Midway Island is a tiny dot in the vast ocean of the Pacific. It is located half way between Pearl Harbor and Japan. Midway is composed of two islands surrounded by a barrier reef. In June of 1942, Midway became the object of one of the greatest naval battles of World War Two. The film Midway was surprisingly very accurate in depicting the events that took place, however there were several details omitted that were important to the development and unfoldment of the actions that took place during the battle. While these omissions did not generally misrepresent the course of events that determined the outcome of the battle, it did not accurately depict all the events as they occurred.
The film did not mention that the acquisition of Midway by the Japanese would mean the destruction of the American Fleet in the Pacific and the Japanese mastery of the Pacific Ocean, however, this was not the only motivation for acquisition of Midway. The Japanese were quite aware of the potential of American industry should a military mobilization of the country occur. The Japanese knew that if they were to be successful in the Pacific, they would have to make their annexations early on in their war with the United States, before this industrial mobilization could get momentum. .
After Major Jimmy Doolittle's bombing raid on Japan, two months before the battle of Midway, the Japanese felt that the annexation of Midway by the Empire of Japan would protect Emperor Hirohito from the indignity of having the Home Islands bombed again. Japanese acquisition of Midway would also facilitate a base for future raids on Pearl Harbor, and it would also mean that there would no longer be a forward refueling base for the U.S. submarines in the Pacific Theatre.
Of major interest in the battle of Midway was the disproportionate balance of the forces of the belligerents. The film did not accurately state this important information.
