Shattered Sword

by Parshall, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9781574889239
• ISBN10: 1574889230
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-30
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

"The Battle of Midway turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange's Miracle at Midway, comes a myth-smashing new interpretation of this great naval engagement." "Making extensive use of untapped Japanese primary sources, including Imperial Navy operational records never before used by Western authors, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully reconstruct the actual sequence of the critical events of June 4, 1942, looking afresh at the decisions of the U.S and Japanese commanders, and placing them within the seldom-understood context of the Imperial Navy's doctrine and technology. Readable and filled with insights and reassessments, Shattered Sword is the first substantive contribution to our understanding of the Battle of Midway in more than a generation. With a foreword by a leading World War II naval historian John Lundstrom, it will become an indispensable part of any military history buff's library."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Foreword	xvi
Introduction	xx
Departure	3	(16)
Genesis of a Battle	19	(20)
Plans	39	(21)
Ill Omens	60	(10)
Transit	70	(22)
Fog and Final Preparations	92	(25)
Morning Attack---0430--0600	117	(19)
A Lull before the Storm---0600--0700	136	(13)
The Enemy Revealed---0700--0800	149	(27)
Trading Blows---0800--0917	176	(29)
Fatal Complications---0917--1020	205	(24)
A Fallacious Five Minutes---1020--1025	229	(3)
The Iron Fist---1020--1030	232	(12)
Fire and Death---1030--1100	244	(20)
Up the Steel Steps---1100--1200	264	(19)
Japanese Counterstrikes---1200--1400	283	(23)
Last Gasp---1400--1800	306	(24)
Scuttlings---1800--Dawn, 5 June	330	(24)
Retreat	354	(13)
And Death to the Cripples	367	(18)
A Bitter Homecoming	385	(12)
Why Did Japan Lose?	397	(19)
Assessing the Battle's Importance	416	(15)
The Myths and Mythmakers of Midway	431	(13)
Glossary of Terms	444	(2)
Appendix 1: List of Personnel	446	(4)
Appendix 2: Japanese Order of Battle	450	(12)
Appendix 3: The Carriers of Kido Butai	462	(17)
Appendix 4: The Aircraft of Kido Butai	479	(8)
Appendix 5: Japanese Amphibious Operations against Midway---An Analysis	487	(4)
Appendix 6: Discovery of Carrier Kaga	491	(3)
Appendix 7: Japanese Aircraft Tail Codes at the Battle of Midway	494	(3)
Appendix 8: Japanese Radar at Midway	497	(2)
Appendix 9: Chronology of Japanese Fighter Operations	499	(14)
Appendix 10: Japanese Strike Rosters, Operations MI and AL	513	(19)
Appendix 11: Aleutians Force Distributions	532	(3)
Notes	535	(46)
Selected Bibliography	581	(9)
Index	590	(23)
About the Authors	613