Who had the advantage in the Battle of Midway?
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Top Image: The USS Yorktown is hit on the port side by a torpedo launched from a plane off the Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. (Image: National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-414423.) Show
One of Japan’s main goals during World War II was to remove the United States as a Pacific power in order to gain territory in east Asia and the southwest Pacific islands. Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base to attack Pearl Harbor, securing dominance in the region and then forcing a negotiated peace. Breaking the Code The United States was aware that the Japanese were planning an attack in the Pacific (on a location the Japanese code-named “AF”) because Navy cryptanalysts had begun breaking Japanese communication codes in early 1942. The attack location and time were confirmed when the American base at Midway sent out a false message that it was short of fresh water. Japan then sent a message that “AF” was short of fresh water, confirming that the location for the attack was the base at Midway. Station Hypo (where the cryptanalysts were based in Hawaii) was able to also give the date (June 4 or 5) and the order of battle of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Battle Early on the morning of June 4, aircraft from four Japanese aircraft carriers attacked and severely damaged the US base on Midway. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, the US carrier forces were just to the east of the island and ready for battle. After their initial attacks, the Japanese aircraft headed back to their carriers to rearm and refuel. While the aircraft were returning, the Japanese navy became aware of the presence of US naval forces in the area.
Oil tanks on Sand Island spew fire and smoke after being hit by a Japanese attack early on June 4, 1942. The birds visible in the foreground are Laysan Albatross (“Gooney Bird”) chicks. (Image: National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-17056.) TBD Devastator torpedo-bombers and SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from the USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Yorktown attacked the Japanese fleet. The Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu were hit, set ablaze, and abandoned. Hiryu, the only surviving Japanese carrier, responded with two waves of attacks—both times bombing the USS Yorktown, leaving it severely damaged but still afloat. (A Japanese submarine later sank the Yorktown on June 7.) On the afternoon of June 4, a USS Yorktown scout plane located the Hiryu, and the Enterprise sent dive-bombers to attack. That attack left the Hiryu burning and without the ability to launch aircraft before it finally sank.  Like this article? Read more in our online classroom.From the Collection to the Classroom: Teaching History with The National WWII Museum Learn MoreOver the next two days, the US troops at sea and on Midway continued their attacks, forcing the Japanese to abandon the battle and retreat. The Japanese lost approximately 3,057 men, four carriers, one cruiser, and hundreds of aircraft, while the United States lost approximately 362 men, one carrier, one destroyer, and 144 aircraft. This critical US victory stopped the growth of Japan in the Pacific and put the United States in a position to begin shrinking the Japanese empire through a years-long series of island-hopping invasions and several even larger naval battles. Top Image: Last minutes on damaged USS Yorktown (CV-5). Midway Islands, June 1942. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift in memory of Sgt. Lyle E. Eberspecher, 2013.495.396. Remember the 80th Anniversary of MidwayMidway: Leadership and LegacyA roundtable discussion featuring Jonathan Parshall, Trent Hone and Craig Symonds To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway, the Museum is honored to host a distinguished panel of three leading naval historians and experts on this pivotal battle. Hosted by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, this roundtable will go beyond the traditional recounting of the course of the battle, as the scholars dive deeper, looking at the leaders who were instrumental in the action and outcome, as well as the legacy and importance of the battle. The PanelTrent Hone is an authority on the US Navy of the early twentieth century and a leader in the application of complexity science to organizational design. He studied religion and archaeology at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, and works as a consultant helping a variety of organizations improve their processes and techniques. Mr. Hone regularly writes and speaks about leadership, sense-making, organizational learning, and complexity. His talents are uniquely suited to integrate the history of the Navy with modern management theories, generating new insights relevant to both disciplines. Jonathan Parshall saw his interest in the Imperial Japanese Navy develop early in his childhood. As an adult, that passion led him to create the foremost website devoted to the Imperial Navy, combinedfleet.com, which he founded in 1995. Parshall’s book, Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway, coauthored with Anthony Tully, is the definitive account of that pivotal battle in the Pacific. He has written for the Naval War College Review, the US Naval Institute’s Proceedings and Naval History magazines, World War II Magazine, Wartime (the journal of the Australian War Memorial), Flypast magazine, the Sankei Shimbun, and several overseas aviation publications. He has also illustrated numerous books on the Pacific war (including his friend Richard Frank’s MacArthur). Craig L. Symonds is Professor Emeritus at the US Naval Academy, where he taught naval history for 30 years, including four years as History Department Chair. He also taught at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England. From 2017 to 2020 he was the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History at the US Naval War College. He is the author of 17 books, including Decision at Sea, Lincoln and his Admirals, The Battle of Midway, Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings, and, most recently, World War II at Sea: A Global History. His works have been translated into several languages and received numerous awards, including the Lincoln Prize, the Roosevelt Prize, and the Dudley Knox Medal for Lifetime Achievement. OverviewA major goal for Japan during World War II was to gain territory in East Asia and Southwest Pacific, effectively removing the United States as the dominate power. Japanese military planners hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and take Midway, from which they could launch additional attacks on Pearl Harbor. This, they believed, would secure their dominance in the area and force the United States to negotiate for peace. Part of the Northwestern Islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, Midway Atoll is one of the most remote atolls located more than 3,200 miles from San Francisco. The United States annexed the atoll in the nineteenth century, and by 1940 had begun constructing facilities on the islands in preparation for war. On December 7, 1941, Japanese destroyers shelled the facilities at Naval Air Station Midway. By June 1942, PBY Catalinas and B-17s were stationed on Midway, along with 4,000 American personnel. The five-day battle, fought from June 3-7, 1942, encompassed an area the size of the contiguous United States. Japanese and American ships fought at ranges of 50-150 miles apart.
Breaking the CodeIn early 1942, Navy cryptanalysts had begun breaking Japanese communication codes, and had become learned of Japanese plans to attack a location in the Pacific referred to as “AF.” To determine what AF meant, a simple trick was used: American forces at Midway were told to send out a false message that they were running low on fresh water. After the message was sent, cryptanalysts deciphered a Japanese message that AF was short on water. With the confirmation that AF was Midway, Station Hypo in Hawaii, decoded further messages, providing the US Navy with the date of the attack, and the Japanese order of battle. With this vital information at hand, Admiral Chester Nimitz prepared US Naval forces to counterattack.
Opening StrikesOn June 3, 1942, a PBY flying a scouting patrol out of Midway discovered part of the Japanese Midway Occupational force southwest of the atoll. Throughout the day, additional sightings were made, but the Japanese carrier force was not located. B-17s and PBYs from Midway make attacks on the sighted force, but with minimal results. Heavy anti-aircraft fire kept the crews from remaining in the area to determine the affects of the attack, but a heavy cruiser and one transport were reported as hit, along with a second cruiser, likely hit on the stern. That night, four PBY-5As carrying Mark XIII torpedoes carried out the first nighttime torpedo attack by patrol planes on surface ships. Although the results of the attack were indefinite, the small force believed that one or two enemy ships had sustained damage.
The BattleOn the morning of June 4, 1942, aircraft from Japanese carriers attacked and damaged the US base on Midway. The US Marine Corps force stationed on Midway endured devastating losses, but the facilities only suffered minor damage. The US carrier force was to the east of the island and had located the main body of the Japanese force. As the Japanese aircraft returned to their carriers, the Japanese navy became aware that US naval forces were in the area.
From the American carriers USS Yorktown (CV-5), USS Enterprise (CV-6), and USS Hornet (CV-8) TBD Devastator torpedo bombers launched to attack the Japanese force. Drawing out enemy aircraft, they cleared the skies for SBD Dauntless dive bombers from the Enterprise and Yorktown to make an attack, leaving the Japanese carriers Kaga and Akagi fatally damaged and wrecking the carrier Soryu. The only surviving Japanese carrier, Hiryu, launched two waves of attacks against the American carriers, bombing Yorktown. Severely damaged, the ship’s crew fought to keep the carrier afloat. Dauntlesses from Enterprise struck the Hiryu in the early evening, striking a fatal blow against the fourth and final Japanese carrier off Midway. On June 5, Rear Admiral Spruance pursed the Japanese fleet to the west with his task force as the Japanese were forced to scuttle Akagi and Hiryu. The crew of Yorktown continued to fight to save the damaged carrier. On June 6, the final aerial attacks took place. Dive bombers (SBDs) from Enterprise and Hornet inflicted sever damage on the Japanese fleet, sinking the heavy cruiser Mikuma, and damaging three other ships. Salvage operations on Yorktown were interrupted by a Japanese submarine, which torpedoed the carrier and the destroyer USS Hammann (DD-412). On June 7, Yorktown rolled and sank at dawn.
Service On Celluloid Podcast On the Museum’s Service on Celluloid podcast, a panel of historians review WWII films both old and new for historical accuracy. In this episode, they take aim at Midway (1976), featuring Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, and Hal Holbrook, among others—as well as recycled footage from several previous (and much better) WWII films. LISTEN NOW LEARN MORE
Importance of the US Victory at MidwayThe American success at Midway was a major victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy. All four Japanese carriers, Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, and Soryu, had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sinking those Japanese carriers represented a resounding defeat over the enemy fleet which had wrought such destruction only six months before. The Imperial Japanese Navy would not be capable of overcoming the loss of four carriers and over 100 trained pilots, and with the loss at Midway, the Japanese offensive in the Pacific was overturned and the United States began offensive action in the Pacific.
US Forces at MidwayAdmiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN, Commander in Chief Destroyers: 15
US Navy sailors standing at attention near a line of flag-draped bodies. Midway Islands, Pacific Ocean, June 1942. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift in memory of Sgt. Lyle E. Eberspecher, 2013.495.394. Who was successful in the battle of Midway?The American success at Midway was a major victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy. All four Japanese carriers, Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, and Soryu, had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
What advantage did the U.S. have at Midway?Whereas the Japanese had no land-based air support, the Americans could commit about 115 land-based Navy, Marine Corps, and Army Air Forces planes from Midway and Hawaii. The American fleet also included some 19 submarines.
Who is the biggest hero of Midway?
How did we win Midway?At the root of the American victory at Midway was U.S. Navy intelligence successfully breaking Japanese codes and discovering the Japanese Navy's plans to attack Midway Atoll. Station Hypo was the team of U.S. signals intelligence (SIGINT) analysts led by then-Commander Joseph “Joe” Rochefort.
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