Reference Entry
CARRIER BATTLE OFF MIDWAY ATOLL
While Dutch Harbor burned, the decisive blows of that wider Japanese plan were being struck far to the south. On June 4th, 1942, United States Navy carriers Enterprise, Yorktown, and Hornet launched waves of torpedo planes and dive bombers against a powerful Japanese carrier force near Midway Atoll. Early attacks by torpedo squadrons suffered terrible losses, but they drew enemy fighters and disrupted Japanese flight decks.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Carrier battle off Midway Atoll
While Dutch Harbor burned, the decisive blows of that wider Japanese plan were being struck far to the south. On June 4th, 1942, United States Navy carriers Enterprise, Yorktown, and Hornet launched waves of torpedo planes and dive bombers against a powerful Japanese carrier force near Midway Atoll. Early attacks by torpedo squadrons suffered terrible losses, but they drew enemy fighters and disrupted Japanese flight decks. Soon afterward, dive bombers arrived overhead to find Japanese carriers with fueled and armed aircraft still on board, and in a matter of minutes they scored hits that fatally damaged three of the four enemy flattops. A fourth carrier was destroyed later in the day, while Yorktown herself was mortally wounded by counterattacks. The Battle of Midway turned Japan’s carrier strength from an overwhelming advantage into a deficit and shifted the strategic initiative in the central Pacific to the United States, setting the stage for offensives at Guadalcanal and beyond.
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