Prepare Yourself to Decipher Fact vs Fiction in Roland Emmerich’s Movie Midway (2019)

8 ways to inoculate yourself with the truth about this pivotal battle and the gallant men who fought it

Newsmap — Volume 1, Number 8 from June 15, 1942 with an early and incomplete report from the Battle of Midway. The term “Jap” is historical and shows how that word became a violent racial slur. I was taken aback by its’ use but the detailed image transports us back to that era. Image: National Archives.

The brave American aviators who won the Battle of Midway in 1942 have been my favorite heroes since I first read about them when I was 11 years old — or nearly 50 years ago. They exemplify the phrase “Duty, Honor, Country.” Hollywood has a checkered past regarding the accurate portrayal of American heroes. I’ve published this list of resources prior to the release of Roland Emmerich’s Midway (2019). They will allow you to decipher fact from fiction on opening day, or whenever you first view the movie. The best way to inoculate yourself against Hollywood hype and defamation is to know the truth about this pivotal battle and the gallant men who fought it.

Their Story Deserves Care
We celebrate World War II combatants as heroes of “The Greatest Generation”. However, those who survived the war pointed to their contemporaries who didn’t return home as the true heroes. With that definition, the majority of American torpedo plane aircrew who fought the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, were true heroes. Of the 48 Navy torpedo planes that pressed an attack, 41 planes or 85% did not return.