Dive-bombing, Midway and the evolution of carrier airpower * The
first book to thoroughly document the development of carrier air power in the
United States Navy during the interwar years
On 4th June 1942, three squadrons of US Navy Dauntless dive bombers
destroyed Japan's carrier force sent to
neutralise Midway, changing the course of the war in the Pacific. As Thomas
Wildenberg convincingly demonstrates in this book, the key ingredient to the
navy's success at Midway was the planning and training devoted to the tactic of
dive bombing over the previous seventeen years. Examining how political,
economic, technical, and operational factors influenced the development of
carrier airpower between 1925 and 1942, he shows why dive bombing became the
navy's weapon of choice over all other methods of aerial warfare and finally
brought to bear to stop the Japanese advance.
The title reflects the essence of the story; the development of
carrier air power in the US Navy was driven by an unwritten understanding that
the years spent on experimentation, training, and innovations were destined to
bring success in a future battle. As part of this work, the author introduces
newly discovered information showing that the outcome at Midway was actually
predicted by naval aviators years before the battle took place.
Destined for Glory sheds new light on the navy's preparations for
war, demonstrating beyond a shadow of a doubt the effectiveness of
US naval planning before
Pearl Harbor.
