center the whole time, it is hard not to be mentally affected being there to help the wounded. Every person I ever helped treat got full attention doing everything I could to make them feel better and to let them know how much I appreciated their contribution in the war. Hard to forget, memories are sad but knowing I did everything possible helps with the mental wounds. MKL
This documentary makes an important point that most Midway documentaries fail to make. The Marine anti-aircraft fire did a lot of damage to the Japanese squadrons attacking Midway. This is why a second wave was needed. This and the Midway aircraft attacking Kido Butai was the focus of his attention.
Well when yaps did ph yamamoto said we awoke a sleeping giant hulloh einst
This is the first time I've heard of a Henderson Field at Midway. I know there is a Henderson Field at Guadalcanal.
I think they got that wrong.
They have it wrong.
I think the loss of so many experienced aircrew and flight engineers was more important than the metal. Obviously that was also important but could be replaced with repurposing other ships to carriers quicker than training pilots and ground crew to the standard of those lost.
See Shattered sword: the aircrews were attritted at Midway to a lesser degree than expected. The real at-triter of Japanese aircrews was Guadalcanal. Day after day of flying hundreds of miles. Almost any damage to an airplane meant it was lost and the Japanese accepted the loss of air crews with a stoic ,almost negligent attitude. And yes many of the trained mechanics were lost in the hangers.
@@emerald640 correct..great book
You can't forget that the Japanese navy were experienced battle veterans America were rookies compared to them
What an incredible story. It really makes me feel proud to be an American! 🇺🇲❤ And these days, the events that spur those feelings are in short supply. 😞
6:30 I can't agree it was ironic that the Pearl Harbor attack missed the carriers. The Japanese didn't necessarily consider the carrier as most important. The prevailing belief at the time on both sides was that the battleship was the primary capital warship. That quickly changed though.
The Japanese objective was to sink the entire fleet at Pearl Harbor: that was the objective in order to shock the US into suing for peace, which in itself was grossly naïve. The fact that those three carriers weren’t there was a big deal.
I gave up finding the last episodes. I saw 9 & 10 somewhere earlier, but even going to the channel didn't work. The 'mix' is junk- nothing in order. Thanks guys.
thank God all these men gather lives for us to be sitting here right now on our cell phones and we are free!!!
Extremely well done.
Excited for this!
Btw the Yorktown wasn’t sunk by the airplanes, a mechanical crew boarded the ship and made it almost functional, when it was being towed back a Japanese submarine torpedod it, ultimately finishing it off, it could’ve survived if it wasn’t for the submarine that spotted them later on
Such a Valuable set of information!!! Thank you very much.
With all the mistakes, this video should never be allowed to be shown, or people will believe them. Channel is now on my Do Not Recommend list.
Good to see someone else picked them out too. The attack on Midway Atoll was not a surprise. We knew they were enroute to attack. Also, the Japanese did not start wars with surprise attacks since they were against Bushido code.
Many mistakes in the video. The most obvious mistake is in 12.00 when the narrator calls the airfield at Midway: Henderson Field. Henderson Field did not even exist yet at this time. The airfield at Guadalcanal was named Henderson Field later, in honour of an American pilot who lost his life defending Midway at this battle.
1:40 "The Japanese launch another surprise attack...". smh
Yes, 1 . The video has quite a few points and facts that are new to me and I've watched many of many documentaries on Midway. Those torpedoes we had were useless, and for a couple years prior to this event we had ample time to fix this p.o.s.
Another minor quibble - the M1 rifle is pronounced "GaRR-and" not "Ga-Rand."
Another quibble: Stuka sirens are added to footage of completely unrelated aircraft.
I have been a WWII Pacific Theater history buff for decades. Yes, there are some mistakes, and I have seen a few mistakes in other videos as well... I love all these videos that are on the internet and am truly apperceive of the content creators.. Thank you! I also love reading all the comments. Awesome
Truely, WW2 was an American victory due to the guts of the Greatest Generation, both men and women!
Absolutely right, they just aren't built the same anymore we've gotten soft these days
Admiral Spruance has become a favorite person of mine.
I watch these old combat vets speak and the footage from the combat cameramen and I think to myself, I'm glad I didn't have to do that. I'm grateful to all of them.
Lt. Best got two? Maybe this documentary will go down in history as possibly the best.
I think the British lady's remarks about how we treated burn victims is a little harsh. I have friends that fought in WWII who were burned and said that they were isolated until they were out of danger from infection but were not kept hidden so no one outside saw them. As soon as they could go on liberty, they did.
Somehow the British always see themselves better than all others.
The 'Kito-Butai' , Japanese ELITE CARRIER fleet was beaten. Thanks to Lt. Cmdr. Rochford.
And they say that the story about the American being underdogs in this battle is not true when YES, CONSIDERING THAT the Japanese are much more experienced in putting their planes in the air in a quick & decisive strike package is very true. The only other carrier battle that the US has fought was the Coral Sea & Enterprise & Hornet were absent from that battle.
henderson airfiefd Midway Island? you got the wrong island! lol
The airfield there does actually bear the name. One of three to do so. All named after the same man. Midway's airfield wasn't renamed until after the battle though.
Don't think there were Hellcats or Helldivers at Midway as shown in some clips here.
Marines ALWAYS get obsolete equipment and then they overachieve. I may be biased as I am a former USMC Sargent LOL.
My dad was with the Army Air Corp B-25 in the Pacific
Information, Strategy, and Competence. That is what it takes in those situations. Why has everyone forgot those lessons?
I disagree with the idea that what the US code breakers knew was exaggerated. I have never seen such exaggerations in any history books or documentaries. They have always mentioned that they weren't positive that AF was Midway and devised the scheme to mention that water systems were out in order to see if the Japanese took the bait and repeated it.
At exactly @28:38 there's a close up of a plane with the little cartoon character of Felix the Cat running with a bomb. That's VF-31 the Tomcatters. I was attached to that squadron much later after they received F14A's.
Excellent!!!
Thanks for having this content on a free platform! This is top notch military history entertainment! My complaint isn't with you but with KZhead putting an offensive ad on all the videos of a woman sniffing a ham leg getting a foot massage by a man in pinkish garments. Its an offense to my senses and a brain washing of some kind to the people that don't know better. Dumbing down mind control? Maybe.
The planes depicted are not the Dauntless dive bombers from Enterprise. [34:20] They are the new Avenger dive bombers.
I disagree. They look more like the Curtis SB2C Helldiver dive bombers, which really didn't make the scene in the Pacific until late 1943. Pilots nicknamed them "SOB-2nd-Class" because they were hard to handle, unlike the Dauntlesses.
@@baritonewoman4702 I think you are correct. I knew they weren't Dauntlesses.
Henderson field was named after Midway aviator Guadalcanal also has an airport named after Henderson, there is another
The airfield on Midway wasn't named Henderson Field. The video has it wrong.
not then is now@@MW-eb1qh
A minor point: Most US Marines on Midway were still armed with the Model 1903 Springfield Rifle. The M1 Garand was reserved for the US Army. It wasn't until early 1943 that the Marines were finally issued M1's, as production caught up.
Superb accuracy but 5 in a bolt-action; 8 semiauto with good accuracy at fighting distance; rate of fire wins out. Marines got dissed.
A good plan is immaterial if fate decides otherwise.
No plan survives the point of battle...
@@stephendavis6066 I think the great philosopher, Mike Tyson, said it best. “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
the airfield on midway was not called Henderson field...that was the airfield name at Guadalcanal...named after a marine aviator killed in the battle of midway
Nicely done. Could have included that the first wave of Hiryu's attack on the Yorktown reported the carrier was destroyed. But US aircraft carriers were much better equipped and trained to deal with damage and it was cleaned up when the second wave from the Hiryu arrived, landing two torpedoes into it. The second wave assumed they were attacking another aircraft carrier, and radioed in the news. For a short while Naguro thought he had sunk two carriers. Then Hiryu was attacked and sunk. The attempted night fighting by Yamamoto was to actually take place off Guadacanal, where nightly engagements to stop Jap reinforcements led to more US Navy deaths than the Marines and Army combined on the island. My uncle's brother, Reinhardt Keppler died dragging men out of the below deck fires on the USS San Francisco. When she returned to SF and healthy and wounded sailors marched in what was supposed to be a triumphant parade down Market Street the onlooking crowds got silent at the sight of such human misery.
HOORAH! SEMPER FI! FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS!🇺🇸
The Yorktown is great to visit if you find yourself in Charleston, South Carolina.
@ 12:00 it says, "Henderson airfield on Midway"..whaa?? Henderson Field was on Guadalcanal named FOR a marine aviator that was killed AT Midway..
42:03 great call!
Freedom doesn’t come free . GOD 🇺🇸 Bless America 🇺🇸
Lesson learned. Do not put people in charge based on seniority. Nagumo is an indecisive leader who ran scare at Pearl Harbor and should have taken out the repair docks and fuel storage, Letting him in charge at Midway he again made mistakes and should have attack the carriers earlier.
wrong...thats hindsight. nagumo didnt know where the USN carriers were. for all he know they were in the area. also the AA for the japanese second wave was much more than they anticipated. his orders were to get battleship row. he did the operation as described. he was 2000 miles from home.
well done
Nagumo had trouble deciding but he was between a rock and a hard place.
Thanks!
I bought a model of the Arizona when I was 13 …I noticed even then how out of date it looked. It was an obsolete ship…and its sister ships were the same. The modern New Jersey and Iowa class ships came right after them …
Thank you from my heart grunts we shall not forget I am a south african
War unites us all. Makes you really appreciate survival
these pilots are really heroes in their own right,,,
GOD bless these brave men's souls, it is sad to see them smiling in photos knowing that they lost their lives for their country
It is worth remembering that Pearl Harbour was not the first battle using aircraft carriers or even the first attack of a shore facility by carrier borne aircraft. It was known that the Japanese were studying the Battle of Taranto Bay closely. It was also known that an Abwehr agent by the name of Dusko Popov was gathering information about Pearl Harbour.
What are you talking about. Taranto was 1940? Japan was already fighting China in the early 1930’s. Kaga and Hosho were sent to Shanghai to bomb.
regarding Lt Rochfort. 1 individual leveraging their skill and knowledge and talent and knack and luck having an ENORMOUSLY disproportionate effect on th desired outcome. and then Major Macluskey and his crew come along and apply the coup de gras, again, this time just a handful or airmen caused the Pacific war 180 degree about face.