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M Battle of Midway

History

Dated history of Battle of Midway (4-7 June 1942) in Midway Atoll, central Pacific.

Educational history. Casualty figures are documented ranges. This is not operational advice, a ranking of nations, or a how-to for weapons or coups.

At a glance
Timeline

Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.

1942-05 Coral Sea1942-05 AF ruse1942-06-03 Aleutians open1942-06-04-am Midway strike1942-06-04 Torpedo squadrons1942-06-04 Dive bombers hit1942-06-04-pm Hiryu strikes1942-06-04-eve Hiryu found1942-06-07 Yorktown sinks1942-08 Guadalcanal
  1. Coral Sea
  2. AF ruse
  3. Aleutians open
  4. Midway strike
  5. Torpedo squadrons
  6. Dive bombers hit
  7. Hiryu strikes
  8. Hiryu found
  9. Yorktown sinks
  10. Guadalcanal
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

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Quick answers

Are the scores a ranking of nations or armies?

No. Scores are browsing aids inside an era-bounded atlas — not live league tables of countries.

How many died?

About 3,000 Japanese and a few hundred Americans is the usual published band. The lopsidedness is the point -- and still a band.

Did codebreaking win the battle?

It placed the US fleet. Dive bombers and Japanese timing errors still had to convert the placement. Both are true.

What did Japan lose?

Four fleet carriers and most of their air groups -- the offensive core of the Pearl Harbor force.

Did it end the Pacific war?

No. Guadalcanal began in August 1942. Japan remained dangerous for years.

Who commanded?

Nimitz (Pacific Fleet), Fletcher and Spruance at sea; Yamamoto and Nagumo on the Japanese side; Rochefort at HYPO.

Start with this section - History

Pearl Harbor and Coral Sea are the preface. Midway is the first US fleet-scale answer that worked.

Without HYPO, Nimitz does not get to choose the square of ocean.

Timeline

  1. Coral Sea

    A preview; Yorktown damaged; Japan's southern push blunted.

  2. AF ruse

    HYPO confirms Midway as the target.

  3. Aleutians open

    The northern feint begins.

  4. Midway strike

    Japanese first wave on the atoll; US searches outbound.

  5. Torpedo squadrons

    Devastating US losses; Japanese CAP pulled low.

  6. Dive bombers hit

    Three carriers fatally struck in minutes.

  7. Hiryu strikes

    Yorktown mortally wounded.

  8. Hiryu found

    The fourth carrier is wrecked.

  9. Yorktown sinks

    A US price for a Japanese catastrophe.

  10. Guadalcanal

    The next campaign -- Midway was a turn, not a peace.

Eras

Japanese run

Pearl Harbor to Coral Sea.

Intelligence race

HYPO, AF, Nimitz's gamble.

The day

Five minutes that English books never tire of.

Pursuit and Yorktown

Hiryu gone; Yorktown down.

Solomons

A long war with a new balance.

Milestones

Four carriers gone

Kido Butai's first team wrecked.

HYPO's proof of value

Intelligence as a named force.

Industrial sequel

Who could replace decks and pilots.

Four wrecks did not take Tokyo. They took away Japan's cheapest path to a short war.

Pair the day with Tsushima when teaching East Asian naval history -- two decisions, two centuries.

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