*Midway is the ultimate example of how luck and the fog of war have such a huge impact on the battlefield. This battle plays out as it does because of a series of errors and mistakes on both sides culminates into the eventual outcome. The fact that the one scout plane that WOULD have detected the American carriers was late in launching, that the American planes arrive in the pattern they did, that an American sub draws off a destroyer that would inadvertantly lead the American dive bombers to the carriers, and a dozen other small details all perfectly line up the battle to occur the way it does. Remove a single element and it completely changed the entire outcome.*