The Battle of Midway, fought over and near the tiny U.S. mid-Pacific base at Midway atoll, represents the strategic high water mark of Japan's Pacific Ocean war. Prior to this action, Japan possessed general naval superiority over the United States and could usually choose where and when to attack. After Midway, the two opposing fleets were essentially equals, and the United States soon took the offensive.
Background
Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sought a decisive engagement that would eliminate the U.S. carrier fleet and extend Japan's defensive perimeter. His plan was complex: a diversionary attack on the Aleutian Islands in Alaska would draw away part of the American fleet, while the main Japanese force would seize Midway atoll, just 1,300 miles northwest of Hawaii. Yamamoto expected the Americans to respond predictably, sailing into a trap where Japanese naval superiority would annihilate them.
However, American cryptanalysts had broken the Japanese naval code (JN-25) and Admiral Chester Nimitz knew the details of Yamamoto's plan. Instead of falling into the trap, the Americans set one of their own — positioning their three available carriers, USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Yorktown (hastily repaired after the Battle of the Coral Sea), northeast of Midway in ambush positions.
The Battle
June 4: First Strikes
On the morning of 4 June 1942, Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo launched 108 aircraft from his four carriers — Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu — to attack Midway's defenses. American land-based aircraft from Midway counterattacked the Japanese fleet but inflicted no damage.
The critical moment came when Nagumo, learning of the presence of American carriers, was caught in the midst of rearming his aircraft. Torpedo bomber attacks from the American carriers, though devastating in terms of losses to the attackers (particularly Torpedo Squadron 8 from Hornet, which lost all 15 aircraft with only one survivor), drew the Japanese combat air patrol down to low altitude.
The Five Minutes That Changed the War
At approximately 10:25 AM, American dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown arrived over the Japanese carriers virtually unopposed. In an attack lasting no more than five minutes, SBD Dauntless dive bombers scored devastating hits on three of the four Japanese carriers. Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu were left burning and would eventually sink.
Hiryu's Counterattack
The surviving carrier Hiryu launched two strikes against USS Yorktown, hitting her with bombs and torpedoes. The Yorktown was abandoned but remained afloat until sunk by a Japanese submarine on 7 June. However, American aircraft from Enterprise located and fatally struck Hiryu later that afternoon, completing the destruction of all four Japanese fleet carriers.
Aftermath
Japan lost four fleet carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu), one heavy cruiser, 248 aircraft, and approximately 3,057 men, including many of the Imperial Navy's most experienced pilots and aircraft maintenance crews. The United States lost one carrier (Yorktown), one destroyer, 150 aircraft, and 307 men.
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The loss of four carriers and their experienced aircrews was a blow from which the Imperial Japanese Navy never recovered. From this point forward, the initiative in the Pacific shifted permanently to the United States.
Forces Engaged
| Force | United States | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Carriers | 3 (Enterprise, Hornet, Yorktown) | 4 (Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu) + 2 light |
| Battleships | 0 | 11 (including Yamato) |
| Cruisers | 8 | 16 |
| Destroyers | 15 | 53 |
| Aircraft | 233 carrier + 127 land-based | 248 carrier + 16 floatplanes |
Key Commanders
- United States: Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (overall command); Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher (Task Force 17); Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance (Task Force 16)
- Japan: Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (overall command); Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo (First Carrier Striking Force)