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"A Medium in Which I Seek Relief": Manuscripts of American Sailors 1919-1940

USS Hornet (CV-8)

Hornet overview

Battle of Midway
On June 4th, 1942, after a string of victories in the Pacific, Japan attacked the U.S. military base on Midway, a 2.4-square-mile atoll roughly equidistant between North America and Asia. Due to the work of Navy cryptanalysts, the Americans were prepared for the attack. Despite a much smaller fleet, the Americans won the battle, as bombers from the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Yorktown destroyed Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu. A major turning point of World War II, the Battle of Midway slowed Japanese progress in the region and showed that the United States was capable of fighting back (World War II Museum). As the Smithsonian says, "For the U.S., the Battle of Midway wasn't just a turning point in the Pacific, it was also a brilliant naval gamble that paid off in spectacular fashion."

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The classic Hollywood director John Ford was onboard THE HORNET for the Doolittle raid and filmed it. He also made a famous documentary on Midway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW8tQ_6dqS8 (all the combat footage was shot during the battle. It is great propaganda-- Henry Fonda even voices a character ). There is a good book on Ford and Hollywood during WW2: Mark Harris' FIVE CAME BACK.
Contents of this reply:
1. USS Hornet (CV-8) Hornet overview
  
  Battle of Midway
  On June 4th, 1942, after a string of victories in the Pacific, Japan attacked the U.S. military base on Midway, a 2.4-square-mile atoll roughly equidistant between North America and Asia. Due to the work of Navy cryptanalysts, the Americans were prepared for the attack. Despite a much smaller fleet, the Americans won the battle, as bombers from the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Yorktown destroyed Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu. A major turning point of World War II, the Battle of Midway slowed Japanese progress in the region and showed that the United States was capable of fighting back (World War II Museum). As the Smithsonian says, "For the U.S., the Battle of Midway wasn't just a turning point in the Pacific, it was also a brilliant naval gamble that paid off in spectacular fashion."

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The Wise U.S. Tactic Used to Win the Battle of Midway