The Insane US Payback that Shook Pearl Harbor's Infamy

[@Qigate]

I am always amazed at the "razor-thin" edge the Battle of Midway was for both sides in the conflict. And always emphasizes to me how the small decisions can become great moments.

[@TooLooze]

And that an ordinary person can change the course of history.

[@garymartin9777]

There were several hero pilots at Midway, not the least of which was Dick Best. Also Wade McClusky who led his wing to follow a Japanese destroyer in hopes it would lead them to the main body of the fleet. Running low on fuel, instead of returning to the Enterprise McCluskey pushed forward. He and his wing made hits on carriers and contributed greatly to the victory.

[@greenkoopa]

It was decided in moments, the whole pacific war hinged on those crucial 3

[@greenkoopa]

​@garymartin9777 his name was what 😂😂 So when they did roll call what did they call him 🤔

[@anthonycaruso8443]

One small hit wins a World Series.Japs never had a chance.Look at the skies at the end,on the Missouri.

[@USNveteran]

My father in law joined the Navy on 12/8/41 at 16. By early 1942 he was a torpedo man in the destroyer escort fleet doing convoy duty in the North Atlantic. Made 37 trips through the Panama Canal seeing Naval combat in both the Atlantic & Pacific theaters. I was fortunate enough to hear both his stories as well as some of my brothers father in law (USMC WWII). I will never forget those stories or men, we miss you Brownie & Norm. Thanks to all now serving, those who have, and those who will in the future. FLY NAVY!!!

[@1badsteed]

The Navy does it all. Air combat, sea combat and we send in our red-headed step-child crazy Marines for land combat! Yes you Marines....you're under the Department of the NAVY!

[@michaelcross6288]

Tender?GM?

[@DD-uf2uo]

Do you know what the Destroyer number was? .

[@USNveteran]

@@DD-uf2uo Destroyer Escort DE-347 USS Jesse Rutherford. FLY NAVY!!!

[@labla8940]

37 Trips through the Canal? What was the purpose of that many trips My Dad was the U.S.S Stern DE 187 as a Radarman he also was Battle of the Atlantic and Iwo and Okinawa

[@infiniteimprobability984]

Glad you're still doing this.

[@sharkscrapper]

I once worked for the company that made the deep sea unmanned underwater vehicle featured near the end of this video. So proud to be even remotely involved in helping to bring more closure to history.

[@Man-in-da-shed]

👀

[@HaenaKauai91]

How old are you?

[@Man-in-da-shed]

@@HaenaKauai91 ,i'm as old as my eyes a little older than my teeth, but sharky is old, i mean all his hair is white .

[@michaelhayden725]

Dick Best conducted two successful bombing raids that fateful day. But polluted oxygen all but destroyed his lungs and terminated his flying career. In reality his role in Midway should never be underestimated.

[@fredjudson524]

Dusty Kleiss also scored two hits on carriers at Midway but since he wasn’t featured in the new Midway movie, remains largely unknown.

[@michaelhayden725]

Thanks for the update. Maybe because Best’s medical condition, the first successful bomb drop etc, he gets a bit more glory. If you could ask Best he would tell you that all the navy pilots on that day are hero’s. cheers

[@lemmdus2119]

He died at 91 years old in October 2001. Midway was a good movie.

[@scootdaws25]

​@@fredjudson524i also wondered the same thing.

[@fighterjetsteve]

​@@fredjudson524 he also dropped a bomb down the smoke stack of the Mikuma helping sink it.

[@petestorz172]

I strongly recommend Craig L Symonds' "The Battle of Midway" and Parshall's and Tully's "Shattered Sword" for those interested in the battle The former is from the American perspective, and about half is the context leading up to Midway. The latter is from the Japanese perspective and dives pretty deep into detail. One detail is that the enclosed hangars of Akagi and Kaga confined the blast of bombs so that many plane handlers, technicians, mechanics, and damage control specialists were wiped out, and many gassed and armed planes were damaged so that they fed the fatal fires and over time cooked off.

[@BP-1988]

I agree. "Shattered Sword" is arguably the best book written about the Battle of Midway.

[@stargazer5784]

Parshall is a revisionist. He cherry picks history to sell books. Deleting my reply changes nothing.

[@zTheBigFishz]

@@BP-1988 Agree, Shattered Sword is a masterpiece.

[@andrewtaylor940]

The other problem was Japan was notoriously stingy with Steel. It was a limited war resource, and wherever they could get away with not using the precious war material they would. And this ran right up against the fact that the Japanese Navy up until that point in the war had not really faced much adversity, in its entire history. The result was they did not have a proper eye for and culture of damage control. And this showed up in some very subtle but devastating ways. For example in their warships plumbing. In the pipes that carried water throughout their ships. In their rush to reduce steel to needed armor facings, they elected to use a more common material for their water mains. Cast Iron. Extremely common plumbing supplies. It's how their cities were fed with water. They had tons of the stuff. But they hadn't thought through what happens to Cast Iron when subject to the shockwave from an explosion. It shatters. So one or two bomb hits shattered the water mains on Kaga and Akagi. And their water systems were not independently segmented and redundant the way the American Carriers were. On an American Carrier if one section of water main is lost there were valves that could isolate it and it could be routed around. On the Japanese Carriers the entire system lost water pressure. They had no way to fight the fires except by bucket brigade from the toilets. The single Bomb hit on Akagi hit right on top of the main damage control station. It killed the elite damage control team and officers and wiped out their pump and water controls and shattered the mains. Even though the hit seemed survivable at first, they had no way to control the fires.

[@sicfrynut]

@@andrewtaylor940 another issue i saw on another documentary was that the odd hangars affected the anti-aircraft guns to where unlike "normal" carriers, they could only fire on planes that were on the same side of the ship that the turrets were on. pretty much seems like a bad idea overall.

[@moistmike4150]

Midway was an awesome victory that can't be underestimated. The loss of 4 fleet carriers and almost ALL of their highly-trained aircrews and support personnel had basically destroyed the Japanese Navy's striking power and they never recovered.

[@BP-1988]

Lt. Commander Wade McClusky should have been awarded the Medal of Honor for finding and leading the SBD dive bombers to the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway.

[@kevinmoore7975]

But he nearly blew it. Completely contrary to doctrine, he ordered his group to dive on the nearer of the two carriers, Kaga…assigning no one to Akagi. Only the initiative of Dick Best and his two wingmen saved the day by breaking off and diving on Akagi. The US has been a lucky nation and our luck held that day: Best’s single 1000 lb bomb hit in the hangar, and along with his wingman’s near miss that disabled Akagi’s rudder saved us from the consequences of McClusky’s error.

[@rwarren58]

He was brave but the Medal of Honor is reserved for the almost impossible.

[@BP-1988]

​@@kevinmoore7975 I'm aware of what McClusky's mistake on his initial dive on the Japanese carriers. Should he have known the Navy's proper dive bomber attack doctrine? Yes but, I would give him some latitude because he mostly did not fly an SBD except at Midway. A lot of medals were handed out for the Battle - Some well deserved while others were not. For example, Stanhope Ring was awarded the Navy Cross for the BOM. He led the air groups from the Hornet on a wild goose chase which is now referred to as "The Flight to Nowhere" Hornet planes never did find the Japanese carriers except for Torpedo 8 led by Lt. Com. John Waldron. After taking off from the Hornet, Waldron broke off the rest of Hornet's air group and took his torpedo squadron straight to the Japanese fleet. My father had witnessed the exchange between Ring, Waldron, and the rest of the squadron commanders in the pilots' ready room as to where to the Japanese carriers would be. It turned out that Waldron was right while Ring and the rest of the commanders were wrong. Waldron and the rest of his torpedo crews (except Ensign Gay) paid for his accurate prediction with their lives. My father was an SBD pilot in VS-8 and held a very low opinion of Commander Hornet Air Group (CHAG) Ring which started while Hornet was on it shake down cruise. Later in the war, my father crossed paths with Ring at NOTS in Inyokern, California. (My father was doing test work of the Tiny Tim and Holy Moses rockets before they were deployed to the fleet.) He saw Ring wearing the Navy Cross and was livid when he was told that Ring was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions at Midway.

[@HACM-mk3qx]

"The ship that held the lime, USS Hornet CV-8" tells all about him.

[@scootergeorge7089]

@LeeFong2suave - When McClusky led his squadron against the IJN carrier force, the course of the war was permanently changed. Now how is the suggestion of a MOH laughable. The ball is in your court.

[@drmarkintexas-400]

Thank you for sharing 🏆🤗🇺🇲🙏

[@svOcelot]

Thank you for this. You're correct that many view the battle of Midway as the turning point of WWII in the Pacific, since it was the first failed attack by Japan. But the later attack, when the Allies pushed Japan off Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, was the first time that the Japanese were pushed off land that they had taken. Many see this as another major turning point in WWII, & perhaps more important than Japan's first failed attack. The air & sea battles around Guadalcanal were extremely difficult for both sides.

[@thelasthvwarrior]

I agree with you about Guadalcanal, but it wouldn’t have been possible for the US forces to attack if we’d lost @ Midway!

[@edwinconcepcion3129]

The attack in pearl harbor are not surprise attack.. The American government knows that.. They intend that to happen to justify the war against to the Japanese

[@sansbury95]

I'd argue that Midway is second only to the Normandy invasion as the pivotal battle of WWII. It marked the end of Japan's advances to the east and allowed the US to divide forces more evenly between the pacific and Atlantic theaters. Had the IJN won the engagement, it could have changed the timeline for D-Day as well as the war in the Pacific. The Axis still lose the war in the end, but it probably takes a lot longer and who knows how far west the Red Army stands on V-E Day. A different world entirely.

[@johncater7861]

Sadly, there are many people of various countries today who deride America and Americans and scoff at everything America does. That is, until you need help. Always thank the incredible sacrifice and bravery of the American GI and respect the ability of Americans to rapidly place their enormous manufacturing capability onto a war footing. Thanks America.

[@susieferenzi3805]

Might as well include the great Marianna Island turkey shoot, that certainly spelled the end of any kind of Air power the Imperial Navy had left.

[@kleverich]

One thing I read about Midway and the carriers. While the Japanese carriers were converted from other ships, the American ones were built from the keel up as carriers. They had redundant systems and advanced fire control systems. They could take a lot of abuse and remain operational in ways the Japanese carriers could not. That made all the difference in this battle.

[@LegalVideoMan]

No, many of the US carriers that participated in the pacific war up until 1943 were constructed from the hulls of other ships. The USS Ranger CV 4 which never saw action in the pacific was the first US carrier constructed from the keel up as a carrier and had many flaws which led to the vastly improved and designed Essex class carriers which began to come into the Pacific War starting in mid-1943. The USS Lexington and USS Saratoga were both built from battlecruiser hulls. The Yorktown Class (Yorktown, Enterprise and Hornet) were constructed from the keel up but still had many flaws since naval aviation was not fully tested when they were commissioned but they were by far the best until the Essex class.

[@alessiodecarolis]

Plus we should add the frightening US' industrial power , capable to build a whole new bunch of aircraft carriers to replace not only their losses, but to add more ones to the fleet.

[@patmurin4630]

The Hiryu and Soryu were built from the keel up as aircraft carriers. As were the Shokaku and Zuikaku which missed Midway but were part of the core of the force which had attacked Pearl Harbor.

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

@@LegalVideoMan Lex and Saratoga PREdated Ranger. Every carrier after Ranger that the US built was PURPOSE built as a carrier - including the 4 built BETWEEN Ranger and Essex. Note that the Essex was *2* generations after Ranger. We've learned something from almost EVERY carrier class we built - and made some sort of mistake or had a 20/20 hindsight fix to most of them. Like the OPEN BOW on the Essex, that the Ticonderoga AKA "long Essex" class fixed with a hurricane bow.

[@thedungeondelver]

For God's sake don't tell the Chinese where the wrecks are, they'll chop them up for scrap.

[@cdjhyoung]

If the 18,000 foot depth is true, even the Chinese are going to have a hard time recovering those ships for scrap.

[@rorynesta7766]

the indonesians have been doing that for ages already on other WW2 wrecks.

[@jwrielly]

​ex

[@abc-coleaks-info]

It’s for the pre-atomic steel. It’s rare and very expensive, needed for sensitive shielding locations like MRI rooms.

[@jefferykoenig6960]

I love all these “Dark”channels. I hope our host keeps cranking them out. I’m a WW1 2 and Korean War buff. Love the knowledge imparted

[@scottboyer8450]

Yeah, occasionally they even do some research.

[@donofon1014]

Question ... do you find them INSANE in any way? What do we do with the idiot who titles these docs?

[@Packer910]

The Kaga was not a battlecruiser hull. It was a Tosa class battleship hull. It carried a larger air group than Akagi but was considerably slower.

[@scootergeorge7089]

Dark Skies/Seas etc. is not known for accuracy.

[@Packer910]

@scootergeorge7089 herein lies the problem. People with a short attention span take the information as accurate and factual without ever doing any further research.

[@byronharano2391]

​@@scootergeorge7089I believe this person does try. As noted in another reply. Research yourself. There is a typo...Tosa vs Toga? Typo if not mistaken here.

[@scottbrower9052]

Who cares? It's still on the bottom....where it belongs.

[@byronharano2391]

@@scottbrower9052 Scott a savage response. I agree with you and say this a lot about Axis Forces ships including Bismark and Tirpitz

[@matthewdunham1689]

Love this channel ❤

[@leojablonski2309]

I never miss one of your episodes. The information, editing and audio are superb

[@jeffmcdonald4225]

The best part was that they not only lost those carriers, but all of the planes they carried and that we're still in the air.

[@garymartin9777]

and even worse, the pilots, mechanics other support personnel -- all top of the line.

[@bmvhusky]

If the Akagi had survived the morning attack, it would of most likely been attacked again in the afternoon as Yamato would of just ordered both the Hiryu and it to banzai attack forward. Even if it survived Midway, it wouldn't of changed jack in the total outcome of the war, unless it had successfully sunk the other two US carriers that day. By the end of 1942, IJN naval aviation was a smoking crater. Their losses at Midway + the battles around Guadalcanal were something they never could recover from. In many ways, the naval ship / naval aviation battles around Guadalcanal that year was what really changed the outcome of the war. By 1944, the US was flooding the pacific with Essex class carriers and escort carriers. Carriers now sporting hellcat fighters. All classes of ships loaded with radar and boosted AA defenses, and many subs now with reliable torpedoes going after their military ships and transport ships trying to get critical items like rubber and fuel back to Japan.

[@PhxGKINGMIKE]

Crazy how one bomb changed the course of the entire war

[@stupitdog9686]

It was a big one tho ..... 1000 Lb ! You wouldn't want to find one a they in ya back yard !

[@moistmike4150]

A later bomb (or two) ended it.

[@JeromeGardiner]

Our ability to produce war material: ships, guns, planes, etc and the fact that Japan was forced to rely on a much smaller industrial base, even if they had invaded Midway and left a force on the island, it would have only delayed the end of the war by months.

[@hrheachafin6657]

An exceptionally well-done documentary with sufficient detail information to make its basic subject thoroughly understandable.

[@lumoslumos7330]

When you check the facts, the amount of luck US enjoyed at Midway is just... mindboggling.

[@TooLooze]

It's because my dad was there... In life, he was a 40 year old bookkeeper, but a hero either way.

[@kcgunesq]

Sure, but the allies work in breaking the Japanese naval code certainly was no small factor.

[@markingelin9773]

Good video. One note... The Kaga was laid down as a battleship, not a battlecruiser.

[@mikeferro7879]

That's cool,but he said the Akagi was laid down as a battle cruiser;not the Kaga

[@stevenhall1433]

@@mikeferro7879 Actually he called both battlecruisers

[@protipskiptoendofvideoandr286]

​@stevenhall1433 because at first theu both were til the other was damaged during g the earthquake. Rewatch it and this time open your ears.

[@loubisignani9790]

I really like your presentations .My fatherinlaw survived the war, and his ship was attacked by suicide planes. He lived a long happy life. My wifes best friend's father was not so lucky. His ship was sunk in the Pacific during the war. He was lost at sea; He never saw his daughter. Nancy, my wife and her best friend Cynthia were conceived on the same day...Dec 9, 1941.

[@Me2Lancer]

Thanks for sharing this fitting story of revenge for the Attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941 my dad was aboard USS Raleigh CL-7 in Pearl Harbor. In the opening minutes of the attack, Japanese torpedo bombers struck Raleigh with an aerial torpedo. An hour later Raleigh was hit by an armor piercing bomb that narrowly missed an ammunition magazine before passing through the ship and exploding on the harbor floor. Raleigh was repaired after the attack and went on to serve for the duration of the war from the Aleutian Islands to the south seas.

[@WFSmith]

I hope your dad survived the attack on his ship

[@Me2Lancer]

@@WFSmith He did and Raleigh went on to serve for the duration of the war, from the Aleutian Islands to the south Pacific.

[@WFSmith]

@@Me2Lancer I'm happy to hear that he survived the war. It is because of the men of his generation that we live the life of freedom today in America. Your Dad was a great man and a hero. Thank you to him for serving our country

[@anthonycaruso8443]

Enemy carriers were incredible when they attacked unprepared victims.When they were sunk by someone their own size,theysuddenly,had Flaws.

[@theelectricgamer9889]

Please do a video about Laffey (Benson class destroyer DD-459). For the commenters please note that Dark Seas has done a video about USS Laffey DD-724 Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer not Laffey DD-459 Benson class destroyer which broadsided a Japanese battleship at point blank range.

[@shawnc1016]

As did the other 12 U.S. ships there that night.

[@jeanhawken4482]

Always interesting. We must never forget

[@margotmaines7427]

@Dark Seas .. extremely well-done!

[@Standswithabeer]

awesome vid. thanks

[@robbabcock_]

What a great episode! Thanks, Dark Seas.⚓🔥🙌

[@patrickmcglynn5383]

Love to see a comparison between the Via and the stuka.

[@alwaleedalthani9624]

The Imperial Navy’s decision not to equip the Aircraft Carriers with radar was disastrous and also not utilizing their best commanders like Ozawa or Kurita at the helm of the Aircraft Carriers and keeping the old guard Nagumo and Yamaguchi

[@shawnc1016]

The radar thing wasn't really a yes/no decision.

[@frankielarkin8142]

Well, to mount radar, Japan would need to know how to make radar, which they didn't until later in the war

[@patmurin4630]

I always understood that Yamaguchi was a respected carrier admiral, and had actually advised Nagumo to attack ASAP even when the planes were armed for land attack. I don't remember all of the battles Kurita led, but his failures in the Philippine Sea certainly colored his reputation by historians; he also wasn't a carrier commander.

[@alwaleedalthani9624]

@@patmurin4630 I respect your point of view but Kurita refrained from talking about the Philippines for years but on his death bed he revealed that he withdrew because he was convinced that the war was lost and preferred saving his men’s lives while both Nagumo and Yamaguchi underestimated the US Navy and their decisions lost Midway from an overwhelming winning position in my point of view

[@patmurin4630]

@@alwaleedalthani9624 I respect your well-stated views as well. It's hard to understand how the Japanese could have underestimated the US Navy since their own wargames had shown that the US could win - of course, the "referees" of the wargames overturned the Japanese losses from that outcome. The fundamental flaw of the Japanese plan for the battle was a presumption that the US Navy wouldn't confront the Japanese fleet till after Midway had been captured or at least neutralized. Including the Midway aircraft, the US actually had an edge in airpower, though the US pilots were much less experienced than the Japanese, and flew mostly inferior planes, like the mis-named Devestator and the Brewster Buffalo. Yamamoto and his staff were ultimately to blame for the defeat, because they diverted forces to the Aleutians, including two mid-sized carriers that could have helped at Midway, failed to include the Zuikaku in the battle plan even if it had to use a composite air group of Shokaku and Zuikaku air crews, and failed to concentrate forces. (Including Yamamoto's battleship group in Nagumo's screen would have provided additional anti-aircraft batteries and also could have attracted some bombers away from the carriers.) For all that, we have the fortuitous factors of McClusky's turn to the North, the late search plane launch from the Tone, and Dick Best's attack on the Akagi. On the other hand, we have Ring's Flight to Nowhere, and the failures to protect and save the Yorktown. I remember reading about Kurita's comments on the Battle of the Philippine Sea; I do still blame Kurita for not better arranging his forces for the attack on Taffy 3; they should have been able to overwhelm that force and then moved on to destroy the US invasion forces, even without air cover. I remember Morrison's account that Kurita or his staff thought they were attacking fleet carriers and battleships and not a motley group of escort carriers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts. The war was lost even if the US forces were defeated, but I think the fog of the battle confused the Japanese to the extent that they prematurely withdrew.

[@voraciousreader3341]

It was great to see footage of the Japanese aircraft carriers….typically, videos on KZbin nearly always focus on the air battles, with just a mention of the 4 carriers that were sunk during the Midway battle.

[@rogermetzger7335]

It is entirely possible, of course, that no miracles were involved - just a difference in equipment, skill and training. Some of us, however, are inclined to think some wartime events involve more than just "luck".

[@TooLooze]

It is hard to fathom divine intervention having any part in war, but I equate the term "miracle" as an event or series of events that has extraordinary results.

[@michaelhayden725]

the real miracle was the breaking of the Japanese Naval Code and the information provided by Nimitz's chief intel officer - he predicted the exact bearing of the Japanese attack and almost the exact time. In times of war such accurate intel is REAL GOLD.

[@just-dl]

I doubt the presenter intended theological significance. But, to your point, war is rich in opportunity for confirmation bias. As a Christian, I cringe when I hear how God saved someone by having a bomb blow up someone else. My grandfather was almost killed when his radio shack was bombed while he wasn’t there. I feel it was “miraculous “ in the loose sense. Call it coincidence. The only 45 minute stretch the room was empty was when it hit. But that was the time that the Germans/Italians knew would be quieter. So, less miracle, less coincidence, more events tied to the same presupposition.

[@baconpwn]

The Fifteen Minutes would best be described as a series of unfortunate events. Neither side foresaw the comedy of errors which set the stage for the death of Kido Butai. Was it luck? No. It was the product of a handful of poor decisions and one very clever submarine. Nautilus didn't score a kill but she did set the trail.

[@jamesireland6606]

Another great documentary

[@ncander64]

It is always interesting to hear about the Battle of Midway.

[@tstemen1047]

Would love to see a video of the USS Midway CV-41

[@WattaFewl]

That would be cool to see

[@dutchman7216]

That was an interesting episode thank you

[@johnbradley4644]

Please expand on this video about the damage done by Lt. Best bomb.

[@byronharano2391]

Wonderful report on this IJN aircraft carrier

[@gamewizardks]

Imagine sinking the flagship of Japan's Kito Butai in World War 2 after what she did to your comrades at Pearl Harbor and your name is Dick Best. I love that storyline and his name. LOL.

[@DADZRITES]

What is interesting that nobody ever talks about is that only 12 Bombs sunk 4 Japanese fleet carriers.

[@shawnc1016]

Look at the sinking of the Hermes. Japanese dive bomber pilots were much more accurate and the estimate was 28 bomb hits if I recall correctly.

[@thedyingmeme6]

​@@shawnc1016i think op means that there was a roughly 3 bombs per carrier sank

[@shawnc1016]

@@thedyingmeme6 Just pointing out that U.S. pilots weren't very accurate at this point in the war.

[@yoseipilot]

None of them was sunk by the bombs

[@shawnc1016]

@@yoseipilot No, just destroyed.

[@stevejh69]

The japanese should be paying reparations to this date for the disgusting atrocities they committed!

[@hilanddoug]

Did you call it a "Vai"? It's properly called a "VAL", short for "Valerie". Bombers were given female nicknames, and the dive bomber of them needed the V female name. There were also Betty and Kate bombers. Fighters were Zeke, Joey, Frank, Tony, Oscar. I'm sure I missed a few.

[@consco3667]

…zero…

[@hilanddoug]

@@consco3667 Zero was called Zeke.

[@davehconner]

Thanks for the video

[@allgood6760]

Thanks for this 👍

[@51tetra69]

God bless all of the brave airmen, code breakers, and fearless sailors who led us to victory in the battle of Midway! God bless all the courageous veterans with nerves of steel who risked everything and selflessly sacrificed so much to protect our countries and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today! God bless all the souls - military and civilian - that we have lost in times of war! God bless America! God bless us all and grant us peace!

[@jedgarren2901]

Midway is an AWESOME movie

[@tomhenry897]

The 70s one was The remake was shit

[@locoHAWAIIANkane]

@9:03 - Near perfect pronunciation of Papahānaumokuakea!! I’m impressed.

[@jamesbuck3818]

I ALWAYS enjoy your material... Always....

[@kermitwilson]

Battle of Midway was decided by the US cracking Japanese codes. And not first order battle codes, but secondary codes used by their supply chain for food, water, ammo resupply, fuel etc. The attack and location of enemy was inferred by this information. Japan had multiple chains of command for damn near everything, and they were not necessarily cohesive. Leading to the communication snafu and code breaking. Japan was always going to lose this war as by this point in time the US production supply chain had been tuned up and they were about to float a massive amount of aircraft carriers, and not insignificant were the support carriers. With fully trained airmen, which the Japanese could never match at that point in time. Flash forward to today, could the US manage the losses of such a war, and produce the warships needed in such a rapid order? Absolutely not. The current state of US production is limited in some ways much like the Japanese were. Not enough mechanically trained personnel to produce the warships quickly enough, and lacking the ability to produce the materials. Japan doesn’t have the iron ore or oil, but the US iron production and steel manufacturing has been outsourced and now we have the rust belt. We basically rely on foreign countries to manufacture too much of our infrastructure including the military.

[@greggiles7309]

Italians had burgled the American embassy in Rome, steal codes that helped Rommel beat the British.

[@Rono99]

You can thank left wingers , and eco freaks for that

[@patrickevans9604]

You're right about how breaking their code was an important part of winning at midway, but it was still just an amazing guess to specify midway atoll as the main target for attack. They were able to confirm it by sending a false message about midway water filtration being broken and intercepted a message relayed to the ijn fleet about target ab water filtration being broken to ensure they were guessing correctly

[@greggiles7309]

@@patrickevans9604 It was not a guess, they got Midway to send information about their water supply. The curious fact about Pearl Harbour was who sent the Aircraft carriers out to sea?

[@patrickevans9604]

@greggiles7309 the message about issues with the water supply were because one of the officers had a hunch that the target was midway but needed proof to convince his superiors..

[@xsfeatg]

"You awakened a sleeping giant.." You Damn right about that comment. I am sure we got a second punch for anyone else that wants to try a Pearl Harbor again.

[@noname-qp2ki]

Kaga wasn't sister ship of Akagi. Kaga was totally different project - battleship, while Akagi was planned as a battle cruiser. Even as carriers those two warships were totally different. Sister ships were e.g. Iowa class battleships (the same blueprint with little differences), also Olympic-class ocean liners: Titanic, Olympic and Britannic were.

[@VirgoShelter]

Kaga was a Tosa class Battleship not a battlecruiser

[@kenbellchambers4577]

It would have been an extremely scary time for the first pilots that actually had to land a plane on a runway under the main one on the top of the carrier.

[@thedyingmeme6]

The re were 2 runways?!?!?!?!?!?

[@daleshelden8394]

You forgot the Arizona!

[@petestorz172]

Re Akagi's six 8" guns, USS Lexington and USS Saratoga each had eight 8" guns in 4 twin turrets. Like Akagi, Lex and Sara were converted during construction from battle cruisers to carriers.

[@victormorales4204]

Thanks "Dark Channel" for all your videos. So, if we look at this, basically, we could say (or make the case) that Dick Best changed the course of the war. This being said, his retirement from active duty shortly thereafter was well deserved. Correct me if I am wrong.

[@thedyingmeme6]

I think he was forceibly retired, not very "well deservedc

[@frankwood7878]

NO COUNTRY SHOULD EVER MESS WITH AMERICA'S 🇺🇸 RESOL VE NEVER AWAKEN THE SLEEPING GIANT

[@JamesSavik]

Akagi and Kaga were not sisters. They were similar, but their machinery and layouts were quite different. Both were conversions from very different hulls.

[@CraigSummers-ci7nt]

Didn’t Akagi have it’s island on the port side?

[@user-McGiver]

I hope the coordinance of the sunken carrier wasn't published so the Chinese won't ''salvage'' it to steal the steel for their fleet as they did with every other known WW2 wreck... war monuments should be protected by international laws!...

[@williammacdonald3173]

I think midway is technically American waters

[@user-McGiver]

@@williammacdonald3173 I know!... I just wanted to point out what they did/doing!....

[@rorynesta7766]

indonesia does it too..

[@user-McGiver]

@@rorynesta7766 nothing ever united the all world like that... we thought peace would do it, but it was war.... united nations?... what scam is that?. we are nations united against a clown nation! and the other clown is watching...

[@primpal08]

A great book on the Battle of Midway is "Shattered Sword."

[@Idahoguy10157]

There’s no lack of research and books about the battle of Midway. There is still fascination

[@jefferykoenig6960]

Really love content

[@haroldscott9335]

McClusky was the unsung heroes of the war

[@evilchaosboy]

I am an amateur WWII historian, but my focus is mostly the Eurpean theatre. I know the main points of the Pacific Theatre (at least I think! lol) but, I do have one either a straight forward question or perhaps it is a complex question...here goes. Did Japan ever stand a chance of defeating Allied Forces and claiming the Pacific? As, I only have limited knowledge, my partially educated guess would be "NO". I would love any useful feedback, fact or opinion. I greatly appreciate that kind of intel. But, please just pass this by if you don't want to leave any relevant reply. I am just someone who like to learn. Thanks in advance and have a swell day! Great Show, Dark Seas! \m/

[@mikehammer4018]

That very much depends. If the strike had crippled the Pacific Fleet, that had only recently been forward deployed to Pearl from San Diego, then it would give the Japanese a year or two to grab as much territory as they dared and dig in while rapidly stripping those new territories of resources. The island hopping campaign was brutal. However, imagine how much worse it would have been for American Marines if the Japanese had another two years to prepare! I suspect their grand plan was to smash the fleet, reinforce massively everywhere they could capture that had critical resources - especially oil, and then sue for some sort of measured peace.

[@stargazer5784]

Even if they had taken total control of the Pacific, the Japanese never stood a chance of maintaining that control, nor would the Germans have been able to do so in the Atlantic. The simple reason was because of U.S. industrial capacity. The U.S. built around 150 carriers during the war and a staggering number of other combat vessels as well. Yamamoto knew that Japan had awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve. Simply put, we overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers and superior firepower. Neither adversary stood a chance in the long run. As an example, the U.S. built over 60,000 bombers alone during ww2, not to mention fighters and other aircraft. I think the total aircraft built was over 200,000. Germany was famous for the King Tiger, of which I think about 1200 were built. We built over 30,000 Shermans, a lighter tank that in the end overwhelmed them... Having a few million American soldiers that were really pissed off about being in the war to begin with made a substantial contribution as well. It's good to see others studying history too. Take care my friend.

[@mikehammer4018]

@@stargazer5784 I think that ultimately you are correct with the US industrial might; however the calculus in Washington might have been different if Tojo had fortified all of their holdings like they did at Iwo Jima, and then offered a half-way decent peace deal to Roosevelt. Throw in the the (literal) heads of the naval commanders, who Tojo hated with a cold passion anyway, and claim the war started entirely because of them. I still think the US would've been able to crush the IJN, but it would've been much more difficult. In addition, please don't forget that the Pentagon was estimating a million US dead if we had invaded the Home Islands conventionally; and that the nuclear alternative wasn't even seriously contemplated at that time.

[@stargazer5784]

@@mikehammer4018 They could have done all of the things that you've mentioned, but it would have been to no avail. Captured resources mean nothing without production capacity, and as much as I respect the Marines, they represented less than 10% of the total number of soldiers we had in ww2. Any island hopping in the scenario you've suggested would have likely involved simply skipping over many of them and then cutting off their supply chains. This strategy was implemented during the war. Further, given the sentiment and resolve of the American people at the time, the Japanese suing for peace would have been a nonstarter. Nothing short of total victory would have been acceptable to the vast majority of the American people. My original statement about the American soldiers being really pissed off isn't something that I just plucked out of the air because it sounded patriotic or cool. My father and my wife's father both served during the war and I knew them both well, along with men who served with them. I was born on a U.S. Army base and spent part of my childhood on several bases during the post war years. The American soldiers, sailors, and citizenry in general were most certainly filled with a terrible resolve and no uncertain amount of hatred for the enemy that was long lived, even after the war ended. I once saw a photo showing Marines in the Pacific posing on a beach with dozens of heads lined up on the sand in front of them. They were smiling as though posing for a hunting trophy photo. The memory of that image haunts me to this day and I almost wish that I'd never seen it. I am fortunate to have personally known men and women who fought in the war, and I think it sad that they were for a time consumed by that hatred and blood lust. At the same time I'm thankful that they were, in a weird kind of way, because the Japanese fought like animals, so I guess we had to as well. It was a dark time for humanity and I fervently hope that it never happens again. Fare well.

[@Hunpecked]

The US also developed atomic weapons long before the Japanese could even hope to do so.

[@snakebitemcghee4959]

Dusty Kleiss 3 for 3, two carriers, and a heavy cruiser. Only pilot to accomplish this. Dude was awesome.

[@johnsmithSongbird]

My uncle tells he and other Mer American soldiers were using boats to cross a Chanel in the Philippines He says the Japanese were hitting anything and the plane was coming towards them He was so low they could see the pilot But uncle Bob said the pilot went over them they could see the bomb he had Bob prayed He says he believed God caused the pilot to not see them

[@catlady8324]

3:25 He wasn’t laughing by the end of the day, for he woke a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.

[@badbob9596]

Its sad to see the Akagi on the bottom of the ocean. But,thats whare She belongs.

[@bensure1766]

Japanese are back. They never forget

[@andrewnicholson4811]

thank you soooo much for the big red arrow on the thumbnail pic ..... i would have had not a clue where to look if it was not for it ...

[@tonypegler9080]

It is a common misconception that the torpeodo planes pulled the Japanese CAP down which led to the success of the dive bombers - Sources 1. Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall. 2. Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast 3. Drachinifel on youtube

[@ggregd]

That's Aichi D3A VAL Dive Bombers (3:06). Also "the UN's operations? (4:39) Maybe some proofreading or practice runs on the narration are in order?

[@Biggarou]

that was a sad but good vid about the other side of the most brutal war to date.

[@kaneinkansas]

One bomb, from one plane, the result of a single moment's reactive thought: Best took his and 2 other planes to attack Akagi because McCluskey did not follow (was new in his role as squadron leader) correct doctrine (first plane goes after the farthest target). Mccluskey was first on site, in his excitement he lead his squadron to attack the nearest carrier instead of the farthest. So Best, trailing, breaks off the attack of the nearest carrier, and so he and 2 of his squadron attack Agaki. If Best doesn't react to McCluskey's mistake, Akagi doesn't sink. The Japanese were so well drilled an efficient that they could get their entire air fleets launched in about 15 minutes. It took well over an hour for the Americans to do the same. Clumsy execution at the very least. They are very lucky that clumsy execution did not bear against them in the battle. As it happened, it worked out for the best. The US had good intel, good strategy, but bad execution. The attack on the Japanese fleet was not well organized, it resulted in the entire torpedo groups being wiped out (except for Ensign Gay) but by luck, all the dive bombers showed up just after the torpedo bombers assault, and that had cleared the high level of the skies of protective fighter cover (from Zeros). As the saying goes its better to be lucky than good.

[@redward1965]

And they had broken the Japanese code.

[@alessiodecarolis]

As Napoleon said when he had to promote an officer:"Ok, he is brave, intelligent and has his men's respect...but does is he lucky?"

[@dr.frankenphoon6254]

I can clearly see US Navy Bear Cats lined up on a carrier deck at 2:38 in the video. So when did the IJN aircraft carriers carry US Navy Bear Cats?

[@donarcher7002]

Akagi also bombed Darwin, a much larger exercise than Pearl Harbour, but forgotten by most

[@salvadorvizcarra769]

Propaganda, but NOT History, has led us to believe that the Empire of Japan began its territorial expansion in the 1930’s, invading China, creating the puppet State of Manchukuo and “Provoking” the war with the Western Powers. But, Was this really, how events happened? Did Japan invade China and South East Asia? It seems so. However, the Propaganda does NOT say that for centuries, all Asia was invaded by Western Powers. England occupied India, Burma (Myanmar); Singapore, Malaysia and China (Hong Kong, Nanking, Shanghai, etc). France dominated all Indochina. The Netherlands intervened by the Force of its Arms, to all of Indonesia. And Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and of course, also the United States were in South East Asia cuz, for example this country, the US, occupied the Philippines since 1898. (Spanish-American War). Thus the panorama in the 30's, the Empire of Japan, when defeating to the Tsarist Russian Empire, it also decided to "Grow" by invading its neighbors. In those years, all European nations had colonies in Africa, India, the Middle East, Asia and America. (England came to occupy almost ¼ part of the planet). For its part, the US, in 113 years of existence as a nation in those years, had "Grown" 711 the size of its territory from its original 13 colonies. Now is the picture clear? Japan for its part, had fought on the side of the winners in World War I (1914-1918), and they, the Japanese, not awarded any "Gain". The western victors of WWI divided the world. Japan was excluded. Thus, Japan's motives for attacking and expanding as the Europeans and the US did seem clearer, right? Then they, the Japanese, attacked China in 30’s, which was occupied by 6 Western Powers for almost a century. None of the Western Powers occupying China at this time, OPPOSED or fought Japan for Invading China. NONE! Then, 11 years later after having occupied the territory of China and coexisted without any problem with the Western Powers within China, they, the Japanese, attacked Hawaii, which in turn, this Island had been occupied and annexed by the US in 1898. (In 1900-01, Hawaii became US territory and Hawaii ceased to be an independent nation after more than 630 years of sovereignty. By the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States had just completed the 40th anniversary of the military occupation and annexation of Hawaii). They, the Japanese, attacked Singapore, which was then a Colony of England. They, the Japanese, attacked the Philippines, which were occupied by the US and whose Gov’r, Douglas MacArthur reined as Emperor. Yup… Truly like an Absolute Autocrat. Therefore, the Japanese did NOT attack (In the 40’s), Singapore, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Borneo, Timor, the Philippines, etc. In reality, the Japanese attacked England, France, Belgium, Holland, the US, etc. That is, the Japanese attacked the Western Powers invading all of Asia. That is the verifiable truth. But, Propaganda has made us believe that the good guys were us, the US. And of course… Nanking was a horrendous Genocide committed by Japan, but, it was no more horrendous than the 12 Genocides committed by the United States in his History and all over the world. Nor was it less horrendous than the Genocide committed by King Leopold II of Belgium, in Central Africa. Nor was Nanking more or less horrendous than the Genocides that the British Empire committed in America, Africa, Australia, Middle East, India and also in China too. And now, the Japanese are our friends and allies... Yup… But, to fight against China, AGAIN!!! Well… No More. No More British Malaya nor British Borneo nor British wherever. No More French Indochina. No more Dutch Indies. No More Portugese Domains. No More US Domain here. Asia is for Asians and “The China Sea” belongs to CHINA. Westerns powers have nothing to do in Asia.

[@chuckcav5606]

Why, at the beginning of the video, is there several short clips of USS Midway CVA41? You can see the number 41 on the island and the flight deck. I guess maybe because the ship was names after the Battle of Midway?

[@stevensutton2252]

teaches that when you don't include a fire fighting system on a ship they become match books

[@Navalator]

These Dark Seas episodes are excellent.

[@johnharris6655]

Nimitz tried to give Rochefort the Distinguished Service Medal but Admiral Leahey would not approve it. Nimitz was going to push the issue but Rochefort told him not to make enemies in DC. The War was far from over and Rochefort knew we needed Nimitz in command.

[@philiprachtman1217]

Dont forget the Japanese also painted big red dots on their flight deck not realizing that it meant a bullseye to American pilots

[@mitchellhawkes22]

What a fight it was.

[@brianw612]

She was one of only two aircraft carriers ever (after her rebuild) with the superstructure on the port side. Pilots have an instinctive tendency to veer left in a crisis, this is why all other carriers have the superstructure on the starboard side.

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

The reason pilots tend to abort to the left is because single engine carrier aircraft were powered by radial engines, which as a rule had a lot of torque to the left. That made turning left much easier than turning right. Twin engined planes such as the P-38 had contra-rotating engines, which eliminated this tendency.

[@MrJfk1943]

Very Factual

[@TimDyb]

7:00 Lt Richard Best, thank you for your service!

[@ErnestImken]

Videos of the USS Franklin are mixed in with videos of IJN Akagi. Why?

[@valecrassus7835]

@3:05 Nitpick, but the Japanese dive bombers were "Val" (with an L) not "Vai"

[@MarcG7424]

At least he got "Kate" right 😂

[@mitchellhawkes22]

It should NOT have been a close-run battle for the Japanese. They had every advantage against a crippled, minimal American fleet. But the Japanese underperformed in planning and in execution. Miracle victory for the US. The Japanese had been the best navy in the world until the Midway disaster.

[@mrthingy9072]

"... Akagi continued to play a crucial role in the UN's operations." You might want to revisit that statement.

[@garymartin9777]

"It doesn't make any sense, Admiral. Yamamoto had everything going for him, power, experience, confidence. Were we better than the Japanese, or just luckier?" -- Rear Admiral Spruance to Admiral Nimitz, Midway (1976)

[@ericbunday1699]

Quote is accurate, but not by who made it. The quote is from Adm. Nimitz speculating about what Capt. Matt Garth (fictional character) would have said about the victory had he lived.

[@123bentbrent]

So, the Akagi was designed to have planes land on a lower deck? That sounds incredibly perilous.

[@immoegreen200]

I don't think the engineers tried to land a plane in the lower deck!!! Hahaha lol

[@Paulftate]

semper fi,, semper fortis

[@HanginInSF]

Ok I gotta know more about landing a plane on a lower flight deck 😮

[@mikehunt4797]

Landing on a lower deck sure sounds like fun.

[@jasons44]

Just Shows How one man or woman could change a battle, and then whole war

[@jee316ou812]

if I am not mistaken the only video of Akagi's wreck is the sonar images and Kaga was found first and have video of the wreck

[@timtuttle1787]

Just curious why Dark Seas would use video of a plane (Grumman F8F Bearcat) that wasn't even in WWII?

[@loonowolf2160]

7:00 apparently on online sites it's writen that the 2 missed bomb actully help to doom the carrier too with the one that hit hard on the center