Extract
Accidental Victory?: The Battle of Midway
The Jap was up to something. That was certain. Allied planes attacking and scouting enemy bases in the Solomons and New Guinea found a most unhealthy quiet. Obviously air strength was being husbanded. Naval activity in the South Pacific, except for an occasional submarine, was virtually nonexistent. The enemy knew that American Naval strength, especially in available carriers, was concentrated in that area. He was aware that Lexington and Yorktown had been damaged in the Coral Sea, although he didn't know that the former had been lost. He had sighted Enterprise and Hornet steaming swiftly toward - but too late for - the battle.
The Imperial Combined Chiefs of Staff in Tokyo discussed the situation and pondered.In protecting the vital communications to her Ally, Australia, America had of necessity laid bare her own defenses at home. The principal Naval force available on the West Coast consisted of battleships and a light destroyer screen. If an attack was initiated soon enough in the Alaskan or Hawaiian area, the task forces in the South Pacific would not be able to return in time to contest it.The ether buzzed with the high whining of coded instructions as the Imperial strategists marshaled their forces. Theirs was an almost unique opportunity; they would assemble a fleet that only the combined strength of all American units could engage with any hope of success, and then only if they happened to intercept them. Committed to the defense of vast reaches of ocean, there was the definite possibility -almost a certainty - that the Yankees could not guess the Japanese objective.Thus would Japanese dominion be painlessly and inexorably enlarged, and the mainland of the United States brought within range of Japanese arms.So calculated the Japanese, but so too did Admirals King and Nimitz.It was imperative that the Japanese be stopped. But where would they strike? Apparently the most logical assault would be against either Midway Island, with diversionary attacks against our bases in the Aleutians, or against the Aleutians, with a diversionary raid against Midway. Which would it be?From all available information and consideration, one of the most important decisions of the war was reached: Midway's defense was immediately to be mobilized and increased.Even defensively, the situation was serious. The Yorktown'srepairs would require a lot of time, perhaps even a visit to the mainland. Her air groups and the survivors of Lexington were badly in need of rest and reorganization - the task force having been at sea since the middle of February.Admiral Fletcher's fleet was recalled to Pearl Harbor and Hornet and Enterprise also returned.On the 27 May, the Yorktown entered Pearl Harbor. Immediately workmen swarmed over her. Within three-days her wounds were temporarily patched and her planes returned to fighting condition.On 28 May, the task force, including Hornet and Enterprise, sailed again, under the command of R/Adm. Raymond A. Spruance. They had refueled, rearmed and been supplied in two days.On 30 May, Fletcher followed.VICTORY WAS CERTAINCommander Susumu Kawaguchi joined Capt. Kaka on the navigation bridge of the aircraft carrier Hiryu. Twenty-one-years in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Kawaguchi had been a pilot; now, however, he did no flying. His job was air officer of the carrier.The moon, half hidden by lowscudding clouds, cast a silvered path across the water, and by its light the shapes of nearby ships showed dimly.Astern came another carrier, Soryu. To starboard were two more of Carrier Division 1: Akagi and Kaga.To the moon it was an imposing sight. Four carriers, escorted by two battleships of Battleship Division 3: Hanma and Kirishima; two cruisers of Cruiser Division 8: Tone and Chickuma. And a dozen destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 10 led by Nagara.This was the striking force.A support force and an occu...See the full content of this document
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