From 1991 to 1995, the 50th year commemorations of the most important events of World War II, the epic global struggle and victory were analyzed in depth. Historians have concluded that there were three battles of overwhelming importance to the success of the Allies in achieving final victory in 1945.
Among these pivotal events was the Air Battle of Britain in 1940, in which the vastly outnumbered Royal Air Force turned back the Luftwaffe and saved Great Britain from an invasion. The second was the Battle of Stalingrad in January 1942, in which the Soviet Union defeated the Wehrmacht for the first time and paved the way for the ultimate land campaign to defeat the Germans.
The third was the Battle of Midway, in which a numerically inferior American naval force delivered a crushing blow to the Japanese, the first major setback for the Japanese since Pearl Harbor. Long mentioned as the turning point in the Pacific War, Winston Churchill saw the battle as much more than that when he wrote: "This memorable American victory was of cardinal importance, not only to the United States but to the whole allied cause.... At one stroke the dominant position of Japan in the Pacific was reversed. The annals of war at sea present no more intense, heart-shaking shock ... [in which] the qualities of the United States Navy and Air Force and the American race [are] shown forth in splendor."
A loss at Midway likely would have altered the whole course of World War II. Clearly, there would have been no landings at Guadalcanal or battles in the Solomon Islands. Quite likely the landings in North Africa in November 1942 would not have occurred, and in general the "Europe first" strategy would have been de-emphasized as the United States shifted forces from the Atlantic to the Pacific to protect its West Coast from a freely ranging Japanese fleet in a largely Japanese-controlled Pacific Ocean.
Midway was not a "piece of cake" for the Americans. When reading Walter Lord's Incredible Victory, it is easy to see why the book was so titled--it was indeed incredible that either side won. As in all battles, both sides committed major errors and made bad judgments, and luck played a huge part in the battle-s outcome. For the Americans, one of most fortunate turns of fate resulted from a catapult problem on the cruiser Tone that caused a 30-minute delay in the launch of a search plane. Had this flight launched as scheduled and the pilot made his contact report of the American fleet a half hour earlier, the Japanese undoubtedly would have immediately struck our fleet instead of continuing the attacks against Midway Island. Another factor was the courageous decision of LCDR Wade McClusky, leader of the USS Enterprise (CV-6) strike group, to continue to search for the Japanese carriers, even though many of his aircraft would be unable to return to the ship because of their low fuel states.
The U.S. fleet suffered a terrible tragedy when three torpedo squadrons attacked Japanese carriers in obsolete aircraft. Of 41 TBDs launched by the U.S., only five survived and no hits were scored on the enemy.
Good fortune smiled through the tragedy, however. In combatting the torpedo planes, Japanese combat air patrol aircraft were forced down from high altitude to engage the attacking TBDs. With the Zeros absent from their high-altitude CAP stations, the way was clear for the Dauntless dive bombers to come in high and virtually unopposed--and they destroyed three Japanese carriers in four minutes. Heroic attacks by the shore-based Marine, Navy and Army aviators delayed and disrupted the Japanese attack force early in the battle.
In the case of the Naval service, the Battle of Midway was truly an ecumenical event. All combat elements participated: ground and air Marines, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, carriers, sea- and land-based Navy aircraft, and even PT boats. Midway clearly is a victory in which the entire Naval service may take tremendous pride.
In recognition of the epic Battle of Midway, a commemorative dinner was held in Washington, D.C., in June 1997. Among those attending was author Walter Lord. The dinner was a great success and was intended to be the first of similar annual commemorations, analogous perhaps to the Trafalgar Dinner celebrated by the Royal Navy for almost 200 years to honor their most important battle.
This year, there will be a total of nine Midway commemorative dinners across the United States at various locations and dates. Those interested in attending should make contact with the coordinator in their area. Especially sought are veterans of all organizations present at the Battle of Midway. In 1997, those veterans present at the dinner were the principal honorees and attractions. All Midway veterans especially are encouraged to attend wherever possible to do so.