Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy's Story

This landmark study of the Battle of Midway is widely acknowledged for its valuable Japanese insights into the battle that turned the tide of war in the Pacific. Told from the viewpoint of two Japanese naval aviators who fought in the battle, it provides an unsparing analysis of the causes of Japan's staggering defeat. Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the first air strike on Pearl Harbor, commanded the Akagi carrier air group at Midway and later made a study of the battle at the Japanese Naval War College. Masatake Okumiya, one of Japan's first dive-bomber pilots, was aboard the light carrier Ryujo and after Midway served as a staff officer in a carrier division. Armed with knowledge of top-secret documents destroyed by the Japanese and access to private papers, these Japanese naval officers show the operation to be ill-conceived and poorly planned and executed, and they fault their flag officers for lacking initiative, leadership, and clear thinking. This new audiobook version brings their story vividly to life. Although the strategy behind the battle remains a point of debate, this classic work has been enlightening audiences since the book was first published nearly fifty years ago. 6 cassettes. 480 minutes. Unabridged.