Product Details

• Rating: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: PolyGram Video
• Run Time: 57 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B0006IQJ60
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,013 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A Battle Against the Odds: THE COMMANDERS: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz -As commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleets, Nimitz brilliantly engineered a dance of death on the Pacific. Yet his Fleet almost let the enemy slip right by. Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto - Fresh from directing the devastation on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Fleet Commander in Chief Yamamoto executed the suprise attack on Midway. Just a few short years earlier, he had served as a naval attache' in Washington, D.C. THE BATTLE: The Japanese expected a weakened foe. The Americans, armed with radar and the ability to read Japanese coded communications, bore down with surprising ferocity. THE CASUALTIES: America: the carrier Yorktown, a destroyer, 150 planes and 307 lives. The Invaders: four aircraft carriers, two heavy cruisers, three destroyers, 275 planes and 3,500 lives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just the Basics Maam, October 24, 2008

By	William K. Thompson "History Hawk" (Augusta , Ga USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While an excellent all-round synopsis of the battle, describing most of the phases, it left out some of the finer points. This was due to its need for brevity, no doubt. It does not capture the sense of peril or urgency of the time or the fear that other US leaders had of Nimitz's strategy decision . Some wanted him to pull all the carriers back to "protect" the West Coast for example. Nimitz's decision to ambush the Japanease fleet was a show of incredible confidence and bravery and a willingness to gamble the last few carriers on a chance to catch the Japanease in a vulnerable moment, which is what happened. Gordon Prange called it a "Miracle" event, meaning the odds were actually against the victory that occured. It wasn't an inevitable victory. It was like an average college team winning against a superbowl champion.