The Battle of Midway showed the true might of the sleeping giant: the United States of America. The tenacity, intelligence, and damage control would determine the beginning of the end of the Japanese Empire, and the rise of the Americans in the Pacific. The outcome of this battle would determine the end of the World War II. The Battle of Midway was one of the most significant battles in the Pacific theatre; a stunning victory by the Americans who were almost outnumbered two to one. To understand why the Battle of Midway was so important, we must look back before America joined the war. It was a beautiful morning on December 7th, 1941, there seemed to be not a problem in sight until the sounds of hundreds of roaring engines in the sky and …show more content…
Next the Marine Corps on the island sent it's bombers to attack the Japanese Fleet which disrupted Japanese cohesion. Strikes were launched by US Aircraft Carriers showing the Japanese that the US was in the vicinity. Next what is sometimes referred to as the fateful five minutes in these 5 minutes 3 of the 4 japanese carriers would be disabled or destroyed and the last would be destroyed later in the day. Japanese on the carriers Akagi, Kaga were getting ready to launch aircraft when American bombers attacked them without warning. The unsuspected Japanese aboard Kaga were only alerted at the last second when lookouts screamed “Helldivers!” as four 1000 pound bombs tore through the deck of Kagai turning it into a fiery hell. The focus went off of Kaga and to the Japanese flag ship Akagi who had 2 legendary pilots of earlier conflicts aboard as they watched Kaga burn awaiting in fear of what would happen next, again the only warning they had was “Helldivers!” they were hit with extreme accuracy and precision igniting secondary explosions and fires within the ship. Soryu and Hiryu Japan's last carriers standing met the same fortune it's sisters met Soryu only minutes after its two sisters and Hiryu later in the day. Not only did the Japanese lose its carriers it lost its most experienced pilots because instead of bringing their experienced pilots back to the mainland to train the new pilots like the Americans they kept their experienced pilots fighting which was horrible for the Japanese because of these pilots were lost their skill could not be replaced. After the battle the Americans called the inexperienced Japanese pilots “The Great Marianas Turkey shoot” because they would be killed at such high numbers. America didn't come out of this battle unscaved either America went into this battle with 3 aircraft
From their radio pick up they thought it was a group of 12 expected to be American B 17 Flying Fortresses going from California to the Philippines via Hawaii. (Alchin 2). At 7:15 Japan launched their second wave of 168 aircraft carriers. At 7:49 am the commander of the Japanese, Comdr. Mitsuo Fuchida, exclaimed the code word, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” Which means “Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!” meaning that they had surprised the enemy with a lightning attack. (Alchin 2). Then at 7:55 am the United States Comdr. Logan C. Ramsey orders the operators to send out a message to every ship and base; that read “AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT A DRILL!” (Alchin 2). At 8:00 am, the group of 12 American B 17 bombers were unarmed and unaware of the Japanese attack. The United States 12 planes were only able to dodge the Japanese planes because they did not get the message about the attack from the operators. America had 100 ships in Pearl Harbor but the main targets for Japan were the 8 battle
Just after midnight on June 4th,1942, the United States attacked a fleet of Japanese transport ships. One American torpedo plane took out fleet tanker "Akabono Maru". Later that morning at about 6:30am, Japanese planes began bombing midway island installations, though causing minimal damage to the U.S. naval
Returning to their aircraft carriers to refuel and rearm the Japanese bombers noticed the U.S. fleet and prepared for their attack. Sent from the aircraft carriers were Devastator Torpedo Bombers and Dauntless Dive Bombers. The first to attack were the Torpedo Bombers, flying low to the sea the Japanese were able to defend their ship’s with ease. The Japanese destroyed 35 Torpedo Bombers, only 6 made it to their target destination which was one of the four Japanese aircraft carriers, but to their surprise none of their torpedo’s hit the intended target. Although the Torpedo Bombers did not hit their target their sacrifice was not in vain. High above the Dauntless Dive Bombers were closing in on their targets without any resistance. With just enough cloud coverage the Dive Bombers were able to approach their targets with ease. Within the first day the Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu, were hit, set ablaze, and abandoned (). According to ..: Over the next two days, the US Navy and US forces on Midway continued their attacks, forcing the Japanese to abandon the battle and retreat to Japan. The Japanese lost approximately 4,800 men, four carriers, one cruiser, and hundreds of aircraft, while the United States lost approximately 307 men, one carrier, one destroyer, and over 100 aircraft.
The Battle of Midway was not the first battle or the last battle of the Second World War, but there is not question that it was the most decisive battle of World War II in the Pacific. Midway is nothing special—just a small string of islands six miles across built up to form coral—however its location and resources are important. If the United States of America had not been in possession of Midway, the Empire of Japan could have easily attacked Pearl Harbor, or possibly even the west coast of the United States. I believe the possession of the Island of Midway was a key ingredient to winning the war in the Pacific. Japan, which has almost no natural resources, would
From June 4th to June 7th, 1942, one of the most significant battles of World War II, the Battle of Midway, was fought between Japanese and American navies. This battle was the turning point of the war, as it marked the end of Japanese advances towards North America, and the beginning of the American offensive in the Pacific. Another battle, the Battle of Fort Sumter, previously fought between Americans at the start of the American Civil War on April 12th, 1861, is also an extremely important naval battle in American history. Although the Battle of Midway was a battle to end the advancement of American enemies while the Battle of Fort Sumter was a battle that took part in initiating a war, both were similar in their significance as major, influential
Moreover, the real nature of the Battle of Midway was poorly understood for some months after the Japanese defeat. On 9 June 1942, The New York Times noted that, “So far as we can now learn, the main damage to the Japanese fleet off Midway was inflicted by our land-based airplanes. The battle shows what land-based air power can do to naval and air power attacking from the open sea when that land-based air power is alert, well-trained, courageous, and exists in sufficient quantity…” But this statement was dead wrong. The Army Air Force B-17s and B-26s did not land a single hit on the Japanese carriers.
The Japanese, however, figured that the Americans were coming when they were attacking Midway, which caused them to change plans immediately. They had to a launch more planes to sink the U.S navy who were already attacking them at that time. The Americans were proven to be very clever. The U.S dive-bombers caught the Japanese carries while they were refueling their weapons, which left them helpless and vulnerable. This caused the Japanese to lose four of their carriers, which were their main strength (Akagi, Soryu, Kaga, and Hiryu), along with 322 aircraft, more than five thousand sailors in that battle and their heavy cruiser, Mikuma.
In February 1945 America is dragged into Iwo Jima. Americans came into this war strong by flying over and dropping bombs. The American fighter pilots came along to help with any outside attack when dropping the bombs. But once the Americans saw that it didn’t affect anything (because of the tunnels) they went on land. 3,400 soldiers ashore and 5 marine Divisions this war was crazy.
The Battle of Midway was a sea-based battle between the United States and Japan which occurred between June 4th and June 7th, 1942. Named for its location near the Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean, the Battle of Midway was important because it was the first decisive victory for Allied Forces in the Pacific during World War II. The United States sunk four Japanese carriers (the only four that Japan brought to the fight) and one heavy cruiser, significantly damaged two destroyers and second heavy cruiser, and destroyed 248 aircraft. In comparison, the United States lost only one carrier, one destroyer, and 150 aircraft.
The Battle of Midway was a drastic war between the United States and Japan on the small island of Midway, Atoll. In the hot, bright summer of June, 1942 had became a grim, dark period. A battle that brought tides of attack on both side due to their past actions such as, when Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor and now wanted to get more territorial land. And on the other hand America’s attack of Tokyo. Ultimately a surprise attack was staged by the both sides and in the end leading to the victory of the United States. This battle will forever live in every American heart due to their huge victory. However, many historians and philosophers state that the Battle of Midway was just won by luck ignoring the real factors that had led to the ultimate
Important fact regarding your topic: The Battle was in the middle of World War 2, the battle was between Japan and America, America was trying to seize Iwo Jima
suffered a major defeat at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, took advantage of the situation the U.S. was put in after its losses during Pearl Harbor (“Japs Risk Large Naval Units...”). With the backbone of U.S. Pacific Fleet torn out, Japan made several attempts to dominate the Pacific. Japan was anxious to settle their differences with the U.S., so they began risking large naval units in Pacific battles. An article posted in the Los Angeles Time, “Japs Risk Large Naval Units in Blows at U.S.” says, “For the sixth time in six months Japan made a deadly bid to capture the mastery of the Pacific, and for the sixth time she has failed after paying a price that is fast becoming prohibitive,” (“Japs Risk Large Naval Units...”). This article was posted days after the Battle of Midway, on June 7th, 1942 reflecting the actions of the Japanese Navy in the previous months. The Japanese were anxious to pounce on the weakened U.S. after Pearl Harbor, backing their attacks with large naval units. The Japanese felt that they needed to take over Midway Island in order to claim dominance over the U.S. in the Pacific.
army private operator at the Army radar station at Opana noticed a large flight of planes heading toward the bay. The exact morning, the base was expecting a flight of B-17s from the United States, so the private was told to ignore them. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.) Not one single person knew what was about to hit them. At exactly 7:55 am, the first Japanese dive-bombers were spotted over the horizon, which was part of the nearly 200 aircraft, including bombers, torpedo planes, and fighters. ("EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It." EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.). Their goal was to cripple as many planes as possible so that they didn’t have any time to take to the air. Most of the planes were all in one place so that made it an easy target for them. The planes at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Army Cir Corps fields at Bellows and the Marine Airfield at Ewa, and the Hickam and Wheeler fields were all strafed. Not a single one was preserved. In the first thirty minutes of the attack is when most of the damage was done to the battleships. With the help of five midget subs, the Japanese were able to help aid their airplanes in targeting the battleships. The Arizona exploded when a bomb hit its ammunition room leaving nothing but bits and pieces of debris, and the Oklahoma was damaged so badly that it turned upside down. The Nevada, California, and West Virginia sank in shallow water along the bay area. Everyone thought it was over till the second wave struck at 8:50 am, exactly 45 minutes after the first. This wave came more fiercely. 170 Japanese planes targeted what was left standing, which was only a few ships and less than 10 dogfighters. By 9:55 it was all over. When the Japanese left, they left chaos behind. More than 180 aircrafts were
The date is June 4, 1942 and raging in the blue Pacific Ocean around a small atoll named Midway, a battle is being fought for survival and complete victory. Late in the day on June the 4th, United States Navy “helldivers” scream down from the heavens to rain hell upon the Japanese fleet carriers below. Within minutes, three of the Imperial Navy’s great carriers are sent to the bottom of the Pacific in great fireballs. The massive destruction was wrought by the well-known Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber of the Second World War. The “slow but deadly” SBD Dauntless served the United States Navy well for most of the Pacific War and was eventually replaced by the newer and improved SB2C Helldiver or simply “the beast”. These two planes share
According to Okinawa survivor and native Kinya Taira, the Japanese, who controlled the island of Okinawa during World War II “lied to us about the fate that would be facing us if we surrendered to the Allies, so we were confused, utterly paranoid, and just wanted to survive and see our families. We were, essentially, being used by the Imperial Army as body shields, as puppets, forced to go into the most dangerous areas knowing we wouldn’t make it back alive.” (“Okinawans Remember”) Despite the effects of the Battle of Okinawa on the natives of the land and the Allied soldiers who fought in it, this battle was the most crucial in ending World War II efficiently, thus the claim that the Battle of Okinawa was the most important battle in the war against the Japanese during World War II.