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  • Essay / Turning Point: Battle of Midway

    The Battle of Midway: World War IIThe Battle of Midway began in June 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States broke Japan's codes and discovered their ambush plan. The Battle of Midway was fought primarily with aircraft. The Battle of Guadalcanal and the Battle of Midway ended the threat of Japanese invasion in the Pacific. Midway was the turning point of the Pacific campaign. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayThe Battle of Midway attack was a plan to trap the US aircraft carrier fleet. The Japanese hoped to avenge the bombings that had occurred two months earlier during the Tokyo Air Raid. The Japanese wanted to get rid of the rest of the American Pacific Fleet. Yamamoto wanted to ambush any American aircraft carriers and ships that might interfere with the attack on Midway. "Nagumo and his business traveled to Yamato, here in the staff room of the flagship, they first heard of the proposed Operation Midway...the carriers were in favor of this... He was always in for a good fight and aspired to rid the Pacific of the American fleet” (Dillon, Goldstein and Prance 27). Midway marked a turning point in the military struggle between the two countries. Yamamoto believed that deception would cause the American fleet to end it. He dispersed his forces so that they could be hidden and concealed from the Americans before the battle. Yamamoto's support battleships followed Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's naval force by a few hundred miles. They were intended to destroy the remaining elements of the American fleet that might come to Midway's defense. Yamamoto was unaware that the United States had broken Japan's main naval code, learning of his plans. The Americans kept hearing that the AF location was the main point of attack. But it was unclear where the location was. Some thought it was Midway but weren't sure. A suggestion from a young officer led to the discovery of the Japanese plan. They asked the Midway base commander to say on the radio that their drinking water was running low. Shortly after, the Japanese code indicated that the AF was running low on water. On June 4, Japanese carrier planes bombed the Midway base. Long-range bombers attacked the Japanese and fighters from Midway Base defended Midway. When the Japanese returned to their carriers, Nagumo decided to rearm them with bombs for another strike. The American ships were detected and Nagumo switched weapons and attacked the ships. The Japanese planes were unable to attack the American fleet and the American fleet attacked them. Suprance launches an attack on the Japanese aircraft carriers. Three Japanese aircraft carriers, Akagi, Kaga and Soryu, were abandoned. The remaining Japanese carriers struck Yorktown, severely damaging it. “With Yorktown damaged and abandoned, total command of the battle – and ultimate credit for its victory – passed from Admiral Fletcher into the hands of Admiral Spruance. Enterprise planes in turn attacked Hiryu, setting her on fire and damaging the destroyer Isokaze. After this, Spruance, in concert with Midway's forces, launched attacks that crippled and destroyed the Japanese cruisers Mogami and Mikuma” (Naval Academy 1). The torpedo bombers were separated from the American dive bombers and were massacred 36 of 42.