The Battle Of Midway: 4-7 June, 1942

[Beam me up 0]

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.

 

Japanese Combined Fleet commander Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto moved on Midway in an effort to draw out and destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet's aircraft carrier striking forces, which had embarassed the Japanese Navy in the mid-April Doolittle Raid on Japan's home islands and at the Battle of Coral Sea in early May. He planned to quickly knock down Midway's defenses, follow up with an invasion of the atoll's two small islands and establish a Japanese air base there. He expected the U.S. carriers to come out and fight, but to arrive too late to save Midway and in insufficient strength to avoid defeat by his own well-tested carrier air power.

 

Yamamoto's intended surprise was thwarted by superior American communications intelligence, which deduced his scheme well before battle was joined. This allowed Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, to establish an ambush by having his carriers ready and waiting for the Japanese. On 4 June 1942, in the second of the Pacific War's great carrier battles, the trap was sprung. The perserverance, sacrifice and skill of U.S. Navy aviators, plus a great deal of good luck on the American side, cost Japan four irreplaceable fleet carriers, while only one of the three U.S. carriers present was lost. The base at Midway, though damaged by Japanese air attack, remained operational and later became a vital component in the American trans-Pacific offensive.

 

Source

 

With the anniversary of D-day coming up, I want to urge you all to take a moment to think about the brave men that perished during the Midway. I fear this event becomes overshadowed by D-day, even though it may have played a more major role during World War 2.

[Jim Phaserman 0]

Midway is actually the SECOND major victory by the US Navy in the pacic. the Battle of Coral Sea was the first major victory, and the first time opposing Naval ships never sighted the enemy. the battles of Midway and Coral Sea were won by American airpower. later in the war, American pilots would prove not only that they had superior aircraft, but they also had superior skills at the Battle of the Phillipine Sea, Forever known as "The Great Marianas Turkey shoot". 400 japanese aircraft were lost at the cost of less than 40 American aircraft.

[Beam me up 0]

I think Midway was a far more decisive battle than the Coral Sea though.

[dark_moon_drago 0]

Why couldnt this topic have come up when I was doing my report...

[Jim Phaserman 0]

I think Midway was a far more decisive battle than the Coral Sea though.

It was, definately, because the Americans sent four japanese aircraft carriers to the bottom of the pacific. Coral Sea, though, was an important victory for Moral, as was the Dolittle Raid.

[Beam me up 0]

Why couldnt this topic have come up when I was doing my report...

What report?

 

I'll second the notion that Coral Sea and the Doolittle raid were great victories for morale. They showed that the Japenese were not invincible.