Shattered Sword

The book provides a fresh look at the pivotal World War II sea battle, generally considered the turning point of the Pacific War. The authors conducted extensive research on both the American and Japanese sides to provide a comprehensive account of the battle. This book is highly readable and enjoyable.

Shattered Sword is proof that history is a journey rather than a destination. When published in 2005, Parshall and Tully set a milepost on the then-six-decade road to understanding the pivotal June 1942 battle.  

Aside from correcting “settled facts” about the battle, the authors added depth with detailed examinations of rare subjects.  Among other things, how the Imperial Navy managed its flight and hangar decks; how the combat air patrols were cycled. What some readers might consider “nuts and bolts” provide revelations to those seeking deeper knowledge, especially for relevant individuals and Japanese culture.

Shattered Sword changed the way historians think about the Battle of Midway. While the results will never change, Parshall and Tully provide insight and perspectives that have never before been explored. And in doing so, they help clear up many of the inconsistencies in both Japanese and American books on the battle. 

This is the first history of the Battle of Midway in which the authors looked at the ships operating logs and compared them to events. What you learn is that the U.S. Navy’s and the Imperial Japanese Navy’s operating doctrines were very different. The Japanese did not improve… show more.

Parshall and Tully have produced a reevaluation of the Battle of Midway which makes exhaustive and critical use of Japanese sources. To this point, the sole Japanese source was Fuchida Mitsuo’s Midway, which Shattered Sword shows was “irretrievably flawed.” In contrast to previous histories of Midway, Shattered Sword pays careful attention to the critical elements of naval warfare: ship design, training and tactics, decision-making. It also debunks eight further elements of “common knowledge” concerning Japanese planning and conduct of the battle. The result is a fundamentally new and detailed analysis of Midway.

The “hinge of Fate” had turned at Pearl Harbor in December 1941, but in June 1942 it swung back again as the United States Navy soundly defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway.  Shattered Sword has become known as the definitive account of Midway, and in particular, is notable for how thoroughly – and fairly -- it tells the Japanese side of the battle.  While the tenacity of the US Navy pilots who flew to certain death has been repeatedly, and deservedly, lauded, Parshall and Tully show us that the Japanese were equally courageous.  It’s impossible to… show more.

There is no dearth of literature about Midway. Parshall and Tully are at the top of the list and are both insightful masters of detail and thoroughly engaging writers.

They draw heavily on primary sources for the Imperial Japanese Navy and scrutinize American operations from Nimitz’s overall carrier-centric strategy to the tactical shortcomings of individual air squadrons. When aviators from the American carriers put three Japanese carriers out of action within a few serendipitous minutes, Parshall and Tully make it seem like the reader is in their cockpits with them.

Though it helps to have a grasp of the battle, Shattered Sword by Parshall and Tully is an absolute must read.

Through detailed research including the study of primary source documents in Japanese archives and interviews with Japanese participants, Shattered Sword explores the decision-tree timeline of the battle from the Japanese side.

The stirring survivor narratives and the insight into the doctrine of how Japan conducted carrier warfare is fascinating and much of it had been given short shrift by western accounts. Parshall and Tully did the work: their epic Shattered Sword is simply masterful.