The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History)

By: Craig L. Symonds

Narrated by: James Lurie

Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

There are few moments in American history in which the course of events tipped so suddenly and so dramatically as at the Battle of Midway. At dawn of June 4, 1942, a rampaging Japanese navy ruled the Pacific. By sunset, their vaunted carrier force (the Kido Butai) had been sunk, and their grip on the Pacific had been loosened forever.

In this absolutely riveting account of a key moment in the history of World War II, one of America's leading naval historians, Craig L. Symonds, paints an unforgettable portrait of ingenuity, courage, and sacrifice. Symonds begins with the arrival of Admiral Chester A. Nimitz at Pearl Harbor after the devastating Japanese attack and describes the key events leading to the climactic battle, including both Coral Sea - the first battle in history against opposing carrier forces - and Jimmy Doolittle's daring raid of Tokyo. He focuses throughout on the people involved, offering telling portraits of Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance, and numerous other Americans, as well as the leading Japanese figures, including the poker-loving Admiral Yamamoto. Indeed, Symonds sheds much light on the aspects of Japanese culture - such as their single-minded devotion to combat, which led to poorly armored planes and inadequate fire-safety measures on their ships - that contributed to their defeat.

The author's account of the battle itself is masterful, weaving together the many disparate threads of attack - attacks which failed in the early going - that ultimately created a five-minute window in which three of the four Japanese carriers were mortally wounded, changing the course of the Pacific war in an eye-blink.

Symonds is the first historian to argue that the victory at Midway was not simply a matter of luck, pointing out that Nimitz had equal forces, superior intelligence, and the element of surprise. Nimitz had a strong hand, Symonds concludes, and he rightly expected to win.

©2011 Craig L. Symonds (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Minute by minute action.

Great storytelling. The research brings the stories of all the men who's sacrifice was needed to bring this battle's story a new perspective.

the book offered some very good background info..

the book offered a lot of good background story on the characters and the whole theater of operations.

Outstanding!

Very good audio production of the most important battle of the Pacific campaign in WW2.

Captures Your Attention and Keeps You Riveted

Incredible book, a must read for every American! definitely worth the money to get this book.

Excellent

Very good history. Thorough, and well written. Author makes judgments, but they are not polemical and are muted.

Very Intetesting

Hard to put down once the action started. There were many facts that I wasn't aware of.

Amazing detail, powerful story

A must listen for WWII buffs. Loads of first hand anecdotes and a level of detail that was impressive to behold.

Great if you already know the sequence of events

An easily listenable account of the battle which balances technical detail and personal stories well. Takes into account revisionist perspectives on the battle. Narrative based approach makes it difficult at times to establish a timeline if one is not already familiar with the battle.

tremendously detailed and instructive

The chronological time-line is punctuated by so many great details and insights. The narrator is great too

MIDWAY and more

Great book. Learned some new things about the first 6 months of war in the Pacific. Well written and performed.