Could a Loss at the Battle of Midway Have Changed the Outcome of World War Ii?
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Could a loss at the Battle of Midway have changed the outcome of World war II?
On June 3rd, 1942, the United States declared war on Imperialistic Japan and Nazi Germany. Due to the bombing of the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese the U.S. was forced to take action. The United States began their first naval battle near the Midway islands in defense of its pacific fleet and positioning. Midway was the Japanese last goal for its western expansion in the Pacific.
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 base. Between 9:30am and 10:30am the U.S. took out Japanese aircraft carriers “Kaga, Akagi, and Soryu”. During the battle the Japanese recovered three U.S. naval aviators. But after interrogating these men, the Japanese murdered them.
On June 5th, 1942, a battleship, under the command of Rear Admiral Spruance, pursued the Japanese fleet westward leaving salvage workers to repair the U.S. aircrast
carrier “Yorktown”(which was damaged a day earlier by a Japanese submarine torpedo).
The last of the air attacks of the battle took place on June 6th, 1942, with the United States beginning to emerge victorious with the sinking of 2 destroyers, 1 heavy cruiser,
and 1 cruiser. Meanwhile a Japanese submarine torpedoed aircraft carrier “Yorktown” and the destroyer “USS Hammann”, though it took a day for the carrier to turn over and sink. The Japanese submarine escaped with-out destruction soon after the torpedoing. (Naval Historical Center, Battle of Midway:4-7 June 1942, Department of the Navy, June 30th 2003)
December 7th, 1942, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the United States main and largest Pacific naval base, brought the U.S. into World War II. During the Start of the war the United States encountered The Battle of Midway. This battle would be one of the major turning points during World War II.
The Japanese motive for the bombing Pearl Harbor was to destroy the United States Pacific fleet so that the Japanese could have complete naval control of the Pacific Ocean as well as to go through with the Japanese Pan Asian program with-out the United
States interference. Midway was the first major naval battle between the United Stated and Japan after Pearl Harbor. It was also one of the most important battles in all of World
War II. The battle of Midway began in June of 1942 and ended just 4 days later. Though it was a relatively short battle, it was still immensely important to the United States victory over Japan in World War II.
The Battle of Midway was fought with a variety of naval ships such as battleships, destroyers, aircraft carriers, as well as naval planes and submarines. Many of these ships and planes were lost during this battle especially for the Japanese.(Cressman, Robert J., “No End Save Victory”, Naval Historical Center, June 1998)
II. The Battle of Midway was short but there were still a significant number of casualties of ships, planes, and men. Although the Japanese acquired plenty more casualties in all three of these categories.
The United States lost a total of 1 aircraft carrier, 1 destroyer, 150 planes, and 307 soldiers. Meanwhile, the Japanese endured much heavier casualties. They officially lost 4 aircraft carriers, 2 cruisers, 3 destroyers, 275 planes, which was over half the fleet that
they began the battle with. The Japanese also lost over 3,500 soldiers.
The Japanese aircraft carrier “Hiryu” survived the battle just barely to do significant damage to the United States aircraft carrier “Yorktown”, though being destroyed just moments after by the rest of the United States fleet. A Japanese submarine inflicted the final blow to the “USS Yorktown” and narrowly escaped being sunk by the U.S. depth charges, destroyers and their other naval ships.( Baikie, Eric, Ngo, Kevin Collins, McKenzie. “Major Battles of WWII”. Viking Press, Jan 2002)
III. The United States victory in The Battle of Midway gave them complete control of the Pacific Ocean and they also regained control of the Japanese territories in Asia and the Pacific Ocean thereafter. The U.S.s objective of this battle was to destroy the japanese naval forces as well as there fighter planes and submarines. The result was the destruction of Japanese aircraft carriers which forced Japan to lose occupation in the Pacific and lose the majority of its Navy as well.
The Japanese objective of the battle of Midway was to destroy the United
States naval forces and fighter planes. But they also needed to retain control over the Pacific Ocean, their preciously occupied territories and other controlled areas in Asia as well. The results of Japans objectives in Midway were the loss of their own carriers and destroying only one of the United States aircraft carriers. They also lost control of the Pacific and all there territories in Asia and else where.
Admiral Yamamoto intended to surprise the United States by this attack was ruined by the much superior American communications intelligence, which ultimately destroyed his plans long before the battle even began. This situation allowed U.S. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the U.S. Pacific fleet commander, to establish an ambush on the Japanese giving the U.S. the invaluable element of surprise. He had his small but well equipped naval force ready and waiting in the Midway Islands. The united States carriers ripped through the Japanese naval fleet with a relative amount of ease. (Naval Historical Center, “Preparation for Battle”, Department of the Navy, April 1999)
IV. In preparation of this tide turning battle in 1942 the Japanese had esily achieved their initial war goals. This forced them to abandon the prewar plan to use a
strategic defensive position against the United States. But they still werent sure how to maintain