The unknown Battle of Midway : the destruction of the American torpedo squadrons / Alvin Kernan ; foreword by Donald Kagan and Frederick Kagan.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-175) and index.

Foreword / Donald Kagan and Frederick Kagan -- 1. The destruction of the American battle line at Pearl Harbor -- 2. Trading armor for speed : the new battle line -- 3. Obsolete "devastators" and obsolescent "wildcasts" -- 4. Duds : the great American torpedo scandal -- 5. Indians and "ringknockers" : personnel of the Midway torpedo squadrons -- 6. Attack : "my God, this is just like watching a movie" -- 7. "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley" : command failures -- 8. "Sorry about that" : survival -- App. 1. Flight personnel of the torpedo squadrons at Midway -- App. 2. Chronology of American torpedo attacks at Midway -- App. 3. The hornet air group course on the morning of June 4 -- App. 4. Gas consumption in the TBD.

"The Battle of Midway is considered the greatest U.S. naval victory, but behind the luster is the devastation of the American torpedo squadrons. Of the 51 planes sent to attack Japanese carriers only 7 returned, and of the 126 aircrew only 29 survived. Not a single torpedo hit its target." "A story of avoidable mistakes and flawed planning, The Unknown Battle of Midway reveals the enormous failures that led to the destruction of four torpedo squadrons but were omitted from official naval reports: the planes that ran out of gas, the torpedoes that didn't work, the pilots who had never dropped torpedoes, and the breakdown of the attack plan. Alvin Kernan, who was present at the battle, has written a troubling but persuasive analysis of these and other little-publicized aspects of this great battle."--BOOK JACKET.