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.

Midway very well done

The story and performance were very well done. I loved the detail of the different personalities at play. The descriptions of our battle victories and losses were brought to life vividly in this great audiobook. I highly recommend it.

Spellbinding account.

This was a wonderful book that described the battle both in terms of the action and also with insight into the influence of culture. The author sites many names of those who were heroic but not officers which keeps us attuned to the people who fought this battle as well as the officers and decision makers. The performance was excellent, this book kept us on the edge of our seats even knowing the ending.

Read this book, not this review!

What makes this work phenomenal is that it gives the listener an astounding level of detail without the narrative ever getting bogged down. Listening to this book there were times I felt as if was riding on the wing of a dive bomber as it pushed over for it's attack. Will appeal as much to a student of military history as to someone just looking for an entertaining read.

History comes alive

I'm s lifelong student of WWII and I still learned stuff from this book. Well written and well read, it held my interest from start to finish. It's more than just Midway, though, telling the stories of the Doolittle raid and the battle of the Coral Sea as very pertinent background for the biggest battle. This was a great listening experience. Highly recommended!

Great lots of interesting detail comes off as real

The book has very real feel to it and yet is told like a good story

In-depth and entertaining

Learned many things about this battle, that I didn’t know after reading everything I could find about Midway. I’m still upset that Joe Rochefort didn’t get a major decoration for his part. His whole unit should have received a Presidential Unit Citation AFTER the War for their part in winning this battle. Only six months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Navy was toast. I don’t think the Japanese ever planned for the worst to happen, only how to celebrate a victory. They underestimated us in almost every engagement...

Excellent Book

Great read/listen. All of the details come together to paint a clear depiction of events.

Excellent and complete history of the battle.

The book covers the critical events leading up to Midway as well as a detailed account of the battle itself. While it is a complete history and full of detail, it is not overly scholarly and moves along at a comfortable pace. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who also enjoys military histories by Stephen Ambrose.

Good listen

Well written and performed. Gives a good insight into what was the pivotal battle in the Pacific conflict during World War II. Excellent treatment of what led up to that battle as well.

Outstanding historical look at Midway

A detailed look at the figures and events behind the battle. The author does an excellent job of bringing history to life.