Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6

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Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/5/2010 9:02:50 PM

seekingOwnertoo

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"The annuals of war at sea present no more intense heart shaking shock than this battle, in which the qualities of the United States Navy and Airforce and the American race shone forth in splendour. The bravery and selfless devotion of the American airmen and sailors and the verve and skill of their leaders were the foundation of all."

Winston Churchill

Just thought it appropriate to say something ... as this Battle was June 4 to June 6, 1942

Six months after Pearl Harbor ... three American Aircraft Carriers ... changed the course of the Second World War ...

The US Navy's famed Task Force 16 ... against the entire Imperial Japanese Fleet that destroyed Pearl Harbor.

You might recognize the carrier names ... from Star Trek ...

USS Enterprise, USS Hornet and USS Yorktown ...

The victory ensured the saftey of the west coast .. and enabled the US to throw all its resources in defense of Britain ... and Europe.

That is why it is the turning point of World War Two.

Tonight my hat is off to those men and women ...

How about you?

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/5/2010 10:15:51 PM

popeye1250

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Yeah, as a former Sailor that certainly was a pivotal battle.
But there was a bit of "luck" involved too, they caught the Japs with their planes fully armed and gassed up right on the flight decks of those carriers.

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/6/2010 10:25:51 AM

dovie

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I'm lucky enough to have someone in my life who's able to share his knowledge of this battle a la metro-goldwyn-mayer. I've since watched several movies and documentaries and read several books about Midway. Fascinating battle!

dovie

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/6/2010 2:45:00 PM

noor

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my heart also goes out to those who served in this battle, and all who are serving our country. thanks for posting this :)

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/6/2010 3:34:48 PM

peppermint

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I was fortunate to live on the Midway. My youngest son was born there so he knows all about the battle. You could still go scuba diving and see some of the planes that were shot down during the battle.

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/6/2010 8:35:52 PM

seekingOwnertoo

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quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Yeah, as a former Sailor that certainly was a pivotal battle.
But there was a bit of "luck" involved too, they caught the Japs with their planes fully armed and gassed up right on the flight decks of those carriers.

Yes, You are right their was some luck ... clearly ... as it says below ... there was a bit of gambling going on ...

"American squadrons were launched piecemeal and proceeded to the target in several different groups.

Spruance calculated that this was worth it, since keeping the Japanese under aerial attack hampered their ability to launch a counterstrike

(Japanese doctrine preferred fully constituted attacks),

and he gambled that he could find Nagumo with his decks at their most vulnerable."

Yet the US Navy was ambushing the Japs ... in a manner the Jap battle plan never anticipated ..

And they DID find the Japs ... with their decks most vunerable ...

What do You think?

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/7/2010 8:24:59 AM

tropicalhoney

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It truly was the most amazing ambush! Hats off to all those who were involved.

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/7/2010 7:44:27 PM

seekingOwnertoo

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quote:

ORIGINAL: dovie

someone in my life who's able to share his knowledge of this battle

Good for you dovie ... and your post is appreciated ... few seem to have much knowledge of this ...

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/7/2010 7:46:11 PM

seekingOwnertoo

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quote:

ORIGINAL: noor

thanks for posting this :)

You are welcome ... noor

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/7/2010 7:49:14 PM

seekingOwnertoo

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quote:

ORIGINAL: peppermint

I was fortunate to live on the Midway. My youngest son was born there so he knows all about the battle. You could still go scuba diving and see some of the planes that were shot down during the battle.

Wow ... that must have been some experience!

Hope you enjoyed the scuba diving ... and the weather!

And do kep your son up on history ... it is a good thing to know ..

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/7/2010 7:51:46 PM

seekingOwnertoo

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quote:

ORIGINAL: tropicalhoney

It truly was the most amazing ambush! Hats off to all those who were involved.

Yes .. all our hats!

< Message edited by seekingOwnertoo -- 6/7/2010 7:53:12 PM >

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RE: Anniversary of Midway - June 4 thru 6 - 6/10/2010 3:10:35 PM

peppermint

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quote:

Wow ... that must have been some experience!

Way back then there was no satellite TV. The networks gave Armed Forces Radio copies of the major shows, however, we were 2 weeks behind. It was hard to not find out who won the Super Bowl so we could enjoy it without knowing the results.

Until a few years ago a company did eco tours to Midway. The base was closed to sailor with families and the civilian population needed to support those families back in 1978. During the 1970s the base was an important refueling stop for planes transferring to Vietnam. We called it the Pony Express when the planes flew through over a matter of only a few days. Then in the 1990s the last few military personnel were removed from the base. My late husband's retirement flag was flown at Midway on Mar 23, 1992. It was a bird sanctuary as well as an air field when I lived there. It is now just a bird sanctuary. I was hoping to go back but never could get the time and money together at the same time. Wish another company would start up and offer something similar to the other tour company.

While we were there a mine from WWII washed up on the beach. Some crazy people played with it and put it on a picnic table. They were very lucky. It was live. It was towed out to sea and exploded.

< Message edited by peppermint -- 6/10/2010 3:12:07 PM >

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