"The Battle of Midway ended the period of Japanese domination in the Pacific. Until June 4, 1942, they got to decide where and when battles were fought and after that, those kind of decisions were made by Americans."
-Craig L. Symonds, Professor of Maritime History, Email Interview.
“The Battle of Midway was not won by the codebreakers alone but by the analysts, the decision makers who trusted them, and finally by the men who drove the ships, manned the guns, and flew the planes at the point of contact. Certainly there is enough glory for all of them.”
- Craig L. Symonds, Professor of Maritime History, The Battle of Midway.
Jonathan Parshall, Historian and author, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
“They had no right to win, yet they did, and in doing so they changed the course of a war.”
- Craig L. Symonds, Professor of Maritime History, The Battle of Midway.
Vengeance at Midway, Battle 360.
"What made such a victory possible was that the U.S. Navy outperformed its Japanese enemy in the collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence at the operational and tactical levels of war."
-Mark Munson, Naval Intelligence Officer, War on the Rocks.
George Walsh, Battle of Midway veteran, 75th Anniversary Recollections, C-Span.
“With Midway as the turning point, the fortunes of war appeared definitely to shift from our own to the Allied side. The defeat taught us many lessons and impelled our Navy, for the first time since the outbreak of war, to indulge in critical self examination.”
- Mitsuo Fuchida, Japanese Naval Commander, February 1951, The Battle that Doomed Japan.
The Battle of Midway proved that not only were preparation and intelligence critical, but also the efficient application of intelligence and flexibility. The Americans were able to break barriers due to hard work and effective leadership. After Midway, Japan was left with only two carriers, and its might began to decline. The rising sun had begun to set, and in the horizon was the might of the American war machine.