The Battle of Midway

Because of the Aleutians diversion, Nimitz sent a task force of three heavy crusiers, three light crusiers, eleven destroyers, and six submarines to the North Pacific, under the command of Rear Admiral Robert A. Theobald.This force didn't stop the Japanese from taking the objectives.In May, the garrisons on Midway were heavily reinforced.Its airfield were cramed with as many Army and Navy planes that it could hold.Nimitz ordered all of his carriers back to Pearl Harbor to prepare.The Yorktown, which was thought to require at least three months of drydocking, was repaired in a feverish three days.Admiral Fletcher was in command of the three-carrier task force.It sailed westward from Pearl on the last days of May.In addition to the carriers, he had 12 crusiers, 14 destroyers, and 19 submarines at his disposal (Fletcher also had four battleships he could use, but they would have just been targets for the Japanese).The Japanese subs set up the screen on June 1st, but the Americans were already long gone by then.Taking position north of Midway, the Americans waited.

On June 3rd, scout planes from Midway found the Japanese invasion force and attacked, scoring no hits.Later that afternoon, a Navy torpedo plane damaged an oil tanker.There was no other action for the day.Before dawn, Nagumo sent 108 planes, about half of his attack force, to strike Midway and kept the remainder the deal with any American carriers or for a follow-up raid on Midway.The aircraft were spotted by American radar sets and scrambled intercepting F2A Buffalo's, also 15 B-17's and 45 other Navy and Army attack planes took off to strike Nagumo's carriers.In a brief struggle, fifteen of the Buffalo's were shot down, though that did succeeded to shoot at least the same number of Japanese planes.Accurrate anti-aircraft fire shot down another fifteen of the attackers.The Japanese avoided the airfield, thinking they were going to use them theirselves, but attacked everything else, causing great damage to the island.Meanwhile, the Army and Navy bombers attacked Nagumo.Twenty American planes were shot down while nine more limped back so badly damaged that they were useless when the got back.Only the B-17's, which the Japanese Zeros couldn't intercept, got through.But, being as high as they were, they couldn't accuratly bomb the Japanese.But, the American carriers hadn't joined the fight yet.Admiral Raymond Spruance's Enterprise-Hornet group were inching closer to the Japanese, so his planes would have enough fuel to get back.They were closer to the Japanese than Fletcher was.At 7:00 am, the attack begun.

At 7:00, the planes took off from the Enterprise and Hornet to get the Japanese.Thirty miuntes later, they were followed by half of the Yorktown's planes (Fletcher keeping a reserve in case any other targets should appear).First came the Hornet's fifteen Douglas TBD Devestator torpedo bombers.But as they approached the carriers, they were struck from above by alert Japanese defesive fighters.All fifteen were shot down without one torpedo hitting it's mark.The Fourteen Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers from the Enterprise suffered the same fate.Ten were shot down, and none of the four survivors scored any hits.Above the clouds, Hornet's Douglas SBD Dauntless Dive Bombers completely missed the carriers and returned to the ship on fumes.The Enterprise dive bombers almost missed, but discovered their targets before they had to leave.While the Japanese cover fighters were shooting down the torpedo bombers and the ship's anti-aircraft guns were distracted, they were caught completely by surprise by the Enterprise's dive bombers screaming down on them.In three minutes, two carriers, the Akagi and Kaga, were hit several times and burst into flames, putting them completely out of action.While the dive bombers were attacking Akagi and Kaga, the Yorktown's dive and torpedo bombers launch a combined, surprise attack against the carrier Soryu.She was set on fire and left dead in the water.Meanwhile, Japanese scout planes found the Yorktown but missed the Enterpriseand Hornet.Nagumo, in his flagship, the Hiryu, immediatly sent his attack planes to strike the Yorktown.They arrived about noon.Most of the attackers were knocked out of the air, but a few got through and hit her with three bombs.Her speed was reduced and flight deck damaged, but damage was soon under control.But, Nagumo wasn't finished.Now, he had refuel and rearmed his planes with torpedoes.Despite the Yorktown's fighter screens and anti-aircraft fire, several attackers got through and hit the limping ship with two torpedoes.The ship began to list heavily.At 3:00pm, the captain ordered the abandon ship and they were picked up by the U.S.S. Pensicola and a destroyer.The one destoryer stayed with the Yorktown, in hopes that she could be towed back to Pearl Harbor for repairs.Meanwhile, the Enterprise's and Hornet's planes took off again to look for the last carrier.They found it at 5:00pm.They got four hits, causing the carrier to burst into flames.

The crews of the Japanese carriers tried desperatly to save the ships.The Kaga sank about the same time the Soryu blew up.During the night, the crews of Akagi and Hiryu tried save their ships, but in vain.After dawn on June 5th, Japanese destroyers took off the survivers and sank the two burn-out hulks with torpedoes.Meanwhile, Yamamoto thought he could relieve this desastor by forcing a night battle with the Americans.So, he ordered Kondo to attack.But Spruance, a cautious man, steamed east through the night.So, Yamamoto withdrew his forces from Midway.As they were turning back, the crusiers Mogami and Mikuma, collided while trying to escape from the American submarine Tambor.The following morning, they were attacked by planes from Midway, but scored no hits.But, the plane of Marine Captain Richard E. Fleming was set on fire by anti-aircraft shells. Realizing he had no chance for survival, Fleming bravely dove his plane into the rear turret of the Mikuma, causing great damage.For this, he was awarded with the Congressional Medal of Honor, posthumously.