[Music]
in June 1942 the most decisive naval
battle of the Second World War was
fought between the United States of
America and the Japanese Empire
waged entirely by aircraft carriers
hundreds of miles apart
the Battle of Midway was the first major
fleet encounter in which the ships on
each side
never came within visual range of enemy
vessels victory or defeat depended not
on the big guns of battleships but on
carrier born bombers and torpedo bombers
flying over vast tracts of ocean to seek
and destroy their targets Midway was the
dawn of a new era in naval
for Japan the Battle of Midway was
intended to be the linchpin of a great
campaign to extend the frontiers of the
Empire far into the Pacific Midway
Island a vital American outpost was to
be attacked and invaded and the United
States Pacific Fleet sailing to his
defense with America's few precious
aircraft carriers would be ambushed and
destroyed if the remnants of American
naval power were finally broken Japanese
mastery of the Pacific could never again
be challenged
[Music]
in fact in the Battle of Midway the
Japanese carrier fleet the mightiest in
existence was utterly destroyed and
Japan suffered her greatest defeat for
over 300 years at Midway Japan at the
height of her military power lost not
only a major naval engagement but in a
single day doomed the Japanese Empire to
ruin and defeat
[Music]
since the early 1930s Japanese conquests
in China had caused ever-increasing
friction with the United States from mid
1940 the Americans had banned exports of
arms scrap iron and other strategic
materials to the Japanese Empire
then in July 1941 America led an
international oil embargo and froze all
Japanese overseas assets the effect was
devastating up to now 90% of Japan's oil
had been imported and her stockpiles
were rapidly dwindling with time running
out a fateful decision was taken by the
Japanese leadership to invade and
conquer neighboring territories rich in
oil and other raw materials first a
major obstacle would have to be
eliminated the American Pacific Fleet
anchored at Hawaii
just before dawn on the morning of
December the 7th 1941 360 bombers and
fighters were launched from Japanese
aircraft carriers 230 miles north of
Hawaii their target was the three
carriers and the eight battleships of
the United States Pacific Fleet Based at
Pearl Harbor
[Music]
within two hours 18 American warships
including six battleships were sunk and
19 more vessels were damaged by bombs or
torpedoes almost 200 planes were
destroyed on the ground and over three
and a half thousand US personnel killed
or wounded the Japanese lost only 29
aircraft it was a stunning victory
shortly after noon the next day the
United States declared war on the
Japanese Empire
[Music]
with the destruction of the US Pacific
Fleet the way was open for the Japanese
campaign of conquest
[Music]
Garrison's throughout the region had
already been secretly strengthened and
thousands of troops assembled in
preparation for the onslaught hours
after the raid on Pearl Harbor Japanese
planes attacked American air bases on
Wake Island Guam and Luzon in the
Philippines with complete air
superiority the Japanese launched their
invasions forces in French Indochina
already held by the Japanese rapidly
advanced into Thailand and Burma troops
from the island of Heineman landed in
Malaya
the same day an advanced raiding force
invaded the Philippines and was soon
followed by landings in strength
over the next three weeks Wake Island
and Hong Kong fell to the Japanese
Borneo and celeb were invaded and
Sumatra was occupied
On February 19th Japanese aircraft
carriers launched a lightning raid on
port Darwin in northern Australia
sinking 12 merchant ships and
eliminating Darwin as a valuable allied
base
[Music]
early March saw the climax of the
Japanese expansion the inevitable
occupation of Java in a little over
three months Japan had conquered a
quarter of the Pacific Ocean
[Music]
by securing a steady supply of oil and
widening the defensive perimeter of the
homeland Japan had achieved all her
immediate war aims yet in spite of the
breathtaking scale of the Japanese
victories they did remain one major
threat to the security of her Pacific
conquests three aircraft carriers of the
United States Pacific Fleet had escaped
the carnage of Pearl Harbor and within
weeks they had each become the nucleus
of a new task force
after minor raids on the Marshall and
Gilbert Islands two of the American
carriers set sail on one of the most
audacious missions of the Pacific War to
bomb Tokyo the heart of the Japanese
Empire
[Music]
early in April 1942 the aircraft carrier
Hornet headed west from the US naval
base at Alameda in California to
rendezvous with sister ship enterprise
sailing from Pearl Harbor skillfully
avoiding the protective chain of
japanese-held islands Hornet and
enterprise penetrated to within 825
miles of the coast of Japan at 8:24 on
the 18th of April 16 Mitchell's took off
from Hornet and struck a course for the
Japanese capital flying low they avoided
Japan's fighter defences and 15 aircraft
dropped their bombs on the city all but
one of the Mitchells escaped to safety
in mainland China or Russia
in the wake of the attack that became
known after its commander as the
Doolittle Raid there was constant nation
amongst Japanese military leaders
although the raid had caused only minor
material damage it had struck an immense
blow to Japan's national pride the need
to protect the Emperor was at the very
core of the armed forces being and an
agony of shame swept through the high
command
Japan's leaders quickly concluded that
there was only one way in which the
homeland of the emperor could be
adequately protected the frontiers of
the Empire must be pushed even further
into the Pacific
[Music]
in October 1941 general Hideki Tojo had
been appointed prime minister of
Imperial Japan
as army chief of staff Tojo's greatest
ambition was to see a successful
conclusion to the Japanese campaign in
China and he was convinced that the only
possible way of achieving this was to
win a sharp victory over the Western
powers on his appointment as Prime
Minister General Tojo had kept his post
as chief of staff and a job of war
minister however although an immensely
powerful figure
Tojo did not have complete control of
government policy in a cabinet in which
all the Armed Forces were represented he
could count only on the support of the
army and most decisions were ultimately
a compromise between Army and Navy
even before the Doolittle Raid extending
the perimeter of the empire into the
Pacific had been a cherished ambition of
an influential naval faction after the
raid arguments between the Army and Navy
evaporated
because the proposed operation would
demand little army participation Tojo
finally gave his support
[Music]
Franklin Delano Roosevelt had been
elected president of the United States
in 1932 deeply opposed to the general
mood of isolationism Roosevelt believed
that America should play an active role
on the world stage even before the
outbreak of war in Europe Roosevelt had
warned of the dangers posed by Nazi
Germany's ambitions after the German
conquest of the continent in 1940 moose
felt in spite of domestic opposition
increasingly supported Britain in her
struggle for survival
it was also ruse felt whoo in
retaliation for Japanese actions against
China had imposed the oil and trade
embargo on Japan
as a former assistant secretary to the
Navy and now as its commander in chief
Bruce felt took a special interest in
the service he chose his own flag and
staff officers and was so determined
that the Navy should be run by the best
man for the job
that he even selected a member of the
opposition Republican Party Frank Knox
to head the Navy Department under ruse
Felton Knox the naval budget steadily
rose even after Pearl Harbor ruse felt
believed
contrary to the wishes of the American
public that the war in Europe should be
given priority over actions in the
Pacific
he understood that enormous resources
would be needed to push back the tide of
Japanese conquests and until the full
might of American industry could be
brought to bear the United States would
have to concentrate on holding the line
Reus felt insisted that further Japanese
expansion must be counted at all costs
[Music]
the extension of the Japanese defensive
perimeter in the Pacific
although logistically complex was
expected by the Imperial High Command to
pose few real problems on the islands to
be invaded enemy forces were weak and at
sea it seemed there was little to fear
from the Americans or the British the
Japanese Navy the driving force behind
the plan was supremely confident
[Music]
the first stage of the Japanese plan of
conquest was to complete the occupation
of New Guinea by April 1942 New Guinea
had already been partly conquered and
the Japanese were anxious to deny the
whole island to the Allies an advanced
striking force of troop transports and
heavy cruisers would be assembled in
Rabaul along with three aircraft
carriers of truck the force from rebel
would sail south then split into two
divisions the first was to cease to
loggy in the Solomon Islands
the second supported by one aircraft
carrier from truck was to capture Port
Moresby
the remaining two carriers would enter
the Coral Sea and engage any enemy found
there
[Music]
once New Guinea had been occupied then
New Caledonia Fiji and Samoa would
easily be captured to extend the
Japanese line in the North three islands
of the Aleutian chain a two Kiska and a
dock would be added to the list of
conquests the next stage in the Japanese
advance would be the occupation of the
American held island of Midway 1136
miles west of Hawaii the capture of
Midway would win for the empire an
airstrip within striking distance of the
American naval base at Pearl Harbor
[Music]
although the capture of Midway would
provide a vital stepping stone in any
future action against Hawaii the
operation would also have another
equally important objective it would be
used to lure American aircraft carriers
out of Pearl Harbor and force them to
fight a battle that would end in their
destruction
the plan to capture Midway and defeat
the American carrier fleet was a complex
and intricate combination of invasion
diversionary action and ambush
[Music]
the first step in the Midway offensive
would be the dispatch of a Japanese
submarine fleet to set up two
reconnaissance Corden's
one 500 miles west of Pearl Harbor and
the other between Hawaii and Midway
[Music]
while the submarines were taking up
their positions the Midway occupation
folks consisting of troop ships
supported by a heavy cruiser division
would set out from the Marianas and head
northeast towards mid way to destroy
Midway's defenses and ambush the
American carrier fleet a carrier Strike
Force was assembled made up of four
aircraft carriers supported by
battleships heavy cruisers and a
powerful destroyer screen the carriers
and their support would sortie east
through the bungo channel they would be
followed by a main force of six
battleships
to the north the Aleutian Islands would
be attacked by a second taskforce of
carriers and transports
escorted by cruisers destroyers and
battleships the Aleutians operation had
a secondary purpose it would divert the
Americans from the impending attack on
Midway tempting them to send a carrier
north to intercept any US warships
dispatched from Pearl Harbor the
Japanese fleet would be redeployed to
lie in wait to the south the Japanese
carrier strike force would approach to
within 250 miles of Midway and attacked
the airfield hangars ensure
installations the invasion would quickly
follow as the Midway landings were in
progress the carrier strike force and
the main force battleships redeployed
500 miles from the island would lie in
wait when the Americans sailed from
Pearl Harbor and were detected by the
submarine cordon around Hawaii or
long-range reconnaissance patrols flying
from the Marshall Islands the Japanese
carriers would engage the big guns of
the main force battleships would then
finish the remnants of American sea
power in the Pacific
[Music]
by the spring of 1942 the Japanese Navy
code jn-25 had been partly broken by
u.s. naval intelligence
however the cipher was complex and many
messages still remained difficult to
understand commander Joseph Rochefort
was head of the naval communications
Intelligence Unit at Pearl Harbor
it was Rochefort who finally succeeded
in adding a piece of the cipher jigsaw
vital to the Midway operation
by early May from partially decoded
Japanese messages Rochefort was sure a
big attack was planned for Midway but
confirmation was difficult and other
interpretations were possible the code
that the Japanese used to represent the
island was unknown but was suspected to
be the letters AF Rochefort designed a
simple ruse which was given the go-ahead
by his superiors Midway has no natural
freshwater supply so Rochefort arranged
for the island to send an urgent request
for a freshwater tanker two days later
on the 12th of May an American listening
post picked up a Japanese radio message
af is short of water it was clear that
coded messages referring to an attack on
AF meant that Midway was the true
objective of Japan's coming operation
already the Japanese plan was fatally
compromised
[Music]
although the Americans would be heavily
outnumbered in the coming battle thanks
to the codebreakers at Pearl Harbor they
could at least now estimate the probable
date of the attack to within a few days
somewhere between the 4th and the 8th of
June knowing that the Japanese invasion
of the Aleutians was merely a feint the
Pacific Fleet could afford to
concentrate its strongest naval force in
the Midway area furthermore because they
knew that Japanese aircraft carriers
would be lying in wait the Americans
could ignore the actual invasion force
and go all out for the enemy carriers
the United States had a precious asset
in the island of Midway itself dive
bombers torpedo bombers and even heavy
b-17s could be stationed there to attack
the Japanese fleet as an unsinkable
airbase the island would be invaluable
as an emergency landing strip for
carrier aircraft crippled or running low
on fuel in addition Midway had two old
but powerful radars which could be used
to help detect and track Japanese
attacks
the United States naval plan to counter
the Japanese operation against Midway
was carefully designed to make full use
of every advantage the Americans
possessed
[Music]
the American defense of Midway would
hinge on the ability of two carrier task
forces to find and destroy the Japanese
fleet
[Music]
task force 16 based around the carrier's
enterprise and Hornet would be first to
sail from Pearl Harbor tasked 417 with
the carrier Yorktown would follow two
days later the three carriers would
rendezvous at point luck 325 miles
northeast of Midway as the Japanese
carrier strike force approached the area
the problem for the Americans would be
finding it
[Music]
the radar on American carriers had a
range of only 150 miles and if the
carrier's own reconnaissance patrols
failed to make contact
then the fleet would have to rely on
long-range aircraft based on Midway
Island
[Music]
Midway's reconnaissance Catalina's would
fly 700 miles out to sea in search of
the Japanese
[Music]
if the enemy feet was discovered then
the Catalina's would track it until it
was within range of the Midway radar
station Midway radar would then keep the
pursuing American carriers fully
informed an all-out attack of land and
carrier-based aircraft could then be
accurately vectored in to destroy the
Japanese strike force
[Music]
Admiral is Iroko yamamoto author of the
plan to defeat the United States Navy at
Midway had been appointed
commander-in-chief of the Japanese
combined fleet in 1939
a dynamic and powerful personality
Yamamoto had little regard for the
abilities of his superiors and he was
well aware that they were intimidated by
his standing and his track record
Yamamoto is devastating success as the
mastermind of the Pearl Harbor raid and
the Pacific victories which followed
gave him almost a free hand in designing
and implementing offensive strategies so
determined was Yamamoto to have his own
way that he frequently threatened to
resign if his plans were not accepted in
his youth Yamamoto had studied at
Harvard University and as a graduate had
served in Washington as naval attache
knowing the United States intimately
Yamamoto greatly feared America's
industrial might before Pearl Harbor he
had tried to convince his superiors of
the risk Japan faced in any lengthy
conflict with the United States however
once he realized that Japan was
committed to war Yamamoto was determined
to win it his way the destruction of the
American fleet at Midway would buy Japan
much-needed time
Yamamoto's dream was the Casson can tie
the great decisive battle which would
force the americans to negotiate a peace
he understood that a fleet engagement
was a reckless gamble but as an
inveterate poker and shogi player he was
convinced that the only possibility of
victory lay in staking everything on
just one card
[Music]
Admiral Chester Nimitz a gifted
strategist and organizer had been
appointed commander-in-chief of the US
Pacific Fleet on the 31st of December
1941 immediately after the Japanese raid
on Pearl Harbor
nimitz believed that the Pearl Harbor
disaster had not been the result of
incompetence and his subsequent policy
of retaining all officers in their posts
did much to raise morale in the American
Pacific Fleet Nimitz personable style of
management plus a remarkable gift for
trusting subordinates to do their jobs
without interference would prove crucial
in the battle ahead
after Pearl Harbor it was Chester Nimitz
who had realized that the era of the big
gun battleship was over under the
striking power of America's Navy would
in future be built around the aircraft
carrier
while under Nimitz direction America's
carrier building program was accelerated
for the moment he would have to make do
with what he had just four aircraft
carriers and their support ships in
spite of his slender resources Nimitz
would stick to the tactical doctrine he
had always advocated for aircraft
carriers attack is the best form of
defense
[Music]
to the Japanese Navy the outcome of the
forthcoming battle was never in doubt so
far the war had yielded an unbroken
string of successes and the certainty of
victory was shared by all ranks
[Music]
such was the level of confidence that
there was a real fear amongst some flag
officers that the Americans would not
dare fight and would refuse to leave the
safety of Pearl Harbor one advanced
seaplane squadron even sent a signal to
its headquarters requesting that all
future mail should be directed to Midway
the results of wargames simulating the
coming battle were also ignored when one
such game resulted in the intervention
of American bombers from Midway Island
and the sinking of two Japanese carriers
the outcome was deemed unacceptable and
was overruled by the umpire
for the massive undertaking that would
expand the Japanese Empire and destroy
the US Navy in the Pacific Japan could
muster almost its entire combined fleet
all nine of the fleet's battleships
along with eleven carriers would take
part in the coming operations of these
four carriers would eventually
participate in the Battle of Midway
[Music]
a Kagi or red castle was laid down as a
battle cruiser in 1920 two years later
she was converted into an aircraft
carrier in 1934 a Kagi was extensively
modified to accommodate 30 more aircraft
taking her battle complement to 91
a Kagi was one of only two carriers ever
built with the bridge on the port side
[Music]
kaga or increased joy was originally
laid down as a battleship but in 1924
work began to convert her to a carrier
she was completed in March 1928
later keggers triple deck was replaced
by a much lengthened single deck in a
major refit her aircraft capacity was
raised from 60 to 90
[Music]
sorry you the green dragon was launched
in December 1935 built under the
limitations of the Washington Naval
Treaty sorry was small and kraut
nevertheless she could still carry 63
aircraft and the design was so
successful she was the model for nearly
all later Japanese carriers
[Music]
Jiri you the flying dragon like a Kagi
had her bridge on the portside because
of the universal tendency of pilots to
veer left in an emergency the design
caused many more landing accidents
here EU was however very much more
seaworthy than her predecessors a
complement of aircraft was 63
[Music]
the Mitsubishi a6m zero fighter was the
most potent and visible symbol of
Japanese prowess in the Pacific War
purpose designed as a Navy fighter to
operate from land bases and aircraft
carriers the zero would acquire an
awesome reputation
the zero had a remarkably clean airframe
and was very light in weight the result
was high speed and excellent fuel
economy however these advantages were
achieved at the expense of pilot
protection the zero had no armor and no
self-sealing fuel tanks more zeros would
be built than any other type of Japanese
aircraft
[Music]
the ihe d3 a vowel two-seater was the
first all-metal monoplane dive bomber
to enter Japanese naval service in the
hands of experts the vowel was a
formidable weapon realising an 80%
strike accuracy during the early
Japanese conquests the val was so
strongly built and so highly
maneuverable but even with a fixed
spatted undercarriage it could become a
highly effective fighter once it had
dropped its balls
[Music]
although the nakajima b5n kate' was slow
and poorly protected it was at the time
of Midway the best aircraft of its type
in the world
on its introduction in 1937 it had
boasted many advanced features such as
folding wings a retractable
undercarriage and integral wing fuel
tanks effective as a conventional bomber
as a torpedo bomber the Kate was
devastating
the aircraft was armed with the
excellent type 91 torpedo the type 91
could be dropped at 200 miles per hour
and from a height of up to 300 meters a
valuable protection against
anti-aircraft fire
[Music]
the naval pilots preparing for New
Guinea and Midway operations were
seasoned veterans of the attack on Pearl
Harbor they had gone on to fly combat
missions in the Pacific and Indian
Oceans
for Japanese pilots the intervals
between combat operations were entirely
taken up by training the motto was train
hard fight easy Japanese determination
to achieve the highest standards in Navy
flying had not come without a price
pilot training was lengthy and expensive
only a hundred naval pilots graduated
each year from the training schools far
too few to cope with the incessant
demands placed on Japanese carrier
forces since the start of the war
there had been no leave for Navy aircrew
the training of Japanese sailors and
flight deck personnel was if anything
even more arduous than that undergone by
their pilot comrades
the men were conscripts hardened by
harsh discipline and ceaseless battle
drill meant that a ship could be brought
to action stations and a complete strike
force launched within 5 minutes during
the heat of battle a flight could be re
armed refueled and airborne again within
one hour
although the combat readiness of
Japanese sailors and airmen was
unsurpassed
there was an underlying weakness in the
Navy's preparation for the coming
operations before Pearl Harbor air crew
had been able to practice for bomb runs
a day and dive bombers had been expected
to score 80% hit raids or better
there had also been extensive fleet
maneuvers now with the fuel shortages
that had triggered the war worse than
ever
maneuvers and bombing practice were
restricted at Midway the consequences
for the Imperial Navy would be nothing
short of catastrophic
[Music]
soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor it
had become clear to senior American
naval commanders that other the damage
done was severe it was far from the
fatal blow the Japanese had intended
[Music]
the Pacific fleets priceless aircraft
carriers had escaped the Japanese had
failed to destroy ship repair yards and
they had ignored the basis fuel depots
leaving vast supplies of oil intact
in spite of Japanese efforts Pearl
Harbor still played host to a powerful
American naval presence
[Music]
Hawaii was the base for the United
States three pacific fleet carriers thus
a fourth transferred from the atlantic
fleet
each carrier was supported by its screen
of up to two heavy cruisers and five
destroyers nearly 20 submarines
protected the waters around Oahu and
Midway Island because Admiral Nimitz was
convinced that the overwhelming
superiority of the Japanese Navy ruled
out anything but a hit-and-run attack
the slow Pacific Fleet battleships would
play no part in the coming operation
those that had been repaired after the
Pearl Harbor attack were sent to San
Francisco to patrol the west coast of
the United States
everything would now depend on the speed
and long-range hitting power of American
aircraft carriers
[Music]
all three of the carriers that would
take part in the Battle of Midway but of
the Yorktown class commissioned by
October 1941 the ships were Yorktown
Hornet and Enterprise although slightly
slower than its Japanese equivalent the
Yorktown class was capable of carrying
an extra 20 aircraft Yorktown carriers
were notable for their advanced damage
control systems to minimize the risk of
fire aviation gas fuel lines could be
filled with carbon dioxide when an enemy
attack was imminent the carrier's decks
were also specially designed for combat
conditions the flight deck was unarmored
and constructed with 6-inch planks of
teak more easily repaired than metal and
less likely to cause severe splinter
wounds two crew men
unlike Japanese carriers the Yorktown's
were all equipped with radar which could
detect aircraft flying up to 30,000 feet
and at a range of over a hundred miles
[Music]
although the Lexington would not take
part in the Midway battle she would play
a vital role in a preliminary action the
Battle of the Coral Sea Lexington had
been laid down as a battle cruiser in
1921 and converted during construction
she emerged as America's first fleet
carrier and one of the largest aircraft
carriers in the world
because Lexington was of a very early
design her available deck and hangar
space was not efficiently used and her
aircraft compliment was a modest 63
[Music]
originally designed as a biplane carrier
fighter the grumman wildcat had been
replanned on the drawing board as a mid
wing monoplane the aircraft entered u.s.
Navy service in 1939 and was
manufactured first by Grumman and later
by General Motors
[Music]
powered by a right cyclone nine cylinder
radial engine the wildcat was slower
than its opposite number the zero
however its maneuverability heavy six
gun armament effective armor and rugged
construction meant that Wildcats could
often survive battle damage that would
spell disaster for any other fighter
[Music]
nearly eight thousand Wildcats would see
service in World War two
[Music]
from its introduction in June 1940 the
Douglas dauntless was one of the most
important American combat aircraft of
the war in the first half of 1942 the
Dauntless saw more action than any other
type
the Dauntless was a dive bomber with
heavy armor a bulletproof win stream and
self-sealing fuel tanks it was powered
by a nine-cylinder right cyclone radial
engine because of its great stability in
flight the aircraft was known
affectionately to its pilots as the
barge when it first entered service with
the US Navy
the Dauntless was the best carrier based
dive bomber in the world the aircraft
would be responsible for sinking more
Japanese shipping than any other allied
weapon and at Midway would account for
all Japanese ship losses
[Music]
the three-man Douglas Devastator
America's first carrier monoplane had
entered service in 1937 and by 1942 was
already obsolete
it was slow lightly armed and had a poor
rate of climb at Midway devastators
would suffer appalling losses and the
battle would be the aircraft's last
major action of the war
[Music]
the Grumman TBF was planned as a
replacement for the Devastator and
although designed very quickly it would
prove to be the most successful torpedo
bomber of world war ii the TBF was a
robust and powerful three seater
aircraft it was the first american naval
warplane to mount a power operated
turret and the only one to carry its
torpedo internal
the TBF entered service early in 1942
but only six were available for the
Battle of Midway all was stationed on
Midway Island
it would be the TBF first combat action
and in memory of the men lost during the
battle the aircraft would afterwards be
renamed the Avenger
[Music]
the consolidated pby-6a sighing boats of
world war ii and the most numerous
flying boat ever the Catalina was unique
as the first flying boat to feature
cantilever wings which needed no
supporting spars it also had stabilizing
floats which could be retracted to form
the wingtips in flight the resulting
aerodynamic efficiency made for speed
and long range after the first four
marks of PBY flying boat the aircraft
was fitted with retractable tricycle
landing gear to give it an amphibious
capability
although able to carry a heavy bomb load
in the Battle of Midway it would be the
long-range reconnaissance capability of
the Catalina who would prove invaluable
to the Americans
during the battle Catalina's would also
save the lives of many ditched American
fliers
[Music]
the b-17 a four-engined heavy bomber but
first entered service with the United
States Army in June 1939 although the
aircraft would win fame as a strategic
bomber for political reasons the
original specification was for a
long-range anti-shipping weapon the role
it would in fact play in the Battle of
Midway the b-17 II fully lived up to its
designation as a flying fortress
intended to operate in self defending
formations the b-17 II mounted to
hydraulically operated turrets one of
them a retractable ball underneath the
aircraft altogether the fortress carried
11 machineguns
and was fitted with self-sealing fuel
tanks and extensive armor
[Music]
for such a large and powerful aircraft
the b-17 had a low wing loading and even
with heavy combat damage was more likely
to get its crew home than any other
comparable aircraft
in the Battle of Midway 19b 17th of the
US Army Air Force would operate against
the Japanese to extend their range they
would carry extra fuel tanks and half
their normal bomb load
[Music]
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had
United the American people at a single
stroke military and civilians alike
shared a bitter resolve to see the
Japanese totally defeated across the
country hundreds of thousands flocked to
the recruitment centers
[Music]
the Japanese blow had been most keenly
felt by the man of the United States
Navy and the humiliation had given an
extraordinary edge to even the most
prosaic of training exercises unlike the
Japanese whose trainee naval pilots were
an elite selected at 14 years of age
the Americans recruited from a much
wider segment of the population
in the United States there were far more
suitably educated recruits with the
right mental and physical qualities for
a carrier pilot
[Music]
on America's entry into the war the
training schools were easily expanded
without any appreciable fall-off in
quality after three months of elementary
flying instruction the aspiring naval
pilot spent another three months in
basic Navy training periods are two more
flight schools followed and only the
best were then selected for training as
carrier pilots
[Music]
in spite of the excellence of US Navy
flight training American carrier pilots
would go into battle with little more
than half of the 700 hours flying time
acquired by their Japanese counterparts
they had also as yet seemed little
combat some had taken part in raids on
the Gilbert and Marshall Islands which
had been mounted as much for training in
morale as for any strategic reasons but
the actions have been minor and had met
little serious opposition
as for flight deck crew American
performance was at least as effective as
the Japanese the men were just as
capable of launching a wave of strike
aircraft within 5 minutes where the
Americans did have a real edge on the
enemy was in damage control damage
control parties were highly trained in
their duties and their ability to deal
with fire the greatest threat to any
warship was unsurpassed at the Battle of
Midway the relative damage control
skills of each side would prove a key
factor in deciding the outcome of the
fight
[Music]
by late April 1942 preparations for the
Japanese campaign were well underway
naval facilities at the port of Rabaul
had been greatly expanded and thousands
of troops have been assembled ready for
the conquest of New Guinea and too laggy
[Music]
the troop transports were ready to sail
along with their escorts of cruisers and
destroyers
the Japanese anticipated little
opposition on Tuilagi and once the
island had been captured the Port
Moresby assault would follow in both
cases the Japanese expected that
surprise would be on their side
as the three Japanese aircraft carriers
which had assembled a truck prepared to
carry out their orders one to escort the
Port Moresby invasion force and the
other two to take up stations in the
Coral Sea the Americans
acted decisively a task force based
around the carrier's Yorktown in
Lexington was sent racing to intercept
the Japanese on May the 1st south of the
Solomon Islands the carrier's rendezvous
with a powerful force of Australian
cruisers the stage was set for the
Battle of the Coral Sea the first clash
in an epic confrontation that would
change the course of the Pacific War
[Music]
the capture of the island of Tuilagi on
May the 3rd 1942 was as the Japanese
expected simply a matter of dropping
anchor and disembarking the troops
two loggers tiny garrison of Australians
had already been evacuated the first
blow in Japan's great campaign of
expansion had apparently gone strictly
to plan
what the Japanese did not know was that
the American carrier Yorktown with
Admiral Fletcher on board had been
informed of events on Tuilagi
and was already steaming north
at 7:00 a.m. on the morning after the
Tuilagi landings Yorktown struck 40 of
Fletcher's aircraft were launched
against the anchored Japanese fleet and
the occupation force
[Music]
in a little over an hour the American
bombers and torpedo bombers had sunk or
damaged a destroyer three minesweepers a
number of landing craft and several sea
planes
for the Japanese it was the first
unsettling evidence that American
carriers lurked in the area on only the
second day of operations events were
already taking an ominous turn
[Music]
by the following day Yorktown and her
escorts had returned to rendezvous with
Lexington the to escort groups now merge
to form a single screen around the
carrier's they had joined forces only
just in time the Japanese carriers
shikaku Anzu ikkaku had entered the
Coral Sea and the two fleets were just
70 miles apart
[Music]
on the morning of May the 7th the
American carrier task force with
Lexington and Yorktown was cruising on a
northwesterly course the Japanese
carriers shikaku and zou ikkaku were
sailing on a parallel course each fleet
was unaware of the other's presence
American Scout planes sent to the
northeast failed to find the Japanese
carriers but a scout sent to the
northwest reported a sighting at once
the Americans launched a strike force of
93 aircraft
[Music]
in fact the ships sighted were the
cruisers and destroyers of the New
Guinea invasion force
[Music]
but soon the carrier show who was
spotted only 25 miles away and the
attack was redirected show her was hit
by 13 bombs and seven torpedoes she sank
within minutes
[Music]
for the Imperial Navy the loss of show
ho was deeply traumatic
so shocked were Japanese commanders but
the invasion of Port Moresby was
immediately canceled and the troop ships
turned back to Rabaul
on the American side there was
jubilation a pilots radio report of the
show hosts sinking scratch one flat top
would become the most famous signal of
the Pacific War
after the sinking of the show home
Admiral Fletcher did not immediately
launch another strike against the
Japanese invasion fleet to attack the
carrier's shikaku Anzu ikkaku was his
main objective and in any case the
Japanese might themselves attack and he
would need his air defense at full
strength
as the day advanced a weather front
closed in on the Japanese carriers
nevertheless the strike force commander
Admiral Taguchi was determined to
destroy the Americans before they could
inflict yet more damage on the
retreating Japanese invasion fleet
choosing his best night fliers Taguchi
launched his attack in the late
afternoon the aircraft would have to
return and land in darkness
the Japanese Raiders in spite of the
poor weather passed close to the
American carrier group the Americans
with the benefit of radar easily
detected the enemy formations infected
their fighters to intercept
in a series of vicious dog fights ten
Japanese aircraft was shot down 11 more
would crash after the mission trying to
land in darkness for the Japanese the
raid was a fiasco
in the aftermath of this first carrier
clash between the Imperial Navy and the
US Pacific Fleet both sides considered
attacking by night with their cruisers
and destroyers both finally rejected the
idea
fearing the absence of their protective
screens instead they withdrew postponing
the main action for another day
[Music]
on the morning of May the 8th the
American and Japanese feats were more
than a hundred miles apart the Japanese
had the benefit of low cloud cover while
the Americans were exposed under clear
blue skies at Oh 600 both sides launched
their reconnaissance aircraft and within
two hours each fleet had discovered the
other on the American side Yorktown in
Lexington launched 70 bombers and
torpedo bombers and six fighters at
almost the same time shikaku Anzu ikkaku
launched 50 attack aircraft and 20
fighters
although the Japanese carriers were
close together as we Kaku was hidden by
cloud and it was shock a COO who fell
victim to the Americans
she was hit by three bombs and so badly
damaged that she would later be unable
to recover her aircraft most would be
forced to ditch in the sea
the American carriers using their radar
detected the approaching Japanese
Raiders for 70 miles away 12 Wildcat
fighters were scrambled but only three
reached a high enough altitude to attack
and no Japanese aircraft were destroyed
Yorktown was first to be hit a single
bomb found its target
the next victim was the larger and less
maneuverable Lexington two bombs struck
her deck inflicting minor damage but far
more seriously two torpedoes impacted on
her portside
even after the Japanese bombs and
torpedoes had struck Lexington continued
to fight but soon after the battle she
began to list to port by pumping oil
from one side of the carrier to the
other the crew managed to write the
vessel and she was soon capable of
maintaining 24 knots it looked as if
Lexington might still be able to reach
home under her own steam
however at 1445 an explosion ripped
through the carrier and soon fires were
raging out of control the order was
given to abandoned ship and after her
crew had been taken off a destroyer was
detailed to sink the blazing Hulk with
torpedoes 38 aircraft were still on
board
the destruction of Lexington meant that
the Battle of the Coral Sea was a
tactical victory for the Japanese the
light carrier show ho had been exchanged
for the far more formidable Lexington
however the Imperial Navy had been far
more badly damaged than it seemed the
carrier shikaku was out of action and
Zwick aku's air crew had been
slaughtered as a result
neither carrier would be able to
participate in the decisive battle soon
to be fought of Midway
[Music]
in the aftermath of the Coral Sea battle
the Japanese made a fatal error they
knew they had sunk the Lexington but
they also believed that Yorktown had
been smashed beyond repair
even with two of their own heavy
carriers out of action and the loss of
the show home they were certain that the
balance was still in their favor
the remaining Japanese carriers
supported by battleships and heavy
cruisers would still have more than
enough firepower to send the American
Pacific Fleet to the bottom of the ocean
[Music]
the Japanese main force for the Battle
of Midway was based in hushirat' Jima in
Japan
the main force was commanded by Admiral
Yamamoto himself Yamamoto had seven
battleships three light cruisers two
seaplane carriers one light carrier and
twenty destroyers
attached to the main force was Admiral
chichi Nagumo's carrier strike force the
most powerful carrier fleet in the world
[Music]
his heavy carriers here EU sorry you
Akagi and CagA would be escorted by two
fast battleships three cruisers and
eleven destroyers
[Music]
the Midway invasion force was commanded
by Admiral na bataki Kondo
its main body was made up of two
battleships four heavy cruisers one
light carrier and seven destroyers
subordinate to Admiral condo was the
Midway occupation force commanded by
Rear Admiral Riley so Tanaka Tanaka had
12 transports with 5,000 troops and a
screen of one light cruiser ten
destroyers and three patrol boats at
Guam in the Marianas was the Midway
support force under the command of Rear
Admiral Takeo Kurita Corita had four
heavy cruisers and two destroyers
[Music]
as well as his mid wave forces Admiral
Yamamoto had overall command of the
Aleutians fleet based in the Anchorage
Adama notto on the northern island of
the Japanese homeland the northern force
was made up of a carrier striking force
with one heavy and one light carrier two
cruisers and three destroyers
there was also an invasion fleet of four
transports carrying 1,000 soldiers
accompanied by a seven strong destroyer
screen
[Music]
with the Lexington sunk and Yorktown
badly damaged in the Coral Sea the US
Pacific Fleet had been critically
weakened
yorktown went into drydock in Pearl
Harbor with damage estimated to need at
least three months to repair in fact the
yards achieved near miraculous results
the job was done in three days with 1500
men working around the clock much minor
damage had not yet been put right and as
the carrier sailed scores of Dockyard
crew remained on board
[Music]
Admiral Chester Nimitz overall commander
of the US Pacific Fleet would stay in
Pearl Harbor throughout the Battle of
Midway communicating with his ships by
radio
Nimitz divided his carriers into two
Task Forces Task Force 17 was commanded
by Admiral Frank Fletcher veteran of the
Coral Sea Fletcher had Yorktown as his
flagship two cruisers and six destroyers
Fletcher also had operational command of
Task Force 16 led by Admiral Raymond
Spruance Spruance had the carrier's
enterprise and Hornet along with two
cruisers and eleven destroyers from
Pearl Harbor
Admiral Nimitz deployed 19 submarines
for reconnaissance and attack which
would patrol off Midway and Hawaii he
would also call on aircraft based on the
island of Midway itself
the US Army Air Force had four b-26 and
nineteen b-17 bombers the Marines
fielded 20 Buffalo and seven wildcat
fighters they also had eleven Vindicator
and sixteen dauntless bombers the Navy
had 38 Catalina's and 60 BF torpedo
bombers the island was also defended by
the 6th marine defense battalion of
3,000 man
[Music]
on the morning of May the 27th the
Japanese carrier strike force under
Admiral Nagumo sailed from hasher Jima
by nightfall they had entered the
Pacific and were heading for Midway the
following day the Aleutians invasion
force and the main body of warships
sorted from amine auto at the same time
far to the south the Midway invasion
force with its escort of destroyers and
the invasion support force of heavy
cruisers sorted from the Marianas
last to leave port on the 29th for the
invasion force main body and Yamamoto's
fleet each of battleships cruisers and
destroyers
although Admiral Nimitz and his senior
commanders knew that Midway was to be
invaded for security reasons
no one on the island was told that the
mightiest concentration of naval power
in history was bearing down upon them
piecemeal Midway's marine garrison was
reinforced and the islands anti-aircraft
defenses were strengthened every day
the Catalina flying boats patrolled the
ocean around the island in greater
numbers although none of their crew yet
knew precisely what they were searching
for
the Japanese too had begun their
reconnaissance effort an advanced
submarine force had been at sea for many
days racing towards Hawaii its task
would be to set up a picket north of
Pearl Harbor and report the strength of
any American fleet dispatched to Midway
the submarines were in fact already too
late on May the 28th task force 16 left
Pearl Harbor unobserved followed by task
force 17 on the 30th both groups
vanished into the Pacific Ocean
and the Japanese submarines which would
finally arrive on June the 3rd would
watch in vain
[Music]
by June the second the Japanese northern
force was plowing its way through the
North Pacific towards the Aleutians
the islands are though of immense
strategic importance to the United
States were sparsely manned the only
forces of any consequence deployed at
Dutch Harbor
[Music]
the Americans expecting the Japanese
attack through repeated reconnaissance
missions but because of poor weather
failed to locate the enemy the Japanese
at first fared little better but a
second strike group did succeed in
bombing Dutch Harbor over the following
days troops of the special naval landing
force occupied Kiska and Attu
although the Aleutians operation was in
tactical terms a complete success and
the Japanese occupation of the islands
would be a thorn in the American side
for some time to come the primary
objective of the invasion had failed the
Americans instead of dispatching strong
naval forces north away from Midway
ignored the diversion a key element in
the Japanese plan failed completely
[Music]
while the Japanese northern force was
launching its attack on the Aleutians
hundreds of miles to the South Nagumo's
carrier strike force was fast
approaching Midway
200 miles behind will yamamoto's main
force battleships and steaming from the
southwest the Midway invasion fleet
with no cloud cover the invasion
flotilla was desperately exposed and by
now Midway's Catalina's were sweeping a
huge arc of ocean up to 700 miles
covering all the likely approaches to
the island
[Music]
it was on June the 3rd at oh nine oh
four that a Catalina made the first
sighting of Japanese ships off Midway
the pilot reported to cargo vessels 21
minutes later another Catalina flown by
ensign Jack Reed and just beyond the
extreme limit of its allotted search
spotted a large formation of ships the
message dispatched a Midway read cited
main body and a few minutes later gave
its bearing and range
although the distance 700 miles was
within the capabilities of Midway's b-17
bombers which already had their extra
fuel tanks fitted and were armed and
waiting mid-waist commanders were
unwilling to commit their forces without
more information it would be another two
hours of steadily mounting tension
before a radio message confirmed the
sighting of a large body of Japanese
warships meanwhile reports of the
sighting were passed to the American
carriers
[Music]
the two American carrier task forces
were waiting 325 miles to the northeast
of Midway
the Catalina's report placed the
Japanese main body to the southwest
however Nimitz was confident of his
intelligence sources and certain that
the ships were only the Japanese
invasion force
Nimitz signaled his commanders the
carrier strike force will hit from the
Northwest tomorrow
Fletcher ordered enterprise and Hornet
to change course and both task forces
headed south to lie in wait
[Music]
with the sighting of the japanese
invasion fleet confirmed Midway's b-17s
were finally given the order to attack
at 1225 hours
nine bombers lombard on the islands
runway to launch the first attack of the
Battle of Midway
it would take over four hours for the
b-17s to reach the enemy fleet and begin
their high-level runs because of their
extra fuel tanks the fortresses were
carrying only 36 500-pound bombs between
them none struck home from altitude the
effects were hard to judge and the crews
reported hits on six vessels including
two battleships in the aftermath the US
Army Air Force would claim a major
victory for land-based high-level
bombers
throughout the night of June the 3rd the
atmosphere on Midway was tense but
confident the reports of the b-17 crews
were encouraging everyone believed that
at least some damage had been done to
the Japanese fleet during the night a
Catalina torpedo attack on the invasion
transports did succeed in hitting one
Japanese oiler insignificant in real
terms
but heartening for the waiting Marines
at first light Midway's Catalina's were
once more dispatched on their
reconnaissance patrols
because a Japanese raid on the airfield
was almost certain the b-17s were
ordered to take off once more to prevent
them being caught on the ground
[Music]
as the Japanese carrier strike force
steamed at 24 knots on its final run
into Midway sailors and aircrew prepared
themselves for the ordeal ahead with the
traditional toasts and worship of the
Shinto shrine on board every Japanese
warship all were keenly aware that they
were about to strike the first major
blow in a battle on which depended not
only their own lives but the future of
the Japanese Empire
[Music]
at OU 4:30 Admiral Nagumo turned his
carriers into the wind and launched his
first strike wave a hundred and eight
aircraft in all the rest including his
most experienced aircrew were held in
reserve in case any American warships
were discovered Nagumo believed the
possibility extremely remote so only
after his first wave had been sent to
Midway did he order his reconnaissance
aircraft to begin their search of the
surrounding ocean
[Music]
the search mounted by the Japanese
carrier strike force was conducted by
only seven aircraft from five ships a
Kagi and CagA each launched one vowel at
over 430 both aircraft were to search
300 miles out and could cover an area 60
miles wide at the same time the
battleship Haruna launched one float
plane with a range of 150 miles the
cruisers Tony and Qi kuma were each to
dispatch to float planes but technical
problems delayed Tony's aircraft for up
to half an hour and one of jakku Mo's
developed engine trouble and would have
to turn back
the search was dangerously incomplete
[Music]
as the Japanese scouted for American
carriers Midway's Catalina's were in
their turn looking for the Japanese at
Oh 5:30 a single enemy carrier was
sighted on Midway Island and on the
ships of the American Task Forces the
effect was electrifying the Japanese
were exactly where Admiral Nimitz had
expected them to be shortly after the
first sighting one more vital piece of
information was received from the
Catalina's a wave of strike aircraft was
approaching the island
[Music]
to Admiral Spruance onboard Enterprise
it was a priceless piece of information
soon after the aircraft had hit Midway
the Japanese carriers would have to
retrieve them for rearming and refueling
at that point the carriers would be
supremely vulnerable as the Japanese
strike wave came within range of Midway
radar all the islands remaining aircraft
were scrambled
[Music]
when the enemy arrived the runways and
hangars would be clear
Midway's fighters would be waiting to
meet them and the islands force of
bombers and torpedo bombers would
already be on their way to strike back
at the Japanese carriers
in spite of the valiant efforts of
Midway's mostly obsolete fighters the
Japanese bombers and dive bombers broke
through without having lost a single
aircraft
however as soon as the lead attackers
came within range of the islands
anti-aircraft guns they were met by a
hail of fire
[Music]
[Applause]
finding no American planes on the ground
the bombers attacked and destroyed
Midway's oil tanks on Sand Island at the
same time the dive bombers targeted the
airfield and hangars on Eastern island
and destroyed virtually every building
in sight
with 15 of Midway's defending fighters
already shot down the Japanese fighters
were now free to strafe ground targets
they too met a murderous hail of
anti-aircraft fire in all six Japanese
aircraft would fall to Midway's guns
when the Japanese headed back to their
carriers at Oh 643 it was already
apparent to the strike leader that are
though they had left behind a trail of
destruction they had not succeeded in
their primary objective by radio he
reported that most of Midway's aircraft
had escaped and the islands runways
remained largely intact
Midway's bombers were still a serious
threat the Japanese fleet even before
the strike wave had returned to its
carriers Admiral Nagumo was ordering a
second attack on the island only moments
later there was dramatic confirmation of
the threat Midway's aircraft posed to
Nagumo's carriers six American TBF
torpedo bombers and four b-26 medium
bombers suddenly bore down on the
Japanese carrier feet the screening
destroyers and cruisers put up a storm
of anti-aircraft fire
at the same time 10 zero fighters of
akagi's combat air patrol swooped in to
attack
the TB FS did succeed in launching a
Takagi but violent manoeuvring saved the
Japanese carrier
savaged by the zeros and by furious
anti-aircraft fire
only one TBF and two b-26s
survived the raid
[Music]
at almost the same time as the Japanese
fleet was beating off the first wave of
attackers from Midway the American task
forces were preparing to launch their
own strike waves reconnaissance had now
confirmed that there were not one but
two enemy carriers in the area such a
target was simply too good a chance to
miss
[Music]
the latest reconnaissance place the two
Japanese carriers over 200 miles from
the Americans the maximum range for an
airstrike was around 150 miles so the
first priority was to close the gap
[Music]
assuming that Nagumo's carriers would
still be steaming towards Midway
Fletcher set a course to intercept only
spurns his task force 16 with enterprise
and Hornet was to be sent task force 17
with Yorktown would wait to recover her
Scout planes and follow later
[Music]
if the Americans were to catch the
Japanese as they rearmed aircraft
returning from the attack on Midway they
would have to launch their first strike
wave around Oh $700 although the range
was closing quickly it was still too
great for the Devastator torpedo bombers
to strike and return home they would be
sent regardless those that survived the
raid would have to ditch in the sea
altogether Hornet and Enterprise
launched 29 devastated torpedo bombers
and 72 Dauntless dive bombers for
fighter cover there were 20 Wildcats
Admiral Spruance was aware that only two
of at least four Japanese carriers had
been located and kept 36 fighters to
defend his task force from any Japanese
counter-attack as the strike groups from
Hornet and Enterprise set course for the
enemy fleet Yorktown her Scout planes
now recovered raced to catch up with
task force 16 at Oh 838 Admiral Fletcher
launched his strike aircraft
within half an hour the total number of
American aircraft heading for the
Japanese fleet had reached 156 even now
the Japanese were still unaware that
they had been found and targeted by
enemy carriers Nagumo's men were toiling
to prepare their aircraft for the second
raid on Midway and the Admiral was
confident his feat was secure his Scout
planes had been out almost two hours and
had reported no sign of an American Task
Force in fact Japanese reconnaissance
had been a disastrous failure
[Music]
by now task force 16 steaming towards
Nagumo's fleet was well inside the
search area of the Japanese Scout planes
however chiku mows float plane had flown
right past the Americans and had failed
to spot them because Tony Scout could
not search the same area until the
return leg of its flight and had been
delayed by half an hour to begin with
the error was not detected for a
considerable time
[Music]
when it was at oh seven 25 the pilots
report mentioned only enemy surface
ships as a result Nagumo now believed
there was no immediate threat from
American carriers
[Music]
at AU 748 as the Japanese were just
about to launch the second Midway strike
they themselves suddenly came under
attack
it was another raid from Midway Island
first came sixteen Dauntless dive
bombers whose inexperienced pilots
approached in a shallow Glide
the zeroes of Nagumo's combat air patrol
destroyed half their number before they
even reached the carriers
next came Midway's b-17s dropping their
bombs from 20,000 feet
not a single Japanese vessel was hit
Midway's marine Vindicator x' were
equally unsuccessful
[Music]
as the American Raiders headed home and
Nagumo once more turned into the wind to
launch his second wave against Midway
dramatic news was reported by a scout
plane
the pilot had spotted a carrier
fana gumo the revelation could not have
come at a worse moment
while the Japanese second wave was
preparing to launch Nagumo's first wave
just returned from Midway was settling
waiting to land also waiting to refuel
and rearm with the fleet's zero fighters
which had been in action protecting the
carriers if Nagumo were to launch his
second wave against the reported enemy
carrier they would have to go without
fighter cover Nagumo decided to wait he
would return his second wave below decks
recover his circling aircraft for
refueling then launch a full-scale
attack on the American fleet
[Music]
at Oh 917 with all their aircraft
recovered the Japanese carriers up to
now heading towards Midway turned east
northeast to close with the American
force
Nagumo's strike would be ready to launch
at 10:30 hours
[Music]
as the Japanese surged ahead at 30 knots
the decks of Nagumo's carriers were
chaotic flight crews struggled
frantically to refuel and rearm their
aircraft bombs and torpedoes lay
everywhere and there was no time to
follow safety procedures
and unknown to the Japanese who had no
radar the first American torpedo bombers
were only three minutes away
[Music]
the American a group from task force 16
that followed a course based on the
assumption that the Japanese fleet had
carried on sailing towards Midway
instead Nagumo had changed course as a
result most of the dive bombers and
fighters from hornet 45 aircraft in all
failed to find the enemy a second group
of Hornets aircraft had also at first
missed Nagumo's fleet but had then
turned north and within minutes had
found the Japanese carriers
[Music]
the first target for Hornets torpedo
bombers was a Kagi as the squadron swept
in at low level the zeroes pounced the
few Americans that survived were torn
apart by the feets anti-aircraft fire
not one torpedo bomber and only one
pilot survived
within minutes of the first raid torpedo
bombers from enterprise in New York town
began their attack once again the
American pilots were slaughtered and no
enemy ships were hit only six Raiders
survived
with the torpedo attacks beaten off and
his feet still unscathed Nagumo was at
last ready to send his waiting strike
aircraft against the American carriers
just as the launch signal was about to
be given American dive bombers which had
been lurking high in the clouds pounced
on the carriers the first victim was
CagA the time was 1020 hours
[Music]
the first bomb to strike CagA landed on
the rear of her flight deck squarely
amongst aircraft armed and waiting to
take off two more hit near her forward
elevator another exploded in the hangar
below igniting fuel and detonating bombs
CagA was left a raging inferno within
minutes and almost everyone on her
bridge was killed
[Music]
as kegger burned a Kagi was launching
its first zero fighter for the attack
that was supposed to smash the American
fleet at that moment three Dauntless
dive bombers struck
the first hit on a Kagi landed near her
midships lifts and exploded in the
hangar
the next fell amongst the parked
aircraft on her deck fuel and bombs
ignited immediately killing the elite of
the Japanese air fleet in their cockpits
within minutes the fire had spread
forward and Admiral Nagumo's flagship
was doomed
[Music]
the next victim of the American
dive-bombers was sorry
just after 10:25 three bombs smashed
into the Callias flight deck
[Music]
the first bomb fell between sorry you
second and third lifts the next landed
in front of the forward lift and
penetrated to the hangar detonating
bombs torpedoes and fuel
the third struck on the rear deck
completely destroying her waiting strike
wave
[Music]
in the space of five minutes the
mightiest carrier fleet in existence had
been shattered
[Music]
Admiral Nagumo his flagship blazing was
forced to transfer his flag to a cruiser
of his once magnificent carrier force
only Hillier was left and immediately
the order was given to launch her strike
aircraft there was still some hope but
even now a devastating blow could be
visited on the American enemy
[Music]
the first wave of Helios Strikeforce was
made up of 18 valve dive bombers and 6-0
fighters their target was Task Force 17
and the carrier Yorktown
[Music]
shortly before noon the valves were
detected by Yorktown's radar already 12
wildcat fighters were in the air
covering the carrier and another 15 were
on deck refueling these were ordered to
launch at once at the same time
Yorktown's aviation gas lines were shut
down at her fire suppression system was
activated
the Japanese strike wave approaching at
10,000 feet
ran straight into Yorktown's fighter
defences 10 were shot down by the
Wildcats the 14 survivors headed
straight for the American carrier
[Music]
five vowels survived the gauntlet of
wild cats and a hail of fire put up by
Yorktown and her escorts three bombs
plunged into Fletcher's flagship
the first bomb struck Yorktown's flight
deck and exploded
ii penetrated and burst below the funnel
damaging orbit one of the ships boilers
and destroying her radar room
the third bomb crashed through
Yorktown's number one elevator and deep
into her hangar
[Music]
in spite of being hit by three bombs so
good was Yorktown's damage control that
potentially catastrophic fires were
quickly put out no fuel or magazines
exploded and amazingly Yorktown was
steaming at 20 knots and able to recover
and relaunch her fighters within 1 hour
and 40 minutes of the attack
[Music]
by now the surviving Japanese carrier
hitter you had launched her second wave
a scratch force of ten Kate torpedo
bombers and six zero fighters once again
American Wildcats savaged the Raiders
but nine torpedo bombers survived and
swept into the attack
because Yorktown was no longer belching
smoke she was mistaken for one of her
unscathed sister ships
although five more Kate's were destroyed
by anti-aircraft fire four launched
their torpedoes
Yorktown was hit twice on the portside
and one of the raiders deliberately
crashed onto her deck
within seconds of the strike Yorktown
was wracked by explosions and began to
list to port at 1500 hours the order was
given to abandoned ship as the first of
Yorktown's crew were being taken off by
her attendant destroyers aboard
enterprise Admiral Spruance received
news from a scout aircraft that Harry
you had been spotted the Japanese
carrier was a hundred miles northwest of
the dying Yorktown at 15:30 Enterprise
launched 24 Dauntless dive bombers and
Hornet another 16 meanwhile Harry you
was recovering and refueling her last
remaining aircraft for a third strike
against the American carriers at 1705
the Dauntless --is undetected by here
use combat air patrol screamed down out
of the Sun Harry you maneuvered
violently but four bombs
found their target
[Music]
the first two bombs to hit blue here use
number one lift clean off and left the
whole forward deck a mass of flame the
other two penetrated to the hangar where
bombs and fuel exploded violently the
waiting aircraft at the rear of the
flight deck blew up killing almost all
their pilots Admiral Nagumo's last
carrier was finished and with her
Japanese domination of the skies over
the Pacific
[Music]
when Admiral Yamamoto learned of the
catastrophe that had befallen his fleet
he did not at once abandon all hope
perhaps with the awesome firepower of
his battleships and cruisers he could
yet destroy the Americans in a night
battle Yamamoto was clutching at straws
that evening American carriers sailed
eastward and Yamamoto could no longer
force a battle before daylight exposed
his ships to air attack
at out 255 on the morning of June the
5th Admiral Yamamoto ordered a general
withdraw
[Music]
on the morning of June a sixth strike
waves from enterprising hornet added to
the american tally of four Japanese
carriers by sinking one Cruiser and
damaging another
with them the number of Japanese dared
rose to three and a half thousand men
[Music]
on the american side the cost of victory
was the carrier Yorktown finally sunk by
torpedoes from a prowling Japanese
submarine and the destroyer Hammond that
had been lying alongside in all 307
aircrew sailors and Marines had died
[Music]
for the United States the Battle of
Midway would prove the turning point in
the fight against Japan unable to
replace her losses in carriers and
aircrew the Japanese Empire would never
again be capable of taking the
initiative Japan had not only suffered
the greatest defeat in her history but
had in a single day
lost the Pacific War
[Music]
you