Midway

The Battle That Doomed Japan, the Japanese Navy's Story

By: Mitsuo Fuchida, Masatake Okumiya

Narrated by: Terence Aselford

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

This landmark study was first published in English by the Naval Institute in 1955. Widely acknowledged for its valuable Japanese insights into the battle that turned the tide of war in the Pacific, the book has made a great impact on American readers over the years. Two Japanese naval aviators who participated in the operation provide an unsparing analysis of what caused Japan's staggering defeat.

Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the first air strike on Pearl Harbor, commanded the Akagi carrier air group and later made a study of the battle at the Japanese Naval War College. Masatake Okumiya, one of Japan's first dive-bomber pilots, was aboard the light carrier Ryujo and later served as a staff officer in a carrier division. Armed with knowledge of top-secret documents destroyed by the Japanese and access to private papers, they show the operation to be ill-conceived and poorly planned and executed, and fault their flag officers for lacking initiative, leadership, and clear thinking. With an introduction by an author known for his study of the battle from the American perspective, the work continues to make a significant contribution to World War II literature.

©1955, 1992 U.S. Naval Institute (P)2004 Naval Institute Press

Critic reviews

"Midway gives an enlightening account of the Japanese naval leaders of the time, placing a new perspective on their abilities, shortcomings, and their ways of thinking and acting." (Military Review)
"Captain Fuchida's and Commander Okumiya's clear style should satisfy both the casual [listener] and the naval strategist." (Baltimore Sun)

Is a great book

This is a great book about a WW2 battle the USN broke the. Japanese code and adjusted there response to meet there fleet ,

A Classic Whose Truth Has Now Been Challenged

I've been a Midway buff for most of my adult life. An incredibly dramatic story that Hollywood should definitely try again to tell after the awful star-filled bomb of 1976. I had read all the books on the American side, all of which relied heavily on Fuchida's book for the Japanese side.


But I had never read (heard) Fuchida's book until now. There is a lot to be learned from it. Japanese over-confidence that led them to cheating on their own war games of the battle. The crazy deployment by Admiral Yamamoto of Japan's enormous naval force. The eyewitness account of the battle itself.

I'm glad that I read it. But if you've been away from World War II naval history for a while, you should know that 2005's Shattered Sword is now the definitive book on the Midway battle. For the Japanese side it relies on testimony of survivors and the translation of many Japanese documents into English for the first time.

And it claims to bust many long-time myths about Midway. For example, that the sacrifice of Torpedo 8 was not in vain because it brought the Japanese fighters down to an altitude where they could not recover in time to intercept the dive bombers. (The dive bombers did not attack until a whole hour after the torpedo strike.) When the American dive bombers struck, the Japanese carrier decks were full of airplanes beginning to take off to attack the American carriers. (The decks were clear of planes at the time, although secondary explosions in the hanger decks doomed the carriers.)

Shattered Sword accuses Fuchida's book of many inaccuracies, calling some of them intentional. The "two-phase" search plan that Fuchida criticizes his commanders for not employing, according to the authors of the new book, was not part of Japanese or American doctrine in 1942.

So listen to Fuchida's book and read Shattered Sword and decide for yourself.

Worth a listen

Interesting prospective on the battle of midway, but even more so on the causes and reasons associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor,

Liked every minute.

Excellent from IJN POV

IJN story of Midway. For Midway historians a different perspective. Well done. Many IJN strategic errors due to over confidence in 1942

Battle of Midway from the Japanese view point.

Excellent description and evaluation from a very experienced senior
Japanese WW II naval aviator of the most decisive battle of the war in the Pacific that largely gave the initiative to the United States for the rest of the war.

Much better thsn a second audiblr book on Midway.

Much better than the other audible book on Midway. This one reflects the Japaneses description of thd conflict. Put you biases aside and listen to this version on Midway WWII.

Among the very best about war in the Pacific!

Thorough and insightful portrayal of why Japan was doomed to lose the war. Highly recommend!

the other side

Any additional comments?

This is the first book that i have read written for the side of japan. I learned much for it.

Great book from IJN point of view.

This was a great book from the Japanese point of view, which not only tells their story but anylises each naval maneuver. I highly recommend this book, I can and listen to this a few more times.

An amazing view of Midway

An amazing view from the Japanese side of not just Midway, but the road to World War II & Japan's aspects on the war and campaigns is an amazing narrative by men who fought thru it.... I greatly enjoyed it.