rosssccs - The Battle of Midway

Midway Atoll

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The Battle of Midway was a the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Japan had a stronger navy than the U.S. and wanted to take over the U.S. base at Midway atoll. Admiral Yamamoto planned to take out the American planes, destroy the island's defenses, and then turn it into a Japanese airbase. The Japanese did not know that the United States had decoded a secret message, were expecting an attack, and were waiting to surprise the Japanese. Japan lost four aircraft carriers and 225 planes to the 146 planes and the one carrier that the U.S. lost. After the battle the American navy was stronger than Japan's and the United States took offensive. "In the end, the battle of Midway was the first decisive defeat of the Japanese in the Pacific" (Sheehan 17).