Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway was a naval battle between Japan and the United States during World War II (1939–45). It occurred around the atoll (island) of Midway, in the central Pacific Ocean, from June 3 to 6, 1942. It is remembered as an astonishing American victory that marked a turning point in the war in the Pacific.

Until the Battle of Midway, the Japanese fleet had great successes. It caused great damage to the American naval force and conquered islands across the Pacific with little challenge. When the Japanese decided to take Midway from American occupation, they were confident of another victory.

Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884–1943) assembled the largest fleet ever put together by the Japanese navy. There were 185 warships, including 4 aircraft carriers. Part of the fleet was deployed to the Aleutian Islands, southwest of the Alaska mainland, to strike American forces there. The bulk of the fleet spread out to move with stealth toward Midway.

The Japanese intended to make a surprise attack, but American intelligence learned of the plans. Because they had cracked certain Japanese codes, the Americans were able to learn where, when, and in what strength the Japanese forces would appear. With little notice and immense effort, the American fleet prepared to meet the greater Japanese fleet. Although they were outnumbered, the Americans carried the advantage of surprise.

The battle began on June 3 when American bombers took off from Midway and attacked the approaching Japanese. They caused no significant damage. The following morning, unaware that the American fleet was present, the Japanese admiral sent only half of his planes out to attack. The Americans launched all of their planes and, while suffering significant losses, managed to slow the Japanese attack considerably.

Before Japan could launch a second air attack, the Americans countered with an air attack on the Japanese carriers. No direct hits were made, but they managed to force the carriers to scatter to avoid the attacks.

During the raids, the Japanese learned of the American fleet's presence. Admiral Yamamoto called all planes to return for refueling and rearming. In the process, the carriers’ decks were littered with fuel and bombs. Another wave of American planes arrived when the ships were highly flammable, and the Americans easily sank three Japanese carriers. The fourth Japanese carrier escaped to inflict crippling damage to a U.S. carrier, but it also was disabled and sunk the following day.

On June 5, the Japanese began to retreat. Further scuffles brought more losses to both sides over the next two days, but most of the damage was complete. The Japanese fleet had lost four carriers and its aircraft. Unlike the industrially prepared United States, Japan could not recover quickly from the losses. As a result, the superior Japanese fleet was severely weakened and lost the advantage in the Pacific Ocean. The Battle of Midway was an important victory that enabled the American forces to begin pushing the Japanese back from their aggressive occupations.