9:05 pm, November 25, 2013
105
Lessons from History #12: Midway
In the first six months of the Pacific War, the Japanese had been successful beyond their wildest expectations. They'd taken an enormous swath of territory, including the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, Burma, Singapore and Guam. However, that very success led them to a rather difficult strategic dilemma. What should they do next? They were already stretched logistically (and a chronic shortage of transport hulls meant there was little chance of improvement.) They were making some moves to threaten the supply line to Australia, but there still remained one formidable obstacle.
While the attack on Pearl Harbor had done major damage to the United States Fleet, it was far from a knockout blow. Between transfers from the Atlantic Fleet and repairs to some of the ships damaged at Pearl, Task Force One was already forming on the US West Coast, giving the Pacific Fleet a viable Line of Battle. More seriously, the attack on Pearl hadn't touched the American aircraft carriers. A submarine had damaged the Saratoga, but the US still had a viable and dangerous carrier force. This danger was highlighted by raids on Wake Island, the Marshall Islands, and most dramatically, the Doolittle Raid.
Thus, the Japanese decided that the next goal would be an attempt to bring the Pacific Fleet to battle, to solidify their advantage in the Pacific. They decided to attack the small atoll of Midway to lure the Americans to their doom.
However, unknown to the Japanese, the United States had cracked their primary naval code. While the US ability to read that code was limited, they did receive enough information to realize that the Japanese intended to attack Midway. As such, they prepared all their available forces for the battle. First, was Task Force 16, which was centered around the carriers Enterprise and Hornet. Then, Task Force 17 was based around the Yorktown, which was being rapidly repaired from damage taken in the Battle of the Coral Sea. In all, the US had 3 Carriers and 8 cruisers.
Against this, the Japanese were bringing a seemingly overwhelming force. First of all, they had their own carrier force, consisting of the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu. That force was escorted by two battlecruisers, two cruisers and some destroyers. There was also the Invasion Force, which was guarded by two battlecruisers and four cruisers. Then, there was a free division of four cruisers which operated independently. Finally, Admiral Yamamoto himself was following a couple of days behind with three battleships, including the Yamato. On paper, this was an absolutely overwhelming force.
The Japanese plan was to have their carriers launch an attack on the island on the morning of June 4. That attack would allow the invasion force to storm and capture the island, giving the Japanese plenty of time to prepare for the American fleet to sail to Midway from Pearl (around 1200 miles.)
The overall story of the battle is well known. The American carriers were not at Pearl, but instead were lurking to the northeast of Midway. The Japanese attacked the island, but the alert island air group was able to launch strikes against the Japanese. While the land-based aircraft did not score any hits, they kept the Japanese busy until the American carriers were able to attack the Japanese. The first US carrier strike left three Japanese carriers burning. The Japanese were able to counterattack and cripple the Yorktown (which would be finished off by a sub a few days later) but by the end of the day, the last Japanese carrier was tracked down and destroyed.
Now, it would be easy to ask what any of this has to do with World of Tanks. Maybe I should save a writeup for WoBS (though there are better ones there already). However, Midway is a battle which is an excellent illustration of some vital concepts which are very important in WoT.
Before I get into those concepts, I will digress a bit. When I was growing up, many of the books on Midway had titles like Impossible Victory or Miracle at Midway. Those titles are actually rather overstated for various reasons. The first and most important is that naval warfare was rapidly changing. Yes, the Japanese were bringing a huge force to Midway, but most of that advantage was surface ships. If Midway had ever become a surface engagement, the US was in deep trouble. However, the numbers of carriers were actually much more even. The Japanese had four fleet carriers. The US had three, and a good sized airgroup on Midway. Now, the units on Midway were of dubious quality (some obsolete aircraft, some pretty green pilots.) However, those Midway based units did include a number of PBY Catalina flying boats, which I'll come back to later. If you add up all the aircraft, the US actually had a few more, though the Japanese had a bit of an edge in aircraft quality and pilot training.
Further, at that point in the war, aircraft carriers were pretty much like boxers who have a great punch but a glass jaw. They were easily taken out of the fight (a single bomb on the flight deck could prevent airops). Neither side had fully developed a doctrine on how to defend carriers (though the US was considerably ahead on multiple counts.) As such, at that time, the first rule of carrier warfare was get the first good hit. With that in mind, the US forces were quite capable of winning the battle, if they managed to get that first blow.
The lessons that we can learn from Midway have to do with how the Americans managed to land that first blow.
First of all, the Japanese came into the battle with a number of expectations. They had a script that they expected the US forces to follow. The Japanese would attack, take the island, and be waiting on the Americans to waltz into their lap. Of course, that is not how things went. The fact that the Americans knew the attack was coming allowed them to go off-script and be ready and waiting on the Japanese.
In WoT, this can be a problem as well, especially when we are on well known maps. We can come into the battle with ideas of I'll go here, and do this, and the enemy will do that, and I'll be ready for them. Often times, those ideas can work exceedingly well. However, if the enemy goes off-script, we can get caught in real trouble. An enemy scout may put himself into a spot which really isn't very good, except that it does manage to light up your own cunning maneuvers, allowing you to get shot up. It's always necessary to not only anticipate the most likely flow of the battle, but also be ready to adapt if things get wierd.
Second, Midway was a battle all about the information war. At nearly every level in the battle, the US had superior information. This happened for a few reasons. Obviously, that started with the American ability to read the Japanese naval codes. However, it didn't stop there. Remember those PBY at Midway I mentioned before? Those were by far the best search aircraft in the battle, and they were well used. While there were a few odd bits and errors in how those aircraft communicated back to base (main body), they proved to be a major advantage. This was especially true when you look at what the Japanese did. They counted on the seaplanes from their escort ships as their primary airborne search units. Rather famously, one of those aircraft was badly delayed by mechanical difficulties, and it was the aircraft which had the sector which was most likely to turn up the US ships. The Japanese lack of information was one of the major causes of some of the questionable decisions which led to their defeat.
Knowledge is power. This is true in WoT just as it was true in Midway. Every scrap of information is important and potentially decisive. Many may say that the great arty nerf has gutted scouting, but frankly, scouting is still vital. The more information you have about the enemy, the better. Further, you don't only want to get that information, but you need to pay attention to it. Expand your minimap, and keep a close eye on it in the battle. Be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of what information you have, and perhaps more importantly what information you do not have.
Finally, there is one last aspect of Midway I consider endlessly fascinating. More than most other battles I can think of, you can make a very good argument that the battle was won by a single decision of a single midgrade officer. That man was Commander Wade McCluskey. It's a bit of an odd story really, and (again) starts with the US breaking of the Japanese code. The US was not only able to send the carriers to Midway, but they also had time to send a number of Submarines. One of those submarines was the Nautilus. Earlier in the day, it had spotted the Japanese carriers, but was in turn spotted by the Japanese. They detached the destroyer Arashi to attack it. While the Arashi wasn't able to damage the submarine, it did achieve its first goal of keeping it submerged until the Japanese fleet was able to pass safely. With that task done, the destroyer headed off at high speed to rejoin the carriers.
In the meantime, the US strike from TF 16 was actually something of a disaster. One of the difficulties in launching an airstrike is the time factor. Even if you have a location for a fleet, you still have to guesstimate where that fleet will be by the time your own planes are able to launch, form up and head for the target. In short, the TF 16 staff botched that job entirely, and the strike went off in the wrong direction. The Hornet's torpedo squadr
While the attack on Pearl Harbor had done major damage to the United States Fleet, it was far from a knockout blow. Between transfers from the Atlantic Fleet and repairs to some of the ships damaged at Pearl, Task Force One was already forming on the US West Coast, giving the Pacific Fleet a viable Line of Battle. More seriously, the attack on Pearl hadn't touched the American aircraft carriers. A submarine had damaged the Saratoga, but the US still had a viable and dangerous carrier force. This danger was highlighted by raids on Wake Island, the Marshall Islands, and most dramatically, the Doolittle Raid.
Thus, the Japanese decided that the next goal would be an attempt to bring the Pacific Fleet to battle, to solidify their advantage in the Pacific. They decided to attack the small atoll of Midway to lure the Americans to their doom.
However, unknown to the Japanese, the United States had cracked their primary naval code. While the US ability to read that code was limited, they did receive enough information to realize that the Japanese intended to attack Midway. As such, they prepared all their available forces for the battle. First, was Task Force 16, which was centered around the carriers Enterprise and Hornet. Then, Task Force 17 was based around the Yorktown, which was being rapidly repaired from damage taken in the Battle of the Coral Sea. In all, the US had 3 Carriers and 8 cruisers.
Against this, the Japanese were bringing a seemingly overwhelming force. First of all, they had their own carrier force, consisting of the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu. That force was escorted by two battlecruisers, two cruisers and some destroyers. There was also the Invasion Force, which was guarded by two battlecruisers and four cruisers. Then, there was a free division of four cruisers which operated independently. Finally, Admiral Yamamoto himself was following a couple of days behind with three battleships, including the Yamato. On paper, this was an absolutely overwhelming force.
The Japanese plan was to have their carriers launch an attack on the island on the morning of June 4. That attack would allow the invasion force to storm and capture the island, giving the Japanese plenty of time to prepare for the American fleet to sail to Midway from Pearl (around 1200 miles.)
The overall story of the battle is well known. The American carriers were not at Pearl, but instead were lurking to the northeast of Midway. The Japanese attacked the island, but the alert island air group was able to launch strikes against the Japanese. While the land-based aircraft did not score any hits, they kept the Japanese busy until the American carriers were able to attack the Japanese. The first US carrier strike left three Japanese carriers burning. The Japanese were able to counterattack and cripple the Yorktown (which would be finished off by a sub a few days later) but by the end of the day, the last Japanese carrier was tracked down and destroyed.
Now, it would be easy to ask what any of this has to do with World of Tanks. Maybe I should save a writeup for WoBS (though there are better ones there already). However, Midway is a battle which is an excellent illustration of some vital concepts which are very important in WoT.
Before I get into those concepts, I will digress a bit. When I was growing up, many of the books on Midway had titles like Impossible Victory or Miracle at Midway. Those titles are actually rather overstated for various reasons. The first and most important is that naval warfare was rapidly changing. Yes, the Japanese were bringing a huge force to Midway, but most of that advantage was surface ships. If Midway had ever become a surface engagement, the US was in deep trouble. However, the numbers of carriers were actually much more even. The Japanese had four fleet carriers. The US had three, and a good sized airgroup on Midway. Now, the units on Midway were of dubious quality (some obsolete aircraft, some pretty green pilots.) However, those Midway based units did include a number of PBY Catalina flying boats, which I'll come back to later. If you add up all the aircraft, the US actually had a few more, though the Japanese had a bit of an edge in aircraft quality and pilot training.
Further, at that point in the war, aircraft carriers were pretty much like boxers who have a great punch but a glass jaw. They were easily taken out of the fight (a single bomb on the flight deck could prevent airops). Neither side had fully developed a doctrine on how to defend carriers (though the US was considerably ahead on multiple counts.) As such, at that time, the first rule of carrier warfare was get the first good hit. With that in mind, the US forces were quite capable of winning the battle, if they managed to get that first blow.
The lessons that we can learn from Midway have to do with how the Americans managed to land that first blow.
First of all, the Japanese came into the battle with a number of expectations. They had a script that they expected the US forces to follow. The Japanese would attack, take the island, and be waiting on the Americans to waltz into their lap. Of course, that is not how things went. The fact that the Americans knew the attack was coming allowed them to go off-script and be ready and waiting on the Japanese.
In WoT, this can be a problem as well, especially when we are on well known maps. We can come into the battle with ideas of I'll go here, and do this, and the enemy will do that, and I'll be ready for them. Often times, those ideas can work exceedingly well. However, if the enemy goes off-script, we can get caught in real trouble. An enemy scout may put himself into a spot which really isn't very good, except that it does manage to light up your own cunning maneuvers, allowing you to get shot up. It's always necessary to not only anticipate the most likely flow of the battle, but also be ready to adapt if things get wierd.
Second, Midway was a battle all about the information war. At nearly every level in the battle, the US had superior information. This happened for a few reasons. Obviously, that started with the American ability to read the Japanese naval codes. However, it didn't stop there. Remember those PBY at Midway I mentioned before? Those were by far the best search aircraft in the battle, and they were well used. While there were a few odd bits and errors in how those aircraft communicated back to base (main body), they proved to be a major advantage. This was especially true when you look at what the Japanese did. They counted on the seaplanes from their escort ships as their primary airborne search units. Rather famously, one of those aircraft was badly delayed by mechanical difficulties, and it was the aircraft which had the sector which was most likely to turn up the US ships. The Japanese lack of information was one of the major causes of some of the questionable decisions which led to their defeat.
Knowledge is power. This is true in WoT just as it was true in Midway. Every scrap of information is important and potentially decisive. Many may say that the great arty nerf has gutted scouting, but frankly, scouting is still vital. The more information you have about the enemy, the better. Further, you don't only want to get that information, but you need to pay attention to it. Expand your minimap, and keep a close eye on it in the battle. Be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of what information you have, and perhaps more importantly what information you do not have.
Finally, there is one last aspect of Midway I consider endlessly fascinating. More than most other battles I can think of, you can make a very good argument that the battle was won by a single decision of a single midgrade officer. That man was Commander Wade McCluskey. It's a bit of an odd story really, and (again) starts with the US breaking of the Japanese code. The US was not only able to send the carriers to Midway, but they also had time to send a number of Submarines. One of those submarines was the Nautilus. Earlier in the day, it had spotted the Japanese carriers, but was in turn spotted by the Japanese. They detached the destroyer Arashi to attack it. While the Arashi wasn't able to damage the submarine, it did achieve its first goal of keeping it submerged until the Japanese fleet was able to pass safely. With that task done, the destroyer headed off at high speed to rejoin the carriers.
In the meantime, the US strike from TF 16 was actually something of a disaster. One of the difficulties in launching an airstrike is the time factor. Even if you have a location for a fleet, you still have to guesstimate where that fleet will be by the time your own planes are able to launch, form up and head for the target. In short, the TF 16 staff botched that job entirely, and the strike went off in the wrong direction. The Hornet's torpedo squadr
