Nice job on the five-minute ass kicking in the Pacific! Sure, luck was involved, but so were balls of steel. Talk about making the most of your opportunities.

A shoutout also to Ford City Theatre, whose skinny ushers assured us that we'd be able to feel (the film) Midway's bombing scenes in our feet. We could. It was awesome. Them Coke machines that spit out a little ice and then poured the sugar water in a soon-to-be-sweating plastic-coated paper cup were sweet, too. Had to share one with my brothers and sisters, so I only got a swig or two, but that was awesome.

Sagman, Bennett, Robbins, Oppenheim, and Taft!

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I always wonder what would've happened if Yamamoto didn't divide his fleet. If he doesn't pursue the Aleutian ruse and send 2 carriers there, he would then have 6 at Midway instead of his 4. It was a diversion that had little strategic value

I also wonder what happens if the Japanese rushed to repair their damaged CV from Coral Sea as the US did with Yorktown. That would've given them 7 in theater. Even with all of the luck and intelligence work that went into the US side on Midway, 7 carriers would've been too much for the American fleet to overcome. Or what if Yorktown couldn't be put back to sea with the band-aid job they had only 72 hours to perform before the battle.

So many ways that battle could've gone differently.

The 72 hours of repairing Yorktown and getting her back to sea after the beating she took at Coral Sea may have been the most important 72 hours a ship has ever spent in drydock.

Here is what they faced:

https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/sto ... coral-sea/

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

90 days estimated, and she limped out there after three...that's some serious Willis Reed shit right there!! Willis x 14 million.

Also: Yep @ everything else.

Are you sure we aren't related? I have pretty close to the exact same memories of seeing that movie. Except I vaguely remember cheering after the last Japanese carrier bought it.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

New Midway film is coming out in November.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Did the outcome change?

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

It's questionable if they even had the capability and resources to do such a thing. And a combined fleet would have led to more Japanese ships at the bottom of the ocean. Ships and material they couldn't replace.

if you think 3 carriers taking on 7 would've still led to an American victory, I'd like to have what you're smoking.

Heck, the additional scouting resources of those other carriers probably mean the American carriers get spotted first. Scouting/lack of scouting was everything in that battle.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

That's fine, the Japanese could have won or pushed at Midway and they still lose the war. They were playing with the clock always counting down. We weren't.

As for scouting, I agree, but we still knew details of the Japanese battle plan in advance and Yamamoto still had to follow Japanese doctrine. Even if they achieve victory they still lose 2 carriers maybe more and those loses, as with any ship, couldn't be replaced.

We probably are. I think I am related to half the South Side. Or maybe it's just that I've seen every South Sider at Ford City?