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Battle Of Midway Research Paper

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The Battle of Midway is known as one of the most miraculous naval battles in modern history. It was a battle in which the enemy was seen as far superior and near invincible. This would be a battle fought from the skies with bombs that land in the ocean by Navy, Marine, and Army fighter pilots. The weather would prove crucial during aviation reconnaissance and attack missions. Since low ceilings and visibilities reduced by squalls and showers make adequate scouting difficult by the defending forces, bad weather during the approach and rendezvous increase the possibility of a surprise attack. Simply put for aviators it is great to have high ceilings and good visibility over the target area. However, low ceilings are better for carriers. The …show more content…

It was no secret that the United States pilots were young and inexperienced while the Japanese pilots were Veterans who had never known defeat. In a 4 day span on an island 1,300 miles north of Oahu, America would give Japan their first loss of World War II. This battle would prove to be the turning point in the war against Japan and start the rebuild of the United States Navy. Set the Stage In the early morning of June 4th 1942, four Nakajima B5N aircraft attacked and caused heavy damage to the United States base on the island of Midway. These attacks were expected, according to valuable intelligence gathered by the U.S. Naval cryptologist using a machine nicknamed “magic”. The machine intercepted and decoded Japanese communications. America knew Japan was planning a surprise attack, they just didn’t know where. The base at Midway sent out a false report that the water systems were down. That report was relayed by the Japanese and at that point America knew when and where the next attack was planned. The cryptography technology proved to be the most valuable tool used during this entire battle. Shortly after the initial attacks on the base at Midway, American combat forces took the

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