In this Book
- Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway
- Book
- 2011
- Published by: University of Nebraska Press
“Shattered Sword [is] a necessary read for anyone interested in the Pacific War.”—NYMAS Review
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.
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.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xv
- Introduction
- pp. xx-xxviii
- 1. Departure
- pp. 3-18
- 2. Genesis of a Battle
- pp. 19-38
- 4. Ill Omens
- pp. 60-69
- 5. Transit
- pp. 70-91
- 6. Fog and Final Preparations
- pp. 92-116
- 7. Morning Attack—0430–0600
- pp. 117-135
- 8. A Lull before the Storm—0600–0700
- pp. 136-148
- 9. The Enemy Revealed—0700–0800
- pp. 149-175
- 10. Trading Blows—0800–0917
- pp. 176-204
- 11. Fatal Complications—0917–1020
- pp. 205-228
- 12. A Fallacious Five Minutes—1020–1025
- pp. 229-231
- 13. The Iron Fist—1020–1030
- pp. 232-243
- 14. Fire and Death—1030–1100
- pp. 244-263
- 15. Up the Steel Steps—1100–1200
- pp. 264-282
- 16. Japanese Counterstrikes—1200–1400
- pp. 283-305
- 17. Last Gasp—1400–1800
- pp. 306-329
- 18. Scuttlings—1800–Dawn, 5 June
- pp. 330-353
- 19. Retreat
- pp. 354-366
- 20. And Death to the Cripples . . .
- pp. 367-384
- 21. A Bitter Homecoming
- pp. 385-396
- 22. Why Did Japan Lose?
- pp. 397-415
- 23. Assessing the Battle’s Importance
- pp. 416-430
- 24. The Myths and Mythmakers of Midway
- pp. 431-443
- Glossary of Terms
- pp. 444-445
- Appendix 1: List of Personnel
- pp. 446-449
- Appendix 2: Japanese Order of Battle
- pp. 450-461
- Appendix 3: The Carriers of Kido Butai
- pp. 462-478
- Appendix 4: The Aircraft of Kido Butai
- pp. 479-486
- Appendix 6: Discovery of Carrier Kaga
- pp. 491-493
- Appendix 8: Japanese Radar at Midway
- pp. 497-498
- Appendix 11: Aleutians Force Distributions
- pp. 532-534
- Selected Bibliography
- pp. 581-589
- About the Authors
- p. 613