Miracle at Midway
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4.5 • 126 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
New York Times bestseller: The true story of the WWII naval battle portrayed in the Roland Emmerich film is "something special among war histories" (Chicago Sun-Times).
Six months after Pearl Harbor, the seemingly invincible Imperial Japanese Navy prepared a decisive blow against the United States. After sweeping through Asia and the South Pacific, Japan's military targeted the tiny atoll of Midway, an ideal launching pad for the invasion of Hawaii and beyond.
But the US Navy would be waiting for them. Thanks to cutting-edge code-breaking technology, tactical daring, and a significant stroke of luck, the Americans under Adm. Chester W. Nimitz dealt Japan's navy its first major defeat in the war. Three years of hard fighting remained, but it was at Midway that the tide turned.
This "stirring, even suspenseful narrative" is the first book to tell the story of the epic battle from both the American and Japanese sides (Newsday). Miracle at Midway reveals how America won its first and greatest victory of the Pacific war—and how easily it could have been a loss.
Customer Reviews
Great listening but a few small things
Nice to have one of Gordon Prange’s book to listen to. The narrator does a great job of helping to understand the chronology of the events. However the is a lack of understanding military terminology that stands out. For example, Japanese submarines are “I” boats, not “1” boats, such as I-xx. Also Nimitz is referred to a “Cincy Fleet”, not CINC (pronounced sink) Fleet. Small details but a Navy veteran, those jumped out at me.
Great Summation of Battle for Midway
Thoroughly researched and well written. Even assessment.
Great book although …
Kind of jumbled story telling, but the thing that continually annoyed me was that Prange repeatedly disputed and ‘corrected’ first hand reports by those who were present! Of course its easy for an airman to mistake a destroyer for a cruiser, but I cannot believe that almost every report filed on both sides during the battle was incorrect!? These were trained professionals, mostly young men, with good eyesight & memories. The haze of war historically causes distortions but not to point where everyone who was there was incorrect. However, Prange was part of the post War occupation of Japan and began questioning participants soon after war’s end, so maybe he’s correct in the huge number of reporting errors during the Battle. It is true that although the Midway based bombers missed almost every target, the Air Force initially claimed they had sunk many ships, including carriers.
Interesting read