Chapter 46 Chapter 42 The Significance of the Battle of Midway: Evaluation After Forty Years

Now let us turn the calendar back about twenty years, that is, when Prange interviewed the three American victors in the Battle of Midway, see how they lived these years, and listen to their opinions on this crucial battle. The campaign has something to say about it. Admiral Frank Fletcher and his wife lived a peaceful retirement at a cottage called Arabe in the rolling countryside near the quaint old city of La Platte in southern Maryland.The general gave Prange a warm welcome, and led him through rooms rich in oriental art to his study on the ground floor. In baggy slacks and a shirt, Fletcher looked less like a war hero than a retired rancher in his home state of Iowa.He was unassuming, approachable, and hospitable like a countryman.He produced bourbon and mineral water from an unobtrusive alcove, and toasted the fleet's officers and men.He admitted frankly and without regret that his memory was failing.If his memory of some background situations had become blurred over time, he still remembered the battle itself clearly.His eyes sparkled and he smiled with satisfaction as he spoke of those exciting days in June 1942.His estimates were brilliant, and he had no doubts about the significance of the campaign.

He admitted that the U.S. military had an element of fluke victory in the Midway Island naval battle, but he said: It was not mainly due to luck, but mainly because we used the information we obtained correctly.He put aside his ginger beer and went on: Our intelligence is better than the Japanese, our quality is better than theirs, but the Japanese are also much more tenacious than we first thought. Fletcher recalls that when he walked into Nimitz's office after the battle, the commander was as relieved as he was that the battle was over and won.Fletcher emphasized: He has reason to breathe a sigh of relief, because if the battle had not ended like that, the Pacific Ocean would really have fallen into chaos. [Note: Interview with Fletcher, September 17, 1966. 】

The years have been kind to Admiral Raymond A. Spruance.His already thin body looked even thinner, his hair had turned gray, and his sea-blue eyes were gentle, quiet, and piercing.He sits in a spacious living room in Pebble Beach, Calif., with a Persian rug and antique furniture in soft tones.Evidently, he lived at home in a very comfortable way.His tie matched his soft flannel shirt, and his brown coat, worn for the first time that day, smelled faintly of Harris tweed. When it comes to the Battle of Midway, he is like a college professor who is willing to impart knowledge but believes that his students should know the facts thoroughly and accurately.He recalled names, dates, places, thoughts and reactions as accurately as he could remember, as if his long, thin fingers were calling dossiers from an invisible, neatly cataloged memory bank.

He said humorously: All military operations are like women going to the streets to buy things. There are two issues that must be considered: How much will it cost?Is it worth it?He was happy with his deal at Midway.For, as he pointed out, if the United States had been defeated, the Japanese fleet would have had no problem advancing to the American west coast.Yamamoto and his Imperial Navy may continue their efforts and achieve greater victories.The admiral had great respect for the fighting qualities of the Japanese.He said succinctly that the Japanese played very well. Outside the window, the flower beds are in full bloom, and the velvety green lawn meets the shade of the Monterey pines.The clock struck one when Spruance said sorry and went out to turn on the sprinkler.On his return, he carefully wrote down the time of spraying on a piece of paper.

He spoke frankly and quite calmly about some of the criticisms that had been leveled against him shortly after the Battle of Midway, saying that instead of continuing to pursue the Japanese westward in the first few hours of the evening of June 4th, he sailed eastward.He dismissed those hindsight experts with a few words.He said: "I think my foresight at the time was better than some people's hindsight.But when it came to Nimitz, he spoke with great affection.He insisted that the victory at Midway was due to Nimitz.He emphasized: The honor must go to Nimitz.He not only believed the intelligence he received, but also acted on it immediately.

A few nights later, when he went to dinner at a restaurant in Monterey, he politely declined a cocktail offered to him.However, his principle of dealing with people is to live by himself and let others live.His wife sipped a champagne cocktail.Her personality is lively, and her character is as crystal clear as wine.She listened quietly to the sound of the waves lapping on Monterey Bay, and suddenly said: The sea makes me restless, and the mountains seem calm and peaceful to me.It's not hard to imagine that she has been competing with the sea god for her husband's life all her life, so she doesn't think the sea is a peaceful and peaceful place.Spruance just smiled serenely.If anyone can dominate his environment, it's Spruance. [Note: Two interviews with Spruance, September 5 and 14, 1964. 】

Although Chester Nimitz, the five-star admiral, never wanted to make his residence more eye-catching, the people looking for him never stopped.Prange was also among those who visited him.The guest book at the Nimitz home contained the names of the great and the lesser.Some of them came to have an audience, some came to interview, and some just came to visit.Among the many Japanese signatures are Yoshizaburo Nomura, the Japanese ambassador to the United States during the Pearl Harbor incident, and Mitsuo Fuchida, the flight captain who led the air raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.This is all logical, because since Nimitz signed the Japanese instrument of surrender, he has devoted most of his time and energy to building a bridge between the United States and Japan, a country that he had made great efforts to defeat. the relationship between.He said: Japan is a strong enemy and is very tenacious. After we beat it hard, there is no reason to rub salt on its old wounds.

The years that had passed since Midway had added to the general's features the kindly, gentle beauty of an aged, good man.This beauty is as heart-warming as the aged sherry with which he serves his guests.His blue eyes were still sparkling, and his hair was so self-satisfied that a visitor would be convinced that it was not ordinary white, but the living white of a sail in the sun. Nimitz recalled how worried and nervous he was in the run-up to the Battle of Midway.It was only after the battle started that he relaxed a little bit.He explained: After the battle of Midway began, we felt a little relieved because the Japanese actions were as we had expected.At least we knew then that things were going according to plan.For our officers and soldiers fighting there, I have full confidence in it, and I think things will go smoothly.

Mrs. Nimitz walked into the study with two canes and asked her husband: My dear, is the stamp on this airmail letter enough?Nimitz smiled affectionately and said: My dear, enough is enough!You posted two or three more! Like so many married couples who live together, the Nimitzs have similar personalities.The general's warmth, dignity and charm are reflected in his wife's attractive face.As can be seen from their delightful quarters, she, too, is as restless as her husband.Many of the paintings hanging on the walls are from her handwriting.The bonsai placed in the wide and cool porch prove that she has mastered this complex and difficult gardening technique. [Note: Interview with Nimitz, September 4, 1964. 】

Nimitz has always refused to write memoirs, although any publishing house in the United States will pay him a considerable amount of remuneration for his autobiography. When talking with Nimitz, Prange got the impression that Nimitz is indeed too humble and too humble. Humorous, he wouldn't write a book with himself as the main character, and he's too gentle and benevolent to write a book that sharply criticizes, or even speaks objectively about, those who have made mistakes.If he couldn't praise anyone, he preferred to say nothing.Years later, Mrs. Nimitz's words confirmed Prange's impression.She told those who came to interview: He didn't want to hurt anyone.During the war he had to relieve several officers, and they were not satisfied.If he writes memoirs, realistically, he will hurt them.Chester never hurt anyone. [Note: Recalling Nimitz, page 31. 】

What can be praised, he spares no effort to praise.His favorite to praise is Spruance.He said: The victory of the Battle of Midway depends entirely on General Spruance.When others tentatively suggested that maybe Chester Nimitz also had some credit, he ignored it.He turned the subject back to Spruance, his face beaming with pride for his friend.He emphasized that the reason why we can win this battle is because of his judgment and wisdom.My evaluation of Spruance has been repeatedly confirmed in various naval battles in the Pacific Ocean.He knows what his mission is.His greatest strength is his ability to judge judgments based on intelligence and his expertise.Nimitz also enthusiastically praised Rochford's breakthrough in codes, which he said led to the kind of unambiguous intelligence any commander needed.He concluded that the Battle of Midway was the most critical battle in the Pacific War, and this battle guaranteed the success of everything else. [Note: Interview with Nimitz, September 4, 1964. 】 Nearly two decades later, the above assertion is still quite true.The Battle of Midway was indeed, as it is often said, a turning point.However, this is only clear from a long-term perspective.At that time, only a small number of Japanese really realized its importance.Sandai was one of the very few who had even wept bitterly against the operation, and he saw that he was terribly right.He knew that the hope of ultimate victory was in vain, and as a pilot he understood what it meant to lose so many carriers, planes, pilots and technicians.Others in the Naval Command still think in terms of surface warfare.They couldn't, and didn't want to, understand what happened. [Note: Bard’s interview with Three Generations. 】 Some young pilots are pessimistic about the immediate future.They knew that Japan had no choice but to go on the defensive for the time being.However, they have shown with their own blood to the world that in the new era of naval warfare, offense is the best defense, and air power has replaced the artillery power centered on the battleship as the main role in naval warfare. [Note: The Battle of Tragedy. 】 The outcome of the battle shocked Genda a lot, but he still didn't realize that Japan had lost the ability to defeat the United States.It was only later, when he looked back on this history, that he realized that the Battle of Midway coupled with the Japanese retreat from Guadalcanal was a turning point. [Note: Genda's statement. ] Caolu also did not realize that the Battle of Midway was a watershed, although he considered it a terrible blow to the Japanese Navy.Because they still have powerful aircraft carriers like Zuikaku and Xianghe, and more aircraft carriers are being built. [Note: "United Fleet", page 92. 】 The Americans involved did not expect that since then, they will be able to pass through the sea without hindrance.Spruance said that no one at Pearl Harbor thought that the battle of Midway would seal the fate of the war.He explained: "In the circumstances, we just thought we weren't frustrated.We were not defeated by the superior Japanese fleet.The Battle of Midway was just a starting point for us at that time, and it was the real starting point of our attack in the arduous and fierce battle against Japan. [Note: Interview with Spruance, September 5, 1964. 】 Nimitz emphasized that although the Battle of Midway was won, things had just begun.The march across the Pacific has not yet begun.After Midway we did not feel that we had won the war.This is undoubtedly the most important turning point, but we still have to deal with a stubborn enemy, and we still have to make arduous efforts. [Note: Interview with Nimitz, September 4, 1964. ] More than three years of arduous war proved that the two admirals were right. So what did the Battle of Midway mean?The most direct facts are, of course, tangible things, casualties and equipment losses.Statistics tell us beyond doubt who won the battle: [Note: Data source "Battle of Midway", p. 249 and "Nimitz", p. 107. 】 Casualties: 307 in the US, 2,500 in Japan Loss of aircraft carriers: the United States one, Japan four Heavy cruisers lost: 0 for the US, 1 for Japan Destroyers lost: US 1, Japan 0 Lost aircraft: 147 in the United States, 332 in Japan In addition, the Japanese side suffered heavy damage to one cruiser, moderate damage to two destroyers (excluding the two that collided), and light damage to a battleship, a destroyer and an oil tanker.The American side suffered large-scale damage to Midway, moderate damage to Dutch Harbor, and the loss of Kiska Island and Attu Island. However, intangible things that could happen and not happen should also be considered.On this question our grounds are less solid, and like all conjectures there is bound to be controversy.However, if Yamamoto realized his plan to capture Midway and eliminate Nimitz's aircraft carrier, his next step in the battle plan was to conduct the Australian campaign.Because once the air strike force of the Pacific Fleet is lost, the United States will have no power to resist Yamamoto.If Yamamoto was able to cut off the lifeline to Australia, MacArthur's forces would be left alone, and once Japan had complete control of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, it could justifiably encroach on Southeast Asia for a long time.At the same time, if Japan captured Midway, it could at least harass Hawaii and even threaten the west coast of the United States.It's not hard to imagine how the call to defend America could have reached the point where the overarching strategy of dealing with Hitler first could be seriously frustrated.The end result of the war may be the same, but the price paid is far from what people are willing to imagine. But none of this happened after all.Leighton said: In the Battle of Midway, the Japanese lost, or in other words, abandoned an elite and invincible force of a naval air force that once shook the Pacific.It was never going to come back, never to be as sweeping and fearsome as it was in the first six months of the war.This is the great significance of the Battle of Midway [Note: Interview with Leiden, July 22, 1964. 】 This is also true from a tactical point of view.There is a valuable research article from the U.S. Naval Academy that gives us a deeper understanding of: It boosted the morale of the American combat forces; it halted Japanese expansion to the east; it ended the invincible Japanese offensive during the first six months of the war; In America's favor, it removes threats to Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States. The commander of the United Fleet hopes to have a decisive battle with the US fleet as soon as possible, preferably before the number of ships built by the Americans has an advantage.Now he had to give up the idea of ​​conducting this fleet contest in the distant sea as soon as possible.Instead, he had to sit back and wait for the Americans to attack.With the loss of his aircraft carrier, he was much closer to home than he had been in the past.In this way, the Japanese were forced to take a defensive position. [Note: Analysis of the Battle of Midway Island, page 210. 】 That's what it means in the end.In the naval battle of Midway Island, the Americans put down their shields and took up their swords, and never gave up their strategic offensive in subsequent engagements. (End of the book)