71 Years Ago Today

parsifal said:

Its a bit of a myth Im afraid that large numbers of japanese pilots were lost at Midway im afraid. More than 250 were rescued.


What the battle did was to tear the heart out of the japanese fast carrier forces. They no longer enjoyed a clear advantage in the number of carrier based aircraft they could bring into battle. Further, their grandiose plan to corner and destroy the US Fleet and from there obtain the peace terms they wanted, was in tatters at their feet.

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While it may be true that many pilots were saved, those that were lost/wounded were the best Japan had. Add those to the losses suffered at Coral Sea and Japans carrier air groups were pretty beat up.

Coyote said:

While it may be true that many pilots were saved, those that were lost/wounded were the best Japan had. Add those to the losses suffered at Coral Sea and Japans carrier air groups were pretty beat up.

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There were many veterans lost, but the JAAF still had may skilled pilots to fill the role...

I think the main thing that stuck from this battle is that the "invincibility" of the Japanese Navy was broken. It was a much needed morale booster for the US and in some ways acted as a reality check for the Japanese. They had stretched themselves very thin and I have read that it was this battle that made them a bit more conservative with attack planning.

If I may add my two cents. "Shattered Sword" did state that not as many IJN pilots and air crews were lost as originally believed. However, it was a morale booster for the Americans(our Pacific allies as well). It was also a huge material victory. The Japanese, in a single day, lost four of their fleet carriers to our one. They'd still have Shokaku and Zuikaku and a few smaller carriers, but the advantage in numbers was lost. The Japanese were able to produce carriers throughout the war, but they could not keep up with US production once it got rolling. Their surface fleet was still a deadly force at Guadalcanal, but I don't believe they'd had the capacity to strike deep into enemy territory after Midway. Anyways, that's my POV on this discussion.

Let us not forget that the US and it's allies considered the Pacific front as the second front after the european theater.