The Unknown Battle of Midway: The Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons (Yale Library of...

The Unknown Battle of Midway: The Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons (Yale Library of Military ... | Alvin Kernan | Fog of War Cleared Away

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The Unknown Battle...

	The Unknown Battle of Midway: The Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons (Yale Library of Military ... Alvin Kernan Yale University Press, 2007 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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Intensely personal history of the Battle of Midway

This tome is a part of The Yale Library of Military History, a series which appears to deserve serious scrutiny. Kernan was a crew member on one of the carriers that participated in the Battle of Midway.

It is, in fact, sometimes difficult to separate personal memoir from history in this book, which is not detrimental. Kernan's view is intensely personal and he takes time to further slam the reputation of one of the battle's decidedly lesser lights. He is also fulsomely critical of the Navy bureaucrats, special interests and politicians who sent torpedo bombers and submarines into the war with clearly defective torpedoes.

Kernan's singular focus on the destruction of the torpedo bomber squadrons lays the basis for a uniquely personal history, which is absolutely fascinating. In 144 pages, Kernan illuminates both the tragedy and glory of war in a way that is rarely seen. If nothing more, he gives voice to the names and souls of the brave young men who put their country first and went bravely to their deaths in their country's name. Not a spirit you see put forth much these days. Ironically, were it not for such young men as Kernan describes --- and as he himself was --- today's carpers and critics might not enjoy their freedom to denigrate the United States.

Kernan provides a unique critique of both the strategic and tactical failures that made the Battle of Midway such a close-run affair, truly as Kernan affirms, a matter more of luck than anything else.

His analysis of the lack of communication between Admirals on aircraft carriers just 10 miles apart, fighters patrolling at 20,000 feet while torpedo bombers were being slaughtered below, the foolishness of a group commander over his more daring and soon dead squadron leader all resonate with a condemning sadness rarely seen in any but first-hand accounts of war.

Kernan was a first-hand participant one-step removed: he was an 18 year old enlisted sailor. But everything he says feels like it was collected from the participants themselves, although he also relies very heavily on personal memoirs of others and official reports.

The amount of detail Kernan squeezes into so few pages is amazing. There is an obvious degree of anger that some officers who should have been court martialled for their performance were papered over by other career officers to spare them embarassment and keep their future careers alive.

All in all, for any student of American history, this is a must read.

Jerry

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Fog of War Cleared Away

More than heroism. More than courage. More than planning. The most decisive sea battle in a century was determined by good luck for the United States and extraordinary bad luck for the Japanese. Alvin Kernan goes behind the scenes for a very realistic view of how bad luck and dumb luck were the unsung "admirals" that brought down the Imperial Japanese Navy in favor of the American victors. This victory at sea of course set the stage for the unconditional victory in 1945. Movies and much book fiction would have us believe American genius and guts were entirely responsible for Victory. "The Unknown Battle of Midway" clears away the fog of war to show a win in spite of slow planes and dud torpedoes. Our pilots all deserved medals of honor for what they did here for all of us.

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interesting and factual book

This book holds your attention with its informative and easy to understand form of writing. It is a must have for any WWII or history buff...hardily recommend it.

Unlimited Courage !

Enjoyed the book. This single engagement may well have changed the course of history. Beyond the overarching picture of victory in the face of overwhelmingly superior Japanese forces,the book llluminates the human faces of those times--some with halos, some with warts.

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4

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