Midway, 1942: Facts & Documents  

 

On 4 June 1942, near a tiny atoll midway America and Asia, a battle took place that radically changed the course of the Pacific War. Many years have passed since then, but to this day historians - both professional and amateur - have not stopped arguing about what really happened there and what caused this “incredible victory”. I don't have a definitive, indisputable answer to this question either. So I have created this website for those who, like me, are looking for an answer. I try to collect as many facts and documents about the Battle of Midway as possible in one place to make the work of new researchers easier..   Dauntless Courage © David J. Gray   Project News

Jan 14, 2021. The CinCPac Estimate of the Situation ad­ded to Docu­ments.

Sep 12, 2017. The short reference guide on the USN and IJN naval ranks and rank in­signia added.

Dec 31, 2016. The Ja­pa­nese Story of the Battle of Midway ad­ded to Docu­ments.
Documents Order of Battle Visual Research Ships & Aircraft
Source Documents Order of Battle Visual Recearch Ships & Aircraft
The ever-growing collection of primary sources relating to the Battle of Midway (war diaries, action reports, etc.) are being converted into text form to make them more accessible  for researchers.Learn more ››› The most detailed order of the Battle of Midway and the Aleutians, including auxiliary and shore units, commanding officers, number of operational aircraft available, ship classes, and much more. Learn more ››› Attempt to visually simulate the move­ment of units during the Battle of Mi­d­way, ensuring maximum accuracy of timing and position referencing based on sources and historical studies. Learn more ››› Strategic and tactical decisions are lar­gely based on armament capa­bi­lities. This is a short, illustrated reference guide to the ships and aircraft involved in the action at Midway.Learn more ›››
New Publication
The Battle of Midway Including the Aleutian Phase, June 3 to June 14, 1942: Strategical and Tactical Analysis  

This study was prepared in 1948 by Captain Richard W. Bates, Head of the Department of Research and Analysis at the U. S. Naval War College, as part of a series of similar studies devoted to the major naval battles of World War II. Classified as “Confidential” (unclassified in 1968), the study was never printed as a book: it was distributed on a limited basis as photocopies of the original typescript.

Despite the classification of this research, it served as the basis for such well-known books on the Battle of Midway as Samuel Eliot Morison's classic “History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions”, published in 1949, and Walter Lord's bestseller “Incredible Victory”, published in 1967. Although historians have had access to a number of additional sources in the decades since Bates' research, the study remains an authoritative source of information, particularly on the US side of the battle. References to this research can be found even in the most recent books on the Battle of Midway.

For the first time, “The Battle of Midway Including the Aleutian Phase, 3 June to 14 June 1942: Strategic and Tactical Analysis” by Richard W. Bates is being published as a book. The text formatting has been kept as close as possible to the style of the original typescript, including the original pagination for correct citations. All diagrams have been redrawn. A glossary of technical terms and abbreviations and a bibliography have been added. It is believed that this book will be useful to anyone interested in or studying the history of the Second World War in the Pacific theatre.    Buy on Amazon.com ›››