When did the Battle of Midway take place?
The Battle of Midway took place from the 4th to the 7th of June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Questions about Battle of Midway
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How did the US know about the Japanese attack on Midway in advance?
US cryptanalysts at Station HYPO had partially broken the Japanese Navy's JN-25b code. Commander Joseph Rochefort's team confirmed that the target codenamed "AF" was Midway by having the base broadcast an uncoded message about a broken water purification system; within 24 hours, Japanese radio traffic confirmed "AF was short on water." HYPO also determined the attack date as the 4th or the 5th of June and provided a complete Japanese order of battle.
How many Japanese carriers were sunk at the Battle of Midway?
Four Japanese fleet carriers were sunk: Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, and Soryu. Three were destroyed by dive bombers in a span of roughly six minutes on the morning of the 4th of June, and Hiryu was struck later that afternoon and sank the following morning.
Why did Nagumo re-arm his aircraft before the Battle of Midway attack?
At 07:15 on the 4th of June, Nagumo ordered his reserve torpedo bombers re-armed with general-purpose bombs for a second strike on Midway Island, based on damage reports from his morning strike and pilot recommendations. A delayed scout report of American warships at 07:40 prompted him to reverse the order, but by then bombs and torpedoes were stacked in the hangars rather than safely stored in magazines, leaving the carriers critically vulnerable when dive bombers arrived.
What was the total Japanese death toll at the Battle of Midway?
By the time the battle ended, 3,057 Japanese had died. Casualties on the four carriers totaled 2,181, with Kaga suffering the highest losses at 811. The sinking of the heavy cruiser Mikuma accounted for another 700 deaths.
What role did code-breaking play in the outcome of the Battle of Midway?
American code-breaking was decisive. Station HYPO's reading of the JN-25b code allowed Admiral Nimitz to position three carriers at "Point Luck" northeast of Midway before the Japanese arrived, catching Yamamoto's fleet by surprise rather than being ambushed. Nimitz also learned that the Japanese force was split into four widely separated groups incapable of supporting one another, enabling him to calculate rough air parity despite being outnumbered overall.