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Battle of Midway... coming to a theater near you.

PRB said:
Two books illustrate the dysfunctional nature of Air Wing 8 at Midway. One is The Unknown Battle of Midway, The Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons, by Alvin Kernan. The other is Black Shoe Carrier Admiral, Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal, by John Lundstrom. Dysfunctional is my word, not either of thiers. Maybe a bit harsh (maybe). In both books Air Group 8 commander Stanhope Ring is portrayed as a terrible leader and a marginal navigator. Not only was Torpedo 8 the only CAG-8 squadron to find the enemy that day, after Waldron went off on his own, due to frustration with Ring's navigation decision, but on the return flight to the ship, (well, almost to the ship) every squadron commander would eventually desert Ring and attempt to find the ship themselves. Air Group 8 was not a happy or cohesive unit, mostly at frustration with Ring's heavy-handed and “by the book” leadership style. Combine this with Air Group 8's lack of experience and you have a disaster in the making. Both are excellent books, especially Lundstrom's, where much is written about Miles Browning too... :)
Click to expand...

Another recently released book dealing with the Battle of Midway was written by Craig L. Symonds. It's titled "The Battle of Midway." Symonds takes a very complex battle,...and the weeks leading up to the engagement....and retells it in a very clear, lucid manner. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who might want to learn more on the actions and courageous acts that took place between June 4 and 7th, 1942.
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryWorld/?view=usa&ci=9780195397932
 
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