On April 18, 1942, in retaliation for Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers of the U.S. military took off from the USS Hornet, skimmed the sea at a low altitude, and flew to Tokyo.
At 12:20 p.m., several huge planes appeared in the sky over Tokyo, which had a peaceful atmosphere.
Because Japan happened to be holding an aviation exercise that day, after seeing the US bomber, the people on the ground thought it was their own plane.
But just as everyone waved excitedly into the air and cheered, dozens of bombshells fell from the sky, and the downtown area of Tokyo was suddenly in a panic.
The U.S. airstrike, although it lasted only 30 seconds. But it scared the Japanese emperor a lot.
is also scared, and Yamamoto Fifty-six.
As the supreme leader of the Combined Fleet, Yamamoto actually let the U.S. military attack Tokyo under his nose.
In any case, this is a dereliction of duty, and he must bear the corresponding responsibility.
In order to keep the emperor's dog's head, but also to keep his own dog's head. After the air raid, Yamamoto again submitted his plan for "Operation Midway" to the Naval Command Department.
Midway is located 1,200 nautical miles northwest of the Hawaiian Islands, with a land area of about 52 square kilometers.
Don't look at it as small, but the strategic position is very important.
If the Japanese occupied Midway, they could threaten Pearl Harbor.
On December 7, 1941, Nagumo Tadaichi attacked Pearl Harbor, inflicting heavy losses on the U.S. military.
But Yamamoto was not satisfied with the results, and he had always hoped for the complete annihilation of the US Pacific Fleet.
As a result, as early as early 1942, Yamamoto had an idea to feint on Midway Island and force the American troops in Pearl Harbor to come to the rescue. In this way, he could take advantage of the superiority of the Combined Fleet in terms of strength to gather the Pacific Fleet at sea.
In this way, Japan will hopefully force the United States to sit down at the negotiating table and end the war early.
Yamamoto's plan is too risky and too wishful thinking. This is very much in line with his gambler's style.
However, it is also prone to opposition from colleagues.
At that time, not to mention that the army wanted to go against the grain, there were also many people in the navy who were skeptical.
Opponents think: If you go all the way to fight a battle, even if you can fight it, can you hold it? The most important thing is that the Americans will obediently drive out the Pacific Fleet and let you Yamamoto slaughter it?
Due to the large number of opponents, the "Operation Midway" plan has never been approved by the Military Command Department.
In contrast, the Japanese base camp was more interested in the conservative "Mo operation" plan.
That is, to take the island of New Guinea, and then to capture Australia, sitting on the western Pacific Ocean, and separating the world with the United States.
However, while Yamamoto and the Military Command Department were arguing over the next strategy, the U.S. military bombed Tokyo.
This is not the end, Roosevelt** also joked at the press conference afterwards: The US military will often "visit" Japan in the future, and the next time it may blow up the palace.
In the face of the threat from the United States, the attitude of the Military Command Department took a 180-degree turn in an instant.
On May 5, the Naval Commander, Nagano Shusei, was issued an edict by the Emperor to formally approve the Midway Battle Plan. It was decided to use 8 heavy aircraft carriers, more than 400 carrier-based aircraft, 11 battleships, 23 cruisers, 56 destroyers, 24 submarines, and more than 70 transport ships and auxiliary ships to attack Midway.
Prior to this, the Military Command Department also approved the "MO Operation" program.
This led to an encounter between the U.S. and Japanese navies in the Coral Sea before the Battle of Midway.
In this battle, the Japanese lost a light aircraft carrier Xiangfeng, the heavy aircraft carrier Xianghe was seriously damaged, and the carrier-based aircraft on the Zuihe were seriously damaged.
The U.S. military lost an aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington, and the USS Yorktown suffered heavy losses.
After the Battle of the Coral Sea, Isoroku Yamamoto judged that the US forces had at most two aircraft carriers at Pearl Harbor, so he ordered the wounded Shozuru to return to Yokosuka for repairs, and ordered the Zuizuru to stay in the rear to rest and replenish a new batch of carrier-based aircraft.
As a result, only six of the eight heavy aircraft carriers that the Combined Fleet could have put into operation at Midway remained.
On May 24, in accordance with the plan of the Military Command Department, the Combined Fleet divided into multiple routes and attacked Midway and the Aleutian Islands.
There are four directions in the direction of Midway:
The first was the advance submarine detachment, consisting of 16 submarines, which was responsible for setting up an ambush between Hawaii and Midway to attack the enemy who came to reinforce him.
The second is the Midway occupation force, which has more than 50 warships, including one light aircraft carrier, and 5,000 landing troops, which are responsible for occupying Midway.
The third is the aircraft carrier formation commanded by Nagumo, with 4 heavy aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 2 cruisers, and 12 destroyers. While being responsible for attacking Midway Island in the air, it was looking for an opportunity to annihilate the US ** team in the direction of Pearl Harbor.
Fourth, the mobile unit led by Isoroku Yamamoto himself, with one light aircraft carrier, three battleships, two seaplane carriers, and 13 destroyers, was responsible for responding at any time.
There are two routes in the direction of the Aleutian Islands, commanded by Vice Admiral Hososumi Goshiro and Vice Admiral Takasu Shiro respectively, with a total of more than 30 warships, including two heavy aircraft carriers, and 2,000 landing troops. Responsible for the capture of the western part of the Aleutian Islands.
Didn't you hit Midway? Why did they divide their forces to fight the Aleutian Islands?
This is because the westernmost point of the Aleutian Islands is less than 1,600 kilometers from the northernmost part of the Japanese Kuril Islands. After Tokyo was bombed, the Japanese base camp was already frightened by the air raids on the US troops, and no one dared to take it lightly.
Even if U.S. forces take off from the Aleutian Islands, the possibility of bombing Japan is slim, and the base camp wants to prevent it.
Yamamoto also believed that attacking Midway and the Aleutian Islands at the same time could play a role in confusing and containing the US military, so he agreed to the additional instructions of the base camp.
However, the division of the Japanese forces was not a good thing for the ensuing Battle of Midway.
On the one hand, the Aleutian Islands are about 3,000 miles from Midway, and the two battlefields are too far apart. In the event of any surprise, it will be difficult for the two fleets to support each other.
Moreover, in order to take the Aleutian Islands, Yamamoto had to transfer part of his troops before the war.
As a result, only four aircraft carriers, "Akagi," "Kaga," "Soryu," and "Flying Dragon," were left to fight at Midway.
Of course, according to Yamamoto's assumption, four against two, he is still sure to win.
But the question is, does the US military really have only two aircraft carriers?
Moreover, will the Americans be so obedient, wait for the Japanese to take Midway, and then slowly set off from Pearl Harbor and fall into the trap of the Japanese army?
Obviously, this is not the case.
Yamamoto did not know that in the upcoming contest at Midway, the US military had quietly taken the lead.
Midway. In January 1942, the U.S. military found the Japanese codebook on a sunken Japanese submarine.
With this codebook, U.S. intelligence managed to crack most of the Japanese army's communications secrets.
In the month of 1942, the exchange of telegrams between the various divisions of the Japanese Combined Fleet was unusually frequent, and a location codenamed "AF" appeared repeatedly, which immediately alerted Rocherford, the head of the Hawaiian intelligence station.
Rocherford judged that "AF" was the location where the Japanese were going to attack next, and it was likely to be Midway.
In order to confirm his inference, Rocherford approached Nimitz, and with Nimitz's approval, asked the U.S. troops at Midway to send a report to Pearl Harbor that there was a problem with the desalination equipment on the island, and asked the base to send someone to repair it as soon as possible.
After the telegram was sent, the U.S. military intercepted a Japanese coded telegram claiming that "the AF lacks fresh water."
The truth is revealed, and there is no doubt that "AF" is Midway.
In this way, the US military can be deployed in advance. Yamamoto's plan to make a surprise attack on Midway Island and lure the U.S. military to dispatch and then annihilate it was completely ruined.
While the United States was able to grasp the movements of the Japanese army, the Yorktown, which had been damaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea, was miraculously restored in only 72 hours.
With the return of the Yorktown and the more than 170 planes on Midway, the number of planes on the front line of the United States and Japan is basically equal.
In the early hours of June 4, the First Air Fleet under the command of Nagumo Tadaichi arrived 200 nautical miles northwest of Midway.
At 4:30, 108 planes of the first Japanese attack wave took off and launched an air attack on Midway.
In Nagumo's view, it is not difficult to take Midway at all, and his biggest threat is the US ** team in the direction of Pearl Harbor.
So after launching the first wave of attacks, Nagumo sent seven reconnaissance planes to search the surrounding sea.
At the same time, the planes of the second wave of attack were all parked on the deck and replaced with powerful torpedoes. As soon as the U.S. troops at Pearl Harbor were dispatched, they immediately rushed over and bombed them all with a click.
But unexpectedly, Nanyun waited left and right, and did not wait for what he wanted to see, but a series of accidents.
American torpedo bombers waiting for takeoff.
First, at 7 o'clock in the morning, the first attack wave sent back a message, saying that the attack was not effective and hoped for support from the rear.
At 7:05, just as Nagumo was still hesitating to change the equipment of the second attack wave, six Avenger torpedo planes and four B-26 medium-range bombers of the US military launched an attack on Nagumo's fleet.
Since the B-26 could only take off from Midway, Nagumo decided that there was no U.S. Navy nearby, so he decided to take a gamble and destroy the U.S. forces on Midway first.
However, just as the Japanese planes were unloading the torpedoes and replacing them with high-altitude bombs, Nagumo suddenly received information from a reconnaissance plane that 10 US warships had been discovered in the sea about 240 nautical miles from Midway.
Hearing the information, Nagumo was stunned.
Where did the American fleet come from?
200 nautical miles, which is not a problem at all for an airplane. If there are aircraft carriers in the US ships, it will not be good.
The situation was unclear, and Nagumo could not make a decision, so he had to order the fighter to suspend the refitting and wait for the reconnaissance plane to send back detailed information.
At 8:15, a report came from the front: At least one aircraft carrier exists in the US ** team.
There is no doubt that the Nagumo fleet is in a dangerous situation and may be attacked by US planes at any time.
At this moment, an American submarine suddenly appeared in the nearby waters and fired torpedoes at the Japanese aircraft carrier.
However, the American torpedo failed to hit, and the Japanese sent destroyers to drive away the submarine.
Time was pressing, but Nagumo hesitated, which made Yamaguchi Tawen, the commander of the second aircraft carrier squadron of the anxious son, very angry.
He sent a telegram to Nagumo: "Take off immediately to attack the troops." ”
Because Yamaguchi has a grudge against Nangumo, it is roughly that Yamaguchi once drank a few more glasses of cat urine and drunkenly beat Nangumo. Nanyun felt that this guy was mentally abnormal, and he had never been too lazy to take care of him, and this time was no exception.
Yamaguchi smells a lot. And just as Yamaguchi was urging the telegram, dozens of planes of the first attack wave had also returned, demanding that the aircraft carrier immediately vacate the flight deck, otherwise they ran out of fuel and could only fall into the sea to feed the fish.
Nagumo had no choice but to order: vacate the flight deck, ** the first attack wave. The second attack wave unloaded the bomb and returned it to the hangar again for the refitting of the torpedo. The fleet temporarily withdrew north to avoid the enemy's edge, and after all the planes were reequipped, it would fight to the death with the American forces.
Nagumo's decision to postpone the attack was not wrong.
However, a word from the superior, the subordinate ran and broke his leg.
As soon as Nagumo's order was given, the four Japanese aircraft carriers were all in chaos.
In order to gain time and save trouble, the tired hangar personnel piled up the unloaded bombs in the hangar. There was even more chaos on the deck.
The Japanese hangar personnel did not operate according to the rules and regulations, and soon tasted the consequences.
On the U.S. side, because they had mastered the intelligence of the Japanese army in advance, they had already prepared.
Nimitz decided not to carry out any rescue operations against the Aleutian Islands, but sent three aircraft carriers and eight cruisers to Midway.
It is worth mentioning that before the war, Yamamoto presided over a sand table deduction.
At that time, some people pointed out that during the Midway operation, the US military might enter the combat position in advance, launch an attack northeast of Midway, and sink three aircraft carriers of the Nagumo fleet.
Facts have proved that this is very close to the actual combat tactics of the US military later.
However, the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet, Ugaki Tsuchi, intervened and interrupted the deduction.
Ugaki said ruthlessly: I read the script again, the American ** team must set off from Pearl Harbor, it was late, and then we slammed it. Can you understand?
The people present didn't know where Ugaki's confidence came from, and they didn't dare to question, and the scene was suddenly silent.
Yamamoto was interested in the unexpected situation, so he asked Nagumo: If you attack Midway and the U.S. forces suddenly appear, how will you deal with it?
Before Nanyun could speak, his aviation staff officer Minoru Genda said arrogantly: Come on, we can destroy them at once!
Yamamoto was very satisfied with Minoru Genda's reply, and he was also sure that the American ** team would inevitably depart from Pearl Harbor.
As a result, a pre-war drill that was supposed to be serious turned into a child's play.
Let's talk about the US military.
Before the first Japanese offensive on Midway, Task Force 16 under the command of Major General Spruance and Task Force 17 under the command of Major General Fletcher had reached 300 miles northeast of Midway.
Fletcher guessed that the Japanese team would be approaching Midway from the northwest. In order to prevent himself from being discovered by the Japanese army, he commanded two task forces to gallop southward and sent reconnaissance planes to search the sea surface.
At 6 a.m. on June 4, reconnaissance planes reported that two Japanese aircraft carriers had been spotted 200 nautical miles away.
Fletcher was very decisive and sent a telegram to Spruance ordering 117 carrier-based aircraft on the Hornet and Enterprise to take off.
At 8:40, the Yorktown, where Fletcher was sitting, also took off 35 warplanes and went straight to the Nagumo fleet.
You may be curious, the reconnaissance plane spotted the Japanese army at 6 o'clock, why the American army took off at 8 o'clock.
This is also no way, the American pilots who participated in the Pacific War in the early days did not have high technical and tactical ability.
More than 100 planes took off, and the Japanese army only needed a few minutes. And the U.S. military will take more than an hour.
However, although the technical and tactical abilities of the US pilots are average, they are very brave and fierce, and each of them treats death as if it were life.
At 9:25, 15 torpedo bombers taking off from the USS Hornet launched a suicide attack on the Nagumo fleet.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of fighter escort, all 15 torpedo planes were shot down by Japanese Zero fighters and anti-aircraft artillery fire, and all but one of the 30 pilots were killed.
US military TBD "Saboteur" torpedo bomber.
At 9:30 a.m., 14 torpedo bombers that took off from the Enterprise braved Japanese artillery fire and launched an attack on the Canglong and Feilong.
However, for the same reason, the US attack failed to work, and 11 of the 14 torpedo planes were shot down, and none of the torpedoes dropped by the US planes hit.
At 10:10, 12 torpedo bombers and 6 plus fighters from the Yorktown attacked the Wyvern again.
Same situation, same result.
All 12 torpedo planes were shot down, and none of the torpedoes fired at the Wyvern hit.
The first three waves of the US offensive were obviously failures.
However, the sacrifice of the American torpedo machine, not without value.
Because it was these warriors who entangled the Japanese fighters for five minutes with the momentum of seeing death as if they were at home, so that the dive bombers were able to take advantage of the precious five minutes to take advantage of the situation.
At 10:20 a.m., just as the Japanese fighters were still flying at a low altitude and were busy driving away the US torpedo planes, 33 US "dreadnought" dive bombers descended from the sky and divided into two squadrons to attack the Akagi and Kaga respectively.
At 10:24, the Akagi sounded the alarm: the enemy situation was discovered! Dive bombers!
However, it was too late.
The first to be hit was the Kaga. Four U.S. bombs triggered gasoline ** on the Kaga, and the hull of the ship was broken in two due to **.
The second is the Akagi. A 1,000-pound bomb of the U.S. military penetrated the flight deck of Akagi and detonated the aerial bombs randomly stacked in the hangar, setting a record for sinking an aircraft carrier with one bomb.
Subsequently, 17 dive bombers from the Yorktown arrived to attack the Dragon.
The bombs dropped by the U.S. military ignited the planes and ammunition stacked on the flight deck of the Soryu.
In an instant, the Canglong turned into a ball of fire.
In just five minutes, the Japanese Kaga, Akagi, and Soryu, three aircraft carriers, lost their combat effectiveness. Only the Yamaguchi-smelling Wyvern is still intact.
Yamaguchi lost his temper and immediately ordered the carrier-based plane to take off and bomb the US ship.
At noon, two Japanese flying squadrons adopted tailgating tactics and followed the US planes to find the Yorktown.
At 15 o'clock in the afternoon, under the repeated bombardment of Japanese torpedo planes and bombers, the captain of the Yorktown ordered to abandon the ship.
The Yorktown before it sank.
However, the Yorktown did not sink.
So the U.S. military returned to the ship and transferred a tugboat, intending to tow the Yorktown back to Pearl Harbor for repairs.
After the Yorktown was incapacitated, Fletcher handed over command of the battlefield to Spruance.
Fletcher's high-spirited festival made Spruance.
Immediately, Spruance ordered all the carrier-based aircraft on the Enterprise to take off and go straight to the Wyvern.
In the face of the U.S. bombardment, the Wyvern moved in a serpentine position to avoid the bombing, but was still hit by four bullets.
The "Flying Dragon" evaded the bombing of the US military
At 19:13 in the evening, the Soryu and Kaga sank one after another.
At 5:10 a.m. on June 5, the unsalvage Wyvern was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer.
Yamamoto was very unconvinced when he learned that Nagumo reported that "our aircraft carriers were all destroyed". The gambler's mentality made him plan another night naval gun duel. Trying to concentrate the warships and fight to the death with the American forces.
At that time, Yamamoto still had more than 10 battleships and 2 light aircraft carriers in his hands.
If there is really a decisive battle, the outcome is still unknown.
But Spruance was cautious, he overcame the ** of the victorious pursuit, and commanded the fleet to sail eastward, always at a safe distance from the Japanese.
Seeing that the U.S. troops did not take the bait, Yamamoto was angry, so he locked himself in the reception room and refused to meet with his subordinates for three days.
Subsequently, Yamamoto ordered the cancellation of the occupation of Midway. He also said that all the responsibility was borne by him alone.
On June 6, the U.S. and Japanese fleets withdrew from the battlefield.
As the Yorktown retreated, it was targeted by a Japanese submarine.
The submarine fired four torpedoes, two hit the Yorktown and one hit the escorting destroyer HMS Harman.
The Yorktown and Harman sank immediately.
But when the Japanese retreated, a cruiser was also sunk by American aircraft.
At this point, the Battle of Midway ended.
The Japanese sank the "Harman" and "Yorktown".
In the Battle of Midway, the U.S. military sank four Japanese heavy aircraft carriers and one cruiser at the cost of one aircraft carrier, one destroyer, 147 aircraft, and 307 dead men. The Japanese lost 52 aircraft in the air battle, and more than 280 carrier-based aircraft sank into the sea with the aircraft carrier.
As a result of the complete defeat, the Japanese suffered staggering losses, with nearly 3,000 people killed, many of whom were experienced pilots of the Navy.
Such a huge loss is obviously due to a shortage of resources, and Japan, which is inferior to the United States in all aspects, cannot afford it.
After the Battle of Midway, the U.S. forces switched from defense to offensive and never suffered a heavy blow. The Japanese army, on the other hand, was devastated and could not achieve a decisive victory.