The Battle of Midway: June 1942
The battle of midway was fought during June 4 -7 1942. The Battle of Midway was fought near the Central Pacific island of Midway. The Japanese had planned to use this battle to gain Midway and use it as an advance base. They also planned to capture and destroy the U.S Pacific fleet. To the surprise of the Japanese the U.S fleet, using communication intelligence, surprised them with an attack that sunk the four Japanese carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor just six months prior. The U.S only lost one carrier. The first attack on June fourth took place when the four night-flying PBYs attacked the Japanese transports northwest of Midway with one PBY torpedoing fleet tanker called Akebono Maru. Later that morning around six thirty, Midway Island was bombed by carrier bombers and torpedo planes. Midway only suffered minor damage from this attack. Throughout the battle three U.S naval aviators were picked up by the Japanese. They were all murdered after interrogation. The last air attacks of the Battle of Midway took place on June 6th when dive bombers from the Enterprise and the Hornet bombed and sank heavy cruiser Mikuma, and damaged destroyers Asashio and Arashio,as well as the cruiser Mogami. The Japanese lost over one hundred trained pilots, which could not be replaced. The balance the power at sea in the Pacific shifted from the Japan to an equity between the U.S and Japan. Soon after the Battle of Midway, the U.S. and their allies would take the offensive in the Pacific.