145c - Midway pt.2 - A New War? - WW2 - June 7, 1942

Avoids 90 bombs, even tho Destroyer are smaller/faster/more agile in the water it's still a feat.

Besides the sheer quantity and quality of info that Indy delivers... I also really appreciate when he gives a long pause after saying something that deserves that kind of respect.

rewatching this its just that well done

Great as always – did not know Japan went so far in covering up the loss. Reminds me of that Japanese civilian who said they could guess they might be losing – but only by the fact the “Emperors Glorious Victories” kept getting closer and closer to Japan.

Couldn't the battleships tow the wrecked carriers to Japan?

From my own studies, I believe the biggest loss from the battle was the experienced men on those carriers. Japan was able to build more carriers. Heck by the time of the Philippines Sea battle, they were using skeleton crews on empty carriers as bait. What the battle exposed was how lacking Japan was in their training of replacements. Japan's doctrine was to keep their best men at the front and in combat. They were the best of the best and were dependable to always deliver the crushing blow. At Pearl they performed remarkably. However, attrition happens and over time, the best of the best will still fall. The ability to continue fighting depends on the next man up to replace them. Japan did not invest their best into those replacements but instead went all in with their best at the front. The result is that over time as those replacements step in, the effectiveness of the Japanese forces degraded over time. The catastrophic loss of these 4 carriers wiped out the best naval air pilots and aircrews the empire had and as the war goes on, it's pretty apparent that their experience and training is not being replaced. Heck, even basic seafaring degrades if we look to what happened to the Taiho and their atrocious damage control.

Midway was a blow from which Japan would never recover from

Man, the IJN really can't help themselves can they? R.I.P to the Jones' and the indigenous people of the Aleutians.

Thankyou your series is really good.

What happened to the dog on Kiska Island?

Great vid! One footnote- they had a hard time sinking the carriers because they all started-off as Battleships but were converted to Aircraft Carriers mid-construction. SO they had Battleship thick hulls (10-12 inches) whereas your typical carrier had only 2 or 3 inches tops.

Hello Indy,
Every time I watch one of your videos I learn o pick up some new information. - I am an intrigued follower of the battle of Midway, and some aspects of the decision making processing of Nagumo, along with with the aftermath of the Flight to Nowhere. - In the first instance, and honestly and bluntly the first time I've heard that half the air wing of the Kido Butai, was to stay in place on the carriers in case the U.S. carriers would all of a sudden appear unexpectedly. - I Know Fuchida and other officers, during the pre collection of the returning flight of the attack on Midway, urged to launch the aircraft that remaind behind they way there were armed, for the sake of time. - I thought the following, in such situation: While launching prior to the actual return, these returning aircraft would be replenished. - and turn around again. - And the other more "salvage" option that I considered, was to have the ready stationary aircraft from 2 carriers, make a short flight and land over the "other" two carriers of the Kido Butai, making room on two aircraft carriers to collect all the returning aircraft low on fuel. Once again, I am not positive whether this would have move far expedient than what actually took place. - Yet, by making room or space on two aircraft, it would have been easier to land. - Or so I think, - What do you think on that one?
Now, the flight to Nowhere, It is my own impression that the people in charge of the air group(s) were mentally sort of the precursors of the MAGA republicans, who actually knowing there were wrong, still denied the obvious. - causing paperwork and aircraft losses, without anything to show for. - I once read or have heard of potential punishment on mishandling orders, for the flight, which were for the Hornet carrier group, which in my view correlated to "...lets go for a ride and come back..."
I actually tend to believe that the idea that there two separate groups independent of each other among the Kido Butai, was the main false pretext to go on hunting and search the Japanese into the wrong heading.
I am not happy with myself to think like that, yet, why hunt for a fleet of unknown location? - Yes, much of the I.D.'s between
navys was by reckoning, as much for the Imperial Japanese Navy and CINPAC.
So, I've read or heard that overall, if any reprimand to any officers of the Hornet Air Group it would not boost morale, and thus
it was let to faded into oblivion given the success of the battle. - I will appreciate any comments or new info that I may have not come across of yet. Now I let you go back to your phone calls. And once again, Thank you.

Imagine captaining a ship and eluding 90 BOMBS.

Interesting side note: Admiral Chester Nimitz took command of the US Pacific Fleet on December 31, 1941 on a submarine. This was less then one month after Pearl Harbor. He started work immediately to rebuild the morale of his men and to make plans to make use of the forces under his command. Over the next 6 months, Nimitz skillfully used his carriers to conduct carrier raids, the subs were also sent out. One the USS Gudgeon would sink a Japanese sub. The first efforts were small, but the men got combat experience. Midway was a triumph of Nimitz ability to command the main under his command.

Excellent. No other channel talks of the post battle days.

This is such a great series. I am kind of glad that I came to it so late because I can just power ingest these episodes and massive chunks throughout the day instead of having to wait like everybody else did. Course at the rate I'm going I'll be caught up to you in about a week and a half. But that's when I go back and watch all of the detail episodes. I have a cunning plan

Dictatorial governments always hide their failures from their citizens.

In an episode of the greatest WWII TV presentation EVER, 1973y 's, The World at War, narrated by Lord Laurence Olivier a reporter that was actually with the fleet fors r the Midway operation and there were quite a few reporter, gave an account. They had been invited to accompany the fleet because remember, this was planned to be as big as Pearl Harbor and make the US fleet impotent. This reporter said they were all treated like Indy said the cameraman was--when they returned to Japan, they were whisked away and kept in a resort area-no contact with outside world, no report at all and they were kept there, I believe for the rest of the war because reporters of all people could never be trusted to keep anything to themselves. If you ever get the chance to see the series, watch it. It was filmed less than 30 after the war to the interviews are with the actual participants such as Albert Speer, this Japanese reporter, Karl Donitz, the Japanese spy at Pearl Harbor who tells all he did to get information to the fleet about the facts of Pearl. It is an amazing series.

Even though we're in 1944 in the show by this point, February 2023, I sometimes like to return to episodes like this one, El Alamein, and the Operation Uranus one to see the change in perspective the war has taken, and remind myself that even though the Allies have the upper hand now, they were pretty much on the edge before.

Imperial Japanese being unnecessarily cruel? What a surprise!

why Admiral Yamamoto did not took Midway on his way back to Japan after Pearl Harbor dec-7 ??

Wasn't Yamamoto bound to hara-kiri himself after such a disastrous and shameful defeat? Wasn't he a samurai? Perhaps the samurais weren't all that cool after all.

Never disappoints.

Every body concentrates on the carrier battles. The aftermath is fascinating, and just as important. 90 bombs? That's got to be some kind of record.

Midway is one of the most decisive battles in history.

Dictatorships hide the truth with lies. Lies beget lies until the truth is killed.

Random Japanese citizen after knowing about Midway battle: Wait, so we lost this Battle and almost all our air and sea superiority?
Japanese military loading and pointing his gun: Always had been

Definitely the most important battle to never happen.

Superb 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Thank you.

Some more salient points:

After the battle Spraunce was criticized by Monday morning quarterbacks for not finishing the Japanese. His decision to hunt down the stragglers and then withdraw was correct. His destruction of the Japanese crusier group scared Yamamoto into believing he faced more US carriers.

On the afternoon of the battle, with the last attack on the YORKTOWN completed a Japanese scout plane reported four US carriers moving from the stricken YORKTOWN. The USS SARATOGA with her escorts joined up with Fletcher and Spraunce the next day and that did give the Americans air superior around Midway.

Too bad the likes of "Airman Louis Zamperini" is treated like a four letter word.

Shout out to Yorktown. Goddamn.

Ok the idea of a seperate "First Air Fleet" , the Kido Butai, is scrapped, and the carrier divisions are assigned to the other Fleets. But the two remaining fleet carriers remain used for the same purpose.. While they reduced to two, they also knew the Americans were down to two and the fleet carrier battles remain close matches. Wasp had a brief career in boosting the american count to 3, but it was vulnerable by design and was sunk by submarine attack. The IJN use the fleet carriers for the same confrontation of the american fleet carriers twice in the Guadacanal Campaign and again in the Battle of the Phillipines Sea.

I've often though that the US Admiral King should have been relieved of his command after the US adopted a convoy system. It was his decision to ignore it in the first case, and the ships lost due to the lack of a convoy system were his responsibility.

That Japanese destroyer did the matrix

He knew he was getting some mad love for failing to sink carriers at PH. How do you go on? It's the ghost of failure poking his balls hahaha

Thanks!

Yorktown: “I AM BULLETPROOOOOOF” (Dies to bleed damage)

Nit like a new name or appearance but the narrowest of the most narrow new skin. For it is not your blood ut is our one most holy fathers.

And like the skins of wine. So be it a complete proton. Full turn. With nothing able but all is shining thrue.

If upon a review that shoe is found it is better to be ready to move to a more coefficiency and sacred place than to leave such un place. So upon a ship in dry dock. All must be found perfect. Lest the ship be aboam or iboam not those who would be with abram... then the first mark on the launching into the sea be welcome as it is tranquility and serenity. Selah.

There is honor in love. And the way to find it is to keep the structure sound. If someone that is not is found as in the appearance of being so it will be ground so especially for those who prey as low a but are not. There is no acting as another. This is most true as we secur o ship. So be true rather than be found we need no question to lose. And the integrity of the way will be true and direct to the blood and soul of fi.... which is eternal. Phj.

I appreciate that you address items, big and small, that are not always covered that well. For example, I did not know that there was such an efficient cover-up of the battle, and almost nowhere are the results of the invasion of Alaska covered. Thanks for this, and for the interesting and well-curated presentation style!

They captured two airmen and put them in chains and tossed them overboard for revenge. No wonder the war in the pacific was so deadly.

Indy you make a great history teacher and this was the war i vividly remember. I was 11 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Going to war with a nation across the Pacific must be daunting. More so if you cannot match the production level of your enemy.

Ok fuck it, Im gonna go watch Midway.

If the carriers were undamaged (mostly ) below the waterline, couldn’t the Japanese have attempted to tow some of the hulks back to Japan, and rebuild/repair the decks of the carriers?

The decision to attack Pearl Harbor is one of biggest miscalculations in all of history. When you know that Yamamoto was educated at Harvard, it makes the decision even worse because he should've known attacking Americans on American soil will not set them up for victory. Even Hitler's arrogant view of the USA not being a big threat was a better plan than engaging in direct action with an enemy that you know you will lose to eventually.