The loss of four Japanese fleet carriers and a heavy cruiser materially changed the Pacific balance, yet the Second World War continued for years. Midway therefore rejects a definition of decisiveness that requires immediate peace. A battle can be decisive because it removes critical capabilities and changes what each side can attempt afterward. Operational capacity can be irreversibly altered even when political surrender remains years away.
Notable Point · 1:31:31-1:34:22
Midway proves a battle need not end a war to be decisive
Midway's destruction of four Japanese fleet carriers provides a modern example of a decisive battle that did not end its war.