Product: Midway (Collector's Edition) (1976)
Rating: 4.0
The Battle Explained
Midway, 1976 filmThis battle at sea in June 1942 was the turning point in the war in the Pacific. In April 1942 the Navy launched the Doolittle raid using two-engine B-25s for a bombing attack on Tokyo. There was little damage but it was great for American morale. Where will the Japanese attack next? The Coral Sea? The decoding group is very dedicated to their work. The son of a Navy captain is in love with a girl of Japanese descent. A bad sense of timing? The Japanese plan to invade Midway, but the US bombers have a long reach. Japan will win if they can defeat the US Navy. The battle of the Coral Sea is over, they "broke even". Where will the Japanese strike next? The Navy has a plan to find out where "AF" is. We learn about the Japanese strategy for the battle. The Navy believes attacking the Japanese will best defend America. Note how personal health affects operations. Bad luck?Captain Garth meets his son's girlfriend and learns how things stand. Bill Halsey recommends his replacement. Spruance plans to station his ships north of Midway to keep his options open. It is a calculated risk. So too is Captain Garth's request. The Japanese scout airplanes could not fly to Hawaii. Navy PBY amphibians will scout the oceans west of Midway. One finds the "main body" going to Midway. The real threat is the Japanese aircraft carriers. Neither side has reliable information, they send out scout airplanes. A PBY sees the enemy carriers and sends messages. Midway launches its fighters against the Japanese aircraft, but they come on to attack and bomb. The US carriers `Hornet' and `Enterprise' will launch all their aircraft to attack the two Japanese carriers.Torpedo Squadron 8 searches for the enemy. The `Yorktown' launches all of its aircraft. "What the hell happened?" There is an electrical problem with the bomb control mechanism. Navy F4F fighters attack enemy fighters. A US bombing squadron will attack four enemy carriers who now lack air-cover. Three are soon burning. The Japanese send out their planes to find the American carriers. One US carrier is hit and loses power. The rest of the Navy will continue the battle. Japanese torpedoes hit the `Yorktown' and seriously damage it. The `Hornet' launches its aircraft against the Japanese carrier `Hiryu' and bomb it. When one force defeats its equal is it just luck? "Luck favors the well-prepared."Many of the scenes were filmed on the USS Lexington. Actual battle scenes from WW II were incorporated . [Did you see a jeep crashing as in "Tora! Tora! Tora!"?] Did that romance seem credible for that era? This movie explains the strategy that led to the battle and victory. Judgment means making the right decision when your information is incomplete. That is why experience is important.