World War II History

The Battle of Midway
June 4-8, 1942

The Battle of Midway island during World War II is one of the biggest victories for the United States against Japan. The battle itself lasted 4 days, beginning on June 4, 1942.

It was this battle which marked the turning point in the war for the allies in the Pacific. For six months prior to Midway the Japanese army and navy had conquered lands throughout the Pacific including the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. With the strengthening of the United States in rebuilding its fleet after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Japanese had started to become more wary of the threat.

Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto was the mastermind behind the scheme to attack Midway, planning to destroy the rebuilt and remaining strength of the US Navy in one blow, the way it was planned to do at Pearl Harbor. Unbeknown to him, the US Intelligence had broken the Japanese naval code and had ample forewarning of the attack.

In anticipation of the attack the two US fleets stationed 200 miles northeast of Midway where the Japanese did not expect them to be, a position from where the US carriers could launch its aircraft and be in striking range of the Japanese fleet coming from the northwest. After spotting the Japanese fleet the US carriers launched their attack catching the Japanese by surprise, destroying three heavy carriers and one heavy cruiser. The Japanese retaliated with their one remaining carrier Hiryu, who’s aircraft attacked and crippled the USS Yorktown. The USS Enterprise returned the favor however, launching its dive bombers which mortally damaged the Hiryu, later scuttled the next day.

When the Battle of Midway ended, Japan had lost four carriers, a cruiser and 292 aircraft, and suffered an estimated 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Hammann, 145 aircraft and suffered approximately 300 casualties.

The Battle of Midway has been immortalized in books, full length feature films, and even games.

Read more about the Battle of Midway in our WWII articles.

Technorati Tags: WWII, WWarII, Midway, Battle, Carrier, Enterprise, Yorktown, Hiryu

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