The recent attempted anti-ship ballistic missile tests by Iran against a mock-up of a modern-day US aircraft carrier in effect mimicked the “Rods from the Gods” attacks from above that US and Japanese carrier borne dive bomber aircraft did during World War II. Of course, you need to know where the enemy carriers are before your side can attempt such strikes (whether via a ballistic missile or a dive bomber) on these strategically important capital ships. Modern day large aircraft carriers – dubbed “super carriers” – are actually very difficult to hide in this modern day era of satellite reconnaissance and signals intelligence satellites. The fact that China now has anti-ship ballistic missiles and space-based naval reconnaissance capability may thus be a hint to the US and Royal Navies that it would be better risk sharing bet to have more smaller less easy to target and hit “escort” carriers carrying VSTOL F-35B jets plus helicopters, rather than having all their eggs (their naval aircraft) in just few very large “super-carriers”.
Mind you, in the World War II battles of 1942 there were no satellites around and naval intelligence relied on radio signal code breaking to work out the disposition of an enemy’s aircraft carriers – most important ships in any sea battle. And this is the basis of the story in the movie Midway (2019) (now on DVD/Blu-ray and on Amazon Prime) which tells how naval intelligence, raw bravery and skill, plus a large measure of luck, influenced the outcome of this key World War II naval/air battle in the Pacific.
Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film depicts recounts the history of most of the naval battles from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941 right up to the main event, the Battle of Midway itself in June 1942.
Movie poster for Midway (2019) Courtesy: Lionsgate
Midway (2019) does not have any “major stars” but Ed Skrein puts his marker down for the future as the real life hero pilot Dick Best. Mind you, the senior Admiral roles with some old famous faces including Woody Harrelson as Nimitz and Dennis Quaid as an irascible Halsey. There are attempts to up the human interest in the telling of the personal stories of the main characters. However, it is the intelligence battle which makes the best back story with Patrick Wilson being the main star of that part of the show.
Dive-bombing Douglas Dauntless was real star of the show…as future star Grumman Avenger makes debut
Despite the best efforts of the actors, a bit like the jet fighter action film Top Gun (1986) starring Tom Cruise, it is actually the aircraft and the flying which come out as the stars – especially its Douglas Dauntless dive bomber. OK – most of the most violent flying sequences are computer generated – but the quality is good enough to suspend your disbelief. The film gets most of the story right (spoiler alert) – especially how the Japanese Admirals were hoodwinked by the US trap, how their their dithering over re-arming made their carriers especially vulnerable, and how the US Navy’s obsolescent Vought Vindicator torpedo bombers plus a few of the US Navy’s excellent new Grumman Avenger types (not shown), not only had duff conventional anti-ship torpedoes to contend with, they were all virtually wiped out by Japanese Zero fighters and ship anti-aircraft fire during their low and slow approach. However, thankfully their sacrifice was not in vain as it distracted the Zeros enough to give the US Dauntless dive bombers their chance to knock out the Japanese carrier fleet which was found by them following a destroyer.
*The Grumman Avenger was later shown to be excellent at dropping conventional torpedoes and bombs on surface ships, and in US and Royal Navy hands, it later became adept at submarine hunting in the Atlantic using depth charge bombs, rockets, and the revolutionary new Fido acoustically homing torpedo – then officially dubbed a “mine” for secrecy reasons.
But we digress. Back to the movie review in hand. There a soulful element described in the plot of Midway (2019) about the effect a battle has on aviators’ families back home. That said, this film is not all serious. There is (small) fun part with a documentary director not being held back by his injuries as he orders his cameraman to keep shooting as the air attacks begin on the Midway island.
The “Slow But Deadly” Douglas Dauntless SBD-3 during the Battle of Midway. Courtesy: US DoD
Too much time spent on Tokyo and not enough on the Battle of the Coral Sea
There are, however, some annoyances about the movie. For example, it spends too much time on covering Japan’s violent air attack at Pearl Harbour (it did need a mention not least because while they wiped out a large proportion of US battleships, the Japanese missed the US carriers – their main targets – which were out to sea at the time), and the Doolittle bomber raid on Tokyo which changed Japanese thinking. While the latter probably deserves its own film, is coverage does not leave enough time for the movie to detail the key “warm up act” of the Battle of Coral Sea which happened only a month before Midway. This battle actually had a major effect in that it evened up of the number of carriers each side had at Midway.
For, while the carrier USS Lexington was lost at the Battle of Coral Sea, and the USS Yorktown was badly damaged (only covered by a visual shot of it in the background) somehow the latter made it back Hawaii to be miraculously repaired in time to rejoin USS Enterprise and USS Hornet. Meanwhile, Japan’s Imperial Navy lost a light carrier Shoho at Coral Sea, its major fleet carrier Shokaku was so badly damaged than she had to return to Japan as did the fleet carrier Zuikaku due to it being devoid of most of its aircraft (surprisingly, she was not given Shokaku‘s available aircraft and stayed in port). Thus they both missed the Battle of Midway.
This meant that at the start of the Battle of Midway, the US Navy had three carriers (USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, USS Yorktown) while the Japanese Navy had four (Kaga, Akaki, Hiryu, Soryu).
Of course, there are some annoying technical inaccuracies in a film that did consciously strive to avoid them. For example, while Douglas Dauntless dive-bomber did the business in the film – and in real life – probably for artistic reasons they have incorrectly portrayed the later SBD-5 version of the Dauntless. Actually, it was the SBD-3 version (plus a few SBD-2s) which were at the Battle of Midway. They did not have a bright orange-lit reflector sight yet, relying on telescopic sight for bomb aiming and air-to-air combat.
Mind you, what the film did get right (albeit that the action is juiced up for cinematic effect) was just how good the “SBD – Slow But Deadly” Douglas Dauntless was, both at dive bombing (its perforated air-brake flaps were the key), and in fighting other aircraft.
Actually, while Douglas Dauntless might have lacked speed, with its good handling and hard hitting machine guns – front and back – in the right hands it could even take on the much vaunted agile – but fragile – Japanese Zero fighter. In fact, the rugged Dauntless actually shot down three times more aircraft than its own casualties during the war. Even more important, it destroyed more enemy naval shipping than any other aircraft. As already mentioned, the air-fighting and dive bombing action is great, although the director did miss a trick by not putting in a famous bit of dauntlessness with one of their rear gunners determinedly trying to shoot down Zero fighters using his Colt .45 auto pistol after his machine guns jammed.
The other moan about this film is that we see only the US Navy do its side of the bombing during the main battle. There is no coverage of the Japanese side doing the same. They are shown shown nearly always as defenders and not as efficient attackers. Only the burning or sinking US ship aftermaths are shown as the evidence of their air attack actions. The fact is that while the Battle of Midway was still an overwhelming US victory with all four Japanese carriers sunk, the US side also lost one: the venerable and already battle scared USS Yorktown was left in a listing condition by Japanese air attacks, before being finally sunk by a Japanese submarine’s torpedo.
Still these are relatively minor quibbles in what is a very entertaining and mainly accurate movie – one which will teach youngsters about a key moment in World War II. Before Midway it just seemed to be a series of defeats or skillfully executed defensive actions on the Allied side, the Battle of Britain being an example. After Midway the tide very much turned in favour of the allies on all fronts as Midway was soon followed by victories at El Alamein in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union.
Borrowing from the past – but beware of duff imitations
The Midway (2019) war movie is not the first to have covered the early years of the Pacific war and the historical turning point battle in the Pacific war. There was, of course, a proficient retelling made in The Battle of Midway (1976), even if it was overly reliant on old war and other footage (with even some from the Battle of Britain movie made in 1969) and has Charlton Heston as a way-too-old superannuated naval pilot. Mind you, his famous line to his character’s fighter pilot son has become legendary: “You had better shape up Tiger, or some hotshot Jap pilot is gonna flame your ass!”
Another good movie is the excellent Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) which similarly well covers the history of the Pearl Harbour attack. It has its own memorable line with Admiral Yamamoto noting after the battle: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Fictional it may be, but it is quote so apposite that it even makes it into this new picture.
Mind you, while we like this new Midway (2019) film and the ones above, a word of warning: there are some much poorer films about the Pacific war out there. For example, Pearl Harbour (2001) was a disastrous attempt to imitate elements of the excellent Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) and From Here to Eternity (1953) with a tedious love triangle plot. Thankfully Midway (2019) rises above such stupidity.
Note also that is also a modern less good competitor to Midway (2019): Dauntless – The Battle of Midway (2019). Don’t get confused and accidentally choose the wrong one as this competitor was derided by critics. Actually, while this upstart film has its weak points – especially its CGI animation and bits of its dialogue – it does manage to engage by coming at the story from another angle: the struggle for survival of a Dauntless crew who have to ditch into the Pacific Ocean early in the battle. Still, at least Dauntless – The Battle of Midway (2019) does manage to use right variant of Douglas Dauntless. So while critics might be reaching for their own Colt Commando/Official Police .38 revolver over this one – mimicking the movie’s opening suicidal scene – we will still give it six out of ten.
Finally, the Battle of Midway, as depicted in the films mentioned, above might be sort of reminiscent to space movie fans. You can see how George Lucas was inspired by this carrier air battle in his denouement space battle scenes in Star Wars – A New Hope (1977).
But that is another story…in a galaxy far, far away.
Conclusion – we like this one
Seradata’s final rating: 8.5 out of 10. Midway (2019) is rousing tribute to the bravery of the fighting men involved in this key battle and an admiring paean to the Douglas Dauntless dive bomber. Mind you, this war film would have got an extra mark if the Battle of Coral Sea and the Japanese side had been more properly covered. Still, despite these reservations, and even though some film critics were left a bit cold it, in common with most of the “normal” audience, your military history loving correspondent – actually loved this one. Recommended. Here is a trailer.
Also recommended, especially for those who want a film about the aviators on the Japanese side of the fence, is The Fighter Pilot (2013). Recounted in flashback this subtitled Japanese film traces the story of a Zero pilot intent on surviving the war has a touching, mystical, and moral quality that nearly rates it a ten.
P.S. Your correspondent was inspired by Midway (2019) and its Douglas Dauntless aircraft so much that – Victor Kiam-style – he even went out an bought one…well a bit of one: its joystick top from eBay. Similar control sticks can also be seen on Grumman Wildcat and Hellcat, and Vought Corsair fighters of the period. Your correspondent will now have some fun joining in with John Wayne as he tries to pull his trigger in his role of a Marine pilot commander in the gung-ho World War II set movie in The Flying Leathernecks (1951).
