Battle Of Midway Battle Analysis

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There were numerous battles during World War II, but none would prove as decisive as the Battle of Midway. A battle staged 1300 miles North East of Hawaii near Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese and United States would face off with a majority of their pacific fleets to determine dominance in the Pacific Ocean. Key intelligence breakthroughs coupled with an element of surprise would afford the United States a decisive victory against Japan. This battle analysis will cover the atmospherics surrounding the battle, the events leading up to the battle, decisive actions during the battle, and an alternative outcome derived from facts and analysis. Following the assault on Pearl Harbor, December 7 1941, Japanese aggression in the Pacific Ocean was nearly unbearable. According to the National WWII Museum (2012), Japan launched a series of assaults on the nearby islands of Guam, Solomon, Burma and the Dutch East Indies, solidifying their naval dominance throughout the western Pacific Ocean. The United States (U.S.), still occupying the extremely strategic Midway Atoll, understood in order to stem the offensive operations of Japan the U.S. Navy must confront and destroy Japan’s aircraft carriers. (National WWII Museum, 2012). Japan’s intent of expanding …show more content…

He knew he had a significant edge in the confrontation, as they had significantly more firepower and resources then the USN. Geoffrey Till (2005) explains that Yamamoto’s greatest fear was the USN failing to engage in battle if the USN saw the overwhelming odds favoring the Japanese. Thus the decision to leave the Hiryu as a support carrier made perfect sense. The initial assault on Midway was Yamamoto’s attempt to lure the USN into an all-out confrontation (G. Till, 2005). He failed to realize the intelligence deficit he faced, and failed to predict the USN assault on the carriers Akagi, Kaga, and