The Unknown Battle of Midway

The Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons

Alvin Kernan

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English

Yale University Press
26 April 2007

History of the Americas; Second World War; Air forces & warfare; Battles & campaigns

Series: Yale Library of Military History

"What really happened at the famous Battle of Midway? A survivor sets the record straight.

""The clearest and most persuasive story of the Battle of Midway I have ever read or heard.”—Donald Kagan, Yale University

The Battle of Midway is considered the greatest U.S. naval victory, but behind the luster is the devastation of the American torpedo squadrons. Of the 51 planes sent to attack Japanese carriers only 7 returned, and of the 127 aircrew only 29 survived. Not a single torpedo hit its target.

A story of avoidable mistakes and flawed planning, The Unknown Battle of Midway reveals the enormous failures that led to the destruction of four torpedo squadrons but were omitted from official naval reports: the planes that ran out of gas, the torpedoes that didn’t work, the pilots who had never dropped torpedoes, and the breakdown of the attack plan. Alvin Kernan, who was present at the battle, has written a troubling but persuasive analysis of these and other little-publicized aspects of this great battle. The standard navy tactics for carrier warfare are revealed in tragic contrast to the actual conduct of the battle and the after-action reports of the ships and squadrons involved."

By: Alvin Kernan
Imprint: Yale University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 1mm
Weight: 295g
ISBN: 9780300122640
ISBN 10: 0300122640
Series: Yale Library of Military History
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 26 April 2007
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Alvin Kernan (1923–2018) was Avalon University Professor of Humanities, Emeritus, Princeton University. He served in the U.S. Navy, 1941–45. Among his previous books are The Fruited Plain: Fables for a Postmodern Democracy and In Plato’s Cave, both published by Yale University Press.

Reviews for The Unknown Battle of Midway: The Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons

...brilliant... Kevin Myers, Irish Times Professor Kernan served as an eighteen year old ordnance technician aboard the USS Enterprise during the battle, and the book reads almost as though your grandfather is telling you what he did in the war. And in tracing the story beyond the Second World War to how the Navy and the participants reacted, he makes it an emotionally powerful story, not merely one of war but of its lasting effects. Times Literary Supplement