The Battle of Midway Introduction “They hit those three carriers just as they were going by me. I couldn't have a better view. I was right smack in the middle of it. But, boy, I'll tell you, those explosions and all the steel and shrapnel, and their anti-aircraft fire and everybody shooting at everything, there were a lot of places I'd rather been.” The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle that was fought between the United States of America and Japan. This event took place on the Midway Islands, which consisted of 2 islands, which were the Eastern Island and Sand Island, near Hawaii. During this event, attempted to lure the Americans into a trap to take over the Midway Islands, but failed and suffered many losses and damages. The Beginning
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Their plan consisted of invading the Midway Islands with a small portion of their fleet and leading the US to the rest of the Japanese fleet. This strategy is intended to catch the US Navy off guard and allow the Midway Islands to be conquered. However, the United States was able to decode these messages and plan an ambush on the Japanese. The Battle On June 3rd, 1942, at around 9:04 a.m., an American pilot named Ensign Jack Reid was patrolling the Midway Islands when he spotted several Japanese warships southwest of the Islands. At 9:25 a.m., another US pilot sighted the same ship, which he identified as their main fleet. Upon learning the information from the pilots, the US Navy sent 9 Boeing B-17 Bombers to the warships. This plan ended up failing, as the B-17 bombers missed all their shots and were shot down by the Japanese before any major damage occurred to their fleet. The next day, June 4th, 1942, at 5:45 a.m. a Catalina pilot successfully decoded a message that was sent by the Japanese, which stated “Many planes heading Midway, bearing 320, distance 150.” A few minutes later, at around 6:00 a.m., the US discovered 2 Japanese aircraft carriers and launched most of the planes on Midway to combat the first wave of
Their plan consisted of invading the Midway Islands with a small portion of their fleet and leading the US to the rest of the Japanese fleet. This strategy is intended to catch the US Navy off guard and allow the Midway Islands to be conquered. However, the United States was able to decode these messages and plan an ambush on the Japanese. The Battle On June 3rd, 1942, at around 9:04 a.m., an American pilot named Ensign Jack Reid was patrolling the Midway Islands when he spotted several Japanese warships southwest of the Islands. At 9:25 a.m., another US pilot sighted the same ship, which he identified as their main fleet. Upon learning the information from the pilots, the US Navy sent 9 Boeing B-17 Bombers to the warships. This plan ended up failing, as the B-17 bombers missed all their shots and were shot down by the Japanese before any major damage occurred to their fleet. The next day, June 4th, 1942, at 5:45 a.m. a Catalina pilot successfully decoded a message that was sent by the Japanese, which stated “Many planes heading Midway, bearing 320, distance 150.” A few minutes later, at around 6:00 a.m., the US discovered 2 Japanese aircraft carriers and launched most of the planes on Midway to combat the first wave of