As a wrap-up to last week’s 75th Anniversary recognition of the Battle of Midway, Naval History Magazine has just published a timely article titled “Grading Midway’s Commanders” by Jonathan Parshall, who begins:
Which side received higher leadership marks on its Battle of Midway report card is no surprise, but the illuminating ‘why’ behind the grades reflects crucial differences between the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
You can access this publication by clicking here to learn more about the decisions made by the key Admirals on both sides. For those decision makers in June 1942, it was a wholly different time than we know today making it important to put yourself in their shoes. As Parshall explains, “Once their orders were issued, in most cases they could only wait—devoid of real input, often painfully lacking meaningful information—until some battered aircraft returned or a garbled radio signal announced the outcome of their directives.” (Naval History Magazine, June 2017, Vol. 31, No. 3, U.S. Naval Institute.)
Naval Order of the US - Northwest 