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THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY.
(1) New English Library, P/B 1976 (ISBN 450 02930 1) P/B (2) Swedish Edition. 1978. (3) Spellmount Publishing, H/B 1996 (ISBN 1 873376 53 7); (4) Czech edition Jota, Brno, H/B 2005;
To coincide with the release of the major motion picture on the subject the author was commissioned to write an original and objective view of the battle. The result was widely acclaimed and the director of the film (who had commissioned their own version of the battle) later commented that Peter C. Smith's book, "….was the really accurate account, both of the my film, and of the battle itself.")
Later published in Swedish and then re-issued in the UK as a hardback but without the updating requested by the Author, and then as a Czech edition, this still remains among the best of the earlier accounts of this famous air/sea battle in the Pacific which turned the tide of the war there. Awarding the book a four-star rating Ned Middleton called it "a concise and thrilling account". One American Admiral wrote to the Author that, "...I thought I had read every account there was of this battle, but until I read your book I never understood the full story." As that gentleman had been one of the young pilots of the Dauntless dive-bombers which took part in the battle, and later went on to become Commander-in-Chief of the US Sixth Fleet, he may be deemed to be a more able judge than most! A compliment indeed! Ronald Russell of the Battle of Midway Round Table recently described this thirty-year old account as "a concise telling of the Battle of Midway story that in many regards is among the best of its class (those written in earlier years without the benefit of recent revelations) It is told in a casual, informal manner that makes for very easy reading. For those seeking only a good overview of the battle, Smith's tight little book is a worthy contender." Robert J Fawcett stated he found the book, "vivid and compelling" and "very well researched". He wrote:- "The author states a wish not to hide how confused the pattern of battle was: the fact that this is indeed captured is no poor reflection on his ability to present a well ordered narrative. I have discovered that Peter C Smith has written many other books and I am eager to read more of them."