There's are the two paths. Not mutually exclusive with getting really into beer or really into bourbon
Hell, Day works great. Norman Day is how Forrest Gump would pronounce Normandy. edit: Congrats by the way. My best wishes for good health for both mom and baby.
Because it was the most decisive 15 minutes in American military history. Success on D-Day was a foregone conclusion. Not so at Midway
Remember there being a new Midway movie a few years back but hearing little to nothing about it. Such a fascinating story that turned that theatre, always wondered why it wasn’t given a good script and production.
It was a shit movie, an overpriced remake of the 1975 version Still waiting for a good script for Leyte and the Battle off Samar, but that was a really complicated dance with several naval groups on both sides
Well, it would have likely been decisive the other way had we not intercepted Japanese plans for an attack and baited them into confirming their planned attack on Midway, allowing us to move our carriers out of the way and to spring a trap on Japan when they attacked. So really, probably the dates which decided Midway weren’t when it was fought.
yes, but didn’t we also luck into spotting the Japanese fleet? also, the US navy got wrecked that day. We really only were able to recover because of resources at home to build more carriers quickly. Otherwise, the Japanese fleet was actually better off after midway than the US fleet, though it could not recover from the losses like we could
I mean we were looking for them, so in a way it’s lucky to spot them. But it wasn’t by accident. I guess my point is that, while Japan still had a larger naval force, the US after Midway had a comparable carrier force in the Pacific, sinking 4 of the 6 Japanese carriers in the Pacific. That and holding Midway allowed us to ramp up production and overtake Japanese naval superiority. But that only happened because of setting the trap before the battle.
right. But japans two best carriers weren’t there and the US also lost one at Coral Sea (Japan lost some then as well) but at the point in time after midway, Japan could still put together a better fleet of carriers than the US could. The wasp was brought over from the Atlantic to give the us only 3 fleet carriers in the pacific (enterprise and I can’t remember the other) I’m sure we had way more escort carriers but we lost a ton of planes at midway Guadalcanal lost wasp and the other one I can’t think of and think enterprise was badly hit as well think we borrowed one from the UK? we pumped out a bunch after midway and like I said were able to replace planes and more importantly pilots which Japan could not *I could easily have some of these ship names mixed up and the battles where lost mixed up
lexington is the one you are missing we pretty much wiped out all of japans aviators at midway. They couldn’t mount any sustainable offense/defense with what they had left after that. japan also didn’t plan for a long term war and it showed with how they rotated their carrier air wings. We rolled in fresh pilots and sent our vets back home to train the new crops on a frequent basis. Japan kept its vets in rotation (rip) and didn’t sufficiently train their replacements. The collapse of the Japanese air wings and pilots at midway was probably a bigger loss than their carriers . One could also argue that us holding the line at Guadalcanal was more decisive for the longs term prospects of the war than midway.
I used to watch "The Longest Day" every June 6th; great movie. Then I grew up and started working full time. Now I get to experience the longest day every time I'm at work.
Coincidentally I happened to be at Patriots Point yesterday with the wife and kids and we were in the USS Laffey (as well as the carrier). Laffey was involved in the storming of Utah Beach. I didn’t even put together that yesterday was June 6th until I read this thread because I’m on vacation and time doesn’t matter.
I was following on Twitter the hour-by-hour invasion. This afternoon I’ll watch Band of Brothers episodes 2&3 then watch Saving Private Ryan. to this day, it still amazes me, the courage of those kids. Kids…
This and V-Day always make me wonder how many folks back home were pissed that we joined the allied side of the war instead of the axis (Specifically aligning with Germany)
To your point about Japan not being prepared for a long term war. Didn't Japan also have massive fuel supply issues?
I remember watching a YouTube video on this. We provided a massive percentage of their oil to them. Then the oil embargo we placed on them pretty much crippled their efforts to continue. *I might’ve made all that up. I was drunk when I watched the video.
Just FWIW the trained aviators on Shokaku and Zuikaku were wiped out at Coral Sea, along with the carriers being damaged, which is why they weren't available for Midway (all six went to Pearl Harbor, only four went to Midway). The youtube video probably didn't tell you that our main reason for implementing the embargo how and when we did was to keep the Japanese from being able to hit the Soviets. Practically nobody teaches 1941 correctly. Sported my Midway shirt on the islands two days ago but none of the idiots from Temecula knew what it was about, fake patriots