The Allies' first decisive successes

Submitted by:
Md. Asif Hossain
Roll: 2141921114
Section:B

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Batch: BIR 2021

Title: Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway is considered by many historians to be one of the most important naval
battles in world history and a turning point in the Second World War which was fought between
the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific Ocean that took place on 4–7 June
1942. The battle was fought near the Midway Atoll in the Northern Pacific Ocean. In the Battle
of Midway the United States destroyed an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy and thus
their first-line carrier strength as well as most of its most well trained naval pilots. Because the
American victory in this battle was so significant, many historians regard the Battle of Midway
as the turning point of the war. John Keegan, a prominent military historian, described the Battle
of Midway as, "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare".
Background: The Japanese appeared unbeatable after a streak of victories. However, the Allies
were anxious to strike back in the Pacific. At the same time the United States wanted revenge for
Pearl Harbor. So they carried out the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942 in Tokyo and other major
Japanese cities raised concerns among the Japanese. The raid was militarily insignificant as it did
little damage. However, the attack made a significant psychological point: the Japanese could be
attacked. As one Japanese citizen described it, “We started to doubt that we were invincible”.
Similar successful hit-and-run raids by American carriers in the South Pacific, made the
Americans a threat for Japan’s expansion.
After that, on May 4-8, Allied naval forces won a strategic victory at the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Following this defeat, the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto, created a plan to draw the remaining ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet into a
combat where they could be destroyed. Yamamoto believed that another attack at Pearl Harbor
would induce all of the American fleet including the carriers to sail out to fight. However,
because of the increased strength of American land-based airpower he found it too risky to attack
Pearl Harbor directly. So he chose Midway instead as Midway was key to Pearl Harbor’s defense
and a vital outpost of Pearl Harbor, he believed the Americans would be compelled to send their
remaining aircraft carriers to protect the island.
Commanders:
U.S. Navy Imperial Japanese Navy
Admiral Chester Nimitz Isoroku Yamamoto
Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher Nobutake Kondō
Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance Chūichi Nagumo

The Battle: On June 3 the first military engagement in the Battle of Midway took place in the
Aleutians Islands. A PBY Catalina from Midway noted Kondo's force at 9 a.m. and reported its
location. Acting on intel, a fleet of nine B-17 bombers were scrambled from Midway to attack
Kondo’s invasion force. However, the attack on the Aleutians was a feint to divert attention
away from the Midway to support the fleet's engagement at Midway. This attack against the

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Japanese turned out to be ineffective for the Americans. On June 4, more B-17s departed from
Midway for a second attack on the Japanese invasion force but it also failed. Meanwhile,
Nagumo started the initial phase of Japan’s attack and launched 108 planes to attack Midway
Island and seven scout planes to locate the American fleet as planned. The Japanese planes
inflicted severe damage to Midway's installations overwhelming the island's small military force.
The airfield, however, was still usable, and the US anti-aircraft defenses were still operational.
Shortly after the first attack while the planes were returning to the carriers to rearm and refuel,
Nagumo was informed by his pilots that one more attack against the base would be necessary.
Acting on the information, Nagumo ordered the rearming of Japanese planes for a second attack.
Meanwhile, a scout plane from the cruiser Tone spotted the presence of US naval forces to the
east of Midway. After receiving this information, Nagumo changed his strategy and ordered his
reserved planes that were still armed to prepare for the attack on U.S. ships when the rest of the
Japanese planes arrive. Meanwhile, Fletcher received information regarding the location of the
Japanese fleet and ordered Spruance to begin launching his aircraft. TBD Devastator torpedo-
bombers from Hornet (VT-8) attacked the Japanese fleet but without fighter escort, consequently
all 15 TBD Devastators of VT-8 were shot by Japanese Zero fighters without being able to do
any damage. The entire squadron was lost except for Ensign George H. Gay, Jr. the lone survivor
of the aircrew of VT-8. Meanwhile VT-6 and VT-3 were also shot down without scoring a hit
and with only 6 of their 26 Devastators surviving.
In the same morning at 07:06 a.m., Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky and his air group
launched off the Enterprise to attack Japanese carriers. But at 9:20 a.m. when McClusky and his
group arrived at the location they expected the Japanese carriers to be at they found nothing.
McClusky intuited that the Japanese might have headed towards the northwest and turns his
squadron in the same direction. At 10:22 a.m. McClusky’s group located Kaga and dropped nine
bombs in it, leaving kaga destroyed. At 10:45 a.m. dive bombers from the Yorktown dived and
bombed the Soryu setting it ablaze. At 10:26 a.m. US fighters struck the Akagi and destroyed it.
The only surviving carrier the Hiryu launches an air attack on the Yorktown. At 11:00 a.m. 18
dive bombers and 6 fighters take off from Hiryu and confront and they confront American
fighters in its way to attack thr Yorktown. 14 Japanese planes survive the attack and at 12:05 p.m.
successfully attack the Yorktown setting it ablaze yet it remains functional. At 2:30 p.m. Hiryu
launches a second attack on the Yorktown. In response, Admiral Spurance send dive bombers to
attack the Hiryu and set it ablaze as well, putting all four Japanese carriers out of service and
thus completing the victory.
Casualties:

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Reasons behind the American victory against heavier odds: At the time, the Americans were
losing the war against the Japanese. Japan with four aircraft carriers (the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, and
Soryu), nearly 400 aircraft, 17 large warships and an invasion force of 5000 troops was quite an
overwhelming enemy for the Americans who had only three carriers (USS Hornet, the USS
Enterprise, and the USS Yorktown) and 233 planes. Despite having lower military power, the
Americans destroyed four of the Japanese carriers (the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu) and about
330 planes. The US was able to provide a devastating blow to the Japanese military by causing
them to lose a large number of planes and ships, as well as their highly trained and specialized
crews and ultimately won the battle against terrible odds. A number of factors played important
role behind the victory of the Americans against the Japanese. Some of the most important
factors are as follows:
• The U.S. intelligence had broken the Japanese radio code and knew exactly when and
where the attack was to be launched.
• The Japanese split their forces, thus giving the Americans the opportunity to concentrate
on the main carrier force.
• The Japanese attacked with aircraft from all four carriers at the same time, making the
entire fleet extremely vulnerable while they were all rearming.
• The Japanese placed far too much emphasis on offense and gave little thought to defense
measures as a result it suffered from several defensive deficiencies. The effectiveness of
Japanese carrier anti-aircraft weapons and associated fire control systems was hampered
by many design and configuration flaws.
• The Japanese suffered from poor radio communications with the fighter aircrafts and
lacked a radar to have an early warning system.

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 • Nagumo, the Japanese commander in charge, made a few crucial mistakes which cost
them the battle. According to Japanese radio intercepts. American submarine activity and
message traffic increased and this information was sent to Nagumo. But Nagumo did not
change his plans or take any additional precautions for unknown reasons.
• The fleet carrier Zuikaku escaped the Battle of the Coral Sea undamaged but the Japanese
appear to have made no real effort to prepare Zuikaku for the upcoming war
Significance: Midway proved to be a major turning point in the Pacific War: the Japanese were
severely weakened by the loss of their carriers and strike planes, and the Americans retained
their lead in carriers and aircraft, particularly dive-bombers, from then on. The Battle of Midway
also shifted the Pacific War’s tide against the Japanese. It was the Allies’ first major naval
victory against the Japanese and one of the most decisive battles of WW2. According to some
historians, the Imperial Japanese Navy was irreparably damaged as a result of the heavy losses of
carriers and veteran aircrews at Midway. When the Japanese lost their four main aircraft carriers
and were forced to return home, the Battle of Midway redefined the primary importance of air
dominance for the rest of the war. The battle instilled confidence in US soldiers and drained
away Japanese morale, effectively shifting the tide of the Pacific War in the Allies' favor.