Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5426
EAN num: 9780140068146
ISBN number: 0140068147
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 512
Printing Date: November 17, 1983
Publishing house: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Sale Popularity Level: 468841
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Here is the definitive history of the battle of Midway, an American victory that marked the turning point of the war in the Pacific during World War II. Told with the same stylistic flair and attention to detail as the bestselling At Dawn We Slept, Miracle at Midway brings together eyewitness accounts from the men who commanded and fought on both sides. The sweeping narrative takes readers into the thick of the action and shows exactly how American strategies and decisions led to the triumphant victory that paved the way for the defeat of Japan.
'A stirring, even suspenseful narrative . . . The clearest and most complete account so far.' (Newsday)
'Something special among war histories . . . No other gives both sides of the battle in as detailed and telling a manner.'(Chicago Sun-Times)
'A gripping and convincing account.' (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
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Rated by buyers 
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This is a pretty thorough study of the famous battle. I think Walter Lord's classic volume is better written -- Lord was a better storyteller. Prange's writing is, as other reviewers pointed out, sometime unnecessarily flowery, resorting to some forced, obscure metaphors and analogies. On the other hand, Prange's book has a lot more raw data -- quotes from documents, diaries and interviews.
If you have to read only one book about Midway, I would still recommend Lord's book, but if you are a Midway junkie of sort, then this is the book for you.
Rated by buyers 
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It's incredible to believe that the turning point in the Pacific came down to the ninety seconds it took Max Leslie's and Wade McCluskey's SBD dive bombers to destroy three Japanese flattops. But without the sacrifice of John Waldron's Torpedo 8 Squadron it never could have happened. This book tells about it all: the over confidence of the Japanese High Command, the ingenuity and brilliance of American Intelligence, the tenacity and guile of the U S commanders and the bravery and skill of the Navy Pilots. This book is riveting, entertaining, and above all, inspiring! A must read.
Rated by buyers -
Thousands of airline passengers pass through the original Chicago Municipal Airport each day. The facility has been in existence for so long that the original dedication plaque bears the name of the city's last Republican mayor. Although the airport has been surpassed by the larger O'Hare, it is exceptionally convenient and affordable, once you reach it. The recent renovations and upgrades look great.
During the Forties, the airport was renamed in honor of a significant naval victory in the Pacific. More recently, a modest sculpture has been added to recognize the sacrifice and heroism of those pilots and sailors who achieved the naval Miracle in the battle for the sea lanes and the fueling facilities near Midway Island. The outnumbered American fleet triumphed due to daring leadership, long hours spent deciphering and analyzing enemy codes, inclement weather and a large measure of good luck.
Historian Gordon Prange did not live to complete this book; two of his students completed the task. Nevertheless, it is a fitting companion to Prange's acclaimed account of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor, "At Dawn We Slept." Both books are balanced and provide candid assessments of the leadership and personnel of both navies.
Thousands of busy commuters pass through Chicago Midway Airport without stopping to reflect upon those singular events or pausing to look at the sculpture, but, after reading this stirring book, I am no longer one of them.
Rated by buyers -
I have read several renditions of the Battle of Midway, but this is by far the most intriguing and interesting one to read. The author writes it like a story and draws you in-it was hard to put down. He has many sources and looks at the battle from both the Japanese and American perspective. This battle was probably the most important one we fought in the Pacific. If we had lost, the Pacific would have been Japanese home waters. The only book you need to read about the Battle of Midway.
Rated by buyers -
Gordon Prange devoted the second half of his life to researching and writing about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He spent seven years in Japan during the occupation collecting material on this operation. He is the author of the book "Tora, Tora, Tora" and the screenplay for the film of the same name. His masterpiece on the attack is "At Dawn We Slept." He died before he could finish this book and two of his students, Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon, turned his unfinished manuscript into a publishable book. In the course of his work on Pearl Harbor, he kept stumbling upon material related to Midway. Prange decided to write a book on Midway as well, which was also unfinished at the time of his death. Goldstein and Dillon finished this book as well.
The strength of "Miracle at Midway" is that Prange tells both sides of the story, American and Japanese. He offers more coverage of the American side for understandable reasons. The Japanese commander, Vice Admiral Nagumo Chuichi died later in the war, and valuable records were destroyed when the four aircraft carriers sank during the battle. Prange, though, makes up for these shortcomings with interviews he conducted during the occupation years with a number of survivors and important pilots and staff officers at this battle like Genda Minoru and Fuchida Mitsuo. On the other hand, developing the American side of the story is pretty easy. All the major figures in this engagement survived the war as did their records and written reports.
Developing the Japanese side of the story is important, because Prange basically argues that Japan lost the battle more than the Americans won it. The problems the Japanese faced were not the work of any one individual, but rather were large, systematic shortcomings like a flawed battle plan that had two conflicting objectives, overconfidence in their abilities, poor command and control, lack of resources, and sloppy intelligence work. The Americans owed their victory more to luck than any other factor. With those points made, Prange gives a lot of credit to Chester Nimitz for knowing how to use his theater resources, to Raymond Spruance and Frank Jack Fletcher. Prange also argues that Nagumo, who is often seen as being indecisive, made the right decision with what information he had at the time in shifting the armaments of his planes.
Luck was what carried the day for the Americans and Spruance admitted as much. The Japanese had little regard for American torpedoe attacks and with good reason. The U.S. Navy had poor equipment and lousy training. It was only Lt. Cmdr. Wade McClusky's decision to use an unconventional search pattern as his fuel was running low that allowed the Americans to pounce on the Japanese at the moment when their ordinance was unsecured and the fighter coverage was too low to stop the dive bombers.
The shortcomings of the book are more minor than substantial: the writing at times seems overly flowery. The story builds slowly. When it gets to the sexy parts, the fighting, it really gets going. The maps vary significantly in quality. Some are quite good, others are atrocious and appear to have been hand drawn.
To wrap it up: this book is a good sequel to Prang's study of Pearl Harbor. It won't be the last word on the subject, but it is an important one.
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