American combat forces took over where intelligence efforts left off. Scouts found the Japanese early in the morning of
American combat forces took over where intelligence efforts left off. Scouts found the Japanese early in the morning of
On September 6, 1941, the Japanese government decided to go to war with America. (Japan had been preparing for the possibility of war for several years.) Though the final decision to actually go to war was deferred, pending a possible diplomatic breakthrough, the machinery for war, especially in the Imperial Japanese Navy, was put in motion. In April 1942 Japan wanted to expand their defensive lines so they went east towards the island of Midway (1000 miles from Hawaii), they sent most of the imperial fleet to battle. That fleet was composed of four aircraft carriers, two battleships, thirteen cruisers, assorted submarines, transports and mine sweepers. "The Battle of Midway, 1942" EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2001). After that, an event known as the “Allied Code-Breaking” took place , Admiral Nimitz of the allied forces had his cryptanalysts had broken the JN-25 code. The US had been decoding messages since spring 1942 and they discovered that Japan’s objective was Midway. The American base at Midway started to send false messages saying that its water distillation plant had been damaged and that the base needed fresh water. The Japanese saw this and soon started to send messages stating that "AF was short on water”. AF was the name of the objective the Japanese had which was Midway. Commander Joseph J. Rochefort and his team at Station Hypo were able to determine that the attack was going to be on either the 4th or the 5th of June. As a result the Americans were able to enter the battle knowing when and where the Japanese were going to be and also with what force they were going to attack. The Japanese Naval Marshal General Isoroku Yamamoto considered that going to war with the United States was a “suicidal mission” and that he did not think that Japan could win such war.…
For Yamamoto’s plan to be successful, it would require the element of complete surprise. Yamamoto knew, and counted on the fact, that as soon as the attack on Midway commenced, the Americans would message Pearl Harbor for assistance. However, because of the distance from Pearl Harbor to Midway, the American Fleet would be unable to arrive in time to disrupt the attack. The Kido Butai could then shift its sights on targeting the American Fleet. (Symonds, Pivotal Moments in American History: Battle of Midway 102-103) In preparations for the attack, the Japanese fleet began a series of war gaming exercises. All messages and radio communications regarding the attack were encrypted, utilizing a highly classified Japanese Naval code, known as JN…
Things were going bad for the United States. Pearl Harbor was just two days earlier and that was extremely devastating for people. Japan figured out America’s code, so they knew what our plans were. You might be wondering how, so I will tell you. Japan sent spies to learn our language and culture, then decrypt…
It was simple because the main outcome was to “invade a target relatively close to Pearl Harbor to draw out the American fleet, calculating that when the United States began its counterattack, the Japanese would be prepared to crush them.” It was complex because he decided so divide his assets into four main components. This meant that a very careful and timely coordination between their battle groups was necessary for the plan to succeed. Yamamoto’s battle plan also relied on information that the United States Enterprise and Hornet were the only carriers operational at the time. But Japanese intelligence fail to acknowledge that the carrier USS Yorktown had been repaired after the Battle of Coral Sea; a battle that took place a month before. Yamamoto was also optimistic on thinking that Midway wouldn’t pose a threat until reinforcements arrived from Hawaii. Vice-Admiral Nagumo’s carrier strike force was to weaken Midway’s defenses for a full invasion to happen. Once the American…
On June 4 the Americans discovered the Japanese fleet northeast of midway after this a quick air battle developed. This was the turning point the…
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Battle of Midway, and provide an alternate outcome based on the intelligence aspects affecting the battle both before and during. The Battle of Midway is considered one of the most decisive battles during World War II, and indeed one of the most pivotal naval battles of all time. It served as a turning point in the intense battle for the Pacific between United States and Japanese forces, tipping the scales into the Allies favor. Many today see the battle as one that should have resulted in an Japanese victory due to strategic advantage and sheer numbers. However, analysis reveals that without the decisive usage of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance assets by US forces, the Japanese…
happened at approximately 7:50 A.M. This is what brought the US into WWII. The Japanese…
In the great naval battle at Midway between 4 and 6 June 1942 the three American aircraft carriers Yorktown, Enterprise and Hornet won a remarkable and pivotal victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy. The loss by Japan of four of its six best aircraft carriers and several hundred of its most experienced and skilful aircrews marked the turning of the tide against Japan in the Pacific War. The crushing defeat inflicted on the Japanese Navy by the very much smaller United States Pacific Fleet put an end to Japan's ambition to dominate the whole of the western and central Pacific regions. The defeat at Midway threw the Japanese Navy on the defensive for the first time in World War II, and it would never again exercise naval supremacy in the Pacific…
On the night of June 4th, both sides retired to plan their next move. By 02:55, Yamamoto ordered his fleet to return to base. In the following days, American aircraft sunk the cruiser Mikuma, while the Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoed and sank the disabled Yorktown. The defeat at Midway broke the back of the Japanese carrier fleet and resulted in the loss of invaluable air crews. It also marked the end of major Japanese offensive operations as the initiative passed to the Americans. That August, US Marines landed on Guadalcanal and began the long march to Tokyo.…
However, the Japanese Americans did not put up a fight because they did what they were told to do. Unfortunately, it was a shock to America and they feared what had already taken place will happen again in the future "along the Pacific Coast." People who were residents in the West Coast gave a spoken account of "the enemy planes overhead and practiced blackouts" which had been observed, heard and done on "December seventh and throughout the next week." Consequently this led the Army to pay particular attention to the Japanese and evacuate them, (Miller, Gormly & Woestman,…
The four-day battle was the first carrier vs. carrier battle in history. The goal of this skirmish (led by Admiral Frank J. Fletcher and Vice Admiral Takagi Takao of the U.S. and Japanese forces, respectively) was centered around Australia, Japan’s next target in its Pacific campaign (History.com, “Battle of Coral Sea”). The Japanese planned to launch an attack against Port Moresby, Australia in order to sever communications between Australia and the U.S. Allied codebreakers were able to decipher Japanese messages, and saw the attack coming. They were able to move forces into place, including the air force carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown (Alex, “Battle of Coral Sea Timeline”). American forces were able to sink the lesser carrier, the IJN Shoho, and damaged the IJN Shokaku.…
Synopsis The Battle of Midway is well known as the turning point in the Pacific war. However, if not for the Battle of the Coral Sea a month earlier, the three American carriers at Midway would have faced six Japanese carriers of the type that had devastated Pearl Harbor five months prior, instead of only four — and the Battle of Midway might have ended differently.Coral Sea was the world’s first all-carrier battle, and the first sea battle in which neither side could see the other. Both the U.S. and the Japanese navies thought they understood how to fight using carriers. Both discovered they were wrong. At the end of this painful learning experience, the United States had lost the 41,000-ton carrier Lexington, while Japan had lost only the 11,000-ton carrier Shoho.The battle was a…
By 1944, America and her allies in the Pacific War had the ascendancy. In the west, the Japanese were being turned back in Burma and island hopping had isolated Japanese forces in the eastern sector. Combined with the attacks on Iwo Jima, was America’s desire to finally destroy Japan’s merchant fleet so that the Japanese mainland could not be supplied from the food-rich sectors of South East Asia which Japan still had control over. Linked to this, was the destruction of Japan’s remaining industrial base by the bombing of it by the American airforce.…
Admiral Nimitz knew about Japan's plan to attack Midway. He knew that they needed to defend Midway, which was a location of a key American airfield. Admiral Nimitz allowed the Japanese planes to begin their attack on Midway. Then, the American forces launched their hidden planes to begin to defend Midway. The American planes bombed the Japanese planes and ships. At the end of the battle, Japan lost 332 planes, four aircraft carriers and one support ship. The Americans won the battle in only three days and turned the tide of the war in favor of the Allies.…
The Imperial Japanese Navy never fully recovered from their loss. This was a victory for the United States and their allies because of the codebreakers who revealed Japan’s plan to attack the American forces (Hambling). In doing so,…