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The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History)
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
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The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History)
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Summary
There are few moments in American history in which the course of events tipped so suddenly and so dramatically as at the Battle of Midway. At dawn of June 4, 1942, a rampaging Japanese navy ruled the Pacific. By sunset, their vaunted carrier force (the Kido Butai) had been sunk, and their grip on the Pacific had been loosened forever.
In this absolutely riveting account of a key moment in the history of World War II, one of America's leading naval historians, Craig L. Symonds, paints an unforgettable portrait of ingenuity, courage, and sacrifice. Symonds begins with the arrival of Admiral Chester A. Nimitz at Pearl Harbor after the devastating Japanese attack and describes the key events leading to the climactic battle, including both Coral Sea - the first battle in history against opposing carrier forces - and Jimmy Doolittle's daring raid of Tokyo. He focuses throughout on the people involved, offering telling portraits of Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, Spruance, and numerous other Americans, as well as the leading Japanese figures, including the poker-loving Admiral Yamamoto. Indeed, Symonds sheds much light on the aspects of Japanese culture - such as their single-minded devotion to combat, which led to poorly armored planes and inadequate fire-safety measures on their ships - that contributed to their defeat.
The author's account of the battle itself is masterful, weaving together the many disparate threads of attack - attacks which failed in the early going - that ultimately created a five-minute window in which three of the four Japanese carriers were mortally wounded, changing the course of the Pacific war in an eye-blink.
Symonds is the first historian to argue that the victory at Midway was not simply a matter of luck, pointing out that Nimitz had equal forces, superior intelligence, and the element of surprise. Nimitz had a strong hand, Symonds concludes, and he rightly expected to win.
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What listeners say about The Battle of Midway (Pivotal Moments in American History)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- terry graham
- 05-03-21
Historical Excellence
i've or listened to many accounts of Midway and this title is the best ever - in a class of its own actually.
Superb historical facts and research leading up to the actual battle.
This is the 'Midway' novel to which others in the same genre should be judged.
Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr
- 08-09-16
comprehensive and informative<br /><br /><br />
a good listen, tells of the triumphs.. and the cock ups! an absorbing history
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR N MORRIS
- 27-11-22
background information
After seeing the films I have always been interested in this epic battle of minds and machinery, it was never boring, such great detail of the men involved and the roles they played, I will definitely look out for more of Craig's books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- tillymax
- 01-10-21
A fine history of one of the greatest sea battles ever
Such an important battle in the Pacific which saw the beginning of the end of The Japanese dominance in this region. It took another 3 years before the wars end and from Midway on the Americans industrial power really came to the fore and the end result was never again in doubt. The bravery of the Service personnel on both sides was astonishing and luck played a significant part in the outcome of this battle. The author has given, to me anyway, a very balanced account with no triumphalism. Glad I was not involved, the self sacrifice of mostly young men was astonishing.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Hubbard
- 05-05-15
Very good
Very comprehensive story of the bat title with good narration at a strategic and personal level.
Engaging in all levels
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Terry
- 27-10-16
Really good
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Great modern update of story , great narrator.
Have you listened to any of James Lurie’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No but will search for more after this one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Shades of Blue Q
- 19-07-21
Fictional but actually fact
Loved the story and the narration. Craig Symonds has certainly put together a wealth of facts and figures into an understandable story, and James Lurie has delivered it to perfection. Listened to it twice, once then listened again, and then I will listen to it again. Every time you listen to it, you will pick up on something extra. Awesome audio book awesome narration.
We'll I waited 12 hours and listened to it a third time. McCluskey, Best and all the rest should have got no medals at all, and I say that because Lt. Roachfort, who basically cracked the Japanese code and prevented the destruction of Midway, and who also warned Washington about Pearl; when he was put up for a medal for his decoding, had it refused by an Admiral from Washington saying "we cannot give medals to men who were only doing what they are paid to do". Weren't the pilots paid to fly? Roachfort did get his medal, posthumously in 47.
Listen to this book, it's an absolute must! You won't get a medal either but you will get 100% satisfaction.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 24-11-22
What a story
This should be a must for any school children to listen to and be aware of what happened
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Runningrob
- 30-09-23
Brilliant in-depth and insightful account
Well researched with excellent analysis and insights into the events and personalities involved. The use of individual accounts of incidents adds so much to help the reader get a better understanding of how the battle unfolded. Excellent on both a strategic and tactical level as well. Well written and narrated. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the period of history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Cryptochimp
- 26-06-20
Terrific
An excellent account of the Battle of Midway. Craig Symonds uses a timeline narrative but avoids the trap of lapsing into a dry chronological account of events. The narrative is leavened with well-written descriptions of the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the men who featured in the battle. The courage of the aviators was particularly astonishing. These men flew their rickety planes across miles of shark-infested waters to bomb or torpedo enemy ships while under relentless assault from flak and fighter-planes.
One quibble I have about the book is the absence of maps for the audio version. Fortunately the image section of any internet search engine will provide you with any maps that you need. Midway is one of the most intensively studied battles of WW2 and lots of research resources are available online.
James Lurie's narration is excellent.
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5 people found this helpful