Who been waiting almost a year for this

@SGT676

3 жыл бұрын

All of us

@Salsajaman

3 жыл бұрын

1st time a YT notification made my jaw drop

@xJavelin1

3 жыл бұрын

Me!

@Foreverknight87

3 жыл бұрын

Hell yes! Took me a half second to process this and I immediatly clicked

@NeverMetTheGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Can't believe it's been that long...

"Youre probably thinking... what happened?" Me: Yeah! Where have you been all this time?! "How did the japanese lose so badly?!" Me: "What?! No!"

@urban1337

3 жыл бұрын

🤣

@MontemayorChannel

3 жыл бұрын

haha bro you had me literally Laughing out loud! I never thought that would be the first thought of somebody when i started my opening lines.

@silvercoulter

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel It is exactly what I was wondering too

@diegonatan6301

3 жыл бұрын

That is exactly what I thought!

@Perichron

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel precisely my thoughts as well, glad you've returned

I think the two biggest lessons from Midway are: - Intelligence is everything - Being lucky is of critical importance

@tirebiter4009

2 жыл бұрын

Luck Favors the Prepared - Alden Mills

@rigel2112

10 ай бұрын

@@tirebiter4009 or Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.

@ttry1152

9 ай бұрын

I find the harder i work the more luck i have

@markfish1113

8 ай бұрын

Radar and intelligence is main factor. Japanese with x number of carriers cant beat radar equip and code breakers.

@skullsaintdead

7 ай бұрын

I love RPG's and if there's a skill tree for luck, I put all my extra points into luck. Luck makes all the difference in peoples lives. Me personally, I'm exceedingly unlucky as I was born with pain (didn't even know it, just thought it was depression & chronic fatigue) and then due to a worldwide shortage of a period-pain specific birth control pill, am now in constant, severe, permanent, and increasing pain & thus, opiate doses (as nothing else works, so I'll have to end my life when the dr stops prescribing; this push-back of opiates has many casualties)...

I love how from the Japanese perspective it seemed like the Americans were delivering a series of sustained attacks to delay the Kido Butai from launching planes until they could deliver a final decisive strike. And then in the American perspective there's scouts giving wrong information, aircrews chasing after lone sub-hunters, guys arguing with each other, planes running out of fuel and getting ditched after not even encountering the enemy, and an entire Squadron that disobeys orders and is entirely destroyed. It reminds me of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, when an cosmically coincidental misinterpretation of a message caused a series of tragic tactical blunders.

@thepie8u

Жыл бұрын

standard us military doctrine: the enemy cant predict our actions if we dont know what the fuck were doing lol

@tremedar

Жыл бұрын

@@thepie8u Which isn't a statement of incompetence or really even chaos, but operational freedom for frontline commanders. If the frontline commanders see a target of opportunity, they're free to just go for it without getting prior authorization...or at least, it used to be that way.

@tonycrabtree3416

Жыл бұрын

The US had the advantage in surprise, numbers, quality of equipment, and dedication of war fighters.

@networknomad5600

Жыл бұрын

@@thepie8u Really, that's just operational freedom, which is crucial on the battlefield.

@toobig7150

Жыл бұрын

@@tremedar Tbh a lot of Countries today operate under this doctrine since WW2 it proved to be really efficient (unlike the strict "do as you are told" from japan and WW1 in general) But it is a double edge sword, most of the time if you do whatever the f you want and go for your own "freedom of objetive" and then make a huge blunder if you survive you may end up facing court marcial (on some places)

Japan: They masterfully planned this attack America: ......... WTF happend

@imtiredtiredtired

3 жыл бұрын

For real, watching all those lucky coincidences that happened to the Americans in midway makes me feel that some divine entity really wants those 4 Japanese carriers sunk

@VenturiLife

3 жыл бұрын

It wasn't all blind luck, but luck was involved in those days... locating the enemy fleet first, and tracking it with some accuracy was a big deal.

@TheLastSterling1304

3 жыл бұрын

​@@VenturiLife And the saying goes "Time spent in reconnaissance is rarely wasted". How many times throughout has it happened honor and ego costed a clear victory.

@geargrinder5182

3 жыл бұрын

Chance favors the prepared mind. Louis Pasteur

@Psytinker

3 жыл бұрын

"Calculated." -US Navy, before returning to huffing Elmer's glue.

Joke is on every movie and documentary, the best one was done for free.

@dbznappa

3 жыл бұрын

I sent him more money than I would ever pay for a movie/documentary. This was a masterpiece!

@trycon40

3 жыл бұрын

@@dbznappa but is sure took a while

@shironasama0445

3 жыл бұрын

His is definitely the most in depth review of Midway I have seen, though Battle 360 did an alright job. They had the veterans speaking about their experiences too.

@CoercedJab

3 жыл бұрын

Leafeon Boy that’s probably the only thing missing that keeps this from being PERFECT now that u mention it

@ringofasho7721

3 жыл бұрын

My buddy hyped up the Midway movie and I just kinda shrugged and said "a youtuber already did it better"

This reminds me of when my ex-military police coworker told me he once saw a report that measured military security around the world and the US was easily the best...Because there were scheduling inconsistencies, patrol route discrepancies, and no consistent patrol timing. Making it almost impossible to know when a security patrol would show up.

@BobBob-zg5lz

2 жыл бұрын

It’s hard to predict patrol routes when even the patrol doesn’t do it right

@madjic-uc8hf

Жыл бұрын

Patton said reptedly he never had a plan 1st because any plan is wrong after the 1st minute of fight, and 2nd because how can the enemy guess what you're going to do if you have no idea yourself ?

@MarvoloSalazar

Жыл бұрын

@@madjic-uc8hf Explains why he was the most incompetent allied general

@madjic-uc8hf

Жыл бұрын

@@MarvoloSalazar according to ?

@jaimeivantamayo

Жыл бұрын

@@BobBob-zg5lz Mission failed succesfully...😂

The American equivalent of smashing every button on the controlling to win a fighting game.

@Cobra-King3

2 жыл бұрын

Button mashing

@jasonx1174

2 жыл бұрын

And then somehow achieving a high combo and going "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK I'M DOING!!!"

@Cooli167

2 жыл бұрын

Considering the actual skill disparity of the time, this is accurate.

@goblincomic4522

Жыл бұрын

Lose to button smashing still feel better than 1 move spamer

@jwright6939

Жыл бұрын

Keep in mind, the important thing in war, is who wins. Doesn't have to be neat and organized as long as you're the last man standing. Or, in this case, the last navy floating.

I find it hilarious just how many times the Americans managed to screw something up and it worked out perfectly. Like I could imagine the Japanese thinking “what a perfectly coordinated attack from both angles” while the American pilots are sitting there like “are those our planes over there? How did they get there?”

@Chuck_Hooks

3 жыл бұрын

The ultimate screwup was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

@hkiller57

3 жыл бұрын

@@Chuck_Hooks yep, if they had waited for the carriers to get back to port their attack would have been far more impactful

@F22onblockland

3 жыл бұрын

@@Chuck_Hooks Yes, followed by having their entire plan cracked by the American intelligence and then not knowing about it.

@protoculturejunkie

3 жыл бұрын

"The reason the American Army does so well in war is because war is chaos and the American Army practices chaos on a daily basis."

@LordOrdnance

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe the unpredictibility of the US military at ww2 that caused them win the war in europe and pacific

Japan: Methodical and Tactical approach America: Leeeeroooy Jeeenkiiins

@robjones8733

3 жыл бұрын

😹😹😹😹

@metwo1492

3 жыл бұрын

LOL. Excellent.

@Mirokuofnite

3 жыл бұрын

whether this is true or not it reminds me of these quotes: "A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine." "The reason the U.S. Military does so well in wartime is that war is chaos, and the U.S. Military practices chaos on a daily basis."

@fabianvargas3571

3 жыл бұрын

@Mirokuofnite I actually had those quotes in mind, but Leroy Jenkins is the tldr version of those so I chose the later

@blitzkrieg6699

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, basically.

It is a testimonial to the excellence of your work that I was able to watch and maintain interest in a roughly 90 minute presentation that consists almost entirely of simple map type graphics. Well done indeed!

@johnwilliams7922

2 жыл бұрын

Same here, and I knew this stuff from a history I read a bit back. Wish I could remember the name of that book to share with you.

@trevordbabcock

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, this was completely riveting.

@iseeu-fp9po

2 жыл бұрын

My thoughts exactly.

@leeh9420

2 жыл бұрын

Agree. These were outstanding. Also watching the Pearl Harbor one. I think the "from the Japanese perspective" is extremely useful to hear/see.

@jackconnolly2665

Жыл бұрын

Well said sir!

as a Navy vet, i learned more about this battle of midway in this series than i ever did on AD. This was the first time i've seen any of the battles of WWII told from the losing side's perspective. I enjoyed your usage of simple map illustrations and you told the events in a way that kept a good pace that was easy to follow and was not boring. well done!

The Japanese: THEIR TIMING IS IMPECCABLE The Americans: lol ay it’s the homies tf y’all doing here?

@Secret_Moon

3 жыл бұрын

@phillyslasher The Americans could afford to be "flexible" because they got clear upper hand to the Japanese through intelligence and pure luck. If you watch the video from the Japanese side again, there was really no option to them. Meanwhile the American fleet was completely hidden from the enemy, so their commanders and pilots could pull all the gut instincts and deviations from doctrine they wanted without worrying too much about consequences.

@eric24567

3 жыл бұрын

Ain't even gonna try to hide, almost choked on my own saliva because I laughed too hard. You're freaking hilarious.

@Secret_Moon

3 жыл бұрын

@phillyslasher First, you say the Japaneses were restrictive and didn't change their course as if there had been any option for them. They were led into an ambush and kept on their feet the whole time the only thing they could do was dodging. Had it been Fletcher or any other American commander, they would have made the same choices (if there had actually been any choice) and the outcome would have been the same. Second, as I said, the Americans were on the safe side. Thanks to intelligence and also luck, they knew where the Japaneses were while stayed hidden the whole time. That's why their pilots could afford to take chance flying off course. Even if those deviations hadn't worked out for them, they wouldn't have lost anything. The Japaneses didn't have that luxury. Third, what exactly did the Americans "adapt to" anyway? They set up an ambush, and everything went perfectly according to their plan. The few times they messed up the coordination was because of incompetence, not because of genius hindsight. By pure luck that incompetence ended up working well for them. It was as much "flexibility" as saying you got a 6 rolling a dice because you're a genius at math. And yes, I am saying that had it been not for that luck, the outcome of the battle could have been very different. We see how incompetent and uncoordinated the Americans were. Had the last 2 dive bomber groups not converged on the Japaneses with such impeccable timing and saturated their defense, they could have got off with at least 2 carriers untouched given the skill of the American pilots. By then who know what could have happened. The Japaneses could have pulled at least a draw.

@kaineternal

3 жыл бұрын

@@Secret_Moon The video doesn't note this, but actually the "unintended" consequence of the uncoordinated piecemeal attacks keeping the Japanese off balance was likely entirely intended by Spruance. So while intel/luck were hugely important I can't agree with you. Japanese carrier doctrine left them especially vulnerable and it makes no sense to say that the Americans would have done the exact same thing when they in fact made it a point not to.

@Secret_Moon

3 жыл бұрын

@@kaineternal Lol, I knew someone was gonna claim the American piecemeal attacks was intentional. Ok, let's just put aside the implication that the American commanders deliberately threw their pilots at the Japaneses squadron by squadron to be shot down one by one by the outnumbering Zero, just think about it for a moment, what did that accomplish exactly compared to a massive coordinated wave of attack? The first wave from the American carriers that reached the Japanese was the VT-6 with only 14 Devastators. Imagine if this wave had been a hundred planes. There would have been no need for the "genius piecemeal strategy" to hinder the Japaneses as the Americans could have swamped, saturated the Japanese defense and ended them right then and there, with minimal loss. So no, do not think of the American piecemeal attacks as a genuis strategy that defied conventional doctrine. Think of it as a big blunder that ended up costing a lot of American pilot lives that luckily somehow STILL worked out for them, despite with much heavier cost. And if you claim the Americans would have done differently had they been in Japanese shoes, then what exactly would they have done differently? Amphibious landing on Midway with the carriers, and towing the ships inland to hide?

From the perspective of the American air groups: "If we don't know what we're doing, the enemy certainly can't anticipate our actions!"

@fakecubed

3 жыл бұрын

In an incomplete information game, that can often lead to victory.

@SukacitaYeremia

3 жыл бұрын

That sounds British. Straight outta Blackadder

@steverogers8163

3 жыл бұрын

just mash the buttons.

@Arashmickey

3 жыл бұрын

@@SukacitaYeremia Unfortunately I don't know the origin of the quote.

@gemfez

3 жыл бұрын

Arashmickey the Germans often complained that nothing the Americans did made sense as well. Bombard here but attack there. Wait out good weather and attack in rain.

I just want to give a crisp salute to the USS Yorktown for the beating she took in two of the most important battles in naval history. She was hard to kill. She gave us everything she had. Thank you. Thank you Montemayor for this detailed analysis. I learned so much.

@nogoodnameleft

Жыл бұрын

And I want to give a big thumbs down to Hornet's Flight to Nowhere. Admiral Mitscher should have been courtmartialed and grounded permanently after that. It is sad how Hornet's failure at Midway is never ever talked about in documentaries or by Hollywood.

@expeditionaryfamily

Жыл бұрын

@@nogoodnameleft I see your point! but in combat, leaders have to act on information that is only a piece of what they need to make good decisions. The outcome sometimes come down to luck, and the training that allows units to adjust.

@nogoodnameleft

Жыл бұрын

@@expeditionaryfamily I agree but the Navy's propaganda department postwar did a fantastic job of a cover up of the Hornet's failure. Hornet's failure led to Yorktown being sunk, for example. It should be talked about everytime Midway is talked about but they never want to talk about Hornet's failure that led to the sinking of Yorktown.

@The_whales

Жыл бұрын

American aircraft: *misses 3 bombs* The Japanese navy squad: *confused screaming*

@dev2410

11 ай бұрын

I agree the Yorktown is easily my favorite aircraft carrier in history. I suppose it could be argued that the Yorktown never sank because legends never die.

I love how you get into the thinking of the players. I never thought about an admiral saying, "lets take this route because we have better cloud cover". Makes perfect sense.

@AndrewGivens

Жыл бұрын

Ironically it's exactly what the Kriegsmarine used to do - and they also did it because they had a numerical disadvantage so had to lever tactical advantages in other ways. Same problem, same thinking. I begin to come around to the idea that armed forces often perform best when they are seriously challenged, as opposed to when they have lots of advantages to begin with. They often rise to the challenge and think more cleverly.

@MarsJenkar

9 ай бұрын

I wanna say that the carrier _Enterprise_ survived at least one later battle because she entered cloud cover at just the right moment to avoid getting spotted. The "Big E" went on to be one of the most decorated ships of the war.

I wasn't angry at you at all, I was afraid you had lost your way.

@MontemayorChannel

3 жыл бұрын

had never lost my way Jack P, just needed some time. thanks for your patience!

@citanazuyo7666

3 жыл бұрын

Uncle Iroh masking as Jack P 😭

@EliteGeeks

3 жыл бұрын

He was MIA, Captured behind Enemy lines in japan

@punbug4721

3 жыл бұрын

Not sure if you're talking to Montemayor or the Task Force 16's dive bomber groups.

@Minboelf

3 жыл бұрын

Don't lose your wayyyyyyyyyy

“You can’t hide from me, I can Hiryū” - Lt. Dick Best

@tremedar

3 жыл бұрын

This deserves so many more likes...

@phantomship3935

3 жыл бұрын

“Even your carriers can’t as well, I can better Hiryu” - Lt. Kobayashi Michio

@CarterBartram

2 жыл бұрын

You'll be Soryu for making that pun.

@jdenopadoesstuff4639

2 жыл бұрын

@@CarterBartram you mean -rising pun-

@jdenopadoesstuff4639

2 жыл бұрын

-bean brain noises-

Gotta comment! For decades, I've known that Midway was a crucial battle that occurred relatively early in the war. I never took the time to see the battle dissected - or even watched the movie. Thank you for guiding me through this engagement. I ESPECIALLY LIKED YOU TAKING THE JAPANESE PERSPECTIVE FIRST. That approach was huge for me. At my age, I appreciate a balanced portrayal of events as opposed to the jingoistic recountings that I grew up on. I'm an American for America, yet I know we're not always right and our leadership can be flawed. The first battle I really studied was Gettysburg while reading "The Killer Angels." I learned that major battles can begin as seemingly small skirmishes, and that good leaders making astute decisions early on can set the stage for eventual victory. I also learned that real lives are lost - souls perish. In this video, I felt as much sadness for the loss of Japanese lives as I felt for the loss of American lives. General W.T. Sherman was right: "War is hell."

@davidcroft9320

2 жыл бұрын

If you are really interested, get a copy of "Shattered Sword" Parshall & Tully, it will knock your socks off.

@michaeltarno2979

2 жыл бұрын

If you are interested by the view from the other angle, try Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes (1990)

@lifediversified8932

2 жыл бұрын

it is an odd thing to feel empathy for the japanese after pearl harbor and thinking that they were planning on expanding their empire as far as they could as seeing the map of their successful expansion. i too during the video when hearing/seeing the numbers after their carriers went down, did NOT jump up and down with joy but was just thankful after the several failed mini-campaigns of the US during midway, a major victory strike was finally pulled off. i did wonder why there was no commentary about rescue boats/life rafts for the japanese figuring there was no way that everyone on those carriers died even from the extensive damage taken. - i can't imagine that pain one would feel thinking of not being able to return from such a beating in the midst of a much larger war to one's family, fellow soldiers and one's own country. i was aware of the suicide code of "honor" but didn't realize it could/would be applied on a large scale, not that i'm saying all survivors did. i too watched all 3 parts sequentially with NO intention of watching all of the first one at 40 +/- minutes. it went by FAST and could've even watched more to my surprise.

@Senkino5o

2 жыл бұрын

I don't think its right to feel equally about the death and suffering of your enemy as that of your countrymen.

@BetterOnichThanSorry

Жыл бұрын

@@lifediversified8932 Japanese expansion was limited to China and Vietnam (the latter only in order to cut off re-supply routes to the Chinese) until the United States threatened to cut oil. Contrary to popular belief, we didn't particularly care about the Chinese, but were more alarmed about Japan invading Vietnam, a European colony, in order to cut off Chinese resupply, since it challenged European control in the region. The Japanese invaded American, British and Dutch colonial possessions in the Pacific in order to take their natural resources to off-set the oil cut by the United States. Japan was unwilling to pull out of China after 4 years of brutal war, and the United States was unwilling to entertain the notion of Japan challenging European control in Asia. Not only that, but were Japan to concede to the United States' demands, it would essentially be on a leash going into the future, since the United States could use oil to control Japan's decision making. It's also not unlike the United States is a stranger to expansion; continentally we started out with less than half of what we have today before our wars against Mexico, Britain (how we took a portion of Florida) and the various Western tribes, not to mention our overseas acquistions in the Spanish-American, Philippine-American and Samoan Wars. The first half of my post also isn't to suggest the Japanese were 'liberating' Asia from European 'oppressors'; the Japanese of course were expanding into China and Vietnam for the same reasons the United States expanded into Mexico and the Caribbean. Ultimately I don't think either *government* had moral superiority over the other (as much as people like to split hairs about the severity of war crimes), and ultimately the *citizens* of both nations were the victims of their government's expansion and failures to negotiate, and their deaths warrant equal sympathy.

Just watched the whole series. This is the best series describing this battle I've seen. I love the "what if" scenarios. I wonder "what if" the US had A-10's...

@mjkl614

2 жыл бұрын

hindsight is always 20/20

@Extraneus73

2 жыл бұрын

Watch 1980's The Final Countdown. Tomcats though, but still...

@dmeads5663

2 жыл бұрын

If the US had A-10’s back then, those ships would’ve never stood a chance lol

@philsalsbery9994

2 жыл бұрын

agreed

@alxphx

2 жыл бұрын

@@dmeads5663 Who needs explosives when you have Depleted Uranium rounds?

This honestly reminds me of admiral Karl Doenitz's quote, "The reason that the American Navy does so well in wartime is that war is chaos, and the Americans practice chaos on a daily basis."

@liam6170

3 жыл бұрын

I bet even he knew fighting the USA was suicide

@ussenterprise3156

3 жыл бұрын

Where was that other quote that stated that American Soldiers do not follow doctrine?

@pcz1642raz

3 жыл бұрын

@Thx I hate it germans weren't especially "disciplined". They just had more troops that had experience fighting in 40 and 41. The soviets swallowed those whole.

@guuiness

3 жыл бұрын

@@ussenterprise3156 Not sure if I recall the specific thing you are talking about, but a soviet was quoted as stating this "A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine.”

@ussenterprise3156

3 жыл бұрын

@@guuiness That was what I was looking for

This 3-part series on Midway is truly great. You should win an Emmy for work like this.

I think I watched this 3-video series about 5 times now. I'm still amazed by your talent of packing history in a comprehensive manner and tell the story without ever losing the tension which keeps the viewer interested. Thank you for presenting one of the biggest Uno-reverse cards in WW2 this way.

Japanese commanders: they must have been the greatest tacticians i've ever seen Americans: WHAT IS HAPPENING!?

@dashiellgillingham4579

3 жыл бұрын

“ONE OF THESE BULLETS HAS YOUR NAME ON IT, AND IM GOING TO KEEP FIRING UNTIL I FIND OUT WHICH ONE IT IS!”

@DeliciousManX

3 жыл бұрын

SUPAH DEADLY ACTION!!!

@afterglowproductions8547

3 жыл бұрын

Admirals: let's do this (make smart decision) Pilots: let's do THIs (make a smart decision, but a completely different one) Admirals and Pilots: wait how is this WORKING????

@vitaliishinov5421

3 жыл бұрын

Лорд коммандер херни не скажет.

@yukishi2746

2 жыл бұрын

America: *RANDOM BULLSHIT GO*

Boy the guys on the Yorktown had one hell of a WWII career. Dodged getting sunk at Pearl Harbor, almost sunk at coral sea, raced to get repaired over a few days, only to get sunk at Midway.

@californiarespublica

3 жыл бұрын

and it almost survived midway too. yorktown was truly a beast

@Danspy501st

3 жыл бұрын

And I believe that most of her crew was off the Yorktown at the point she got the fatal blow and sunk

@ayylmao9697

3 жыл бұрын

sank during her greatest hours, if only she could have made it home. It's a shame not one Yorktown made it to today, with Yorktown and Hornet in better condition than Enterprise is.

@raymondhernandez1486

3 жыл бұрын

At least she had the honor of sinking in battle and not get scraped after the war just wished she hadn't lost any crew RIP

@jvtagle

3 жыл бұрын

Raymond Hernandez yeah she would’ve been scraped or nuked like Saratoga

We simply can’t say enough or appreciate the bravery of the first wave of fighter pilots that threw themselves into the Japanese attack on Midway as well as the torpedo bomber pilots that did the same when they attacked the Japanese fleet. Many floated in rafts or worse for God knows how long without rescue ever coming. No truer heroes ever or sacrifice greater at a time when America needed it most.

@greg-warsaw4708

Жыл бұрын

I live on another continent, another era, in Poland, a country having its own share of WW2 history - and yet for decades I have been admiring the bravery and heroic sacrifice of VT8 and its flight leader John Waldron. 80 years on and I remember them.

@bowtr0

6 ай бұрын

Yeah, we see, plainly, when our aviators are flying in obsolete or inferior aircraft. Note that, even when we are on offense, our airmen were lucky to last more than a very few missions. War is hell - for everyone, whether your a Marine wading ashore on Okinawa under unrelenting machine gun fire or manning a gun in the belly of a bomber, or ....

Congratulations on a fantastic presentation! One thing that I would add is the question of why the Japanese chose Midway as the location of the "decisive battle". One explanation that I have read was that it was inspired by the Doolittle raid on Tokyo. The Japanese High Command had emphasized to the Japanese people that the home islands would never be bombed, yet a few months into the war bombs were landing on Tokyo. It was of ultimate importance that a second raid be prevented. They knew that the planes were US Army planes (B-25's), so they must have been launched from land. While Midway was out of range of the B-25's, it was the closest possible base so Midway was the target. The Japanese did not realize that the planes had been modified to be able to launch from a carrier, and had actually flown from the Hornet. The Doolittle raid has sometimes been denigrated as a publicity stunt of no strategic value, but it did draw the Japanese navy into Midway.

@coreyrussellgaming6330

Жыл бұрын

@David Gauntt I think you may have it backwards. The Doolittle raid was of little tactical value, as it did negligble damage. But it did have strategic value. It was a huge morale boost to Americans. In addition, it shattered the Japanese leaders claim of invincibility, and forced large amount of resources to be devoted to the defense of their large empire. And finally,, it gave them great motivation to destroy the American carriers as they were a grave threat to Japanese. In short, the raid pushed the Japanese into a risky fight near Midway, exposing their fleet to Midway aircraft and ultimately falling for the American trap.

@nathanielberkley9444

Ай бұрын

The reasoning for selecting Midway as a target is that the capture of Midway allows the Kido Butai to be positioned closer to Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands, as it can leverage the land-based airpower for support and recon. That would enable Japan to make much more effective strikes on the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet and the American forces trying to repel the Japanese push on the Aleutians. It was the kind of operational objective the USN couldn't let the Japanese hold onto. Even if the USN didn't react fast enough to stop the invasion force from reaching Midway, the Japanese knew the Americans would feel forced to try to neutralize the Kido Butai in order to nullify the positional advantage Midway gives them. The American Carriers were always the real target.

All I can say is that it was totally worth the 1 year wait for this video

@robjones8733

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely!

@steel5791

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe I was wrong, but it SEEMS like two !

@leonardtran2282

3 жыл бұрын

Better late than never. I was waiting for a new video.

"If we don't know what we're doing our enemy won't do either"

@richardsanchez9190

3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha dude that's funny as hell

@mattwest1732

3 жыл бұрын

This quote is so underrated. 😂

@dragonsplayz1271

3 жыл бұрын

nice

@chrisgould101

3 жыл бұрын

I like the plan Jim. Let's do it. ready the men and distribute the whiskey

@daveroberts2296

3 жыл бұрын

yodef 682: Well done, Secret Agent 682. Apparently, the line comes from that well known movie, "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp", made in 1943.

Dude - I'm an amateur military history fanatic and this is THE battle I know best. Your videos are absolutely stunning. You presented the material is a fantastic way that clearly shows what happened and what was important about this battle. Well done.

This series should win an Oscar. Brilliant.

Japanese: We walked right into their carefully planned trap... USA: Oh! Uhh *ahem* meant to do that.

@trainboi014

3 жыл бұрын

Lol

This is officially one of the most highly anticipated events in history, surpassing the moon landing, the release of Endgame, and the day I get a life.

@gabrielh7517

3 жыл бұрын

Had me in the first half not gonna lie.

@robertch6918

3 жыл бұрын

Yes !!!!! Finally ! Nuff said

@Mr.LaughingDuck

3 жыл бұрын

Year 2020: "Yeah, might want to wait on that..."

@ussenterprise3156

3 жыл бұрын

in fact better then endgame

@remo27

3 жыл бұрын

@@ussenterprise3156 LOL. Yeah, Endgame had its moments (the PUNCH shall forever be enshrined as a Moment of Great Movie Justice) and I did enjoy it, but overall it was a disappointment. This video on the other is fully of the same high quality as Montemayor's previous two on this subject :)

Hey, this is a terrific documentary! Purely "armchair historian" guessing on my part here, but (15:00) McCluskey's other, maybe overriding motivation for striking the nearer carrier may have been the fact that his planes were running on fumes, and that he wanted to contribute something, anything, as quickly as possible and get back to his carrier without having to ditch. I certainly would have tossed doctrine overboard & done the same thing. Which (you're right) would've been a mistake. That's why I always hang around with someone named "Best."

The thing that blows me away is how hard it was to sink the Yorktown. While I understand the ship had vastly different construction to the Japanese carriers, it just goes to show how devastating it was to be attacked while the hangars were full of fueled and armed planes.

I find it fascinating that Yamamoto guaranteed his superiors 6 months of uncontested dominance in the pacific after Pearl Harbor. 6 months to the day later, Midway.

@swewunna

2 жыл бұрын

Well he kept his words.

@full-timepog6844

2 жыл бұрын

Well seems like your 6 month trial is up.....

@pauldavis9387

2 жыл бұрын

@@full-timepog6844 nice one

@TheFrederic888

2 жыл бұрын

Though he was the one who proposed, designed and led PH attack! Having studied Harvard taught him nothing about Americans mindset.

@pauldavis9387

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheFrederic888 I think he understood well. He told them that the Americans were acting like pacifists because there had not been attacked. He stated that when Americans are attacked, they become the most bloodthirsty, ruthless killing machines in the world. Unfortunately his superiors didn’t believe him. They saw Americans as fat and lazy. We saw them as small and weak. We were both terribly wrong.

THE LEGEND RETURNS I’d been waiting so long, but it’s worth it

@MontemayorChannel

3 жыл бұрын

haha thanks Maverick Loggins!

@maverickloggins5470

3 жыл бұрын

Thank *you* man! I love your videos I can’t wait to see what else you make. Maybe Guadalcanal? lol fr tho just happy to see from you again

@hellascommentor

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel no, for a lot of us even if we don't know each other. You are a legend. We truly respect that objectivity and the amazing job you do for us. KZread, Netflix, etc. should give a show/create content for them and use your potential.

@zackyjenkinson6902

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel Thank you for making this. It is by far the most detailed video series on this naval battle. It would be great if you did one on the Indian Ocean Raid of 1942 since it gets nowhere near the attention it deserves as one of Britain's most humiliating naval defeats ever.

@jeffbenton6183

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel Could you do the other carrier battles like Phillipine Sea and Santa Cruz, please? I'll wait.

The lesson of this series. Clear, accurate, early Intelligence is worth a mountain of gold.

After the battle and after interviewing the survivors, some junior staff officers in Tokyo figured out quickly there had to be a security breach which meant their J-25 code was breached. It was practically obvious. Incredible that two US task forces were in exactly the right position at the right time. These junior officers also suspected a security breach derailed the Port Moresby invasion a month earlier. A US task force had popped up in the Coral Sea to spoil the top secret Japanese invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea. In the whole Pacific Ocean , the US task force chose to operate in the Coral Sea just at the time of Port Moresby operation.. A delegation of Japanese staff officers went to the Naval Ministry in Tokyo and suggested to high-ranking intelligence officers that J-25 had been broken. Their suggestions were brushed off as 'impossible by intelligence brass.

11:33 "But before we get to the attack, we're gonna pause here for a bit." At first I checked the video length, to see if this maybe was the end of this video and another was coming in a few months. Then I thought, okay, it's got to be the inevitable sponsor plug. But no. It's actually another great, informative segment. Thanks for this, I didn't know videos like this still existed. Great job overall, well worth the wait!

@MontemayorChannel

3 жыл бұрын

haha thanks Zernautscher. that would be cruel to plug in a sponsor segment right before the climatic moment.

@SerRompalot

3 жыл бұрын

Actually, I got an ad perfectly after he said that, haha.

@borjita0

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel Please, please, please do go another year without posting. Amazing work!

@josephboen178

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel I actually got AD on that exact moment hahah, but good work

Japan: We will plan meticulously for this operation, everyone will follow orders. America: "Effff the commander, we going south bois." "Hey, I know we're lost, we should totally follow that ship." Nailed it.

@DylanJo123

2 жыл бұрын

The amount of luck these mad men had during the battle was something else

@RivetGardener

2 жыл бұрын

Yes we will attack Midway. Doesn't matter that the US aircraft carriers we wanted to sink at Pearl Harbor were not there. Forget about them...they won't be near Midway.

@gorkyd7912

2 жыл бұрын

@@DylanJo123 There's no such thing as luck.

@jedimasterdraco6950

2 жыл бұрын

@@RivetGardener Technically Japanese idea was that they would seize Midway relatively quickly and then force the Americans to fight a battle on their terms. That said, the only other time the Japanese had made a landing where they were directly opposed was at Wake Island. And even after said island (with a much lower degree of fortification than Midway) had been smashed by the Kidou Butai, they still put up a hell of a fight. Had they attempted a landing at Midway, it probably would've gotten rather nasty.

@Saurophaganax1931

2 жыл бұрын

​@@jedimasterdraco6950 I don’t think their plan actually involved landing troops on Midway. The Japanese knew the US fleet would only take a few days to sail there from Hawaii and they would never be able to occupy the island by then. Like they weren’t stupid. Their real target was the US carrier fleet. Attacking the island was just the bait to draw them out.

While it is totally tragic that we, humans, spend so very much effort, time, and resources destroying things, this story is very, very well told in its three segments. And, once again, I totally appreciate the technique of "you only know what they knew at the time" (more or less, we do have history books, etc). Life is hugely different if you are the one actually in the game, rather than the critic sitting in the "peanut gallery" the day after the game.

No other documentary (and I've read and watched quite a few) helped me to visualize and understand the battle of Midway as well as Montemayor has done. I hope you continue to produce many more war documentaries.

Americans winning through not even following their own plans is just so perfect

@oKirin-

3 жыл бұрын

Classic American military strategy.

@TheEDFLegacy

3 жыл бұрын

@@oKirin- Throw things at walls and see what sticks? And if all else fails, throw bigger things? 😉

@illuminati.official

3 жыл бұрын

@@oKirin- Works for everything but a land war in Asia.

@eodyn7

3 жыл бұрын

@@illuminati.official The US has never truly fought an all out land war in Asia. Korea was a borderline policing action and Vietnam wasn't all out war. Way too many doctrines that they had to follow. Basically fighting with one arm behind your back.

@brotlowskyrgseg1018

3 жыл бұрын

This reminds me of that probably apocryphal, though definitely accurate, assessment by Soviet military strategists: "A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine."

The more I learn about history, the more I feel that most major events are engendered by a stream of coincidences.

@HitokiriShaggyTTV

3 жыл бұрын

He is my original poster I subscribed to. I've added a total of 4 in the few years since.

@tristankreller5830

3 жыл бұрын

"No plan survives the first enemy contact" - Helmuth von Moltke

@NaumRusomarov

3 жыл бұрын

wars are mostly battles of numbers -- of people and industrial production. by the end of the war, the us had something like a hundred carriers and a thousands other warships. that's a production of a bit more than 2 carriers per month.

@fearedjames

3 жыл бұрын

@@tristankreller5830 In this case, the US's plan actually died before first contact, but sheer luck pulled a victory out of thin air.

@fearedjames

3 жыл бұрын

@@NaumRusomarov They are often heavily controlled by them, but there is plenty of David vs Goliath examples in history. In the case of WW2, it was an ant trying to take on a tank. American industrial power was insane, even if the Americans fucked up every military operation they did, they may as well of had infinite resources compared to any other nation in WW2. There's a statistic somewhere that shows that America had over 50% the entire worlds industrial capacity.

This mini series is probably the best visual break down of the battle ever. Well done

I've watched all three of your Midway videos and I think that you've done a fantastic job describing events both from the Japanese POV and the American POV. WOW, you have really put everything into layman's English. Thank you so much for your efforts.

Never clicked so fast. Especially since I saw the new film Midway AFTER seeing Part I. Your first video was so spot on, that it's basically a custom-made companion piece to Midway. I watched as your video played out on the movie screen, and I was able to keep my confused buddies up to date on what was happening. It was glorious.

@MontemayorChannel

3 жыл бұрын

ah, that's great man. I'm glad i was able to bring some clarity to this confusing battle.

@lonewoulf

3 жыл бұрын

I actually have been to the US WW2 museum since part 1 came out, and was explaining several parts of the battle to my friends I was with. Great feeling!

@mr.s2005

3 жыл бұрын

personally I just wish they got the right order of the U..S. torpedo plane attacks and had included Yorktown's Torpedo planes. Though I understand for the sake of time and money why they didn't include or any of the U.S fighter pilots contributions, probably cheaper to only show anti-aircraft fire taking shooting down the planes instead of the zeros.

@dbznappa

3 жыл бұрын

I know right!! I was surprised how much I loved Midway. I think it was because of part one of this series. As much as I loved Midway however, this series knocked it out of the park, and I will watch it many times over the years!

@jessepolka

3 жыл бұрын

@@MontemayorChannel It was a superb job of historical writing and filming. Thank you....

Murphy’s Laws of Combat 18: If your attack is going well, you have walked into an ambush.

@NimbleBard48

3 жыл бұрын

Murphy’s Laws of Combat 19: Unless you are Germans. Then you are just owning.

@bobbyfeet2240

3 жыл бұрын

*cough* Russia *cough*

@richardhall9815

3 жыл бұрын

Or unless you're bombing Pearl Harbor.

@kereminde

3 жыл бұрын

I prefer the Maxim 47 version: "Don't expect the enemy to cooperate in the creation of your dream engagement." And, supplementing that, Maxim 22: "If you can see the whites of their eyes, somebody's done something wrong."

@academyofshem

3 жыл бұрын

The Japanese also forgot about the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #53: Never trust anybody taller than you.

Brilliant. Thank you for this lesson. Beautiful.

I thought I knew all about Midway, but this has enhanced things considerably. Great clear narrative and graphics, brilliant!

Lt. Cmdr. John C. Waldron was a true hero. Disobeying Mitscher and Ring's orders and flying his devastators south unassisted to where he knew the carriers were, Waldron likely knew he was headed on a suicide mission that had little chance to succeed. And yet, his sacrifice and that of his squadron is what delayed the launching of Nagumo's counterstrike and drew away the Japanese fighter cover, which made the devastaing success of the subsequent dive bombers possible.

@richardhall9815

3 жыл бұрын

Balls of steel

@Fieramosca492

3 жыл бұрын

the japanese air cover was drew away by Yorktown torpedo squadron, but nevertheless a true hero

@Korkzor

3 жыл бұрын

@@Fieramosca492 Yes, but his attack stopped the Japanese from launching a counterattack since you normally don't spot and launch aircraft during an attack both due to the risk and needing the flight deck for reequipping the fighter cover.

@dickyarya8204

3 жыл бұрын

I do like that one b26 bomber pilot, he knew his plane was going down and as a final measure of retaliation he tried to do suicide crash course toward the carrier. True hero

@Th3Kingism

3 жыл бұрын

It was amazing that his plane carried him to the IJN CV group because his balls were so huge they should've made it impossible for his plane to take off from the Hornet.

Montemayor, a sincere thank you. When I was 13, a friend and I were dropped off at the local movie theater in 1976 to see the movie Midway. I couldn't have been more excited. We sat on the first row... straining to look up at the show. I came out of the movie with a very biased and troubled view of the battle and the horror and utter futility of the American planes. All these years later... you have done what Hollywood could not... put it all into perspective and mitigate the mismatches... the decisions... the misconceptions and the luck. I really, truly, appreciate your effort in these 3 videos to so thoroughly explain and probe the tactics and intricate nuances that ran throughout this battle and the ramifications that came from it all. Thank you.

@jkorshak

3 жыл бұрын

​@Marc Singleton I saw the Surround in the theater. By then I already knew the history and was annoyed by all the newsreel footage showing the wrong aircraft - plus the turgid family drama involving Chuck Heston, his son, and his Japanese American fiancee was crap. But the opening sequence with the Doolittle Raid lifting off in Sensurround was fantastic.

@vcv6560

3 жыл бұрын

@Robert Mardis I was 15 that summer, took the bus to Westwood to see it in Sensorround. 40+ years later the story still fascinates.

@blueboats7530

3 жыл бұрын

Here, here . . . very well said Robert. I was 20 in 1976 so I already had a bit more tolerance for organizational dysfunction, but seeing this all so well laid out by Montemayor I'm also seeing the madness had rhythm.

@jkorshak

3 жыл бұрын

@Marc Singleton Yeah, I was 12 when I saw Midway with Chuck Heston and knew the battle, knew the aircraft - remember leaving with my brother and we were telling each other Tora Tora Tora was better, all the newsreel footage was wrong, and Midway sucked.

@vcv6560

3 жыл бұрын

@@jkorshak Haha, saw all that too, and still went three times, but only the first with Sensorround

Just wanted to thank you for this excellent presentation. I learned a great deal and was struck by how simple and effective the visuals were too. I spent a lifetime in the training business and being able to convey abstract information with a minimum of resources is one of the toughest things to do. And you pulled it off beautifully!

13:12 Another interesting note, was that Torpedo planes drop their torpedos into the water at about 100ft, but the dive bombers begin their dive at 20,000ft. So not only was the CAP in the wrong location on the 2-dimensional plane of battle, but from the 3-dimensional perspective, they were also 20,000ft too low to effectively shoot the dive bombers from behind their tail as they dove. -> Indeed if the insane luck of the timings were any different, the attack wouldn't have been decisive. But beyond that, if by luck that penultimate wave had been dive bombers instead, the Zero's would've already been at 20,000ft, making a counter-attack on the additional waves of dive bombers much more viable once they were spotted. (In particular, if TF-16's dive bombers had directly flown to the Kido Butai, which was in-fact the original intent of the US Airforce, then the Zero's would've made work of the first squadron, and been in perfect position at 20,000ft to make work of the second squadron as well.)

@Piemur1

2 жыл бұрын

Additionally, when they WERE in position at altitude for the next day's battle with Hiryu's final stand, they were simply too depleted having lost 3 other carriers' worth of fighters to be able to hold back the remaining dive bombers going up against her. Sure they likely had fighters landing on her from the other carriers, but simply not enough to hold them all back which allowed a cluster of them to make their bombing runs against Hiryu.

All the men who died on both sides that day... in their planes or on ships, through explosions, fire, shrapnel or drowning R.I.P.

@allangibson8494

3 жыл бұрын

A half dozen of the American aircrew were captured by the Japanese and executed.

@alank4558

3 жыл бұрын

@@allangibson8494 Yea, makes it hard to be empathetic towards most Imperial Japanese soldiers :/ I mean, no doubt Americans did messed up things, but even Germans wanted to be their prisoners since they were fed well. Bruh, Japanese executed to save rice.

@ChibiViolin

3 жыл бұрын

Knights of Bushido. Read it.

@KeiwaM

3 жыл бұрын

@@alank4558 Them Japanese on the ship didn't. They are equally to blame as every single American is to blame for the geonicide of the Native Americans. Its literally just disrespectful to imply that every Japanese soldier were to blame.

@lambeezy5014

3 жыл бұрын

@@KeiwaM You’ve obviously never heard the story of Louie Zamperini

The really terrifying part of naval warfare is that it took years and a vast amount of resources to build the infamous kido butai carrier fleet...just to have 3 of those carriers destroyed in 5 minutes, and the 4th some hours later, by a couple of cheap carrier planes.

@gincatgoogle6213

3 жыл бұрын

Hypersonic missiles are the same (cheap to build and devastating).

@Cobra-King3

2 жыл бұрын

@@gincatgoogle6213 I wouldn't call them cheap, but when compared to ships, then yes, considered cheap

@hengineer

2 жыл бұрын

I saw the timeline of the ending of the 1st video and was like "Wait Midway was decided in 4 freaking minutes?"

@bkmeahan

2 жыл бұрын

That is the criticism of modern aircraft carriers. They are so expensive in and of themselves. Add in the air wings and personnel and they are too valuable to risk in real battle. The loss of even one would be devastating.

@andrewzheng4038

2 жыл бұрын

Tbf those "cheap carrier planes" had to come from big expensive carriers themselves. If you think of the planes as weapons of the carriers (which they are) the ratio of build vs. destruction resources is way less lopsided

This guy makes by far, the best war documentaries I’ve ever seen.

i watched all 3 parts, this is very educational, informative and very well done video(s). I'm really glad there were no jokes, adds, words from the sponsors, and other distractions. I learned a lot and I'm really thankfull for this. Good animation, good audio quality, very well done.

Lt. Cmdr. Waldron is a local hero of my hometown. The traffic bridge across the Missouri River is named after him.

@davereynolds9301

3 жыл бұрын

He was a true hero

After such a long cliffhanger, he hits us with 2 videos in a row.

This is a terrific accounting of a pivotal battle. The combination of documentation and visual depiction makes the battle come alive in a way I've never experienced before. Four minutes that changed history. Indeed!

I just completed watching your Midway videos and was completely impressed. This is one of the best overviews of the battle. Thanks for all the work, will definitely be sharing.

Having now watched this final part - BRAVO. Just like before and other histories, Top Notch. Best history presentations on KZread. Thank you. Just, next time - please - drop us a note so we know you're okay! I was seriously worried something bad happened. I humbly request you next Go Big and tackle the actions and events leading to the Action off Samar, Leyte Gulf, October 25, 1944. We'll wait. Best wishes to you!

@fakecubed

3 жыл бұрын

I would LOVE a Montemayor Leyte Gulf series. Probably quite a lot of work and many parts, but it'd be so good.

@generalhyde007

3 жыл бұрын

I think he’s doing Guadalcanal next.

@ilikedota5

3 жыл бұрын

@@fakecubed hahaha American battleships go boom boom on the out-ranged Japanese battleships.

@fakecubed

3 жыл бұрын

Hyde If he does the whole Pacific Theater of WW2 I would not mind at all.

@Commanderstevo

3 жыл бұрын

I second this. That battle was quite the flustercuck, The USS Johnston will need its own episode.

Yamamoto: "Give me my decisive battle already, you heathen." Nimitz: "Oh okay." Yamamoto: "Wait no that's not supposed to happen."

@nikkolodian9517

3 жыл бұрын

They badly want to use their battleships on a decisive battle

@str2010

3 жыл бұрын

Japanese naval command basically screwed themselves when they put Nagumo in charge

@earlcollinsworth4914

3 жыл бұрын

Yamamoto: "Holy Bomb holes batman! I think they got us once or twice!

@mlc4495

2 жыл бұрын

I know this is a joke but Nimitz refused to give them their Battle of Tsushima because he withdrew early when the main surface force gave chase. This was smart on the part of the Americans. They basically engaged in hit-and-run tactics with the Japanese, only engaging when they were confident of winning. Once the US industrial capacity was dialled up to 11 and they were spitting out carriers, battleships, destroyers and other naval assets every week did they go on the offensive and gladly give the IJN the "Kantai Kessen" they were so keen for. In fact they gave them their Kantai Kessen on several occasions.

@Cobra-King3

2 жыл бұрын

@@mlc4495 we shall compare the Nation's Industrial Output on a scale of 1-10 USSR: 9 to 10 average UK: 7 to 8 All the time Germany: 7 to 8, maybe 9 in some cases Japan: 7 at most, averaging 6 Italy: 3 to 4, 5 if they're lucky France: 6 to 7 if they got the chance USA: 20, somehow, on a scale of 1-10

Just watched the whole series. This is the best series describing this battle I've seen. The photo's you used are really incredible. to see them in such detail really makes it more real. Thank you for telling both sides there story.

Excellent chronological mapping of the battles. Made it so laymen could understand what took place.

Americans in 1944 with 15 aircraft carriers: so we have done some building off camera

@vbscript2

3 жыл бұрын

And with 27 in 1945. - lol - To go along with 18 battleships. And that's exactly why Montemayor's conclusion is correct. Midway changed the course of the war, but not its ultimate outcome. Of course, it really ended up being just 2 bombs - with the promise of more where they came from - that ultimately ended the war.

@samsilberstein8758

3 жыл бұрын

@@vbscript2 and add to that total the escort carriers ; you have about 100 yes Hundred aircraft carrying ships in the fleet!

@Mattoropael

3 жыл бұрын

@@vbscript2 Even those two bombs were indicative of American industrial power. Project Manhattan was successful (compared to other wartime nuclear programs) partially because the Americans had enough leftover resource and capability for a _side project_ , amidst fighting a war in two major theatres and providing vast amount of supplies to allies there.

@jackthorton10

3 жыл бұрын

Uncle Sam is a Might man

@joshduthie3401

3 жыл бұрын

@@Mattoropael just look at the victory ships. Enormous ships, built in huge numbers in astonishing time. Only America has that capability, and once it was woken, it was only a matter of time.

Like a wandering pilot stumbling onto an undefended carrier group, I just discovered all three of these videos this evening and watched them in sequence! Talk about luck! What a wonderful documentary by Montemayor!

@tomiblom2951

2 жыл бұрын

@@ML0694 Same. :)

@rmsteutonic3686

2 жыл бұрын

Spent my New Year’s Day evening on these videos

@davidcroft9320

2 жыл бұрын

Me - watching over & over and doing some more learning - further study and analysis

You have created the BEST telling and illustration of the history of the Battle of Midway, that I've yet seen (and I've seen all or nearly all). Thank you, I know this took a lot of work. A true masterpiece.

Amazing presentation. Ive been a WWII history enthusiast for over a decade and yours is something special. Thank you

What was left out was what the Japanese did after this humiliating defeat. They tried to keep it a total secret. Even isolating survivors to keep the loss from the rest of the military and the civilians at home.

@jrodriguez1374

2 жыл бұрын

I mean, it was such a monumental defeat. It surely would've crushed fighting spirit

@Raptor747

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's downright horrifying. Most of the survivors would end up being sent off to die in distant islands without even getting a chance to see their families or write to them.

@vejet

2 жыл бұрын

Good call, the war might've been over in 6 months had word of this morally devastating loss reached the masses

@DonVigaDeFierro

2 жыл бұрын

Damn, that's awful. I can't imagine what was like for those men to know they weren't going to be honored despite their sacrifice.

@amanofnoreputation2164

2 жыл бұрын

@@jrodriguez1374 Almost as severe as the loss of the naval code, since Japanese wartime propaganda hinged on westerners being incapable of understanding Japanese.

Being someone who NEVER subscribes or clicks on the bell for ANYTHING... this is saying a lot about the quality and dedication to your craft.

@joshuaurbany6468

3 жыл бұрын

Ditto mah dude

@robjones8733

3 жыл бұрын

I totally agree!

@rg20322

3 жыл бұрын

Watch the rest of his videos - they are exceptional!

I bet this took so much hard work to put together! You deserve wild success here my friend, thank you so much for this!

What a tremendous video series! You did such an amazing job with your editing, narration and overall cleaver way of explaining this battle. I've seen as many midway videos I can on KZread and yours is the most superior! Best breakdown and approach to explaining this battle. Keep it up and I'll be watching all of your videos like this! Well done!!

Montemayor, THANK YOU for this piece. As someone who owns almost every book on Midway from Gordon Prange to Craig Symonds, I am extremely thankful you acknowledge Fletcher's correct decision making and Yorktown's experience. It does history true justice. You should be proud. Salute!

@JoshMD2009

3 жыл бұрын

Adm. Fletcher is probably one of, if not the most underrated Carrier commander in history (and probably more maligned that he deserved). It's a shame that his career is somewhat tied to the sinking of two US carriers in quick succession under his watch (as well as his "abandoning" of the Guadalcanal landing forces). But then again, those battles were basically the two major battles wherein the US Fleet was the underdog, so it still speaks to his brilliance.

@thegoodcaptain1217

3 жыл бұрын

Joshua Unsay agreed. But even the “abandoning” bit was apparently mostly spun by Turner as the carriers were never supposed to stay longer. “Black Shoe Carrier Admiral” by Lundstrom clears Fletchers name by and large... ...although it’s also depressing reading about other admirals ripping apart his reputation.

@JoshMD2009

3 жыл бұрын

@@thegoodcaptain1217 I wholeheartedly agree that the "abandoning" spin is undeserved. It also didn't help that Adm. King became sour on him after Corral Sea and Midway (Adm. King loved the Lexington, and for him it was unforgivable for Adm. Fletcher to have had her scuttled).

In barely any of the documentaries I see about Midway, Lt. Richard Best has been included, so I applaud you for including him. As a fun fact, Lt. Best also was 1 of the 4 pilots to get a hit on the attack on the Hiryu, making him the first pilot to succesfully bomb 2 Japanese carriers in one day, which got Admiral Moorer and Vice Admiral Houser to make a serious but unsuccesful effort to recommend him for an Medal of Honor after his death in 2001. Edit: typo's

@cosmic1035

3 жыл бұрын

Watch the movie midway, its about Lt. Best

@Inc1neRyu

3 жыл бұрын

I watched it back in december, good movie

@raymondchen4742

3 жыл бұрын

Lt Kleiss also hit 2cvs but best did well and sank a carrier alone

@johnh2410

3 жыл бұрын

Dusty Kleiss scored hits on two carriers that day - Kaga and Hiryu - while also landing a bomb on a cruiser on the last day of battle so he was 3 for 3. Nevertheless, it was Dick Best whose sole hit on Akagi doomed that carrier. Sadly, Best would never fly again after June 4th. His lungs were harmed by caustic soda in his oxygen system which triggered latent tuberculosis.

@protonjones54

3 жыл бұрын

You edited the comment for typos and STILL haven't noticed "carries"???

Japan: That’s got to be the best pilot I’ve ever seen Nagumo: So it would seem. America: Shit, what’s going on, is that the enemy?!

@jtdiomond1

2 жыл бұрын

"Huh. That's... that's not our carriers, is it?"

This series kept popping up in my feed, and I'm glad I finally took the time to watch. I really enjoyed this three-part analysis. I especially appreciate your analysis of the Japanese dilemma, and the role that the initial American attacks played - while they did not do any damage, they delayed the Japanese response. I'll take luck, skill, and a broken code over just about anything else.

Key Factor: Element of Surprise

@thomas.02

3 жыл бұрын

to use a probably overused meme, IJN: we have the element of surprise USN: no u

@Thirdbase9

3 жыл бұрын

And fear. Surprise and fear!

@zuenseow

3 жыл бұрын

@@thomas.02 USN intelligence was their Reverse card

@nillynush4899

3 жыл бұрын

Arguably the best thing to have, devastating to morale.

@reubensandwich9249

3 жыл бұрын

Which one? Montemayor finishing the series or the actual battle?

ITS FINALLY HERE! AFTER ALL THIS TIME. Thank you so much Monte!

Wow, Ive watched Every midway video you have created. I can't tell you how many docs Ive watched and still confused after. Your videos were so visual that now I want to go back and watch it so much more informed. Thank you so much! Awesome work.

My father served during World War ll and was in the Battle of the Bulge so of course I have read and watched many accounts of that but this Midway documentary is the best of them all. I can only imagine how much time was spent on this work of art. Thanks for all you did to bring this to us.

Japan: My Emperor.. All our carefully laid plans have become undone! America: Mr. President, we have FAILED SUCCESSFULLY!

@mkvv5687

3 жыл бұрын

"When in trouble or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout" :)

Dry dock inspection of USS Yorktown after Battle of the Coral Sea, "She needs 2 weeks of repair." Pearl Harbor yard workers, "F that. Give us 48 hours." Great videos as always.

@adamtruong1759

3 жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure it went more like: "We estimate 3 months to get USS Yorktown fully repaired." "You have 72 hours."

@hunterjordan5683

2 жыл бұрын

@@adamtruong1759 Pissed off workers and im assuming qaudruple overtime are a hell of a drug.

@Cobra-King3

2 жыл бұрын

@@hunterjordan5683 probably got compensated with a long rest and double pay for 72 hours, then 1,400 dry dock workers repairing the ship

@Football-Steve

2 жыл бұрын

A lot of the engineers were still on the ship. It’s the biggest reason they got it operational again after the first attack.

@jaypee9575

2 жыл бұрын

They must have borrowed Scotty from the Enterprise.

2 years later and I found this randomly. AWESOME job. I learned and enjoyed this 3 part vid. THANKS

this is so much better a way to learn than just reading a bunch of names in a book. I got confused by all the names and places and dates way back in the 70's/80's in school learning all this. These type of videos are so much easier to remember and understand. Thank you for this.

You have to give it to those torpedo bomber pilots. They had no fighter cover, their planes were out-dated and slow, they had to fly low and in a straight-line to a moving target all while getting shot at by unopposed Zero fighters. If they made it through the fighter screen, they had to survive withering fire from the screening vessels and the carrier itself. However the real kicker at that early stage of the war is that even if they got to the release point the torpedoes they were carrying had less than 50% chance of exploding even if they did everything right!

@davidcroft9320

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. High level Heavy and Medium Bombers =0; Torpedo Bombers =0; Dive Bombers from Midway =0; Latrine Hygiene 2nd. clarss Mitscher in Hornet =0; and the rest did it. They all did their best with what they had - RIP

@starrionx1

2 жыл бұрын

50% was optimistic. The weapons group had NEVER tested the torpedoes under realistic conditions, so they didn't really know what the performance would be.

@jeffweeble6669

Жыл бұрын

bravest people during WW2 were devastator pilots.

So basically what happened was: Japanese: The Americans had planned for this! Americans: ¿?¿?

@v44n7

3 жыл бұрын

to be fair, the american had a tactical improvisation during the battle. but they choose the strategic situation months before. They choose how and when to fight the japanese. In war tactics should be like that, tactical improvisation in the moment but strategic planning

@MadSpectro7

3 жыл бұрын

Americans: We sorta planned for this. I'll be honest, we're kinda lucky, but we have a knack for getting lucky.

@SleepNeed

3 жыл бұрын

There’s an apocryphal (so likely false) quote from a German general that said during his postwar debriefing that “The reason the American Army does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the American Army practices it on a daily basis.” Same for a supposed Soviet observation is claimed to have said that “A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine.”

@HaiLHaiLHaiLo

3 жыл бұрын

@@SleepNeed a country full of mavericks

@jackthorton10

3 жыл бұрын

Wolverines!

Nicely done. This is a unique presentation of a monumental historic event. I really like the simplicity of the graphics, it effectively portrays the narrative without superfluous details. Your analysis of the events is compelling and thoughtful. I was entertained throughout all three episodes. Thank you for your work. Ed

This series of presentations is so well done, so clear and comprehensive, with such detail and effective summaries. If you're looking around for WWII stories and analysis, these 3 videos are time well spent.

You really did a great job on all your videos. The Midway series is by far the most complete and accurate breakdown of the battle I have ever seen.

@Chapelrone

3 жыл бұрын

What? I never expected you to be here, anyways, love your videos.

@TirarADeguello

3 жыл бұрын

@@Chapelrone Hey, good to see you, yes, huge fan of this young man's work. He is absolutely amazing in his attention to detail and fact checking.

@dragooll2023

3 жыл бұрын

@@TirarADeguello i was just watching a video of yours!

Thank you. This is the only explanation of the flight to nowhere I’ve heard up until now. .

Thank you for your amazing videos. I just watched the 2019 Hollywood movie “Midway” yesterday and, frankly, your three-part video is not only more informative but it’s easily more entertaining. Well done. This is a must watch for any WWII student.

No one ever remembers Dusty Kleiss who was 1 of only 2 men who delivered hits to two different carriers that day. He also hit one of the cruisers as well.

@Don113

3 жыл бұрын

Also that Jimmy Thach implemented the very first combat iteration of the famous Thach Weave, which allowed the inferior Wildcats to successfully engage the far superior Zeros.

@Mustang_Dan

3 жыл бұрын

@@Don113 Everyone remembers Jimmy Thatch and his “Thatch-weave” maneuver.

@Talrich77

3 жыл бұрын

@@Don113 Jimmy Thach and the Thach Weave was referenced in the first video (1/3) in this series.

@Don113

3 жыл бұрын

@@Talrich77 Jeez, it's been a while since I watched it then. That, or my memory is turning to dogshit.

@neogenesis7706

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah we watched the movie too.

Imagine ur just chilling in a carrier and than all of a sudden you see over 70 planes fill up the sky on both sides

@leovang3425

3 жыл бұрын

imagine you're in the worlds largest battleship and nearly 300 planes swarm you like crows above a dead cow.

@nikkolodian9517

3 жыл бұрын

@@leovang3425 a beautiful and scary sight

@jorgezerovsterran527

2 жыл бұрын

Terrifying

@kekoaiverson8040

2 жыл бұрын

I’m sure they weren’t thinking they were struggling to survive everyone had a job to do even more when they are bombing your ship I’m sure when you’re about to die you go in to auto pilot to try to survive I’m sure a lot just jumped ship

One of the finest analysis of any KZread battle I have seen. Well done Montemayor and thank you. Subscribed.

All three parts are excellent, clear and systematically presented. No repetition of facts or not relevant distracting footage is presented. Also the aftermath is very clear. In my humble opinion is this documentary about the battle of Midway one of the best, if not the best, I have ever seen.

What I’ve learned: A little bit of radar, some dumb luck, the gut of a guy named McClusky, and the observance of a dude named Best that won the US this day... 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ ‘MURICA

@ArthurMG00

3 жыл бұрын

If it works, it works :D

@bentos117

3 жыл бұрын

yeah, and also self-sacrifice, and work, and thinking of those on ships and aircrafts... and those, who made ships and bombs at home, analyzing what is needed (such as fire control on ships) and what is not... and overrall culture of "doing the things" (the pilot who ignored his superior's wrongly taken course, for example)... and, of course, luck... well earned victory

@SuperAsperatus

3 жыл бұрын

luck definitely played a role. but what I didn't know and what is shown that the US disorganization actually made those small attacks and prevente counter attacks. simply the best unintended consequence ever. :)

@ArthurMG00

3 жыл бұрын

@@SuperAsperatus I wouldnt call it the best, maybe if the american units that attacked escortlessly were to be used in a more organized way, the japanese ships would have sunked earlier, and there would be planes left to attack the last aircraft carrier, and the yorktown wouldve survived midway

@SilverforceX

3 жыл бұрын

Nah. They won the moment the cracked japanese coms code. In these naval warfare engagements, getting in the first strike when the enemy is not expecting it, is a sure win and the US knew where the IJN fleet was at all times.

Fun fact, Japan barely holding itself against about 20% of the American war effort. Once the War in Europe was going pear shaped for the Germans and the full might of the US industrial production was deployed against the Japanese, there was no way Japan could've avoided the outcome of the war. Their industrial base was too small to conduct the type of warfare necessary in a prolonged conflict. Once the Essex AND the Casablanca class carriers were being mass produced, the Americans had the potential to take on the Japanese Navy and Army air force in one go. Even if the Japanese had their carrier fleet intact, that would make no difference as the US could deploy more aircraft at any one location in the Pacific than the Japanese and this includes ground based air wings. Even if the Japanese took all the main island airports allowing them to mutually support each other in defense, the Sheer number of carriers the US put to sea would eventually negate this advantage! In 1943 Alone, the US put to sea 34 carriers of all types. That is an air wing complement of 1,380 aircraft! The available concentration of power was just orders of magnitude different.

@jshepard152

3 жыл бұрын

Yes. Attacking Pearl Harbor was an act of insanity.

@jvtagle

3 жыл бұрын

J Shepard “The best bad decision” -Potential History

@KapteeniKetza

3 жыл бұрын

throw enough shit on the wall and some of it will stick.-tactic

@VashtheStampede007

3 жыл бұрын

@Heldermaior , Fun fact, China was holding off more than 70% of Japanese military since the 1930s. 21 major engagements with each over a million troops involved right in China mainland. Also Germany had 80% of their forces destroyed in Russia. It is inaccurate just to look at what the US had been facing without looking at what the Japanese and Germans were facing. Simply put, the Axis was outnumbered, not the other way around.

@mkvv5687

3 жыл бұрын

@@VashtheStampede007 Could be. China itself was the catalyst for US problems with Japan. We helped as we could, considering the US was still isolationist.