The Battle of Midway Atoll was a major naval battle of World War II in the Pacific in June 1942. The decisive victory of the US Navy over the Japanese Combined Fleet marked a turning point in the Pacific War. The Japanese fleet, which lost four heavy aircraft carriers, 250 aircraft, and the best pilots, forever lost operating effectively outside the coastal aviation cover zones (Ford, 2007). Six months after the successful battle at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army also hoped to use the effect of surprise in the attack on Midway. At first, the battle went with varying success, but, unlike Pearl Harbor, the Japanese failed to achieve surprise (Ford, 2007). It helped later the Americans win the battle and significantly change the war’s course.
In the historiography of the Pacific War (December 7, 1941 – September 2, 1945), the events of the second half of 1942 occupy a special place. Many researchers define the Battle of Midway Atoll as the battle that changed the course of the war. Such assessments of the American victory by historians come primarily from its consequences for the Pacific War and the analysis of these events by the US military.
The clashes in the Pacific Ocean in the first half of 1942 marked a new era in naval warfare. Back in May, Japanese admirals did not give up hope of destroying the main forces of the US Navy in a major decisive battle (Ford, 2007). For the first time, the ships of the opposing sides did not even see each other, and the exchange of blows was carried out through carrier-based aircraft. In addition, for the first time since the start of hostilities in the Pacific, the Japanese fleet failed to achieve its strategic goals.
Reference
Ford, J. (2007). WWII: rare color film: midway: directed by John Ford. [Video]. YouTube. Web.