REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
Ed Skrein
Born: March 29, 1983 Birthplace: Camden, London, England, UK | Lieutenant Richard 'Dick' Best
Born: March 24, 1910 Birthplace: Bayonne, New Jersey, USA Death: October 28, 2001, Santa Monica, California, USA |
Woody Harrelson
Born: July 23, 1961 Birthplace: Midland, Texas, USA | Admiral Chester Nimitz
Born: February 24, 1885 Birthplace: Fredericksburg, Texas, USA Death: February 20, 1966, San Francisco, California, USA |
Patrick Wilson
Born: July 3, 1973 Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, USA | Lieutenant Commander Edwin T. Layton
Born: April 7, 1903 Birthplace: Nauvoo, Illinois, USA Death: April 12, 1984, Carmel, California, USA |
Luke Evans
Born: April 15, 1979 Birthplace: Pontypool, Wales, UK | Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky
Born: June 1, 1902 Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, USA Death: June 27, 1976, Bethesda, Maryland, USA |
Nick Jonas
Born: September 16, 1992 Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, USA | Aviation Machinist Mate Bruno Gaido
Born: 1920 Birthplace: Colorado, USA Death: June 14, 1942, Pacific Ocean (drowned by Japanese) |
Aaron Eckhart
Born: March 12, 1968 Birthplace: Cupertino, California, USA | Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle
Born: December 14, 1896 Birthplace: Alameda, California, USA Death: September 27, 1993, Pebble Beach, California, USA |
Dennis Quaid
Born: April 9, 1954 Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA | Vice Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey
Born: October 30, 1882 Birthplace: Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA Death: August 16, 1959, Fishers Island, New York, USA |
Luke Kleintank
Born: May 18, 1990 Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA | Lieutenant Clarence Earle Dickinson
Born: December 1, 1912 Birthplace: Jacksonville, Florida, USA Death: October 4, 1984, Los Olivos, California, USA |
Darren Criss
Born: February 5, 1987 Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA | Lieutenant Commander Eugene Lindsey
Born: July 2, 1905 Birthplace: Sprague, Washington, USA Death: June 4, 1942, near Midway Atoll shot down by Japanese Zero fighters |
Jake Weber
Born: March 19, 1964 Birthplace: London, England, UK | Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance
Born: July 3, 1886 Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA Death: December 13, 1969, Pebble Beach, California, USA |
Tadanobu Asano
Born: November 27, 1973 Birthplace: Yokohama, Japan | Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi
Born: August 17, 1892 Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan Death: June 4, 1942, Pacific Ocean near Midway Atoll (killed in action - went down with carrier) |
Etsushi Toyokawa
Born: March 18, 1962 Birthplace: Osaka, Japan | Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Born: April 4, 1884 Birthplace: Nagaoka, Niigata, Empire of Japan Death: April 18, 1943, Buin, Solomon Islands, Territory of New Guinea (bullet wound to head) |
Director Roland Emmerich's Midway, which is based on the true story of the Battle of Midway, covers roughly six months of the war in the Pacific, from the attack on Pearl Harbor through the decisive battle around Midway Atoll, which turned the tide of the war in favor of the U.S.
Yes. At 32 years old, Dick Best was older than most of the men serving around him. Though we couldn't find much information about his wife, we do know that he was married at the time and had a four-year-old daughter, Barbara Ann, similar to what's seen in the movie. The Bests were living in Waikiki, Hawaii. After retiring from the Navy in 1944 following 32 months of treatment for tuberculosis, he moved his family to Santa Monica, California where he lived for the rest of his life.
Dick Best (Ed Skrein) tells his wife Anne (Mandy Moore) this in the movie, which heightens the stakes before he goes off to battle. In reality, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were far from a land invasion of the West Coast of America, which was beyond their capability. At best, Admiral Yamamoto and the Japanese Army were considering an invasion of the Hawaiian island chain (Midway Island is part of that chain). It's also possible that Japan would have tried to bomb cities along the West Coast of America, similar to what the U.S. did to Tokyo. However, Japan's loss at Midway put a stop to their ability to do either.
Eventually, Edwin T. Layton's codebreakers were able to determine the likely location of the Japanese fleet. While they weren't able to decipher all of the Japanese code, the bits of information they understood pointed to Midway as the location of the fleet. Admiral Nimitz put his faith in Layton's unit and ordered the two carriers to Midway. It is believed that the Japanese were on their way to capture Midway Atoll and use it as an advance base from which to attack and destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The island is part of the Hawaiian archipelago. Midway's significance lies in the fact that it is roughly halfway between Asia and North America, making it an optimal strategic location.
The Battle of Midway marked the first decisive victory for American forces in the Pacific Theater during WWII. Following six months of bad news that began with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, which kicks off the film, Midway was the first significant step in a three-year campaign to defeat Japan. During the June 4-7, 1942 air and sea battle, American forces levied a decisive blow on the attacking Japanese fleet, securing a victory that has been heralded as the U.S. Navy's greatest comeback.
Yes. In the movie, we see Nick Jonas' character, Aviation Machinist Mate Bruno Gaido, jumping into a Dauntless SBD's turret while the plane is still parked on the USS Enterprise's deck. He mans the .30 caliber machine gun and fires at an incoming Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber that has both engines on fire. The G4M crashes into the Dauntless SBD, cutting off the SBD's tail before the G4M cartwheels off the carrier's deck into the ocean. You might have rolled your eyes at this scene, but while researching the Midway true story, we surprisingly learned that it indeed happened in real life. The incident unfolded when the Enterprise was in the Central Pacific near the Marshall Islands on February 1, 1942. Like in the movie, Bruno Gaido lived through the incident and his shipmates later said that it was his relentless firing that caused the incoming bomber to spin at a ninety degree angle, sparing the carrier from a direct hit. After the event, Vice Admiral William F. Halsey promoted Gaido from Third Class to First Class.
Yes. Lieutenant Dick Best scored hits on the Akagi and the Hiryu, two of the four Japanese aircraft carriers that were sunk during the Battle of Midway. Things really were that dangerous for the dive bomber pilots, who faced anti-aircraft fire and an onslaught of Japanese fighter planes. During Best's first mission on the morning of June 4, 1942, the bomb he dropped on the Akagi went through the flight deck and exploded in the upper hanger, delivering a catastrophic blow to the carrier and the 18 Nakajima B5N2 planes parked there. When Best's squadron return to the USS Enterprise, only three planes out of fifteen arrived in good condition.
It's true that Dick Best's military career ended following the first day of fighting at Midway. While flying on his first mission, he breathed in caustic soda to clear out a faulty oxygen canister. Later that day, he began coughing up blood and started with a fever. After being transported from the Enterprise to the hospital in Pearl Harbor, X-rays revealed cloudy spots on his lungs. It was determined that breathing in the caustic soda activated latent tuberculosis. He endured 32 months of treatment and then retired from the Navy in 1944. He never flew again. -Los Angeles Times
Yes. Defense Department historians from the Naval History and Heritage Command were involved throughout the entire process, both during script development and production. The screenplay for the film was written by Navy veteran Wes Tooke. Each scene of the Midway movie was carefully reviewed to make sure it was historically accurate. "Despite some of the 'Hollywood' aspects, this is still the most realistic movie about naval combat ever made," commented retired Navy Rear Adm. Sam Cox, who oversaw the fact-checking. "It does real credit to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought in the battle on both sides."
The actors were equally concerned about Midway's historical accuracy. Woody Harrelson, who plays Admiral Chester Nimitz, discussed the character with Navy Rear Admiral Brian Fort, commander of Navy Region Hawaii. Harrelson wanted a better understanding of who Nimitz was and what led him to make the decisions he made. Harrelson also headed out into the Pacific to spend time on USS John C. Stennis as the ship carried out operations at sea. Actor Patrick Wilson, who portrays naval intelligence officer Lt. Commander Edwin Layton, met with retired intelligence officer Navy Captain Dale Rielage to talk about Layton and his relationship with Nimitz. -U.S. Department of Defense
Add to your understanding of the Battle of Midway's significance by watching these videos that outline what happened during the battle, including code-breaking, carrier movements, and air attacks.