Martin Dugard-TAKING MIDWAY: Naval Warfare, Secret Codes, and the Battle that Turned the Tide of World War II  episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 10, 2025 · 21 MIN

Martin Dugard-TAKING MIDWAY: Naval Warfare, Secret Codes, and the Battle that Turned the Tide of World War II

from Speaking of Writers · host Steve Richards

1942. Everywhere around the world, the Allies are losing the war. Nowhere is this felt more completely than in thePacific, where Japanese sea and ground forces claim victory after victory. Singapore falls. Then the Philippines. The vaunted American Navy fights to a draw with the Japanese at the Battle of Coral Sea. America's lone moral victory is ColonelJimmy Doolittle's bombing raid on Tokyo—though even that is tinged with tragedy as two crew members are shot down and beheaded.  Meanwhile in Honolulu, a brilliant young naval officer isdetermined to break Japan's top secret communication codes. Lt. Commander Joseph Rochefort is inches away from cracking the code by April. He is then startled to learn that the Japanese are planning yet another major invasionsomewhere in the Pacific. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is planning to send four aircraft carriers to complete this task, in a bold attack that will be even larger than the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. About the Author | Martin Dugard is the New York Times bestselling author of several books of history, among them Taking London, Taking Paris, Taking Berlin, the Killing series, and The Explorers.  

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Martin Dugard-TAKING MIDWAY: Naval Warfare, Secret Codes, and the Battle that Turned the Tide of World War II

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