Little mention was made in our mainstream news media of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. The Battle opened on 4 June 1942 approximately 6 months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Midway was fought between US and Japanese Naval Forces approximately 150 miles north of Midway Is-land. For your information, Midway is located approximately 1,128 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii. I flew out for Midway from mid1959 until late1962 as part of the Pacific Distant Early Warning or DEW Line. Even at that late date, almost 20 years after that historic battle, evidence was still visible in the waters surrounding both Sand and Eastern Islands, the two islands that make up Midway.
To appreciate just how important the Battle of Midway was to our victory in the Pacific, it might prove useful to answer the following question, “What are the 10 most important facts about the Battle of Midway?”
- A lessor naval force defeated a superior naval force.
- The US ability to crack Japan’s radio code led to Japan’s defeat.
- Main ships were not battleships…they were aircraft carriers.
- The result stopped Japan’s Pacific expansion.
- The result increased the morale of the U.S. Navy as well as the American people
- Having the Carrier Yorktown available showed that the Pearl Harbor raid six-months earlier missed a main target – the dry repair docks.
- The loss of four front-line carriers by Japan was due to not having adequate “CAP” or “Combat Air Patrol” (a/k/a an umbrella) over the carriers – the Japanese fighters were ‘pulled down’ by Torpedo 8 who were the first to arrive on scene; flying relatively slow and obsolete aircraft, they commenced their torpedo attack with-out bombers and fighters; Torpedo 8 lost all its aircraft and all but one of its aircrew.
- The victory by the U.S. at Midway became the turning point of the Pacific Theater in WWII.
- By defeating Japan at Midway, the U.S. was able to begin the “island hopping” campaign to bring the war to Japan’s home islands.
- It was only the second time that a naval battle was fought by ships who never sighted each other (both sets of ships were over each other’s horizon). The first was the Battle of Coral Sea a month earlier.
Why is the aforementioned important and why is it mentioned in the “Chaplain’s Corner”? The Battle of Mid-way changed the course of history. Japan certainly was far from defeated and the world faced another 3 years of war in the Pacific. However, Japan was never again able to effectively take the offensive. It is significant that she lost 4 aircraft carriers and embarked aircraft; however, it is even more significant that she lost irreplaceable skilled personnel including skilled and experienced carrier pilots. She was never able to recover from that loss. Many of the historians who have studied the Battle of Midway attribute the US victory to luck, ‘the draw of the cards’, fate, et al. To others historians, your Chaplain included, we attribute America’s victory to the Hand of God. I am one who strongly believes that God controls America’s destiny. As we celebrate Independence Day, it is important that we remember that in our Declaration of Independence, God is referred to under 4 different names: (1) Nature’s God, (2) Creator, (3) Supreme Judge of the World, and (4) Divine Providence. We are “One nation under God.”
Let us pray
We bow before Thee, our Heavenly Father, in humble prayer thanking Thee for the manifold blessings Thou hast bestowed upon us, in this our beloved land. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the sacred institutions of America. Preserve these inspired concepts. Let not the adversity of Light and Truth destroy freedom, worship, and divine faith. Bless those who direct our nation. Remember, O God, those who bear arms. Bless the homes from which they come. Forgive our errors and weakness turning from the wrong and unprofitable ways. We pray for the early triumph of righteousness, truth, and peace founded in the brotherhood of man. This we ask in Thy Precious Name. Amen
