70th Anniversary of Midway
Very interesting article in the Washington Times today talking about the role of an intelligence cell on the Battle of Midway:
It was during the spring of 1942 that the tide of the Pacific War began to shift — not in a battle at sea, it turned out, but in the depths of “the dungeon.”
That was the nickname for the cramped basement space in the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, conceived as a storage room before being converted to an office for Capt. Joseph Rochefort’s “Station Hypo” code-breaking team during World War II.
Rendered cold and damp by the installation of an overzealous air conditioner, the dungeon, as its moniker would suggest, didn’t offer the most luxurious of working environments. While the shadow of Japan’s control over the Pacific grew, the American code-breakers worked day and night in their dark, dank accommodations, desperately hoping to find an advantage against a force of naval precision unlike any they had seen before.
And that’s exactly what they did. Late that April, they cracked the empire’s naval code. On June 4, 1942, a Japanese fleet featuring four aircraft carriers set its sights on Midway, a small coral outpost used by U.S. forces in Hawaii. When they arrived, the forewarned Americans were ready.
You should go read the whole thing as it is incredibly interesting. I did find a video that talks a little about the role of the INTEL guys:
And, if you have an hour or so, this BBC special on the battle is a good way to spend some time:
Category: Politics
Here’s my contribution to today’s anniversary: The story of VT-8 “Torpedo 8” from USS Hornet. Courage & sacrifice. Only one survivor, Ensign George Gay would remain of the aircrew who took off that day.
http://aw1tim.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/731/
Midway also illustrates how random chance and the action of a few individuals can literally change history.
At the precise point in time that VT-8 was being massacred by covering air protecting the Japanese fleet, the Japanese carriers were also in the process of rearming their aircraft, with fuel and ordinance scattered all over their decks. VB-6 under LtCmdr Wade McClusky and VS-6 under LtCmdr Max Leslie arrived with their squadrons at that time. McClotsky and Leslie (and their subordinates) thus were presented with a effectively naked set of targets – in the most vulnerable state possible.
McClusky and Leslie had acted on a hunch earlier, risking loss of their squadrons (they were already low on fuel), in deciding to follow the wake of a Japanese warship (the destroyer Asahi) in hopes that they would find the Japanese fleet. This hunch paid off – at precisely the correct time to change history. The attack, perfectly timed due to random chance, damaged 3 Japanese carriers so badly they were later scuttled. (A 4th Japanese carrier was lost in later action). The US lost only the carrier Yorktown.
Had McClusky and Leslie followed normal procedure, or arrived at a different time, Midway would have almost certainly turned out vastly different.
The movie “Midway” made in the mid-60’s covers the contribution of those in the dungeon really well. Hal Holbrook plays the role of Cmdr Rochefort.
Yes, Man’s Individual Mind is crucial and invaluable — thanks for the references — this battle was a great encouragement, so early in the war .
I like this comment by “cammo99” on the Washington Times article:
(I corrected punctuation, etc.)
“For instance, how many people would know that many of the code breakers the author spoke of — were band members from the ships that were sunk at Pearl?
MUSIC used to have a mathematical aspect, reading sheet music is like reading an abstract language — people who had those skills were a prefect fit for code breaking.
Today’s musician doesn’t require enough abstraction and math to run a MacDonald’s cash register, with pictures.”
AW1Tim – I met Ens. George Gay back in 1980. He used to attend the Confederate Air Force airsho in Harlingen, TX as an exhibitor and would sell his biography, and model airplanes of the TBD-Devastator, where he’d include the markings his plane had along with a certificate he’d sign for you. This was a good Washington Times article as well about an event most people don’t even know about today, probably couldn’t even find Midway on a globe.
70 years ago a critical turning point occurred. A few courageous officers acted in manner upholding the best traditions of the US military. Today, the Military Channel, History channel and H2 channel had absolutely nothing on relating to this truly momentous battle. The Military Channel did have commercials for the D-Day marathon happening June 6th. To me this is seriously disrespectful to those who fought and died during this battle. At least we have some good articles in the newspapers for a change. And thank you to the BBC for that excellent program.