[CaptainCrunch]

June 4-5, 1942

One of the most pivotal naval battles in history. It represented a major roll of the dice by the US Navy as they committed their remaining three fleet carriers against a numerically superior Japanese assault force featuring 4 carriers. The Japanese hoped that they could use the invasion of Midway to lure in the American Carriers and destroy them and make the American's sue for peace.

Instead the Japanese lost all four of their carriers, and 248 of their best pilots to the American losses of 1 carrier and over 150 planes lost.

This battle represented a turning point in the war as Japan's victory fever was broken and they were forced into a protracted fighting retreat to the home islands. At the same time it signaled the ascension of American naval air power over Japan in terms of quality of training, experience and technology

The set up

The Japanese had stormed the Pacific gaining key victories in the Philippines, Malaya, today's Indonesia, and Singapore. This created a Pacific Island Fortress for the Japanese allowing them to create long range air fields to prevent the eventual American invasion of the Home Islands. While the American's had made use of their three remaining fleet carriers in hit and fade attacks they were reluctant to commit their carriers to a major fleet action.

Admiral Yamamoto also knew that the American's needed to be knocked out in the Pacific before America's industrial might came into play. Yamamoto was never confident in a Japanese victory over America, but knew that if he could knock out the American Carriers that the US Navy would be forced to retreat to the coastal defense of the West coast and Japan could impose a peace by re threatening Pearl and the Coast.

The purpose of Midway was to draw the US Carriers in piece meal and destroy them, Yamamoto selected Midway because it was beyond the range of American long range aviation. It was isolated.

While the Japanese didn't consider the taking of Midway to be vital, the American's did as it would represent a key navy and submarine resupply base for attacks on Japan.

Yamamoto created Plan M, which used multiple task forces, that were dispersed so that the American's wouldn't know what the final objection was until too late to commit more then a carrier task force. However Japanese intelligence had told Yamamoto that the Americans had only two carriers with the Yorkton tied up in dry dock due to extensive damage. Instead the US Navy ship yard workers pulled off a major miracle getting the Yorkton sea worthy within 72 hours instead of weeks. This failure of intelligence combined with a poor recon plan by the Japanese would turn the tide of this battle.

The original plan had the Japanese carrier fleet commanded by Admiral Nagumo would lead the way and use its aircraft to soften up the Midway defense and then attack the American carriers when they entered in theatre. Then the Battleship groups under Yamamoto who were trailing by hundreds of miles would come in and clean up any survivors using their guns.

Decisive Factor 1 - Unknown to Yamamoto besides the fact that there were three carriers instead of two was that the US Navy had broken the Japanese naval code and used the infamous broken water desalination plant message to confirm that Midway was the target. Therefore the American Carrier force arrived early and gained position for a ultimate bushwack.

Decisive Factor 2 - the US forces should have been commanded by Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. Halsey, a hell bent for leather Naval Commander was extremely aggressive and a risk taker, and Yamamoto built his plans around a aggressive Halsey. Instead Bull was sidelines due to shingles and he was replaced by Admiral Raymond Spruance, a cerebral Commander who had cut his teeth in the destroyer navy. He was somewhat risk averse and wouldn't gamble his carriers aggressively.

Dispositions

Japanese Navy - 4 Fleet Carriers 2 Battleships, 6 Heavy Cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 14 destroyers, 248 carrier based strike planes

American Navy - 3 carriers, 7 Heavy Cruisers, 1 Light Cruiser, 15 Destroyers, 233 Carrier based strike planes, 127 land based planes, 16 Subs.

The Battle

Though the battle started on June 3rd with a attack by B-17's on the Japanese fleet the attack was ineffective as none of the bombs hit even though the American's reported 4 ships damaged.

On June 4th Nagumo launched his first air attack on Midway, while at the same time launching his recon aircraft to search for the US Carriers. The problem was that they had a bad recon plan with too few aircraft. At the same time, patrol craft from Midway were launched and found two of the Japanese Carriers.

Midway reacted aggressively launching a force of un-escorted bombers to attack the Japanese Carriers, while Midway's fighters stayed behind to defend the Island. While the Japanese air attack on Midway was somewhat successful, it didn't do enough damage to the American refueling depot, nor to America's dug in defenses and it was decided that a second strike would be needed.

Meanwhile the Midway's attack on the Japanese fleet was a brutal failure with most of Midways's strike aircraft lost.

The Japanese strike on Midway returned to their carriers and Nagumo ordered them armed for another ground attack, thus creating one of the greatest moments of indecision in naval history. While the rearming happened, one of the Japanese patrol planes reported a large American floatilla but failed to disclose its disposition.

After 40 minutes of indecision while he waited for a further report on the disposition of the American fleet, Nagumo ordered his planes re-armed on deck for a antiship attack. The other failure was in Japanese doctrine, and Nagumo had several defensive fighters on deck but Doctrine did not allow him to simply launch those defensive fighters but to wait for the rearmed strike aircraft. These minutes added up as the American's launched their own strike against the Japanese fleet and the planes were well on the way.

By the time the Japanese were ready to launch their strike 117 American planes were over their deck. However one unfortunate circumstance made the American's first strike a rousing success as Torpedo Squadron 8 which was unescorted came in low and were wiped out except of George Gay Jr, this attack though drew the Japanese defending aircraft in low and opened up a clean lane for the American dive bombers Bomber Squadrons 3 and 6 lead by Wade McClusky dove on the Carriers Kaga and Akagi. Because of the fully fueled and loaded Japanese planes on deck and in the hanger, combined with poor damage control doomed the two carriers. While the Akagi only sustained one hit it was fatal as it created a mass fire in the hanger deck that reached the fuel lines and destroyed the carrier.

Meanwhile VB-3 dove on the Soryu, a failure of the electronic torpedo arming system dropped some bombs early, but they still managed several hits lighting the carrier on fire.

At that point, Nagumo struck his flag on the Akagi and transferred to the cruiser Nagara.

Hiryu was the soled surviving Japanese Carrier and it launched a hastily assembled counterstrike consisting of 18 bombers and 6 escorts which were meant to follow the American Carriers who were withdrawing to recover their planes safely. But the Japanese strike force found the carriers and hit the Yorkton with three bombs killing 3 of her 4 boilers. However superior damage control and repair training took effect and the Yorkton managed to path her flight deck and relight her boilers. But it was a short lived victory as a second strike launched from the Hiryu consisting of 10 torpedo bombers and escorts put 2 torpedo's into the battered carrier. However the Japanese believed that they had hit a second American Carrier instead of the Yorkton a second time because American damage control was so good.

Later on the 4th American scouts spotted the last surviving Japanese carrier the Hiryu, and guided in a American force of 24 bombers, they hit the carrier with 4 bombs and lit it ablaze and unfixable.

As night fell, the American's decided to abandon the Yorkton. At this point Spruance decided that America had won a huge victory trading one carrier for four and realizing that the Japanese were superior night fighters decided to call it a day and withdraw to the East. Yamamto decided that it was a risk to attack Midway with no carrier support or air cover and withdrew to the West but dispatched cruisers and destroyers to bombard Midway. However realizing that he had lost the initative he ordered the Cruiser and her destroyer consorts to withdraw as well.

The Battle of Midway was over.

Despite heroic efforts the next day the Yorkton succumbed to her her damage when she was torpedo by a Japanese sub, and eventually keeled over and sank.

Final casualties

The Japanese losses were devastating on a physical and psychological basis. They lose 4 carriers, 4 destroyers, all 248 of their aircraft and 3050 dead. While the destruction of the Carriers didn't doom Japanese military aspirations over the Pacific, the loss of their most experience carrier pilots and the best and brightest of their fleet was devastating and would lead to the Japanese being routed later on. On top of that the American's who had lost 1 carrier and 1 destroyer and 150 aircraft and lost 307 men, they had gained a great victory over the unbeatable Japan and most importantly had won precious time for American Industry to began grinding out planes and ships at an incredible rate.

While the Japanese still continued to capture territory and win battles, the loss of the pilots and ships meant that it became increasingly impossible for Japan to follow up on their plans for Fiji and Australia, and eventually the Japanese Navy was swamped under by the Americans, with Guadalcanal representing the end of Japanese Naval effectiveness.

The victory also allowed the Americans to bring the Essex heavy carriers on line, while it also showed the importance of cryptoanalysis, reconnaissance and radio communications and up to date information.