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Customer Reviews of National Geographic Video - The Battle for Midway

Relive the pivotal battle in the pacific in WWII
Given that Japan had neither the population or industrial base to wage a successful war against the United States in the Pacific ocean, a determined United States would have eventually defeated the Japanese. Therefore, it is incorrect to say that the battle for Midway decided the war. However, there is no question that the American victory hastened the Japanese defeat. The best of the Japanese aerial forces were on their aircraft carriers that fought at Midway and most of them perished with the carriers. What is astonishing is that nearly all of the damage was inflicted by a few American planes and it took only 5 minutes for three Japanese carriers to be destroyed. Had the circumstances been reversed and the Japanese been successful, then it would have been years before the American forces would have been strong enough to make a comeback. <
> In this video, Dr. Robert Ballard, famous for seeking and finding the remains of famous sunken ships goes to the battle site in a search for the wrecks of the aircraft carriers sunk in the battle for Midway. Four veterans of that battle are on board his ship, two Japanese and two Americans. The video bounces back and forth between archival footage and an explanation of the battle and descriptions of how the search is going. The veterans are very moved by the experience as they relive the day when the advantage in the war shifted from the Japanese to the American side. <
> The search team experiences some difficulties with their robot probe, as it must descend to over three miles down. Eventually, they locate the remains of the American carrier U. S. S. Yorktown, although no other ship is found. This tape is an accurate recapitulation of how important that battle was and how brave all the pilots were. Most of them took off and did their duty even though they knew that the mission was very close to a suicide mission. I have even heard one historian refer to the American pilots as the first kamikaze pilots of the war. I thoroughly enjoyed the history lesson.

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A Nice Piece of Work
The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war in the Pacific. As such, the results of that battle affect us still today. Though most people would seldom ever even think of it that way, some of us do and a program like this one helps us to better identify with the events and their aftermath. <
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>The actual subject of this program is an expedition by Dr. Robert Ballard of TITANIC fame. He leads an expedition to find the carriers that were sunk in the battle of Midway. He is particularly interested in the YORKTOWN of the US Navy and the KAGA of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The search for these ships is interesting enough in its own right but this program adds another level of interest. Four survivors from the battle, 2 American and 2 Japanese, are along for the ride. Throughout the program, these men offer their memories and reflections. This is interspersed with period footage. The effect is a quite good documentary about the battle of Midway with a marine archeological expedition thrown in for good measure. <
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>The search for the ships is not without is own difficulties. The locations of the wrecks were not certain. The depth, over three miles, caused problems with the search equipment. This program helps to demonstrate how difficult finding a marine wreck can be. The results are not a foregone conclusion. <
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the quest for the U.S.S. Yorktown
Searching for the watery grave of the U.S.S. Yorktown, Robert Ballard, who discovered the Titanic as well as the Bismark, went deeper into the ocean than ever before to find the sunken aircraft carrier. Five U.S. (and four Japanese) carriers were destroyed near the outpost of Midway, and the recent footage for this expedition is contrasted with film from May and June of 1942; some of it is by director John Ford, who made two documentaries, one for the public called "The Battle of Midway", and for the families of the brave servicemen who never returned, "Torpedo Squadron", and this film includes several clips from them; they are in color, and of good quality, making it unusual WWII footage.

There are four veterans on Ballard's expedition, two from the U.S., and two from Japan, to witness the search, help pinpoint the location, and re-live their past. Over coffee and memorabilia, they "explore their own landscape of memory, and loss".
Produced and directed by Brian Breger and Peter Schnall, with music by Michael Whalen and narrated by Peter Coyote, total running time is 82 minutes.
Those who have watched the 1976 epic film "Midway", and are interested in the Pacific Theater of WWII, where some of the most tragic and dramatic events in world history took place, will find this film fascinating; it is an eerie, emotional testament to heroism, courage, and the agony of war.