Battle of Midway

battle_name=Battle of Midway

The battle

Admiral Chuichi Nagumo launched his initial air attacks at dawn on June 4; Japanese carrier aircraft bombed and heavily damaged the U.S. base on Midway. American long-range bombers based on Midway, including B-17s, made several attacks on the Japanese, with little effect, and Midway-based fighter pilots, many flying outmatched obsolete Brewster Buffalos, made a heroic defense of Midway. These efforts by Midway-based aircraft led the Japanese strike leader to signal Nagumo that another strike would be necessary to neutralize the defenses, before the landing task force (proceeding independently from the southwest) could land ground troops and begin its assault.

Related Topics:
Chuichi Nagumo - Aircraft - B-17s - Brewster Buffalo

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Receiving this signal, Nagumo directed that his on-deck reserve planes (armed with anti-ship torpedo munitions, in case American ships were sighted) be taken below, to be re-armed with general purpose contact bombs, better for bombing an island base. But, partially-through this process, one of his cruiser scout planes, which had been delayed 30 minutes due to catapult problems, signalled the discovery of a sizable American naval force to the east.

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This news caught Nagumo in quite a bind. He had half his reserve force now armed with general purpose bombs (rather ineffective against armored ships), and the initial strike winging back for its return. Nagumo made the fateful decision to wait for his strike to return, and properly remount his forces for an overwhelming strike on the newly-sighted enemy force, even though Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, leading Carrier Division 2 (Hiryu and Soryu) and considered the heir to Admiral Yamamoto, signalled to Nagumo that he recommended striking immediately with the forces at hand.

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With torpedoes and bombs stacked, and fuel hoses snaking across their hangar decks, the Japanese carriers made vulnerable, and highly-flammable targets. As the ships turned into the wind to launch their attack, disaster befell them from the cloudy sky.

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With Fletcher in overall command from Yorktown, but led by Spruance, who had better knowledge of the present operational situation, U.S. carrier forces had the advantage of knowing, through decryption of Japanese Navy communications, the enemy plans and intentions. Spruance had launched a pre-emptive attack from his carriers Enterprise and Hornet against the Japanese carriers. Anti-aircraft fire and fighters shot down 35 out of 41 TBD Devastator torpedo bombers, including every plane of Hornet's Torpedo Squadron 8 (see also George Gay). These slow and vulnerable torpedo-bombers had gotten separated from the other American carrier planes, including their protective fighter screen, and were thus attacking unescorted, and barely above sea level. This, and other action, however, brought the defending Zeros fighter planes down so low that American SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from the Enterprise under Wade McClusky, were able to attack from high altitude, almost without opposition. In five minutes of action, after the SBD's began their dives, three Japanese carriers—Akagi, Kaga and Soryu—were ablaze from stem to stern, with multiple dive-bomb hits, and soon to be abandoned. Most of the elite Japanese pilots, painstakingly well-trained in the pre-war years, and responsible for much of the Japanese success of the first six months of the war in the Pacific, were killed or incapacitated, while still on the decks of their carriers.

Related Topics:
''Enterprise'' - ''Hornet'' - TBD Devastator - Torpedo Squadron 8 - George Gay - Zeros - SBD Dauntless - Wade McClusky

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During the events of the morning, Hiryu had become separated from the three other now-sinking carriers. Undamaged, this carrier was able to launch a small strike on Yorktown, which was severely damaged. The Yorktown was able to survive both this and a second attack, only to be sunk during salvage efforts by torpedoes from a Japanese submarine on June 7. The same torpedo salvo sank the destroyer Hammann, which had been assigned to remain with Yorktown. With Yorktown damaged and abandoned, full command of the battle—and ultimate credit for its victory—passed from Admiral Fletcher, into the hands of Admiral Spruance. Aircraft from Enterprise in turn attacked Hiryu and set her ablaze, and damaged the destroyer Isokaze.

Related Topics:
Submarine - June 7 - ''Hammann'' - ''Isokaze''

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As darkness fell, both sides took stock, and made tentative action plans. Yamamoto initially decided to continue the effort, and sent a cruiser raiding force to bombard the island that night. Having lost four carriers, which were both the heart of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the air cover for his surface forces, however; he changed his mind and recalled the force.

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Spruance, in tactical command, decided to maintain his position off Midway, close enough to intercept any Japanese moves toward the island, but maintaining enough distance so as to not run into a night action with the more powerful Japanese gunnery forces still in the area.

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While beating its retreat in close column at night, the Japanese cruiser Mogami failed to adjust its course correctly for a column turn, and rammed the port quarter of the cruiser Mikuma. The following morning, Spruance's scout planes discovered the two crippled cruisers, and Spruance launched a strike. Mikuma was sent to the bottom, while Mogami managed to successfully fend off the bombers, and live to fight another day.

Related Topics:
''Mogami'' - ''Mikuma''

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