THE SILVER WATERFALL

The latest addition to the abundant literature about the pivotal World War II naval battle.

Historians Simms and McGregor write that America’s vast industrial superiority guaranteed victory, but this was not apparent in the months after Pearl Harbor, when Japan’s forces annihilated nearly all opposition from Hawaii to the Indian Ocean. Delighted by this success but anxious to end the war, Japanese leaders decided to attack the U.S. base at Midway. While nearly all histories of the battle pay close attention to the actual fighting, the authors work hard to deliver new information. The first chapter is a biography of Ed Heinemann, designer of the Douglas Dauntless, the dive bomber responsible for the victory. The second concerns Adm. Chester Nimitz, who commanded the Navy in the Pacific and made the correct decisions. In the third chapter, Simms and McGregor explore the life of Norman Jack “Dusty” Kleiss, a pilot whose intense training prepared him for the day that would define his life. It’s no secret that the American fleet approached Midway with inferior numbers but better information thanks to the codebreakers who had learned Japanese plans. This became irrelevant once American reconnaissance detected the Japanese fleet and the U.S. carriers dispatched their strike force. Many squadrons never found the enemy, but several succeeded; within minutes, they sank three carriers and, later, a fourth. The authors emphasize the peerless contribution of the diver bombers. “In the after-action reports written by the task force commanders,” they write, “there was clarity that the battle had been decided neither by the high-level bombers nor by the torpedo bombers, but instead by the dive bombers”—especially the Douglas Dauntless, a superbly designed and sturdy but hardly cutting-edge weapon. Adding that it was paid for and built during peacetime, the authors conclude with a look at China, which now possesses the world’s largest navy, and they urge American leaders to pay attention to the underfunded, overstretched U.S. Navy.

Satisfying World War II history.