Battle of Midway

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Battle of Midway

• Turning Point in the Pacific

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Prelude to Battle - Pearl Harbor attack

• Japan goal to expand empire, needed raw materials
• Naval Treaties 1920s
• Strategy was to knock US Fleet out of action
• Would give Japanese time to expand their empire
  and dig in for the eventual US counter attack
• Plan was to make it so painful that US would
  decide fighting Japanese was not in their
  interests

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Prelude to Battle

• Pearl Harbor was huge strategic defeat for
  Japanese
• Did not destroy US fuel
• Did not destroy carriers
• American public outraged!
• By March 1942, Japan controlled most of Pacific
• Guam 10DEC41
• Wake I 23DEC41
• Singapore 15FEB42
• Set the stage for further expansion

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Prelude to Battle

• Doolittles raid on Tokyo
• Concern that American Fleet was still capable
• Yamamoto determined to destroy American Fleet

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Prelude to Battle

• US / Japan first clash at Coral Sea
• Japanese plan to take Port Moresby as jumping off
  point for invasion of Australia
• US Carrier Task Force (Lexington, Yorktown)
  engage Japanese carriers in Coral Sea
• First Naval engagement where enemy ships do not
  see each other

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Prelude to Battle

• US suffer Tactical loss/Strategic victory at
  Coral Sea
• Lost Carrier Lexington
• 1 of 4 in the Pacific
• Sank Japanese Light Carrier SHOHO
• Damaged Carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku
• Prevented Japanese expansion into South Pacific

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The Japanese Plan at Midway

• Use Large Armada to attack the strategic atoll
  Midway and draw remaining US Fleet out of Pearl
  Harbor and destroy it once and for all.
• Japanese Base at Midway would allow strikes on
  Pearl Harbor

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Japanese Strategy

• Large invasion force sent North to Aleutians
  (Dutch Harbor) as diversion to draw American
  forces away from Midway
• Defeat US Fleet in one large Mahanian style
  engagement
• Without a fleet US would be unable to prevent
  Japanese expansion

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COMINT

• US Intel discovers large Japanese Naval Force
  (commanded by Yamamoto and Nagumo) would attack
  Midway and began fortifying and planning to
  counter

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Hollywoods Version
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June 2, 1942

• American carriers Yorktown, Enterprise and Hornet
  underway
• Prior to Japanese Submarine Cordon
• RADM Spruance in command of ENTERPRISE and HORNET
  (TF 16)
• RADM Fletcher - overall command, embarked in
  YORKTOWN (TF 17)

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June 3, 1942

• PBYs from Midway spot Enemy Main Body
• Actually not main body
• B-17s launch from Midway to attack - without
  success
• PBYs strike three torpedo hits against Japanese
  Tankers

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June 4, 1942

• Bombers from the Japanese Carriers Akagi, Kaga,
  Hiryu, and Soryu launch at 0430 to attack Midway
• US PBY spots aircraft and Japanese fleet and
  radios back to Midway

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June 4, 1942 (cont.)

• Bomber from Midway and the Carriers Hornet and
  Enterprise launch to attack Yamamotos fleet
• Only the fighters are left behind to defend Midway

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June 4, 1942 (cont.)

• Midway pummeled by Japanese air attacks.
• Japanese prepares for second wave and arms planes
  on deck
• American torpedo planes and dive bombers wreck
  havoc on the Japanese carriers - sinking all four

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June 4, 1942 (cont.)

• Japanese Carrier HIRYU counterattacks before she
  sinks
• YORKTOWN sustains heavy damage and is abandoned

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June 5, 1942

• Without Carrier power, Yamamoto realizes he
  cannot invade Midway - orders withdrawal
• Two disabled heavy cruisers attacked by B-17s
  from Midway, one later sank from carrier aircraft.

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June 6, 1942

• The Yorktown, abandoned and under tow, is
  attacked by the Japanese Submarine Tabane and sank

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Aftermath

• Japanese lost the advantage gained at Pearl
  Harbor - lost four aircraft Carriers
• American Forces gave Japan crippling blow
• Japan never again ventured into the Eastern
  Pacific to engage the US Fleet

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Think-Pair-Share Exercise

• What were the strategies used in the Battle of
  Midway?
• Was Midway a Mahanian style Battle?