The Silver Waterfall: How America Won the War in the Pacific at Midway

Review
“Their account of the battle is pulsating stuff told with a pleasing amount of human drama and technical detail; the two do not always make easy bedfellows, but it works effectively here.”―Times (UK)
“[T]he best account yet of the Japanese fleet's humiliation… short, cleverly structured and well-written.”―The Daily Telegraph
“[G]ripping…Simms and McGregor, using primary source material from the sailors and airmen on both sides, put you in the cockpit of American fighters and bombers and Japanese Zeros, and on the bridges of American and Japanese warships on the day of the battle.”―New York Journal of Books
“This is…no dry account of materiel but a minute-by-minute account, told from both sides, of the battle as it unfolded. There is plenty of bravery on show but even more horror as sailors on stricken ships laden with fuel and explosives find themselves trapped in floating bombs.”―New Statesman
“Immersive…Simms and McGregor also provide a searing, moment-by-moment account from the Japanese perspective…Well-researched and fluidly written, this military history issues a stark warning for the future.”―Publishers Weekly
"The authors work hard to deliver new information… Satisfying World War II history.”―Kirkus
“The battle of Midway in June 1942 has rightly held a commanding place in the history of the Second World War. And this great and significant new book by Professor Brendan Simms and veteran Steve McGregor not only reminds us of Midway’s importance and drama, but also clearly establishes that the US victory was not just luck, despite common views to the contrary. Simms and McGregor relate a riveting story of migration, innovation, and skill that takes us from 1920s California to the climactic five minutes that doomed the Japanese strike force to destruction—and from there to the lessons of a climactic battle for a United States that once more faces a rising power in the Pacific. The Silver Waterfall is a story of authentic American characters, settings, issues, and heroism that will stay with readers long after they put the book down.”―General David Petraeus, US Army (ret.); former commander of the surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and US/Coalition Forces in Afghanistan; and former director of the CIA
“While the Battle of Midway was decided by a margin of just five minutes, this was a critical difference made possible by the US Navy’s relentless, painstaking effort. Numerous books have been written on this monumental battle to prove this point, but none shed better light on the battle-winning weapon, the Dauntless, than The Silver Waterfall. With extensive research on the technologies, tactics, and people behind the battle’s aerial warfare, this book stands out among the literature, skillfully elucidating the ultimate causes of US naval victory.”―Tsukamoto Katsuya, head of the security and economy division, National Institute for Defense Studies, Japan
“The Silver Waterfall provides a top-to-bottom description of the epic Battle of Midway.”―Barrett Tillman, author of Enterprise: America’s Fightingest Ship
“The Silver Waterfall is a splendidly written account of America’s greatest naval battle. Simms and McGregor capture the grand sweep of history and strategy while bringing to life the skill, luck, and heroism of the men who turned the tide. An elegant tribute to the past with sobering reflections for our own time.”―A. Wess Mitchell, former assistant secretary of state, European and Eurasian Affairs
“From aeronautical drawing boards in Southern California to Pacific waters aflame with spilled oil from twisted steel hulks, The Silver Waterfall is a unique new telling of one of history’s greatest battles. Written by one of the world’s leading historians and by a US Army combat veteran, The Silver Waterfall reveals in detail how advanced technology, intelligence gathering, planning, and unimaginable heroism turned the tide of the Pacific War in a single, blood-soaked day. As America faces a geopolitical challe