Read the Battle of Midway Atoll. Midway battle

Publisher's abstract:

The book describes the military operations of American submarines in World War II, mainly in the Pacific Ocean. It talks in detail about the single and group actions of the boats against the Japanese merchant fleet, as well as actions against its warships. Tactical techniques of submarines for the use of torpedo weapons, laying mines, performing special tasks and other issues are considered. The Russian edition of the book is intended for officers and admirals of the navy.

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In the spring of 1942, for some time, the main Japanese headquarters was occupied with one controversial issue: whether to occupy Australia, moving along the east coast of New Guinea, past the Solomon Islands and the New Hebrides, or to strengthen the defensive line between the Wake and Gilbert Islands, capturing Midway in the central part The Pacific Ocean and the western Aleutian Islands in the far north.

Various factions of the Japanese officer corps have made a lot of arguments in defense of both proposals. Actions in the South Pacific were favored by those who wanted to preserve the Philippine Islands and the Dutch East Indies or continue (without much difficulty) with the forces advancing to Rabaul to drive out the already weakened Allied forces from the South Pacific and thereby interrupt the American-Australian supply line.

The notorious Admiral Yamamoto stood for the capture of Midway Island and the Aleutian Islands. On the one hand, strengthening the Japanese defense line in the mid-Pacific would weaken the threat of air raids on Tokyo and strengthen Japan's cover from American submarines. On the other hand, the issue of supply and movement in the South Pacific was becoming extremely complex. The offensive on Australia lengthened communications, and this, in turn, meant an increase in the number of required transport ships.

Meanwhile, time was running out. Following the raids on Lae and the port of Salamoa, significant American naval forces concentrated on the New Hebrides, where bases were established on the islands of Efat and Espiritu Santo. From these bases, two operational formations of the US Navy operated. One was commanded by Rear Admiral Fitch and the other by Rear Admiral Fletcher. Each unit consisted of aircraft carriers, two cruisers and destroyers.

An attempt to raid Rabaul and rapid attacks on Japanese bases in New Guinea forced the Japanese to decide in favor of the southern version of the war in the Pacific. In early April, Japanese shock troops landed in the northern part of the Solomon Islands group, where they established a seaplane base on Tulagi Island (in the eastern part of the group). At the same time, an attack was made on the port of Moresby in the southeastern part of New Guinea. Japanese troops were accumulating in Rabaul (New Britain Island) and in the city of Bui (Bougainville Island). On the Truk Islands (a group of the Caroline Islands), a significant naval grouping of forces was in full readiness. Accompanied by three cruisers, two destroyers and the aircraft carrier Shoho, the troop transports were to arrive at their destination in the Solomon Islands. Strike force consisting of aircraft carriers "Sekaku" and "Zuikaku", two cruisers, seven destroyers and a tanker had to bypass eastern part Solomon Islands and attack the Allied surface forces in the Coral Sea.

As a result of the battle in the Coral Sea, the advance of the Japanese forces was stopped. Aware of the enemy's intentions, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces ordered the surface ships' operational formations to engage. On 4 May, the aircraft carrier Yorktown headed for the Solomon Islands; planes took off from its deck three times to strike Japanese troops on the island of Tulaga. During this unexpected raid for the Japanese, a Japanese destroyer and mine layer were destroyed.

On May 7, aircraft from the American aircraft carriers Lexington and Yorktown discovered the Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho near the island of Mizima. Japanese Zero-class fighters took to the air to intercept enemy aircraft, and American dive bombers dropped bombs that hit right on target. Seconds later, the Japanese aircraft carrier caught fire. American torpedo aircraft ended the attack, and the Shoho went down with 200 crew on board.

The Japanese convoy began to retreat north. However, the aircraft carriers Sekaku and Zuikaku had already bypassed the Solomon Islands on the eastern side and were in the Coral Sea. Under cover of clouds, Japanese aircraft unexpectedly discovered American forces near Mizima Island. They attacked the American destroyer Sime and the tanker Neose. The destroyer was hit by three bombs, and a few minutes later it sank, and only 13 people from the crew were rescued. The tanker received seven hits and also sank, with 176 people from its crew killed.

All day and all night from May 7 to 8, the enemy aircraft carrier forces maneuvered at a great distance. The air battle began again on the morning of May 8, after reconnaissance aircraft on both sides established the location of the main enemy forces, and aircraft took off from the decks of aircraft carriers to conduct an oncoming attack.

82 aircraft took off from the aircraft carriers Lexington and Yorktown, and 70 aircraft from the decks of the Japanese aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Sekaku. Far out in the sea, the squadrons of planes dispersed at a distance exceeding the range of a cannon shot. At 11 o'clock. an air battle began. Aircraft from the aircraft carrier Yorktown attacked the aircraft carrier Sekaku. Two 450 kg bombs hit the ship, destroyed its take-off deck and caused a fire. The damaged aircraft carrier moved in a zigzag manner, trying to hide from the torpedo aircraft. Aircraft from the aircraft carrier Lexington, which attacked the Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku, met strong resistance from fighters and anti-aircraft artillery; seven American planes were shot down. The bombs dropped by the bombers did not cause serious damage to the aircraft carrier, and it also managed to avoid the attack of the torpedo aircraft. Obviously, the ship received only minor damage.

Shielded by the darker part of the horizon, the Japanese aircraft carriers were in a better position than the American ones, which were visible on the brighter part of the horizon. Only the great activity of the group of interceptor aircraft, increased anti-aircraft fire and skillful control of the ship saved the aircraft carrier Yorktown.

The Lexington, with a displacement of 33,000 tons, was larger than the Yorktown, and therefore the Japanese aircraft attacked it first. Due to the misaligned covering forces, most of the cruisers accompanied the Yorktuan. In addition to this, it should be pointed out that as a result of the division of the carrier group into two parts, it turned out that Lexington took the brunt of the blow, finding itself almost without cover.

Japanese torpedo bombers succeeded in hitting two torpedoes on the left side of the Lexington aircraft carrier. A minute later, a bomb weighing 450 kg destroyed the nasal gun battery on the left side: a small bomb also exploded inside the ship's chimney, and a fire broke out on the superstructure. The emergency teams managed to extinguish the fire and the aircraft carrier continued to move. But the bombs that hit the aircraft carrier destroyed the gas lines, and at 13 o'clock. the accumulated gasoline vapors caused an explosion. The fire spread across the deck, approaching the artillery cellars. Then the order was given to leave the ship, after which it was sunk by an American destroyer. Over 200 people died during the fire and explosion.

In this battle, the Americans lost the aircraft carrier Lexington, two destroyers and 66 aircraft. The Japanese lost the aircraft carrier "Shoho" with a displacement of 12,000 tons, one destroyer (near Tulagi Island) and 60 aircraft. Comparing these losses, the Japanese declared that they were victorious. But the battle in the Coral Sea - the first naval battle in history in which enemy surface forces could not see each other - was a great victory for the Allies. The Japanese plan to invade Port Moresby was thwarted. Japan realized that the American fleet, just six months after the defeat at Pearl Harbor, was able to muster a powerful surface force in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese lost significantly more during the battle in the Coral Sea than the small aircraft carrier and destroyer - they lost their prestige.

To restore its reputation, the Japanese headquarters turned to Admiral Yamamoto. Yamamoto had more than a hundred ships at his disposal, including 11 ships of the line and four aircraft carriers.

Submarine support for fleet operations

Until May 1942, American submarines (with the exception of those performing special missions) operated mainly independently in the indicated areas against enemy merchant and warships.

This kind of action continued until the end of the war. But gradually the submarines began to act to support the forces of the fleet in operations. In many operations (battles) in which aircraft carriers and other surface ships took part, as well as in amphibious operations, submarines played an important role. In these cases, the boats usually acted alone, or adhered to tactics of action as part of groups.

When the battle for Midway Island began, all the submarines of the Pacific Fleet were called upon to support the fleet. For the first time, submarines based at Pearl Harbor interrupted their patrols to act in conjunction with Pacific Fleet... During the battle in the Java Sea, submarines of the Asian fleet also interacted with the united allied fleet of the AVDA. But then single boats were used and mainly for reconnaissance. In the battle for Midway Island, submarines were called upon to act as a branch of the fleet. This was a novelty.

After the battle in the Coral Sea, it became clear that the Japanese were threatening, on the one hand, the Aleutian Islands, and on the other, Midway Island. By mid-May 1942, the plan for the upcoming attack also became clear. The enemy threatened Dutch Harbor in order to divert attention and deliver the main blow to Midway. The Pacific Fleet Commander prepared the defense forces for deployment. On the Aleutian Islands, they were replenished, and all the surface and air forces available in the central part of the Pacific Ocean were assembled in the Hawaiian Islands. The aircraft carriers Hornet and Enterprise were recalled from the South Pacific and Yorktown was sent to Pearl Harbor for urgent repairs. In the last week of May, the surface fleet that was to defend Midway consisted of three aircraft carriers, eight cruisers and 14 destroyers.

On May 14, 25 submarines of the Pacific Fleet received orders to take up positions in the area of Midway Island. The submarine commanders were informed that an invasion of Midway was expected and that the transports of enemy landing troops would be accompanied by aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers. Submarines were supposed to conduct reconnaissance, report the location of Japanese ships, intercept and attack them.

During this period, the submarine forces of the Pacific Fleet were in the most favorable position, which they had reached since the beginning of the war. 12 new submarines arrived at Pearl Harbor directly from the construction yards. By the time the Japanese attack began on Midway Island, the commander of the Pacific Fleet's submarine forces had 29 submarines at his disposal. Of these, only four could not participate in the battle for Midway Island. Submarines "Thresher" and "Argonaut" were under major repairs, the submarine "Triton", which had returned from a military campaign in the East China Sea, did not have a supply of fuel and torpedoes, and the submarine "Silversides" was ordered to continue patrolling near the entrance to inland Sea of Japan in the Kii Strait.

Midway Atoll is strategically located in the North Pacific Ocean at the intersection of sea and air communications between the United States and Asia. Near Midway Atoll on June 4-6, 1942, a major naval battle took place between the Japanese (commanded by Admiral I. Yamamoto) and the American (commanded by Admiral Ch. Nimitz) fleets as part of the Midway-Aleutian operation of the Japanese fleet (June 3-6, 1942).

The purpose of the operation was to capture the Midway Atoll and the islands of Kiska and Attu (Aleutian Islands), defeat the US Pacific Fleet and ensure the dominance of the Japanese fleet in the central and northern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

On May 5, the Japanese imperial headquarters issued a directive in which the commander-in-chief of the United Fleet was ordered “in cooperation with the ground forces to carry out the occupation of Fr. Midway and Key Points in the Western Aleutian Islands ”. (Fuchida M., Okumiya M. Battle at Midway Atoll. M., 1958. S. 100.) The landing was scheduled for June 4. The capture of the Aleutian Islands was to begin a day earlier in order to divert large forces of the American fleet to the north.

To carry out this large-scale offensive in two directions, the headquarters of the United Fleet planned to attract the maximum number of forces. In total, including transport and auxiliary forces, over 200 ships and vessels were allocated for the operation, including at least 11 battleships, 8 aircraft carriers, 22 cruisers, 65 destroyers and 21 submarines, as well as about 700 aircraft. (Fuchida M., Okumiya M. Decree. Op. P. 107.) This was the largest concentration of naval forces in the history of the Pacific region. These forces were consolidated into six formations: four main formations, an advanced submarine formation and a base aviation formation under the general command of Admiral Yamamoto.

To capture the Aleutian Islands - Attu and Kiska - 20 boats took up their assigned positions by June 4, 1942.

The initial raid of Japanese aircraft was compensated by an adequate response from American aircraft and did not cause much damage to the Americans. Most importantly, he did not even achieve his goal, that is, he did not distract the enemy's attention, since the Americans already knew that the main blow would be struck at Midway. Amphibious assault forces landed on June 6 on the island. Kiska and June 7 on the island. Attu, took possession of them.

In the area of Midway Atoll, events unfolded as follows. On July 3, 600 miles from the atoll, an American aircraft will spot a Japanese amphibious assault force. The first strikes by American aircraft on the enemy were unsuccessful.

On June 4, 108 Japanese aircraft, taken from aircraft carriers, struck the atoll, but did not solve the main task - they did not destroy the American aviation, since the American aircraft were lifted in the air and followed to strike at the Japanese ships. But their attack did not seriously harm them.

At this time, 126 bombers and torpedo bombers and 26 fighters rose from three American aircraft carriers to attack Japanese ships. Only three groups of torpedo bombers managed to attack Japanese aircraft carriers. The ships were not damaged. 37 American aircraft were shot down.

After the return of the first strike aircraft, the Japanese command decided to carry out another attack. But when the torpedoes intended to attack American ships - the torpedo bombers were armed with these torpedoes - began to be adapted for bombarding ground targets, the message came: "An enemy squadron has been found." Once again, they began to hastily equip aircraft for the bombing of ships. And at that moment, when the planes, loaded with bombs, torpedoes and fuel, were preparing to take off from the take-off sites, 30 American dive bombers fell on them. (History of the war in the Pacific Ocean. T.Z. M., 1958. S. 276.) Bombers rose from the aircraft carriers "Enterprise" and "Yorktown". In less than five minutes, they destroyed the primeval Japanese navy - the heavy aircraft carriers Kaga, Akati and Soryu. In the entire history of warfare, there has not been a faster or more dramatic change in the balance of power.

On the same day, American aircraft inflicted heavy damage on the aircraft carrier Hiryu. On June 5, she was sunk by her destroyer.

Japanese bombers heavily damaged the American aircraft carrier Yorktown, which was attacked by a Japanese submarine on June 6 and sank the next morning.

As a result of the battle at Midway, the Japanese lost 4 heavy aircraft carriers, a heavy cruiser, 332 aircraft (including 280 from sunken aircraft carriers); battleship, heavy cruiser, 3 destroyers and 1 transport were damaged. On June 5, Yamamoto canceled the landing on Midway, withdrew the northern formations from the Aleutian Islands and began the withdrawal of all the forces of the fleet to their bases.

The Americans lost: a heavy aircraft carrier, a destroyer and 150 aircraft, including 30 based at Midway. The naval battle that took place changed the balance of forces in the Pacific in favor of the US Navy: the Japanese had 1 heavy and 4 light aircraft carriers against 3 heavy ones from the Americans. (Soviet military encyclopedia. Vol.5., S. 277.) Moreover, the Japanese could not catch up with the Americans in their construction. In Japan, 6 aircraft carriers were built or repaired, and at least 13 conventional and 15 escort aircraft carriers were laid down in the United States.

After these events, it became impossible for the Japanese to carry out active offensive operations. With naval support, American forces launched a counteroffensive in the Pacific Theater.

Battle of Midway Atoll

Opponents

Force commanders

Forces of the parties

Battle of Midway Atoll- a major naval battle of the Second World War in the Pacific Ocean, which took place in June 1942. The decisive victory of the US Navy over the Joint Japanese Fleet marked a turning point in the war in the Pacific. The Japanese fleet, having lost 4 heavy aircraft carriers, 248 aircraft and the best pilots, was forever deprived of the opportunity to effectively operate outside the cover zones of coastal aviation.

Total information

Midway Atoll is located in the central Pacific Ocean, 1,136 miles northwest of Hawaii, and is strategically located roughly in the center of the triangle formed by the Japanese base at Wake and the American ones at Dutch Harbor and Pearl Harbor. ... Capturing it opened up great opportunities for planning and carrying out further operations of the Japanese fleet.

The alignment of forces and the maneuvering of opponents on the eve of the battle for Midway.

The idea of capturing Midway was born in February 1942, but the details of the plan were not developed until mid-April, and the plan itself was not approved as a whole.

Damage and death of IJN Akagi

I looked up and saw three enemy planes, in a steep dive, heading straight for our ship. Several hurried bursts of anti-aircraft guns were heard, but it was too late. American dive bombers were rapidly approaching. Here are a few black drops separated from their wings. Bombs! They flew right at me! Instinctively, I fell to the deck and crawled behind the control panel.

Looking around, I was shocked by the destruction carried out within seconds. There was a huge hole in the flight deck, just behind the central elevator. The lift itself was rolled up like a strip of foil. The twisted deck-sheathing sheets curled up intricately. The planes were burning in thick black smoke. The flame grew stronger and stronger.

From the memoirs of Mitsuo Fuchida, the commander of the air group of the aircraft carrier IJN Akagi

IJN Akagi received two direct hits: one in the rear section of the central lift, the other in the section of the flight deck on the port side. Under normal conditions, none of these hits could have disabled an aircraft carrier, but the explosions of fuel and ammunition caused by the fire did their job. The flame spread with lightning speed along the aft part of the flight deck, covering one wing-to-wing aircraft one after another. Torpedoes began to burst, making it impossible to fight fire. At 18.00, the ship's commander, Aoki, ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft carrier. On June 5 at 03.50, Admiral Yamamoto gave the order to sink the aircraft carrier, which was carried out by the escort destroyers. Within 20 minutes, four destroyers fired torpedoes. Seven minutes later, the aircraft carrier disappeared under water. The place where the ship was wrecked is at 30 ° 30 "north. Latitude and 179 ° 08" west. longitude. The time of death is 04.55.

On IJN Akagi killed 263 people. All the other members of his team were saved.

Damage and death of IJN Kaga

At 10:24 am, nine dive bombers attacked the aircraft carrier. Each of them dropped one bomb. The first three fell next to the ship. They didn't do any harm. However, the next at least four bombs hit the fore, middle and aft sections of the flight deck. A bomb hitting the bow of the ship, just in front of the bridge, detonated a small tank of gasoline that was standing there. High-flying flames engulfed the bridge and the adjacent sections of the deck. The commander of the ship Okada and most of the other officers on the bridge died on the spot. Of the senior officers, only the commander of the aviation combat unit, Captain 2nd Rank Amagai, survived. He immediately took command of the ship. IJN Kaga who received bomb hits almost simultaneously with the IJN Akagi, stayed afloat for much less time. At 4:40 pm, Captain 2nd Rank Amagai gave the order to abandon the ship. All those who managed to survive were transferred to destroyers. At 19.25, two powerful explosions were heard and the aircraft carrier went down. The place of his death is 30 ° 20 "north. Latitude and 179 ° 17" west. longitude. In this battle, a third of the aircraft carrier's crew was killed - 800 people.

Damage and death of IJN Sōryū

At 10.25 IJN Sōryū was attacked by 13 American dive bombers and received three hits within three minutes. The first bomb exploded on the flight deck in front of the bow lift, and the next two covered the central one, turning the deck beyond recognition. Soon the fire spread to the gasoline tanks and the ammunition cellar. By 10.30 am, the blazing, plumes of smoke, the ship was a terrifying sight. The explosions caused by the fire followed one after the other.

Within ten minutes, the main vehicles stopped, the steering system failed, and fire lines were destroyed. Within 20 minutes after the first bomb hit, the aircraft carrier was engulfed in such intense flames that its commander Yanagimoto had to give the order to abandon the ship. Escaping Japanese sailors were picked up by destroyers IJN Hamakaze and IJN Isokaze .

At 19.13 in front of the crew members who were on board the destroyers, IJN Sōryū plunged under the water, taking with him the bodies of 718 people and his commander. The dive site of the aircraft carrier is 30 ° 38 "north. Latitude and 179 ° 13" west. longitude.

Damage and death of IJN Hiryū

IJN Hiryu dodges the attack of the B-17 bombers.

IJN Hiryū acted at a distance from the rest of the ships of the Nagumo compound and for the time being escaped their sad fate. Since dawn, the ship has been attacked by at least 79 aircraft, but has managed to dodge 26 torpedoes and 70 bombs. At 17.03 an aircraft carrier from the southwest, from the direction of the sun, attacked unnoticed by 13 dive bombers from the USS Hornet(according to American data, there were about 40 aircraft).

On IJN Hiryū opened fire and abruptly shifted the rudder to the starboard side. This maneuver made it possible to evade the first three bombs, but the remaining bombers achieved four direct hits on the deck, which caused fires and explosions on the ship, and four more bombs exploded near the side, damaging the skin and causing a leak.

At 21.23 IJN Hiryū stopped and began to roll. The fire pumps and steering gear were inactive. As the compartments were filled with water, the ship's roll increased and eventually reached 15 °. After some time, the stationary aircraft carrier was again attacked, this time by B-17 bombers, but none of the bombs hit the target. In the end, the ship was sunk by the crew. Together with the ship, Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, the commander of the 2nd division of aircraft carriers, who refused to leave, died.

Assessment of the event by contemporaries

Newspaper publications on June 9-13, 1942, created the wrong impression in American society that the battle had been won by "flying fortresses" and other shore-based aircraft. It turned out that "heavy army bombers stopped the Japanese fleet, sinking and damaging, according to General Arnold, 33 enemy ships." The New York Times considered the news to deserve the front page, which made the "feat" of the B-17 pilots known throughout America.

June 6, 1942 on the front page of The New York Times published an article by one of the most authoritative observers - Robert Trumbull: "Our magnificent pilots." The article quoted the words of Admiral Nimitz that on June 4-6 at Fr. Midway "won a splendid, impressive victory" and "the Japanese fleet retreated with heavy casualties, including several damaged aircraft carriers, battleships and cruisers."

For the entire period of the actual course of the battle (from June 4 to June 6, 1942), the composition of the Japanese fleet was never made public in the US periodicals; The media limited themselves to mentioning that the enemy had an unknown number of aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, and transports. The American forces opposing them remained a complete mystery to the public. The situation with the commanders was similar: it was known that the US Pacific Fleet was led by Nimitz, but who was in command of the Japanese formations at Midway was unknown.

Only on July 27, 1942, a detailed chronology of the battle was published in Life magazine. The battle is divided into 12 phases, and for each in the publication a diagram with detailed comments is presented, from which it follows that the decisive contribution to the battle was made by carrier-based dive bombers, who managed to hit 3 Japanese aircraft carriers in one attack.

Notes (edit)

Image in art

In the repertoire of the Swedish power metal band Sabaton, the main theme of which is war and various military conflicts and episodes from them, there is the song "Midway".

Original text:

Send them over the waves
Our sentinels
They report in the news
Position of our foes

This battlefield´s been choosen, tactically in advance
Time to alert our fighters
We´re soon in range

Midway
We’ll meet at Midway
Naval war

Calling all men to deck
Got to be airborne
Head out into the sun
Descending on our foes

This is the crucial moment, in the heat of the war
To fly and hit our targets
Down in the waves

Midway
Display their might, ordering carriers, admirals at war
We’ll meet at Midway
To win the fight, tactics are crucial, naval war

Far from shore, a pacific war
bombs are falling from the skies
Its a bombrun day, it the naval way
A bloodred sun is on the rise

After the events of the Battle of Midway, a feature film was made, and the battle is also mentioned or even shown in most films dedicated to the fighting in the Pacific theater of operations.

Midway (1976): Genre: War, History, Action. Director: Jack Smythe. Cast: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, James Coburn

Also, the final story arc of the Kantai Collection anime series is a "replay" of the battle for Midway (the Japanese side managed to win not without the efforts of the main character - Fubuki).

Image gallery

NAVAL BATTLE AT ATOLL MIDWAY 1942

Midway Atoll is strategically located in the North Pacific Ocean at the intersection of sea and air communications between the United States and Asia. On June 4-6, 1942, a major naval battle took place near Midway Atoll between the Japanese (commanded by Admiral I. Yamamoto) and the American (commanded by Admiral Ch. Nimitz) fleets within the framework of the Midway-Aleutian operation of the Japanese fleet (June 3-6, 1942). The purpose of the operation was to capture the Midway Atoll and the Kiska and Attu Islands (Aleutian Islands), defeat the US Pacific Fleet and ensure the dominance of the Japanese fleet in the central and northern Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese high command had been preparing for the capture of Midway long ago. By the end of April 1942, the plan of operation entrusted to the development of the headquarters of the United Fleet was drawn up and approved by Admiral Yamamoto. On May 5, the Japanese imperial headquarters issued a directive in which the commander-in-chief of the United Fleet was ordered "in cooperation with ground forces to occupy Midway Island and key points in the western part of the Aleutian Islands." (Fuchida M., Okumiya M. Battle at Midway Atoll. M., 1958. S. 100.) The landing was scheduled for June 4. The capture of the Aleutian Islands was to begin a day earlier in order to divert large forces of the American fleet to the north.

To carry out this large-scale offensive in two directions, the headquarters of the United Fleet planned to attract the maximum number of forces. In total, including transport and auxiliary forces, over 200 ships and vessels were allocated for the operation, including at least 11 battleships, 8 aircraft carriers, 22 cruisers, 65 destroyers and 21 submarines, as well as about 700 aircraft. (Fuchida M., Okumiya M. Decree. Op. P. 107.) This was the largest concentration of naval forces in history. Pacific region. These forces were consolidated into six formations: four main formations, an advanced submarine formation and a base aviation formation under the general command of Admiral Yamamoto.

In the central direction, an aircraft carrier strike force was created under the command of Vice Admiral Tuichi Nagumo, consisting of 4 heavy aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 12 destroyers and an invasion formation on Midway under the command of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo, which included 15 transports (5 thousand airborne troops), a light aircraft carrier, 2 air transport, 2 battleships, 10 cruisers, 21 destroyers.

"To capture the Aleutian Islands - Attu and Kiska - the northern formation of Vice Admiral Moshiro Hosogaya was allocated, which included 2 light aircraft carriers, 6 cruisers, 12 destroyers, 6 submarines, 4 transports (2,450 landing people) and a number of other warships and ships ...

The main forces of the Japanese Joint Fleet under the command of Admiral Yamamoto were to act in such a way as to simultaneously provide support for the forces in the central and northern directions. They consisted of 7 battleships, a light aircraft carrier, 3 cruisers, 21 destroyers, 2 aircraft (they carried dwarf submarines). In the course of the operation, a cover formation (Aleutian region), which included 4 battleships, 2 cruisers, and 12 destroyers, was allocated from these forces to cover the landing on the Aleutian Islands. (History of the Second World War, 1939 - 1945. T. 5. M., 1975. S. 392.)

The Japanese fleet withdrew from its bases on May 27, the day of the anniversary of the creation of the fleet, and headed for Midway. The Japanese command paid great attention to operational camouflage in order to achieve surprise in the strike. However, the American command managed to decipher the code used by the Japanese, and learned in advance about the plans of the Joint Squadron. Three months before the start of the operation, the American army began to vigorously prepare for battle. Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Fleet, Nimitz, visited Midway in early May and took steps to strengthen its garrison and build new defenses.

By early June, midway aviation had been reinforced with 16 Marine Corps dive bombers, 7 fighters, 30 naval flying boats, as well as 18 B-17s and 4 B-26s from the Army. There were a total of 120 aircraft on Midway. A large number of anti-aircraft batteries were installed. Several torpedo boats arrived at Midway to patrol the coast. The submarine forces have formed three patrol lines in the form of arcs at a distance of 100, 150 and 200 miles from the atoll. All 20 boats were in their assigned positions by 4 June.

Against the Japanese squadron, Admiral Nimitz deployed two operational formations in advance, consisting of 3 heavy aircraft carriers (233 aircraft), 8 heavy cruisers and 14 destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral F. Fletcher. (Soviet military encyclopedia. Vol.5. M., 1978. S. 277.) Thus, the Americans were inferior to the enemy mainly in large artillery ships (battleships and cruisers). The superiority of the Japanese in aircraft was compensated by the American coast-based aviation.

The operation began on June 3 with a Japanese air strike on the Dutch Harbor naval base (Unalashke Island from the Aleutian Islands group) the enemy were unsuccessful.

On June 4, 108 Japanese aircraft lifted from aircraft carriers struck the atoll, but did not solve the main task - they did not destroy the American aircraft, since the American aircraft were taken into the air and followed to strike at the Japanese ships. But their attack did not seriously harm them.

After the return of the first strike aircraft, the Japanese command decided to carry out another attack. But when the torpedoes intended to attack American ships - the torpedo bombers were armed with these torpedoes - began to be adapted for bombarding ground targets, the message came: "An enemy squadron has been found." Again they began to hastily equip aircraft for the bombing of ships. And at the moment when the planes, loaded with bombs, torpedoes and fuel, were preparing to take off from the take-off pads, 30 American dive bombers fell on them. (History of the Pacific War. TZ M "1958. S. 276.) Bombers rose from the aircraft carriers" Enterprise "and" Yorktown ". In less than five minutes, they destroyed the color of the Japanese fleet - the heavy aircraft carriers Kara, Akati and Soryu. In the entire history of warfare, there has not been a faster or more dramatic change in the balance of power.

On the same day, American aircraft inflicted heavy damage on the Hiryu aircraft carrier. On June 5, she was sunk by her destroyer.

Japanese bombers heavily damaged the American aircraft carrier Yorktown, which was attacked by a Japanese submarine on June 6 and sank the next morning.

The Americans lost: a heavy aircraft carrier, a destroyer and 150 aircraft, including 30 based at Midway. The naval battle that took place changed the balance of forces in the Pacific in favor of the US Navy: the Japanese had 1 heavy and 4 light aircraft carriers against 3 heavy ones from the Americans. (Soviet military encyclopedia. Vol.5. S. 277.) Moreover, the Japanese could not catch up with the Americans in their construction. In Japan, six aircraft carriers were built or repaired, and at least 13 conventional and 15 escort aircraft carriers were laid down in the United States. (Fuller J. Second World War 1939-1945 Strategic and tactical overview. M., 1956.S. 203.)

After these events, it became impossible for the Japanese to carry out active offensive operations. With naval support, American forces launched a counteroffensive in the Pacific theater of operations.

Used materials of the book: "One hundred great battles", M. "Veche", 2002

Literature:

1. History of the war in the Pacific: In the 5th volume / Under total. ed. U. Seijiro. - T.4. - M., 1958.

2. History of the Second World War. 1939-1945: In the 12th volume / Ed. count A.A. Grechko (chief ed.) M., 1975. - V. 5. - S. 391-396.

3. Campaigns of the war in the Pacific. Materials for the study of strategic bombing by United States aircraft. -M., 1956.

4. Nimitz C., Potter E. War at sea. (1939-1945). - M., 1965.

5. Roskil S. Fleet and War. - T.2. - M., 1970.

6. Soviet military encyclopedia: In the 8th volume / Ch. ed. commission. N.V. Ogarkov (previous) and others - M., 1978. - T.5. - S. 276-278.

7. Fuchida M., Okumiya M. Battle of Midway Atoll. - M., 1958.

8. Sherman F.S. American aircraft carriers in the Pacific War. -M., 1956.

What associations did the surname Yamamoto evoke in a resident of our country in the post-war decades? A vague thing emerged in my head: huge iron masses of ships, the vents of guns that fired shells for tens of kilometers - at enemy ships. Although our country did not participate in those battles, people read in books that a major naval battle took place between the Japanese and American fleets near the Midway Atoll. The commander of the Japanese fleet was Admiral I. Yamamoto. What feelings arise when a modern person reads the name Yohji Yamamoto on a package? Associations arise with something pleasant. Nice smell, pleasant meetings. Time changes associations. That is life.

Battle of Midway Atoll

In the strategic plans of the Japanese command in the Pacific theater of operations, the capture of Midway Atoll was supposed to help establish full control over all Hawaii, force the Americans to leave the largest base of their naval forces in Pearl Harbor, create an immediate threat to the territory of the United States and force the American side to sit down at the table. negotiations to conclude peace agreements on favorable terms for themselves.

The final decision of the Japanese command on Midway Atoll was made in early May 1942, a couple of days before the battle in the Coral Sea. In addition to, directly, the capture of Midway, it was envisaged to conduct an auxiliary (diversion) operation to capture two islands of the Aleutian ridge (Attu and Kiska) and an air strike on the American base Dutch Harbor.

The main forces of the Japanese Joint Fleet were involved in the operation. The grouping of warships and support vessels consisted of more than 150 units (including 11 battleships, 4 heavy and 4 light aircraft carriers, 19 cruisers and 66 destroyers). The grouping of carrier-based aircraft included more than 355 combat aircraft.

In the main direction, near Midway Atoll, an aircraft carrier strike force (commanded by Vice Admiral Nagumo) was to operate, consisting of four heavy aircraft carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu) and 17 escort warships (in including 2 battleships and 3 cruisers) with the task of inflicting an initial air strike on the harbor, anti-aircraft artillery positions and, most importantly, on the air base in order to destroy the heterogeneous aviation stationed there.

The air groups of the four heavy aircraft carriers included 248 combat aircraft including reserve fighters (including 93 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters, 74 Aichi D3A1 Val dive bombers and 81 Nakajima B5N2 Keith torpedo bombers). On board the aircraft carrier Soryu were two new carrier-based dive reconnaissance bombers Yokosuka D4Y Susay (codenamed Judy).

High-speed reconnaissance bomber "Yokosuka" D4Y1-C "Susi" (Image from wardrawings.be)

Deck dive bomber "Yokosuka" D4Y "Sussei" ("Judy") was developed on the basis of the technical reserve of the licensed, not serialized, German bomber "Heinkel" Not-118. The aircraft was designed to replace the outdated Aichi D3A1 Val dive bomber and made its maiden flight in 1940. The car turned out to be high-speed: the 1200 horsepower engine installed on the D4Y1 accelerated the bomber to a speed of 552 km per hour, comparable to the speeds of fighters of that time. "Judy" had a ceiling of 9900 meters and a normal flight range of 2535 km (maximum - 3890 km).

D4Y1 "Susay" ("Judy") in the exposition of the museum, our days (Photo of the site j-aircraftmodel.ru)

The two-seat high-speed bomber D4Y1 as the main armament could carry one 250-kg or 500-kg aerial bomb in the bomb bay. Two bombs of 30 kg each could be suspended under the wing. In front of the engine hood, two 7.7 mm machine guns were installed simultaneously. Another 7.7 mm machine gun was placed on a turret in the rear of the cockpit.

D4Y1 "Susay" ("Judy") at the air show, 2013 (Photo by www.warbird-photos.com)

The reconnaissance version D4Y1-C, which received the baptism of fire at Midway Atoll, had an additional fuel tank instead of bombs in the armament compartment. There was no protection for the crew and fuel tanks on the Judy.

The allied command, thanks to radio interception and decryption of messages, was aware of the plans and intentions of the enemy. The commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz, planned to preempt the Japanese in the deployment of their main forces and to inflict an unexpected air strike on the landing forces and the aircraft carrier formation.

The US Navy Strike Force (Commander Rear Admiral Fletcher) included three aircraft carriers (Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown) and 25 escort warships (of which 8 were cruisers). Their air groups numbered 233 combat aircraft (79 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters, 112 Douglas SBD-3 Dountless dive bombers and 42 Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers).

The fourth "unsinkable aircraft carrier" was Midway himself. At its airbase was deployed a powerful heterogeneous aviation group of 109 combat aircraft and 30 flying boats (amphibious) "Consolidated" PBY-5 "Catalina".

Flying boat PBY-5 "Catalina" (Image from wardrawings.be)

The multipurpose flying boat "Consolidated" PBY "Catalina" is still considered the most popular and most successful. The Catalina made its first flight back in 1935, and the last modifications were in operation until the 1970s. The most massive combat models were the PBY-5 and PBY-5A (equipped with a 3-wheel retractable landing gear).

Amphibian PBY-5A "Catalina" (Image from the site wardrawings.be)

The PBY-5A twin-engine amphibious vehicle was equipped with 1200 horsepower engines and developed a maximum speed of 288 km per hour (cruising 188 km per hour). "Catalina" had a ceiling of 4480 meters and a practical flight range of 4096 km.

Amphibian PBY-5A "Catalina" in flight, our days (Photo from www.flickr.com)

The amphibian crew depended on the assigned tasks and included from seven to eleven people. Defensive armament was represented by two 12.7 mm and three 7.62 mm machine guns. Aircraft torpedoes, conventional and depth charges could be suspended under the wings (the total weight of the combat load could not exceed 1814 kg).

Amphibian PBY-5А "Catalina" in the parking lot, today (Photo from www.navalaviationfoundation.org)

Army aviation (VVS) was represented by 17 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers and four Martin B-26 medium bombers. The Marine Corps had 7 F4F-3 Wildcat fighters, 21 Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo fighters, SBD-2 Downtless dive bombers (16 units) and SB2U-3 Vindicator (17 units). Six of the newest torpedo bombers "Grumman" TBF "Avenger", belonging to the Hornet air group, did not hit their aircraft carrier and remained at the island air base.

Carrier-based fighter "Brewster" F2A-3 "Buffalo" first took to the air in 1937. Before the outbreak of hostilities in the Pacific Ocean, an obsolete fighter from the decks of aircraft carriers migrated to coastal airfields and was used for training purposes or for air defense facilities (as in Midway Atoll).

Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo (Image from wardrawings.be)

The F2A-3 single-seat all-metal fighter was powered by a 1200 horsepower engine. The maximum speed at an altitude of 5000 m was 518 km per hour. The Buffalo climbed to a height of 4572 m in 7 minutes. The fighter's armament consisted of four 12.7 mm machine guns (two synchronous and two in the wings).

F2A-3 "Buffalo" fighter in flight, 1942 (Photo of the site aviawarworld.ru)

The overweight F2A-3 Buffalo was noticeably inferior to the Zero in terms of maneuverability and rate of climb.

Bomber "Vout" SB2U-3 "Vindicator" (Image from wardrawings.be)

The Vout SB2U-3 Vindicator carrier-based reconnaissance dive bomber made its maiden flight in 1936. At the beginning of World War II, SB2Us, which remained on the aircraft carriers, performed reconnaissance missions, and as strike from the coastal airfields of the US Marine Corps.

SB2U-3 Vindicator in flight, 1940 (Photo by wikimedia.org)

A two-seater bomber with an 825 horsepower engine with a maximum take-off weight of 4273 kg could reach a maximum speed of 391 km per hour. The aircraft has a ceiling of 7200 meters and a range with a maximum bomb load of 1800 km.

Flight SB2U-3 in flight (Photo by axis-and-allies-paintworks.com)

The armament of the SB2U-3 consisted of two 12.7-mm machine guns (one in the wing and one on the gunner's turret) and bombs suspended under the center section (one 454 kg) or wings (two 113 kg). Maximum payload weight 454 kg.

SB2U-3 Vindicator drops a bomb (Image from www.fiddlersgreen.net)

Deck torpedo bomber "Grumman" TBF "Avenger" was developed to replace the outdated "Douglas" TBD-1 "Devastators". The Avenger made its first flight in 1941, and from the beginning of 1942, serial production of the TBF-1 began, which took its first battle from Midway atoll in June.

TBF-1 Avenger (Image from wardrawings.be)

"Avenger" was a three-seater midwing with hydraulically folding wings. According to the already established proprietary Grumman tradition, the TBF torpedo bomber turned out to be a fairly strong and sturdy machine, withstanding numerous hits.

"Grumman" TVM-3E "Avenger" (Photo of the site www.aviarmor.net)

The powerful 1700-horsepower engine accelerated the heavy car (take-off maximum 7221 kg) to a maximum speed of 436 km per hour. The flight range of the "Avenger" with a torpedo was 1955 km, and the ceiling was 6790 meters.

Torpedo bomber TVM-3E "Avenger" at the air show, our days (Photo of the site www.warbirddepot.com)

The main armament of the TBF-1 torpedo bomber was located in a spacious bomb compartment and could consist of one 569-mm torpedo Mk.13 or two 454-kg bombs (or bombs of a smaller caliber with a total weight of up to 907 kg). Small arms consisted of one 12.7-mm machine gun in a special turret at the radio operator's gunner and two 7.62-mm machine guns (one synchronous, the other in the rear of the fuselage, firing downwards).

TBF-1 "Avenger" at the time of the torpedo release, 1942 (Photo by midnike.livejournal.com)

On June 3, 1942, an attack air group from the Japanese aircraft carriers Ryujo and Dzunyo of six B5N2 Keith torpedo bombers, supported by six Zero fighters, attacked Dutch Harbor (Aleutian Islands). At this time, Japanese ships had already approached the Midway Atoll at a distance of 700 miles. The Japanese did not manage to remain unnoticed.

Scheme of the Battle of Midway Atoll 4-5 June 1942 (Photo by ww2history.ru)

This morning, at about nine o'clock, the ships heading for Midway were spotted by one of the PBY Catalina flying boats on regular reconnaissance flights.

Flying boat PBY-5 "Catalina" in a reconnaissance flight (Photo site www.aviarmor.net.aww2)

In the evening, nine B-17 Flying Fortresses dropped bombs on a group of Japanese transports already 570 miles from Midway Atoll. The attack by heavy bombers was generally ineffective. More successful was the night attack by four Catalinas armed with torpedoes. Of the three torpedoes dropped, one hit the tanker and inflicted minor damage on it, it only reduced the speed. The Americans suffered no losses during the attacks.

The air attacks that took place the night before and at night did not change the plans of the Japanese command, and in the early morning of June 4, 1942, the first aircraft began to take off from the decks of heavy aircraft carriers, at a distance of 240 miles from Midway. A strike air group from four aircraft carriers (Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu) of 72 attack aircraft (36 D3A1 Val dive bombers and 36 B5N2 Keith torpedo bombers) were covered by 36 A6M2 Zero fighters.

About 150 miles from Midway Atoll at 5.45 am, Japanese aircraft were sighted by the PBY flying boat Catalina. Another "Catalina" a little later, with a difference of several minutes, already noticed two aircraft carriers and enemy escort ships at a distance of 180 miles from the base in the northwest direction.

Having received information from the reconnaissance "Catalin" and the base radar about the approach of the Japanese strike air group, the command of the base raised almost all of its aviation into the air. Attack aircraft patrolled, awaiting orders, and Marine fighters (20 F2A-3 Buffalo and six F4F-3 Wildcat) rushed to intercept the enemy.

The aerial battle took place when the atoll was no more than 30 miles away. The morally outdated, slow-moving Buffalo and less maneuverable Wildcats, piloted by young, inexperienced pilots, lost this air battle to the faster and more maneuverable Zero with well-trained pilots. The Japanese, having lost only two aircraft, shot down 15 American fighters and heavily damaged the rest.

An airfield on Midway Atoll during a Japanese air raid (Photo from the book by A. Sick "Aircraft Carriers. An Illustrated Encyclopedia", 2013)

Keita and Vela, which did not suffer losses from American fighters, struck Midway at 6.30. They were met by dense anti-aircraft fire from the island batteries. Five attack aircraft and two Zeros were shot down. The crushing blow did not work. Elements of the base's infrastructure were destroyed or damaged, but the runway was not damaged, and there were no aircraft on it. A report was sent to Vice Admiral Nagumo by the commander of the first shock wave that a second attack was necessary.

Fire at a fuel depot, Sand Island, Midway (Photo by fototelegraf.ru)

Admiral Nimitz, having received a message about the bombing of Midway Atoll, ordered the attack aircraft patrolling nearby to strike at the Japanese ships. Starting at seven o'clock in the morning, four air raids were carried out, but all of them ended in vain and with huge losses on the American side. Thus, of the six newest TBF Avenger torpedo bombers and four B-26 Marauder medium bombers, only two B-26s and one Avenger returned from the mission. Of the 16 SBD-2 Downtless dive bombers, eight were lost, and the rest were damaged (six of them were beyond repair). The SB2U-3 Vindicator dive bombers lost 4 out of 11 aircraft.

SB2U-3 "Vindicator" after the attack of the Japanese cruiser (Fig. Site www.super-hobby.co.uk)

Lack of fighter cover, dense naval air defense fire, violent Zero attacks and poor training of American pilots led to such big losses attack aircraft attacking Japanese ships. Only the B-17 Flying Fortresses, which bombed the Japanese from a height of more than 6,000 meters, did not suffer losses, but did not achieve a single hit on the target.

"Hiryu" maneuvers during the bombing from the B-17 "Flying Fortress", Midway, June 4, 1942 (Photo site fototelegraf.ru)

From six o'clock in the morning, the Americans began to raise their aircraft to attack the discovered Japanese aircraft carriers. The Yorktown strike group consisted of 12 TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers and 17 SBD-2 Downtless dive bombers, which were covered by six F4F-4 Wildcat fighters (35 aircraft in total).

Torpedo bombers TBD-1 "Devastator" on the deck of "Eneterprise" before departure, June 4, 1942 (Photo by fototelegraf.ru)

An hour later, planes from the Enterprise and Hornet began to take off. This strike air group included 116 aircraft (29 Devastator torpedo bombers, 67 Dountless dive bombers and 20 Wildcat F4F-4 fighters). At the time of takeoff of the torpedo bombers, the aircraft carriers were located at a distance from the intended point of strike, exceeding the range of the Devastators.

SBD-2 Downtless on the deck of the Hornet, June 4, 1942 (Photo by wikimedia.org)

As already happened, inaccurate reconnaissance data on the location of the target, weak interaction and "His Majesty's accident" led to the fact that two strike squadrons did not detect the enemy and did not take part in the airstrike, having lost 12 aircraft due to lack of fuel. Three air squadrons of "Devastators", ahead of the dive bombers, without fighter cover, rushed into the attack on the Japanese aircraft carriers. Of the 41 Devastators, only 4 to 6 vehicles survived. None of the torpedoes dropped by them reached their target. The Japanese were surprised by the violent suicide attack by American pilots. But the death of the torpedo bombers was not in vain.

TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bomber attack (Image from korabley.net)

At the moment when almost all Japanese fighters attacked low-flying torpedo bombers under heavy fire from naval anti-aircraft artillery, dive bombers of three squadrons unexpectedly fell on Japanese aircraft carriers from a height. The finest hour of the "Dountless" came, which at 10.24, almost simultaneously, attacked the "Akagi", "Kagu" and "Soryu" and within five minutes incapacitated them.

Attack of Japanese aircraft carriers (Image from www.howarddavidjohnson.com)

The Akagi was hit by two aerial bombs, which caused numerous aircraft fires, accompanied by explosions of ammunition and fuel. The fire quickly spread throughout the ship and out of control. The team was removed from the aircraft carrier. In the early morning of June 5, 1942, Akagi was torpedoed by her destroyer and, after being hit by four bombs, sank to the bottom.

Attack by dive bombers SBD-2 "Akagi" (Fig. Site steeljawscribe.com)

The Kaga was hit by four bombs and burst into flames. At the very beginning of the air attack, almost all the officers on the bridge were killed when a nearby container with aviation gasoline exploded. After a series of explosions of fuel tanks at 19.25, the aircraft carrier sank.

A pair of Dountlesss after the bomb attack on Soryu (Fig. Site steeljawscribe.com)

The third aircraft carrier Soryu was hit by three bombs in three minutes. The flight deck was torn apart. After numerous explosions of aviation gasoline tanks, the entire ship was engulfed in fire. By order of the captain, the crew began to leave the ship, rushing straight into the water, but not everyone was able to do this. The explosions were still continuing on the ship when sea waves closed over it at 19.13. More than 700 people took with them into the abyss "Soryu".

The loss of three heavy aircraft carriers by the Japanese fleet cost the Americans 67 aircraft (55 of them were shot down, the rest were lost due to lack of fuel).

The fourth Japanese aircraft carrier "Hiryu", located at a distance from the rest, was not attacked. His air group of 18 D3A1 Val dive bombers and 8 A6M2 Zero cover fighters headed for Yorktown. Downed over the deck of the aircraft carrier "Val" at 12.00 managed to drop all three of its bombs, which hit the target. Fires broke out on the ship, all the boilers got up and the speed was lost. During the attack, the Japanese lost 16 out of 26 aircraft (including 13 Velov).

"Yorktown" burns after the attack of dive bombers D3A1 "Val" (Photo from the book by A. Sick "Aircraft Carriers. The Illustrated Encyclopedia", 2013)

Two hours later, the Yorktown, which had restored its course, was again attacked, but already by 10 torpedo bombers from the Hiryu. The ship was hit by two torpedoes. Once again, the aircraft carrier lost its speed, banked to the left side, the hull was severely damaged. F4F-4 fighters of Yorktown were able to destroy 5 torpedo bombers B5N2 Keith and 3 Zeros (half of the attackers). Considering the aircraft carrier doomed, the Americans hastily evacuated the crew, leaving two seriously wounded in the ship's infirmary.

The crew of the aircraft carrier "Yorktown" leaves the damaged ship (Photo by fototelegraf.ru)

However, the Yorktown was not about to sink. Attempts to resuscitate the ship were interrupted by the Japanese submarine I-168. Of the four torpedoes fired at 16.30 on June 6, two hit an aircraft carrier, and one hit a destroyer in an emergency party. The destroyer broke in half and sank. The Yorktown sank only the next day at six o'clock in the morning.

Yorktown and the destroyer Gammann at the time of the explosion of torpedoes fired by a Japanese submarine (Photo by pacificparatrooper.files.wordpress.com)

The fourth Japanese heavy aircraft carrier, Hiryu, was discovered on 4 June at 2:45 pm and at 5.03 pm was attacked by an attack air group of 24 SBD-2 Downtless dive bombers from the aircraft carriers Enterprise and Yorktown without fighter cover. The Dountless were able to overcome the barrier of the six remaining Zero fighters and achieved four hits on Hiryu. The nose of the flight deck was torn apart from the aircraft carrier, and numerous fires broke out. Two SBD-2s were shot down by fighter fire, the third dive bomber ran out of fuel and fell into the sea.

The aircraft carrier "Hiryu" is on fire, the destroyed bow of the deck is clearly visible, the morning of June 5, 1942 (Photo of the site fototelegraf.ru)

Hornet's second strike group of 16 Dountless arrived half an hour late. None of the bombs they dropped hit the burning Hiryu and the escort ships. The aircraft carrier itself, from which most of the crew was removed (except for the engine room), stayed afloat until the next morning. After two torpedoes fired from her destroyer, the heavy aircraft carrier Hiryu disappeared into the deep ocean at 0820 hours.

The point in the battle at Midway Atoll was set on June 6, when two air groups from the remaining two American aircraft carriers (Enterprise and Hornet) 80 (first wave) and 32 aircraft (second wave) were heavily damaged by the Japanese cruisers Mogami and Mikuma. On the night of June 7, the heavy cruiser Mikuma sank. The main striking force of the air groups was the SBD-2 "Dountless" dive bomber (81 dive bombers out of a total of 112 aircraft participated in the attacks). Torpedo bombers TBD-1 "Devastator" made their last sortie (3 aircraft took part in the raid), which later gave way on the decks of American aircraft carriers to more modern aircraft - "Grumman" TBF "Avenger".

With their victory in the Battle of Midway Atoll, the Americans finally took away the strategic initiative from the Japanese. The Japanese fleet suffered a crushing defeat. Four heavy aircraft carriers with their air groups and one heavy cruiser were lost. A particularly sensitive loss was the death of well-trained and experienced pilots, which was never replenished until the very end of the war.

The Americans paid for their victory with the death of one aircraft carrier and one destroyer, the loss of about one and a half hundred combat aircraft (taking into account the losses of shore-based aviation).

Carriers and carrier-based aircraft have finally established themselves as the main strike force in the war at sea.

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Internet resources:
http://www.airwar.ru;
http://pro-samolet.ru;
http://wp.scn.ru;
http://www.aviastar.org;
http://www.avionslegendaires.net;
http://wardrawings.be/WW2;
http://www.airpages.ru;
http://fototelegraf.ru.

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