What was important about the battle of midway

If successful, the plan would effectively eliminate the Pacific Fleet for at least a year and provide a forward outpost from which ample warning of any future threat by the United States would come.

On 7 May, Hypo provided a translation of the agenda for a Japanese aviation conference, which concerned tactics to be employed in obtaining air superiority over a target, assisting in amphibious landings, and bombing and strafing attacks to wipe out local resistance.

On 19 May, Commander Joseph J. Layton, the Pacific Fleet staff intelligence officer, identified Midway and Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians as specific Japanese objectives. On 22 May, following a radio deception operation, Melbourne completely confirmed that "AF" indicated Midway.

Hypo then discovered the date cipher used in Japanese message traffic. This meant analysts could determine exactly when the attack would take place. After examining previously intercepted messages, Hypo predicted an attack on Midway on 4 June. Admiral Nimitz used this estimate to plan American countermeasures that included reinforcement of the forces already on Midway. The next day, Japanese forces began getting underway for Midway.

These forces were supported by 17 patrol seaplanes. Rear Admiral Raymond A. The three U. These were supported by fighters, bombers, and patrol planes at Midway. As part of the pre-battle disposition, 25 U. The presence of U. Although the Japanese could not visually confirm the departure of Task Forces 16 and 17 from Pearl Harbor; American preparations to defend Midway were more apparent to the enemy. Japanese COMINT stations not only learned of carrier movements in and out of Pearl Harbor, simply by listening to increased air-ground radio chatter, but traffic analysis of "Urgent" radio messages coming out of Pearl Harbor suggested at least one U.

Navy task force was at sea. Incredibly, this information was withheld from the Midway strike force because of Yamamoto's strict radio silence restrictions. Dense smoke is from fires in her uptakes, caused by a bomb that punctured them and knocked out her boilers. Man with hammer at right is probably covering a bomb entry hole in the forward elevator. Photo taken by Photographer 2rd Class William G.

On 3 June, in the preliminary moves of the Battle of Midway, American land-based aircraft from Midway located and attacked Japanese transports about miles west of Midway Island. As part of the overall Japanese plan, planes from light carriers Ryujo and Junyo bombed Dutch Harbor. Just after midnight on 4 June, Admiral Nimitz, based on patrol plane reports, advised Task Forces 16 and 17 of the course and speed of the Japanese "main body," also noting their distance of miles from Midway.

Shortly after dawn, a patrol plane spotted two Japanese carriers and their escorts, reporting "Many planes heading Midway from degrees distant miles! The first engagement on 4 June, however, took place when the four night-flying PBYs attacked the Japanese transports northwest of Midway, with one PBY torpedoing a fleet tanker.

Later that morning, at roughly , Japanese carrier aircraft bombed Midway installations. Although defending U. Over the next two hours, Japanese fighter aircraft on combat air patrol CAP and antiaircraft fire from the Japanese fleet annihilated the repeated attacks by Midway-based Marine Corps scout bombers and Navy torpedo bombers.

Army Air Forces heavy bombers and torpedo-carrying medium bombers likewise bombed the Japanese carrier force without success, although without losses to themselves. Although nearly wiped out by the defending Japanese fighters and antiaircraft fire, they drew off enemy aircraft, leaving the skies open for dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown. At , Hiryu , the one Japanese carrier that escaped destruction that morning, launched dive bombers that temporarily disabled Yorktown around noon.

Three and a half hours later, Hiryu 's torpedo planes struck a second blow, forcing Yorktown' s abandonment. In return, Dauntlesses from Enterprise mortally damaged Hiryu in a strike around that afternoon. The destruction of the Carrier Strike Force compelled Admiral Yamamoto to abandon his Midway invasion plans, and the Japanese fleet began to retire westward.

Both Akagi and Hiryu , damaged the previous day, were scuttled by Japanese destroyers early that day. The last air attacks of the battle took place on 6 June, when dive bombers from Enterprise and Hornet bombed and sank heavy cruiser Mikuma , and damaged destroyers Asashio and Arashio, ,as well as the cruiser Mogami. At Spruance's express orders, issued because of the destruction of the three torpedo squadrons on 4 June, Enterprise Devastators that accompanied the strike did not attack because of the threat to them from surface antiaircraft fire.

After recovering its aircraft, TF 16 turned eastward and broke off contact with the enemy. Also on 6 June, Japanese submarine I interrupted the U.

Screening destroyers depth-charged I, but the Japanese submarine escaped destruction. Yorktown finally rolled over and sank at dawn on 7 June. Navy had inflicted a smashing defeat on the Imperial Japanese Navy. Although the performance of the three American carrier air groups would later be considered uneven, their pilots and crews had won the day through courage, determination, and heroic sacrifice.

Against the loss of one U. More importantly, the Japanese lost over trained pilots, who could not be replaced. Midway to us at the time meant that here is where we start from, here is where we really jump off in a hard, bitter war against the Japanese.

Moreover, the real nature of the Battle of Midway was poorly understood for some months after the Japanese defeat. So far as we can now learn, the main damage to the Japanese fleet off Midway was inflicted by our land-based airplanes.

The battle shows what land-based air power can do to naval and air power attacking from the open sea when that land-based air power is alert, well-trained, courageous, and exists in sufficient quantity….

But this was dead wrong. The pilots, not accustomed to attacks on ships, had perceived hits when there were none. Despite their courage and tenacity, they had missed the enemy carriers. The really effective attacks were made by the carrier dive bombers. The proof of this came on 20 June , in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Both navies had studied the Battle of Midway, and both had learned from it, but it was only the U.

Navy that had created a carrier force that could advance deep into enemy territory and defeat both land-based and carrier-based air forces.

At the end of October , after its defeat at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Japanese navy began using kamikaze suicide attacks in an effort to compensate for the defeat of its carrier forces. What gave the U. One critical factor was communications intelligence.

Admiral Nimitz, Pacific Fleet commander, had clear warning of the objective of the Japanese forces and their timing. He knew where the Japanese carrier forces would come from and when they would most likely attack, and he was able to position the three American aircraft carriers to ambush the Japanese.

Another critical factor was the ability of Navy aviators to seize an advantage when they found it. American air forces had attacked the Japanese carriers piecemeal on 4 June As Nagumo was rearming Japanese planes for a second air attack, a Japanese scout plane spotted portions of the U. Nagumo switched tactics, ordering planes that were still armed to prepare to attack the U.

Meanwhile, a wave of U. Devastator torpedo bombers from the U. Unescorted by fighter planes, nearly all of them were shot down by Japanese Zero fighters. But about an hour later, as the Japanese refueled and rearmed their planes, another wave of U. Though major combat in the Battle of Midway was over by the evening of June 4, U.

The destroyer USS Hammann provided cover for the disabled carrier Yorktown during salvage operations, but a Japanese submarine arrived on June 6 and launched four torpedoes that struck both U. The Hammann sank in minutes; the Yorktown eventually capsized and sank the following day. On June 6, Yamamoto ordered his ships to retreat, ending the Battle of Midway.

In all, Japan had lost as many as 3, men including more than of their most experienced pilots , nearly aircraft, one heavy cruiser and four aircraft carriers in the battle, while the Americans lost the Yorktown and Hammann , along with around aircraft and approximately servicemen.

As a result of the U. The battle injected U. The Battle of Midway, U. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The 18, U. Marines sent to