Outstanding, and very possibly 'definitive' - Rated 
Publishers claim the term 'definitive' for many works of military history these days, however in this case I think the boast may well be justified. ThHe authors, whose admirable and fascinating website on the Imperial Japanese Navy illustrates their passion for the subject, set out to de-bunk some of the popular myths around this famous battle.
I for one had taken as accepted wisdom the interpretation of the faulty spotter plane sealing the Japanese fate, whislt the loss of the American torpedo squadrons was a heroic sacrifice which left the Japanese carriers denuded of high-level air cover just in time for the avenging Dauntlesses to pounce: it is a delight to have these interpretations challenged, the more so in a work that blends vast technical content with flowing, gripping narrative - a very difficult combination to pull off. Within two chapters, I had ordered Tully's new(ish) work, Surigao Strait. If it's half as good as this, I won't be disappointed.
Yet Another "Untold Story" - Rated 
In the last 50 years I've read countless books which profess to tell the "Untold Story" of this or that battle. This book is no different. Certainly, it looks at the battle from a different perpective from the two dozen-or-so other books I've have on the battle,but it does not tell me anything new.The Japanese still lost 4 carriers & the position of the various aircraft on their carriers did not alter the outcome. As for telling the Japanese side of story.....Messrs Fuchida & Okumiya did that very sucessfully in 1957.Try Peter C Smith's 1976 version for a comprehensive account of the battle.
An Excellent Read - Rated
The earlier reviewers have said it all. An excellent book, in depth research and analysis and conclusions that are well supported
Illuminating - Rated
The book aims to reappraise our understanding of the Battle of Midway and to correct a number of myths which linger in Western accounts of events.
The evidence that the authors present is compelling and provide a richer understanding of the battle. The thesis does not change the basic facts of the battle, but trims the sails of some of the more dramatic elements, such as the fact that the Japanese carriers did not have deck loads of planes ready to take-off just before the fateful dive-bomb attack. The planes were fuelled and armed, but in hangers below the deck, so their decisisve role in the fate of the ships remains the same - once the bombs hit they posed a massive hazard, but they didn't have the Hollywood quality of being about to be launched.
The general story of how the battle came about, the Japanese navy and the culture which formed it were extremely interesting. Some of the attitudes and choices which seem almost imcomprehensible - such as senior officers insisting that they go down with their ships rather than seek to fight another day or the sheer overblown complexity of the battleplans - are given a proper context and explanation. It is this element of the book that provides the greatest insight and interest.
Generally speaking the book has a flowing, accessible written style and considering the book's emphasis on some of the more technical aspects of the battle including naval doctrine it's extremely readable.
I did wish that the authors didn't feel that they had to repeat quite so often that they were about to share another stunning insight misssed by Western scholarship since 1942, but this is a minor quibble with a book that does have something new to say about an extensively written about battle and real insight into the nature of the Imperial Navy.
A recommended read for anyone interested in the naval history or who is intrigued by a glimpse into a very alien organisational culture.
First class research - Rated
I looked forward to this book the minute I knew it was being written, being a big fan of the "Combined Fleet" website. Some reviewers have observed it is too centred on the Japanese side and a mite too colloquial for we Brits, and in truth it is perhaps a little Americanised and some of the editing could be improved, but nothing to detract from the quality of the "read" and a little humour does not come amiss. Frankly, when one realises that Jon Parshall edited the whole bit himself and compiled the index to keep costs down, it puts this massive undertaking into some sort of perspective. It is a fascinating and informative read, very technical but for the committed navy and aviation buff, pretty much "unputdownable" and a hugely valuable addition to the genre. I am lost in admiration for this magnum opus from Messrs Tully and Parshall. If you're really interested in the subject and only read one book on the Pacific war, make it this one.
|
