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Jonathan B. Parshall

Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway Hardcover – November 1, 2005

by Jonathan Parshall (Author), Anthony Tully (Author), John B. Lundstrom (Foreword)

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Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange’s bestselling Miracle at Midway, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement. Unlike previous accounts, Shattered Sword makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida’s Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, an uncritical reliance upon which has tainted every previous Western account. It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation of the great battle.

Parshall and Tully examine the battle in detail and effortlessly place it within the context of the Imperial Navy’s doctrine and technology. With a foreword by leading World War II naval historian John Lundstrom, Shattered Sword is an indispensable part of any military buff’s library.

Shattered Sword is the winner of the 2005 John Lyman Book Award for the "Best Book in U.S. Naval History" and was cited by Proceedings as one of its "Notable Naval Books" for 2005.

Print length

640 pages
Language

English
Publisher

POTOMAC BOOKS
Publication date

November 1, 2005
Dimensions

7.4 x 1.8 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

1574889230
ISBN-13

978-1574889239
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“While most of their predecessors have fallen into the same mold--looking at the battle from the American vantage only—Parshall and Tully break new ground in bringing the Japanese perspective into the picture. . . . The authors state that their book attempts to do three things--present the battle from the Japanese side, study it almost exclusively from an aircraft carrier viewpoint, and point out the errors and exaggerations in a group of myths that have surrounded the battle. The authors succeed in all three goals. . . . [They] have produced a superb volume.”—Journal of Military History

Published On: 2017-06-07

“Will earn its place in the already impressive library that focuses on one of the great moments in naval history.”—Naval Institute Proceedings

Published On: 2017-06-07

“Shattered Sword [is] a necessary read for anyone interested in the Pacific War.”—NYMAS Review

Published On: 2017-06-07

“A fascinating, unique, and groundbreaking study on the Japanese and American sides of the encounter with emphasis on the former . . . Shattered Sword is well written, spectacularly and thoroughly researched and vividly narrated, and is fast becoming the definitive tome on the legendary naval battle.”—Journal of Australian Naval History

Published On: 2017-06-07

“Get this book. Parshall and Tully have pulled off what every author/historian aspires to do: take the body of literature on a chosen topic to a level of insight and understanding not formerly attained or perhaps even imagined. . . . Shattered Sword can justifiably be labeled a ground breaker, a landmark work that belongs at eye-level center in any naval historian's bookcase.”—Naval History

Published On: 2017-06-07

“This meticulously researched and thoroughly documented study is an essential corrective. It is essential reading for anyone interested in carrier aviation, past, present, or future. Although imposing in scale, Shattered Sword is a bargain, and a highly engaging read. Every page seems to throw up a new perspective--from the pathetically low Japanese aircraft production figures, to the political infighting both within the Naval High Command and between the services. The best naval history book of 2005.”—Naval Review

Published On: 2017-06-07

"Thoroughly researched and well-written."—C. Henry Depew, Ensign

“Jon Parshall and Anthony Tully explain, in an entirely new light and from a fresh perspective, how the Japanese navy fought the Battle of Midway. Extensively researched, soundly reasoned, and engagingly and colorfully written, Shattered Sword is the most original piece of scholarship on this decisive event since John B. Lundstrom’s groundbreaking The First Team.”—Robert J. Cressman, editor and principal author of A Glorious Page in Our History: The Battle of Midway

Published On: 2017-06-07

“To really know about the Battle of Midway, you must read this book.”—John B. Lundstrom, author of The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway

Published On: 2017-06-07

Review

"To really know about the Battle of Midway, you must read this book."

"A lot has been written about Midway since 1945. Yet everyone who thinks that they know the last word about this momentous event must examine Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully's book on the subject. Shattered Sword, packed with new information, will certainly become the definitive volume on the most important naval battle of World War II."

"This meticulously researched and thoroughly documented study is an essential corrective. It is essential reading for anyone interested in carrier aviation, past, present, or future. Although imposing in scale, Shattered Sword is a bargain, and a highly engaging read. Every page seems to throw up a new perspective - from the pathetically low Japanese aircraft production figures, to the political infighting both within the Naval High Command and between the services. The best naval history book of 2005."

Review

"While most of their predecessors have fallen into the same mold - looking at the battle from the American vantage only - Parshall and Tully break new ground in bringing the Japanese perspective into the picture.... The authors state that their book attempts to do three things - present the battle from the Japanese side, study it almost exclusively from an aircraft carrier viewpoint, and point out the errors and exaggerations in a group of myths that have surrounded the battle. The authors succeed in all three goals.... [They] have produced a superb volume."

Review

"One of the two or three most important books on the Pacific War published in the last decade."

"This book releases a large number of bombshells, blowing apart the account of Mitsuo Fuchida, the air commander who wrote a book on Midway. [The authors] also tell a gripping story that is backed up by evidence in a massive book that sets the new starting point for the discussion of Midway.... This book brings a well-presented case, one that places the 'Incredible Victory' in a whole new context.... Shattered Sword is a superb work that should become the definitive reference when the Battle of Midway is discussed. Gordon W. Prange and Walter Lord have been thoroughly eclipsed by this new work creating a full perspective of the pivotal battle of World War II in the Pacific theater."

"Will earn its place in the already impressive library that focuses on one of the great moments in naval history."

Book Description

"Provides a much-needed reassessment of the Battle of Midway.... The chapters devoted to the actual battle are a treat, starting with an in-depth description of Japanese flight deck procedures and activities, something rarely detailed in Western publications. This new treatment is basically the Battle of Midway as seen through Japanese eyes.... The authors are to be congratulated. Writing on a topic that might not first seem to have anything new to be divulged, they have created something that is as fresh and vital as if it were the first account written at war's end instead of more than sixty years later. I believe that Shattered Sword will become the preeminent narrative history of this crucial battle, and I consider it to be one of the most important books on WWII naval operations to be published in the last twenty years."

From the Publisher

Told from the Japanese perspective, using largely Japanese sources, with new interpretations of the Imperial Navy's actions; Represents the first substantive contribution to the West's understanding of Midway in more than a generation.

About the Author

Both Jonathan Parshall and Tony Tully were members of a 1999 mission to the Midway battle site by the Nauticos Corp. and the U.S. Navy Oceanographic Office. Parshall is widely published on naval history in journals and magazines and has contributed to a number of books on the topic. He maintains an award-winning Web site on the Imperial Navy, www.combinedfleet.com. Parshall lives in Minneapolis.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ POTOMAC BOOKS; First Edition (November 1, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 640 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1574889230
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1574889239
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 1.8 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #69,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #111 in Military Aviation History (Books)
- #116 in Japanese History (Books)
- #696 in World War II History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,195 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		84%
4 star		11%
3 star		3%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Ron L

You won't find better.

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

If you were interested in WWII and/or the battle at Midway, you probably read Prange's "Miracle at Midway" and found it thrilling. The "Battle of Midway" movie follows closely on the book, with the added obligatory romantic interest (and she is lovely). Both were based on Fuchida's account published quickly after the US occupation government allowed such literature.
If you are interested in WWII and/or the battle at Midway, you should read "Shattered Sword"; research done by Tully and Parshall find that Fuchida's account was written and strongly biased for public consumption. It was less than honest at best, and known to be so by Japanese sources. You will be disabused of several fantasies, none of which diminish the importance of the battle: It marked the end of Japan's expansion in the North Pacific. At Guadalcanal, the Japanese offensive was halted in the South Pacific and not long after in New Guinea. Within 6 months, the Nazis found the end of their tether at both Stalingrad and in Africa; the Axis was thereafter on the defensive; the war was decided. Sadly, the Axis demanded millions of more deaths to be convinced.
Tully and Parshall are nothing if not thorough in their research; the Japanese losses at Midway had nothing to do with 'planes not launched from the flight deck' (as Fuchida has it), the losses had to do with carrier operations, carrier design and the unrelenting (if, until the end, futile) US attacks on the Japanese carrier forces: By the time of the dive-bomber attacks, "Like blood from a wounded patient - time the lifeblood of decision and action - had been oozing out of Kido Butai all morning, slowly and inexorably. Now the patient was beyond recovery" (pg 231).
What follows hopes to be the specific credit for the bombs which demolish the Japanese carriers, the futile attempts to save them and a more accurate report of how they ended up on the bottom; the later two pathos, to be sure.
The battle didn't end with the sinking of the Hiryu, and the remaining sinkings (on both sides) are not ignored. Similarly, the importance of the battle is examined, and in my opinion, properly defined; it did not end the war in the Pacific. It ended Japan's attempt to expand in that direction.
Like Frank's "Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle" and "Downfall", if you presume to be educated about Midway, you must read this.

111 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mac McCormick III

A Must Read on the Battle of Midway

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018

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A few years ago, I read Craig L. Symond's The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History) and saw Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway: The Japanese Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully referenced in it. I took a look at the book on Amazon and it had a plain simple cover, giving it the feeling of an academic work, so I added it to my reading list but didn't put it very high on the list. Recently, I finally got around to reading it.

Shattered Sword presents a new way of looking at the Battle of Midway. It is well researched and well documented with extensive endnotes and a lengthy bibliography. It is detailed yet captivating. Most of all, it presents strong arguments, backs up those arguments with documented sources, and effectively turns the traditional narrative of the Battle of Midway on its ear. The authors explore doctrine, strategy, planning, and tactics from the Japanese perspective; in doing so, they don't just challenge the conventional wisdom about the battle and its after effects; to borrow from the title, it shatters them.

To put it mildly, this book is not what I thought it was. It is not a dry academic work, it is well written in a witty, conversational style. You're not only getting a completely new understanding of the battle, you're being entertained. It truly is hard to put this book down. Very seldom do you come across a book that presents an all-new way of looking at a historical event, but this book fits that bill. I've purposely not included any of Shattered Swords' conclusions in order not to spoil the book. Buy it read it, you won't be disappointed and you'll come away with a whole new understanding of one of World War II's important battles. I also think that those interested in military history can come away with important lessons, one of them being not to apply one side's doctrine and operational practices to its opponent, analyze both sides' actions in the light of their respective doctrines. It's helpful to have about the Battle of Midway previously and have an understanding of how the US Navy fought the battle, but this truly is a five-star book and one that anyone interested in the Pacific Theater of World War II must read.

73 people found this helpful

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John L. Olsen

This study debunks a lot of widely accepted myths

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book will kill a number of your notions about this battle. In a splendidly-researched work, the authors have brought to our attention facts that have long been known in Japanese military academic circles, but not in America. They give fair treatment to the authors whose treatment of the battle form our national picture (Walter Lord, Gordon Prangue, and some others), but are relentless in debunking some widely-held myths (such as Fuchida's "5 minutes", supposedly after which, the Japs could have launched counterstrikes from aircraft already fueled and armed and spotted on the decks (they weren't), the supposedly huge advantage in forces of the Japanese that could have been engaged, and others).

It's not an easy read, though the authors write well. But the level of detail (especially, the great differences in how the Japanese built and fought their carriers) makes it a task for the serious student.

59 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

oldhexmap

Buy it 6 stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

Superb detail, thoughtful analysis. Everything you could want in a book.

Most historians believe that Japan was defeated after Midway. However this book clearly shows that they were defeated before Midway. It is just that Midway happened to be the place the actual shots were fired. Astonishing.

The best book I have bought in a very long time. One of my most top 3 books of all time

6 stars

6 people found this helpful

No More, Mr Mice Guy

The other side of the hill

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

This was a very readable book – despite being written in American.

The authors are not academic historians, though they are not just ‘enthusiasts’ either, and are able to gather and analyse evidence for their thesis, which has become the established version nowadays. Their lapses into American (and enthusiast’s) slang is likely to affect casual readers’ view of how much credibility shuld be given to their work, but you should just accept that there are other versions of English alive in the world today.

Their thesis is that much of the Japanese side of the historiography of the battle is based on flawed evidence by post-war Japanese writers, which has been accepted at face value by most American writers – other than the ones who actually read available source documents and could see flaws in those Japanese accounts.

Those flaws are laid bare here, and an excellent and logical account of the battle is presented here, with many of the populist myths stripped away.

They ARE good writers though, and the Americanisms are set in clear, reasonably-argued, and readable language.

The Japanese’s runaway success in the opening stages of the wider war (the Japanese had been at war with China and even the USSR for several years prior to Pearl Harbour) was, like the Germans’ Blitzkrieg success in 1940, based on having a superbly-trained weapons system (air power) that was so far ahead of their opponents that they were virtually unstoppable.

Unlike the Germans, however, the Japanese did not have an industrial base to maintain their impetus, and when that weapons system suffered damage, it could not be repaired,, and, like the Germans, they quickly found that their opponents learned from their mistakes and were able to face them down with equally-effective forces quite quickly.

Secondly, and unlike the Germans, the Japanese were not able to improvise in the face of adversity, and where the Germans were able to stave off the effects of enemy material superiority for a while, the Japanese were not.

The Germans were defeated earlier than the Japanese, but they were also facing the combined resources of all the Allied powers, whereas Japan was facing a smaller fraction of America’s might.

One person found this helpful

Ian M

This excellent book dispels various myths about the Battle of Midway

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

This excellent book dispels various myths about the Battle of Midway. Their defeat was brought about not by bad luck, or even by the excellence of American code breakers, but by deep seated errors of doctrine and attitude. The authors are particularly impressive about how techniques of launching planes dispel myths about the battle.

They give a very exciting account from the Japanese point of view. I liked the way they have the confidence to address the reader, anticipating what the reader might have been expecting. You get a vivid feeling of what it must have been like to be on a Japanese carrier, and the reasons for the errors which they made. I particularly enjoyed the individual details of the Japanese personnel In fact, it would be possible to have a lot of sympathy for the Japanese were it not for the gratuitous cruelty in the way they treated prisoners. Rescued pilots were, after interrogation, tied to oil drums and thrown into the sea. You can find this out in the notes at the end.
One of their biggest mistakes seems to have been to underestimate the enemy. Yamamoto emerges as a dictatorial planner who would not listen to opposition or criticism. I enjoyed the account of the war game played on the Yamato where one of the players attacked in the same ways the Americans were to attack, and was overruled by the umpire. The internal politics between the services seems to have been more important than defeating the enemy – for a moment General Tojo, the prime minister, was ‘waspishly satisfied’ when he heard of the naval defeat. Their doctrine seems to have been hopeless, and while the Americans were inexperienced and could not coordinate their attacks, their doctrine was far more flexible than that of the Japanese.
What is equally striking was the Japanese habit of imagining that the enemy would do what they wanted them to do. These assumptions coloured their interpretation of infrequent and often inadequate reconnaissance reports, and the book makes this very clear. The final two chapters about why the Japanese lost, and how the myths about the battle arose, are particularly effective.
The maps and diagrams in the book are excellent and make it easy to follow complicated movements and attacks.

16 people found this helpful

Neville Filar

Revisionist History at its absolute best

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

This magisterial work utterly convinces in its demolition of previously highly regarded indeed authoritative accounts. Happily it's non academic tone and it's Boys Own sections make it an easy read. Dealing with amongst other issues Carrier Doctrine, damage control, culture and attitudes towards protection of life separates this work from the mundane
Though the authors expect their unbiased work to be the basis of future scholarship it is difficult to see how it can be improved upon. A history of Midway for our times and likely to survive well into the future

One person found this helpful

Ellin Books

An excellent book on Carriers and their aircraft

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book is the most detailed information I have read regarding Midway.
It examins, the carriers of the US and Japan, their performance, and of
course the differing fighting techniques used by both fleets.
Reading this, shows just how vital was the ten centimetre Radar on the
US ships. The Japanese discovered the early magnetron, the yagi antennae
the British improved on them, and passed them to the US.
An excellent book on Carriers and their aircraft, together with operating proceedure

6 people found this helpful

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