A Terrible Resolve

“The Japanese hoped that World War II would make them the masters of the Pacific. They recognized the industrial might of the United States. Their strategy was therefore to destroy the American Navy with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The plan almost worked. The Japanese ran wild in the Pacific and seemed invincible. The most devastating weapons in their navy were their aircraft carriers. In 1942 the Americans had been driven from the Philipines and Australia was in peril. The next step in their campaign was to seize control of the American controlled island of Midway.”

“The Americans had different ideas. They had cracked the Japanese code and were routinely reading their secret messages. They uncovered the Japanese plan to attack Midway and decided to gamble everything on ambushing the Japanese carriers. The Yorktown was rapidly repaired and sent to join the Enterprise and Hornet. The Japanese air strike hit Midway Island hard. But then the Americans located the enemy carriers and attacked. The shocked Japanese retaliated but lost all four of their carriers."

"Yamamoto had once said that he was afraid that the United States was a sleeping giant, which would awaken with a terrible resolve. He was right.”

A miniatures wargame of aerial attack intended for classroom use with two teams of students (grades 6-8). The game is designed to be played on two 7.5x5 foot tables, one containing the American fleet and one containing the Japanese fleet. The game may be played using simple paper miniatures (print-and-play components are available) or with waterline models of ships and aircraft mounted on stands.