Midway: The Pacific War’s Most Famous Battle
400 pages
Dr James Bosbotinis
The 1942 Battle of Midway will of course be well-known to members of The Naval Review, marking a key turning point in the Second World War – perhaps even a decisive US victory, and the halting of Japanese expansion across the Pacific. In Midway, the author, Mark Stille, a retired US Navy officer with a background in intelligence, and prolific writer particularly on the Pacific War, sets out to provide an in-depth analysis of the battle. Stille focuses on several core themes – the role of intelligence, quality of leadership and command, and doctrine, which provide connecting threads through the narrative of the events and thinking on both sides that culminated in the battle itself. The author’s background in naval intelligence is evident throughout the book, and very much adds to the depth of the analysis.
The author sets out to provide a detailed account of why and how the Battle of Midway occurred, and what determined its outcome. In this respect, the book’s prologue examines Operation C, the Japanese Indian Ocean raid of April 1942, which whilst successful for the Japanese, also pointed to major problems: that is, air defence for the Striking Fleet and “doctrinal weaknesses and weak leadership.” Central to Stille’s account is the contention that “the battle was not a miraculous American victory, nor was it mainly the product of good fortune…Rather, the author believes that once all the plans, personalities, doctrines, ships and weapons of the two sides are examined, a Japanese defeat was the more likely outcome.” Importantly, Stille critically examines the strengths and weaknesses of both the Japanese and the Americans objectively.
Across the following 14 chapters, Stille analyses the respective fleets, their ships, aircraft, doctrine, tactics, and most importantly, their leadership and quality of command, including the respective approaches of Yamamoto and Nimitz to intelligence and its implications. Alongside this is an account of the battle itself, with the author ably providing both a detailed, and highly engaging historical narrative with analysis across the levels of war. This is brought together in the penultimate chapter, ‘Winners and Losers’, which examines the outcome of the battle using the Principles of War to provide the analytical framework. This chapter alone is worth buying the book for. The final chapter, ‘The Meaning of Midway’, answers the question of whether the battle was indeed decisive. Four appendices are included, providing the Imperial Japanese Navy and US Navy orders of battle respectively; interestingly, the third examines a notional Japanese landing on Midway, with the fourth considering an alternative outcome where small events “could have changed based on their likelihood or from the sheer vagaries of war”, in order to highlight “that the outcome of the battle was by no means certain.” Endnotes and a detailed bibliography are also included.
The depth and quality of the author’s research is very clearly evident in Midway, and it makes for a highly detailed, yet eminently readable book. It will appeal to the lay reader as well as those with a professional or academic interest in naval history, with much in the book of contemporary relevance. It also warrants highlighting that at £25, the book is very good value for money: there are very few typos, plus there is an excellent selection of photos and maps. Midway: The Pacific War’s Most Famous Battle is highly recommended.
