On June 4, 1942, Japanese planes swooped in to attack the U.S. base at Midway in the Pacific, but the Americans had broken the Japanese code and were ready for a fight. Exactly two years later, Allied troops liberated “Eternal City” Rome, which had been in both fascist and Nazi hands, from the control of the Third Reich.
June 4 is therefore a very important day in World War II history — as important as D-Day, June 6. Today is the anniversary of two major victories for freedom against two thoroughly evil and bloodthirsty empires: the Nazi Third Reich and the Japanese Empire.
The Nazis killed up to 17 million people during WWII, including the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Tragically, they were not the only genocidal regime of the conflict. The imperial Japanese during WWII murdered between 10 million and 30 million people, including many millions of Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, Indonesians, Thais, and other Asians. They committed numerous mass-scale, brutal, barbaric war crimes. They were infamous for their horrific treatment of prisoners of war and civilians. They truly were an evil empire that had to be defeated.
What occurred at Midway? “One of Japan’s main goals during World War II was to remove the United States as a Pacific power in order to gain territory in east Asia and the southwest Pacific islands,” explained the National WWII Museum.
On the afternoon of June 4, a USS Yorktown scout plane located the Hiryu, and the Enterprise sent dive-bombers to attack. That attack left the Hiryu burning and without the ability to launch aircraft before it finally sank.
Over the next two days, the US troops at sea and on Midway continued their attacks, forcing the Japanese to abandon the battle and retreat. The Japanese lost approximately 3,057 men, four carriers, one cruiser, and hundreds of aircraft, while the United States lost approximately 362 men, one carrier, one destroyer, and 144 aircraft. This critical US victory stopped the growth of Japan in the Pacific and put the United States in a position to begin shrinking the Japanese empire through a years-long series of island-hopping invasions and several even larger naval battles.
Again, this victory was important in dealing a blow to a mass murdering empire. Also, the Japanese had hoped to take Midway to use it as a base for launching another attack on American soil, following up on the devastating Pearl Harbor attack that precipitated the U.S. into the war.
Read Also: Memorial Day Hero: Col. Christopher Greene, Patriot and Valorous Commander
Two years to the day after Midway, another significant Allied victory occurred, once again chiefly due to the Americans, as Rome was liberated from the Nazis. Pope Pius XII — who had overseen a vast network of underground operations to hide hundreds of thousands of Jews and POWs from Nazis — and other residents of the Vatican and Rome hailed the liberators with joy.
“Allied troops marched through Rome as liberators, wildly applauded by cheering crowds,” stated the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). The nightmare of Nazi rule was coming to an end.
In the following several months, the Germans attempted to hold back the advancing Allies, but were pushed back into the North Apennines mountains. By early September the Allies reached the formidable defenses of the Gothic Line across northern Italy. Here the Allied advance again stalemated, requiring further campaigning to complete the liberation. By this time the Allies had been fighting for 12 long months in Italy. They would continue fighting for eight months more. The Italian campaigns proved to be longer, harder and costlier than originally anticipated.
Today, we honor all of the men, particularly the American men, who fought and died to secure the victories at Midway and Rome and ensure the ultimate doom of two of the 20th century’s most evil empires.
Please support PJ Media’s conservative reporting on history and its enduring impact. Join PJ Media VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership
