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Midway

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USS Yorktown (CV-5) is hit by a torpedo on 4 June 1942. Photographed from USS Pensacola (CA-24) – Official U.S. Navy Photograph U.S. National Archives., Public Domain

I had a couple of pieces on the Midway commemoration last week.  First, some technical thoughts:

The basic tactical situation at Midway is well-known; the Americans enjoyed the advantages of land-based air (aircraft launched from Midway itself) as well as intelligence regarding the timing and disposition of Japanese forces. The Japanese enjoyed a huge numerical advantage in surface ships, and a smaller advantage in carrier aircraft. The American advantages held; a series of raids against the Japanese strike force left it unbalanced, and eventually vulnerable to dive bomber strikes that sank four fleet carriers.

And then some noodling on why Midway does not loom larger in US remembrance:

Midway is remarkable, and perhaps unique among decisive battles, in that the outcome depended on the actions of a small number of people in a very confined time frame. If the American dive-bombers had made any of a variety of mistakes, or if the Japanese defenders had avoided any of their mistakes, the United States could have lost a net of three aircraft carriers instead of the other way around. It is vastly easier to imagine an alternative outcome to Midway that it is for Stalingrad, or Moscow, or D-Day, or Leyte, or any of the other great battles of World War II.

And on that last point, looks like there’s a big budget Midway film in production, funded in part by the Chinese

Roland Emmerich will direct World War II battle movie “Midway” with China’s Bona Film Group leading the investment for The Mark Gordon Co.

The project was unveiled Tuesday at the Cannes Film Festival. Bona will distribute the film in China and retains worldwide distribution rights, excluding the U.S. CAA brokered the deal and will represent U.S. distribution rights.

I’m more optimistic about this than I have any right to be; it could plainly go terribly wrong with Emmerich at the helm. On the other hand, he can certainly manage the kinds of action sequences that the film would call for. You’d rather have Ridley Scott, but he’s occupied.

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