Throughout history there have always been turning points. Be it a political turnabout like the French Revolution or a militaristic one such as the Soviet Victory at the battle of Kursk. These events have always affected the situations to follow them heavily. It’s the summer of 1942, just six months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese have been an unstoppable force in the pacific. Projecting their control as far as the Marshall Islands they had a firm grasp on over half of the Pacific Ocean. With the losses at the Battle of the Coral Sea, and the struggle at the Solomon Islands the U.S. was on the defensive. However, a battle was on the horizon, the battle of Midway. This battle is the great turning point of the pacific theater of WWII and set forth the path to victory in the pacific for the American forces.
Many different elements affected the outcome of the battle of Midway and made it the turning point of the pacific theater of WWII. However, to understand the significance of the battle it is necessary to know the causes that lead up to the battle. With Japan’s war machine in the pacific suffering after the sanctions placed by the US on oil import, the country needed a way to gain more resources. With the only way to gain these resources requiring attacking the United States the Japanese military began to cultivate a plan to cripple the US in the pacific by attacking the naval station at Pearl Harbor. After the devastating surprise attack at Pearl Harbor and the Japanese army’s push through the Pacific isles, the United States was on its heels. The Pacific fleet was heavily damaged at Pearl Harbor, only a few ships managed to escape the carnage. These included the carrier squadron, which will be decisive later into the war. In the aftermath of the attack the US decided to launch the daring Doolittle raid to strike back at Japan to boost morale. The raid used the aircraft carriers that managed to evade the attack at Pearl Harbor to raid the home islands of Japan. Due to the raid, the Japanese royalty ordered their head admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto, to expand the defensive perimeter in the pacific to prevent further enemy incursions. This expansion required the capturing of many different islands which included the military base at Midway.
The largest fleet ever assembled by the Japanese bared down on Midway, with over 185 ships including 4 heavy aircraft carriers and the super dreadnoughts Yamato and Musashi, the armada was immense. This operation was extremely crucial to the war effort. It would have allow the Japanese to have a staging point from where they could attack the US with better ease. To the US, a defeat here would be catastrophic to the war effort. Causing a further set back and possible loss of control over a portion of the Pacific. The stakes were tremendous for both sides. Upon the onset of the battle the Japanese intended to enter it with a surprise attack on the island, however, to their unknowing the US had cracked the communication codes and knew of the oncoming attack. With the advantage of surprise now in the United State’s hands, they built up their forces. The US engaged first, launching an attack on the fleet but not scoring any hits. The Japanese counter attacked with the US responding with all their planes but suffering significant losses. With the knowledge of the presence of the US navy, Admiral Yamamoto ordered all planes back to rearm and refuel. In doing so the Japanese aircraft carriers, now riddled with bombs and fuel on the decks for the rearmament of the planes, were extremely vulnerable to attack. The US managed to attack the aircraft carriers in this state, sinking 3 out of the 4 aircraft carriers leaving the last one extremely crippled, which eventually was scuttled.
While any victorious battle can help win a war, Midway was more than just a victory, it was a turning point. The most important part of the battle was the sinking of all four heavy Japanese carriers and the loss of almost all of the experienced naval aviators. With over 3/4th of their naval aviation divisions lost in a single battle, this left Japan helpless in combat against the United States in naval air warfare. The effects of these losses was gargantuan, the Japanese surface fleet was at the mercy of US dive and torpedo bombers for the rest of the war. With catastrophic effects, such as the sinking of two of the largest super dreadnoughts ever created. In addition, defeat at Midway also stalled the Japanese advance across the Pacific. A full retreat was ordered after the battle. This bought time for the United States to kick its monstrous industry into gear capable producing hundreds of ships a year. With no way to compare to that industrial might, Japan was doomed.
To say Midway was just a battle is wrong. The battle changed the tide of the largest war in history in just four days. It demonstrated the power of carrier warfare as well as the usefulness of aviation in ship warfare in the pacific. It left the Japanese with irreparable losses to man and machine leaving gaps in the battle plan that would haunt them for the rest of the war. Along with stalling one of the most impressive offensive pushes in military history. This battle ranks among the most influential battle in military history.