The Battle of Midway in Perspective with special guest Jon Parshall-Episode 110

This week, Seth, Bill and returning special guest Jon Parshall, put a bow on the Battle of Midway and put the important US victory into perspective. In the ensuing discussion, the trio explains why Midway is NOT the turning point of the Pacific War, and what the US victory actually did for the US war effort in the Pacific theater.

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[scotthix]

As Churchill said about battle of Britian, “It is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning”. Midway fits this analogy.

[dwightadams]

Bill’s comment that the victory at Midway cemented that Nimitz was the right leader for the Pacific war is very insightful.

[Littlefish]

I am a Japanese and an aficionado of the battle. Thank you for the video which was very entertaining as well as informative. The books by Messrs. Parshall and Symonds have provided me with an understand of many facets of the battle which I did not know before. Combined with a book by Shiro Mori (published in 2012), they have given me a comprehensive understanding of the battle.
One question which I have always had was why the Japanese CAPs fighters failed to position themselves above the carriers before McClusky’s squadron arrived. It is my understating that the Zeros had both the capability and time to gain attitude to make the interception.
Another point that has been a puzzle is the absence of any literature regarding the action plan that was sent out from the flagship Akagi to the fleet. Transmitted at 5:20 am on June 4, it stated that “no enemy action was expected for the day”. Truly, it was a bad way to start the day. Any clarifications on these points in future video would be appreciated.

Lastly, I have read two biographies on Yamamoto Isoroko, who was the key driver of the battle. Well recognized Japanese historians penned the books. Before Midway, the Japanese press were in a frenzy regarding Japan’s victories in the Pacific. Yamamoto is quoted as saying, “There is no need to beat the drums to stir up public passion. Announcements and reporting should never be false. You will always face defeat once you start lying.” It seems truly relevant to the Russians on their actions in Ukraine these days.
Thanks again for the video.

[chuckhillier]

I'm enjoying this series very much. The drama of Pacific War is very moving without my family's connection to it. Two of my mother's first cousins died during the war; they were brothers, one aboard the USS Helena in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the other served on the USS Hammann and was aboard the USS Yorktown when she was fatally torpedoed. He was fatally wounded by that torpedo attack and died a couple of days later.

[williamashbless]

The more you guys talk, the more I appreciate your expertise.

Just wow.

Thank you!

[TomSmith-lftr]

Thank you Seth and the team, Your integrity and enthusiasm delivers. Australia remembers. The best of the USA is the best of the world.

[jeffreymartin]

Seth says the Yorktown was as hard as woodpecker lips. Love this channel !

[Trident]

Rewatching again during our time out. Fantastic as it was the first time.Thanks men.

[bufatutuagonistes]

Listened to all three Midway episodes from beginning to end. I studied for my Masters in American history and spent some years managing several major military historic sites. These three guys bring three quite different perspectives, knowledge bases, and energies to the task at hand that end up being so much more than the sum of the parts. I found this consistently engaging and could feel my own knowledge base expanding as I listened. Thank you to Seth for conceiving and hosting. Thanks to Bill for his insight into "The Navy" and the process of command. And thanks to Jon for his sweeping insight into details and overviews of the Japanese war efforts and sharing his specific and analytic mind on this.

[petesheppard]

My dad was wounded aboard _Enterprise_ at Santa Cruz, and I've come to realize that he was aboard her at Midway; when I read 'Incredible Victory' and mentioned this to him, he scoffed and said that nobody knew what was going on, on that day. These episodes do a good job of illustrating that confusion.

[brickhockey]

Great job with the Midway series. Highly informative and many unknown nuggets that came out of these presentations. You know you’re doing something right if you present on a topic that has been presented hundreds of times before and yet it remains refreshingly captivating. Good job guys.

[stevemolina]

Outstanding series, well done. The only thing I would like to add is Lets not forget the little guy, It took many men to get the ships out there, more to man the guns, and more to arm and get those plains in the air. GO NAVY!

[christopherrowe]

I appreciate John Parshall's explaining the significance of the Battle of Midway wasn't it being a turning point, but it allowing us to relax our defensive crouch. My grandfather said much the same thing when reflecting on the battle's impact on his command of Palmyra NAS. He allowed personnel to start taking off work on Sundays, since they felt the threat of an invasion had significantly diminshed.

[v.mwilliams]

Thank you. So informative. Funny, apologies keep being given for being 'over' on time, but I find them short. I could listen for hours. Love to run into you fellows in a pub.

[courtneyrobinson]

The only aspect of the aftermath of the battle I was hoping to hear you discuss, (if this is covered in later episode please excuse my comment, I am listening in order and decided to comment after finishing this three parter) is the issue surrounding the Chicago Tribune and the signals intelligence breach. If this hasn't come up already perhaps that could be one of the topics for a Q/A episode in the future. Thank you again for your work.

[johnferguson]

Excellent three part discussion, enjoyed them all.

[CenturionSongs]

Spend my Saturdays with you guys in my model shop. Keep it up!

[Cosmic.G]

Wow !!!! Great gig ! You guys rock! Thank god you guys researched this beautifully, to know the truth, the fantastic details, the true stories behind each individual guy, the bravery, the politics, the brutality of useless war, we’ll done. I’m going to watch this podcast all the way through and again I recon. I’m in Perth, Western Australia, and have been researching ww2 for years too.
I’m also going to buy your books, etc
I greatly appreciate all your efforts over the decades, I take my hat off to you all and your wonderful guests

[Jakal-pwyq]

After years and years and years of hearing how Midway was the "absolute" turning point in the Pacific war, I found it intriguing and enlightening to hear your collective take on that battle. Seems like it was obviously a serious loss for the Japanese losing those carriers but like Jon stated it did not check their aggression in any way shape or form. Once again proving that fighting against the Japanese was incredibly tough, rugged, and bloody fighting. Not that the ETO wasn't but the Japanese went beyond any kind of norms regarding war. Geneva Convention? What's that again? It seems like they built in cruelty, torture, rape, and murder as their SOP. Basically fighting a terrorist type campaigns throughout the Pacific. At least that's my take on it especially after listening to you all tell us the truth of the situation. The amount of information and the education you folks give us is just astounding! As an amateur history buff I'm forever grateful and I've become addicted to your show watching several episodes 2 and 3 times! Proving there's always something new to learn. 👍🇺🇲⚓️🍻👏

[sushibar]

In Churchill's terms, Midway was not the beginning of the end, but maybe it was the end of the beginning. After Midway Japan no longer had an uncontested initiative. The US still had challenges, and Japan still probably had naval superiority, but much less than before. It had more battleships, and even more carriers, but the Japanese naval command structure had suffered a psychological blow.