Today June 4th. is the 72nd anniversary of the "Battle of Midway"
The Americans and other allies decoded Japanese messages and were able to stop an ambush they were planning on the remaining American aircraft carriers that were not sunk at Pearl Harbor. They had hoped to take Midway Island so they could use it as a future launching area for attacks on the west coast of the United States.
Only we stopped them and inflicted permanent damage upon the Japanese fleet that they never recovered from.
The end result was 4 Japanese aircraft carriers sunk, the same ones used to launch planes for the Pearl attack. They also lost 322 planes, and a heavy cruiser, and over 5000 sailors.
For the United States we lost 147 aircraft and 300 sailors.
The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the pacific theatre for the allies, thus allowing our fleet to become the hunter instead of the hunted...
Besides today being the Midway Ann., Friday is the 70th Ann of D-Day. I will have to watch the movie the "Longest Day" about the invasion. I always wanted to go to France and walk on Omaha and Utah Beaches to pay honor our American Hero's.
ReplyDeleteI know. we were watching a special on History Channel called "The World Wars" it went in depth on how the allies tricked Hitler and how he moved 2 million troops to Calais, 200 miles north of Normany and Omaha beaches.
DeleteIf Hitler had not taken the bait, the war could have gone much differently...
Yep, one helluva battle, and the beginning of the end for the Japanese Navy...
ReplyDeleteBad place to be flying USN torpedo bombers. Two whole squadrons, VT-6 and VT-8 annihilated. I saw a print of the Devastators going in on the Japanese carriers, signed by Ensign Gay, the only VT-8 survivor of that attack. I wish I had bought it.
ReplyDeleteWith D day closely following that hasn't got a lot of "press" but it was an epic, tide turning battle. Thanks.
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