The phrase “black shoe admiral” reminds me that we won that war with a lot of admirals in that category. You want real improvement in tactical thinking over the next ten or twenty years? Get real competition for senior aviation billets. Use the same standards of “Aviation Observer” that were invoked n WW2 for command of our carriers and carrier groups today. But everyone at that paygrade simply wants more and more of the status quo. Can’t shake up the Navy union system, you know. I deeply regret that without another very bloody war, nothing will change.
I agree with all 6 items, though I'd order them differently. I think there is another point to be made on LUCK
"If the cruiser Tone’s scout had found our ships on time then the two air fleets would have struck each other almost simultaneously and our outnumbered forces would have lost the battle."
Far more important, if Tone's scout, etc, etc...The Japanese carrier decks would have been cleared of half their planes, meaning far less damage AND those planes in the air, could have returned to a higher number of surviving carriers, and flown subsequent strikes.
as for the conclusions:
"By the end of 1942 both sides were reduced to one operating carrier, so that both sides had to rebuild their carrier fleets in 1943. As to aircraft losses, in the five big Pacific air battles, one-third of our aircraft were lost per battle, and two-thirds were lost per battle on the Japanese side."
Not enough is made of the very small Japanese pilot replacement pipeline. After Midway, they lost the bulk of their trained crews and never again had enough pilots to fill all their carriers.
As I recall, Spruance was a destroyer captain, and Nimitz commended him by saying, "Anyone who can keep his destroyers alongside our Carriers at flank speed, can command a carrier."
I don't think our commanders of today would be able to fight half as well as the greatest generation did. They had totally new technology, totally new tactics, and not only beat the Japanese, but also the Germans, and the Italians.
Thanks for reposting Captain Hughes essay. I had the great honor to be his student at NPS. He was my thesis advisor and I learned so much about tactics, operations, analysis, and strategy from the great man.
Relating to the note in the article about the "Tone float plane" (though Parshall and Tully have some interesting assertions about that element too), a sometimes-overlooked contribution is the fact that the USN got to French Frigate Shoals and parked a couple seaplane tenders (Ballard and Thornton) there, denying it as an anchorage and seaplane base to the Japanese. It's not as momentous as the six elements cited in the article, but it mattered.
I've read a fair amount about the Pacific war, and my reading suggests we got more useful intel from our Catalinas than the Japanese did from their flying boats (and the H8Ks at least were first-rate aircraft). They say fighters make movies, and bombers make history, but the All-Seeing Eyes In The Sky make it all possible. ("What's your favorite military aircraft?" "E-2 Hawkeye." "Huh?") :-D
I have vast admiration for the immortal courage and skill of the sailors and aviators who fought at Midway and the other naval battles of the Pacific. With the deepest respect for Captain Hughes' list of factors affecting the Battle of Midway, I bring to your attention to another band of heroes, the sailors who fought on the Yorktown. Damaged at Coral Sea, returned to combat status in a marvelous feat, at Midway, the ship was struck, reported sunk, returned to action, hit again, and might have survived the battle if not for a submarine attack.
I try to imagine those in the engineering spaces below deck, fighting to save a severely damaged ship. Fires, smoke, escaping steam, badly hurt comrades, incoming water, yet these brave sailors kept their composure, effectively, efficiently working to save their wounded ship. Twice they not only saved the carrier they brought the Yorktown back to fighting capability, contributing aircraft to sinking the fourth carrier.
The Japanese were fooled into believing they had sunk a carrier ( by this time, they knew the American force incorporated two carriers). When they detected a seemingly unhurt Yorktown underway, they focused their attacks on the Yorktown rather than attacking the Enterprise.
Amazing courage and devotion to duty was common on both sides, in the air and on the ships. We must remember. Thank you for reminding us.
Since my two tours at NWC, Spruance has been a hero of mine. I did not start to appreciate Fletcher until later, but the more one looks, particularly at contemporary situations, the better he looks to me. It's enough to think we should not require carrier COs to be aviators, much less CVBG commandefrs.
To get a good understanding of carrier warfare from the attack on Pearl Harbor, to the Battle of Midway, I recommend "The First Team, Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway" by John B. Lundstrom. Those pilots and crewmen were fearless. A great read.
The good Captain left out the rest of Torpedo EIGHT; the six Avengers flying from Midway. LT Langdon Fieberling's attack drew USS Nautilus into the battle; Nautilus' attacks resulted in IJN Arashi scrambling to rejoin after suppressing Nautilus. Arashi's wake led McCluskey and the Enterprise strike group to Kido Butai.
George Gay was the "Sole Survivor" who launched from Hornet; ENS Bert Earnest and ARM3 Harry Ferrier were the "Other Sole Survivors" of the 18 men launching from Midway. Unlike Gay who went back to the states and unwanted fame; Bert and Harry went back to the fight. Both men survived a lot of missions and flew combat throughout the war.
You want "Fullbore"? Bert and Harry fill the bill.
Dammit sir, I hate you.
Your always true stories make me cry. Are we really that worthless today?? We should all commit seppeku.
See today’s propublica article on the LCS??
Thank you. And F the joint staff/Goldwater.
The phrase “black shoe admiral” reminds me that we won that war with a lot of admirals in that category. You want real improvement in tactical thinking over the next ten or twenty years? Get real competition for senior aviation billets. Use the same standards of “Aviation Observer” that were invoked n WW2 for command of our carriers and carrier groups today. But everyone at that paygrade simply wants more and more of the status quo. Can’t shake up the Navy union system, you know. I deeply regret that without another very bloody war, nothing will change.
This is ready to be deployed to all media outlets in case of war with China, right?
I agree with all 6 items, though I'd order them differently. I think there is another point to be made on LUCK
"If the cruiser Tone’s scout had found our ships on time then the two air fleets would have struck each other almost simultaneously and our outnumbered forces would have lost the battle."
Far more important, if Tone's scout, etc, etc...The Japanese carrier decks would have been cleared of half their planes, meaning far less damage AND those planes in the air, could have returned to a higher number of surviving carriers, and flown subsequent strikes.
as for the conclusions:
"By the end of 1942 both sides were reduced to one operating carrier, so that both sides had to rebuild their carrier fleets in 1943. As to aircraft losses, in the five big Pacific air battles, one-third of our aircraft were lost per battle, and two-thirds were lost per battle on the Japanese side."
Not enough is made of the very small Japanese pilot replacement pipeline. After Midway, they lost the bulk of their trained crews and never again had enough pilots to fill all their carriers.
As I recall, Spruance was a destroyer captain, and Nimitz commended him by saying, "Anyone who can keep his destroyers alongside our Carriers at flank speed, can command a carrier."
I don't think our commanders of today would be able to fight half as well as the greatest generation did. They had totally new technology, totally new tactics, and not only beat the Japanese, but also the Germans, and the Italians.
Outstanding! Content, background and story.
The next time we fight at sea it will be a real gut busting Navy war.
Thanks for reposting Captain Hughes essay. I had the great honor to be his student at NPS. He was my thesis advisor and I learned so much about tactics, operations, analysis, and strategy from the great man.
Relating to the note in the article about the "Tone float plane" (though Parshall and Tully have some interesting assertions about that element too), a sometimes-overlooked contribution is the fact that the USN got to French Frigate Shoals and parked a couple seaplane tenders (Ballard and Thornton) there, denying it as an anchorage and seaplane base to the Japanese. It's not as momentous as the six elements cited in the article, but it mattered.
I've read a fair amount about the Pacific war, and my reading suggests we got more useful intel from our Catalinas than the Japanese did from their flying boats (and the H8Ks at least were first-rate aircraft). They say fighters make movies, and bombers make history, but the All-Seeing Eyes In The Sky make it all possible. ("What's your favorite military aircraft?" "E-2 Hawkeye." "Huh?") :-D
I have vast admiration for the immortal courage and skill of the sailors and aviators who fought at Midway and the other naval battles of the Pacific. With the deepest respect for Captain Hughes' list of factors affecting the Battle of Midway, I bring to your attention to another band of heroes, the sailors who fought on the Yorktown. Damaged at Coral Sea, returned to combat status in a marvelous feat, at Midway, the ship was struck, reported sunk, returned to action, hit again, and might have survived the battle if not for a submarine attack.
I try to imagine those in the engineering spaces below deck, fighting to save a severely damaged ship. Fires, smoke, escaping steam, badly hurt comrades, incoming water, yet these brave sailors kept their composure, effectively, efficiently working to save their wounded ship. Twice they not only saved the carrier they brought the Yorktown back to fighting capability, contributing aircraft to sinking the fourth carrier.
The Japanese were fooled into believing they had sunk a carrier ( by this time, they knew the American force incorporated two carriers). When they detected a seemingly unhurt Yorktown underway, they focused their attacks on the Yorktown rather than attacking the Enterprise.
Amazing courage and devotion to duty was common on both sides, in the air and on the ships. We must remember. Thank you for reminding us.
Since my two tours at NWC, Spruance has been a hero of mine. I did not start to appreciate Fletcher until later, but the more one looks, particularly at contemporary situations, the better he looks to me. It's enough to think we should not require carrier COs to be aviators, much less CVBG commandefrs.
Captain Hughes was the absolute real deal. A brilliant tactician and keen analyst of naval warfare. His passing was a true loss to the Navy
Thank you for this and well done! If you haven't read it yet, I commend the book Shattered Sword to you.
To get a good understanding of carrier warfare from the attack on Pearl Harbor, to the Battle of Midway, I recommend "The First Team, Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway" by John B. Lundstrom. Those pilots and crewmen were fearless. A great read.
never apologize for alcohol-enabled posts!
Which LPD, if I may ask? I was Co of troops on the Steaming Cleve and again on the Shreveport
The good Captain left out the rest of Torpedo EIGHT; the six Avengers flying from Midway. LT Langdon Fieberling's attack drew USS Nautilus into the battle; Nautilus' attacks resulted in IJN Arashi scrambling to rejoin after suppressing Nautilus. Arashi's wake led McCluskey and the Enterprise strike group to Kido Butai.
George Gay was the "Sole Survivor" who launched from Hornet; ENS Bert Earnest and ARM3 Harry Ferrier were the "Other Sole Survivors" of the 18 men launching from Midway. Unlike Gay who went back to the states and unwanted fame; Bert and Harry went back to the fight. Both men survived a lot of missions and flew combat throughout the war.
You want "Fullbore"? Bert and Harry fill the bill.