Our original design recognizes the Victory at Midway and is packed with meaning for people who love the history of WWII, including detailed profiles of the carriers as they were during this battle; the primary planes used; the islands, with "AF" marked on them; the dates of the battle; and, the 48-star American flag that flew on the USS Enterprise. The shirt: 100% cotton Made in the USA shirt in Navy — This long-sleeved shirt 100% combed ringspun cotton fine jersey and that has been pre-washed to reduce shrinkage. The size through the body is the same as with the short-sleeved shirts. See size chart. This design is also available in more sizes as a crewneck shirt for men and women, a women's v-neck shirt, a crewneck sweatshirt, long-sleeved shirt with UV protection, shirt in youth sizes, sticker, and a magnet. Browse through other WWII themed products in this collection. Historical background The Naval History and Heritage Command has an online library that contains a very interesting publication from 1943: Combat Narratives — Battle of Midway, June 3-6, 1942As explained in a January 8, 1943 forward: "Combat Narratives have been prepared by the Publications Branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence for the information of the officers of the United States Navy. The data on which these studies are based are those official documents which are suitable for a confidential publication. This material has been collated and presented in chronological order. In perusing these narratives, the reader should bear in mind that while they recount in considerable detail the engagements in which our forces participated, certain underlying aspects of these operations must be kept in a secret category until after the end of the war." While one can find later accounts that may be more thorough, this document provides detailed accounts and is well worth reading. It includes this summary of losses: Summary of enemy lossesFour carriers sunk: Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, with the loss of all their planes and many of their personnel. Estimated 275 planes, 2400 men.Two and probably three battleships damaged, one severely.Two Mogami class heavy cruisers sunk, three or more heavy cruisers damaged, some severely.One light cruiser damaged.Three destroyers sunk, a fourth possibly sunk.Four transport and cargo vessels hit, one or more possibly sunk.Estimated total number of personnel lost: 4,800. Summary of American losses Ships: Yorktown [carrier] and Hammann [destroyer] sunk.Planes: About 150 lost in action or damaged beyond repair.Personnel: 92 officers and 215 men. And this observation: "Both Admiral Spruance and Admiral Fletcher have pointed out that "in a duel between CV's [carriers] the side which is able to strike the first blow against enemy CV's whose planes are on board wins." At Midway we won in precisely this manner. We were able to do this because we knew of the enemy's presence, the approximate composition of his force, and because we had calculated correctly his method of approach. The Battle of Midway was essentially a victory of intelligence." [emphasis added] The 59-page document ends with this quote from Admiral Nimitz: "The performance of officers and men was of the highest order, not only at Midway and afloat, but equally so among those at Oahu not privileged to be in the front line of battle. I am proud to report that the cooperative devotion to duty of all those involved was so marked that, despite the necessarily decisive part played by our three carriers, this defeat of the Japanese arms and ambitions was truly a victory of the United States' armed forces and not of the Navy alone." Our thanks to Martin Quinn for his extensive help in ensuring accuracy of this design.
