B-17 bombers attacking Hiryu during the Battle of Midway provide an example of early-war methods that proved less effective than hoped. Neither side entered the conflict free of mistakes or adjustment problems. The Axis powers deserve sharper criticism because they precipitated the war without being fully prepared to fight it. Raeder's expectation that Germany would avoid war until 1948 raises the question of whether Japanese and Italian planners worked to similarly distant timetables.
Notable Point · 17:19-18:15
Early-war mistakes and Axis unpreparedness
A B-17 attack at Midway introduces the wider point that both sides made mistakes, while the Axis powers were especially unready for the war they began.