Early on the morning of June 4, 1942, planes from four Japanese aircraft carriers attacked and severely damaged the U.S. military base on Midway Island. Unknown to the Japanese, U.S. fleet carrier forces were just to the east of the island and ready for battle. After their initial attacks, the Japanese aircraft headed back to their carriers to rearm and refuel. While the aircraft were returning, the Japanese navy became aware of the presence of U.S. naval forces in the area. Over the next two days U.S. troops at sea and on Midway continued their attacks, forcing the Japanese to abandon the battle and retreat. The Japanese lost approximately 3,057 men, four carriers, one cruiser, and hundreds of aircraft, while the United States lost approximately 362 men, one carrier, one destroyer, and 144 aircraft. The battle, fought over the course of three days, was a turning point, putting Japan on the defensive and boosting American morale.
Join this moderated discussion that explores key points in the battle including its strategic significance from both the American and Japanese perspectives, the role of American intelligence, the deciding factors leading to eventual victory, and the battle’s legacy to the fighting spirit of the American sailor.
Speakers:
Moderator: Dr. James R. Rentfrow, PhD, is a retired Navy Captain who currently serves as Director, Navy Museums Division (NMD) of Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC. A 1989 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He spent 19 years as an operational Naval Flight Officer before transferring to the Permanent Military Professor community in 2008. He earned his PhD in U.S. History from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2012. He subsequently served as Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy until his statutory retirement after 30 years of service. In December 2019, Dr. Rentfrow joined the Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC as Director of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy and the NMUSN Campus Program Office. Upon the departure of the NMD Director, he was subsequently asked to fill that role.
Karl Zingheim serves as the Staff Historian for the USS MIDWAY Museum in San Diego, California. A 1986 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served in the amphibious forces in the Navy, where he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer, and taught at the Naval Amphibious School in Coronado. Later, he attained his Master of Arts Degree in Military History at Norwich University. An early advocate for the establishment of a naval museum in San Diego, Professor Zingheim has served with the USS MIDWAY Museum since its inception. He is a faculty member as well with the Museum’s Midway Institute and teaches at San Diego State University’s Center for War and Society.
Note: This is a virtual program which will air on the date and time indicated above on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (Dvids) website. To access the program, visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/
Image: Painting, Oil on Wood; by John Hamilton; C. 1975; Framed Dimensions 36H X 54W
Accession #: 80-142-T, Navy Art Collection
