The Battle of

Midway

The Battle of

Midway

The Naval Institute Guide to the

U.S. Navys Greatest Victory

EDI T ED B Y

Thomas C. Hone

Naval Institute Press

Annapolis, Maryland

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
2013 by Thomas C. Hone
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hone, Thomas.
The Battle of Midway : the Naval Institute guide to the Battle of Midway /
Thomas C. Hone.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61251-126-9 (hbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-61251-132-0 (ebook)
1. Midway, Battle of, 1942. 2. World War, 1939-1945Naval operations, American.
3. World War, 1939-1945Naval operations, Japanese. 4. World War, 1939-1945
Personal narratives, American. 5. World War, 1939-1945Personal narratives, Japanese.
I. United States Naval Institute. II. Title. III. Title: Naval Institute guide to the Battle of
Midway.
D774.M5H65 2013
940.5426699dc23
2013004872
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.481992 (Permanence of Paper).
Printed in the United States of America.
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
First printing

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

TO
Clayton E. Steele, R3C, USN
CDR E. P. Vollmer, USN
CAPT Gerard D. Roncolato, USN
CDR Robert Nazak, USN
CAPT George Thibault, USN
VADM William Bowes, USN

Contents
List of Illustrations

xiii

Acknowledgments

xv

Help for Readers

xvii

General Chronology

xix

Introducton by LCDR Thomas J. Cutler, USN (Ret.)

Part I. Midway Anthology

Chapter 1. Akagi, Famous Japanese Carrier, by Walton L. Robinson,

from Proceedings

Chapter 2. 
Attacking a Continent, by Mark R. Peattie, from Sunburst,
The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 19091941

24

Chapter 3. Time Is Everything (Japanese Side), by John B. Lundstrom,

from Black Shoe Carrier Admiral

26

Chapter 4. Midway Island Operation Plan, by Mitsuo Fuchida and

Masatake Okumiya, from Midway, The Battle That
Doomed Japan 31

vii

viii

Contents

Part II. Approach to Midway

35

Chapter 5. Sortie from Hashirajima, by Mitsuo Fuchida and Masatake

Okumiya, from Midway, The Battle That Doomed Japan 37
Chapter 6. Mobile Force Commanders Estimate of the Situation,
translated by Fred Woodrough Jr., Office of Naval
Communications, from The Japanese Story of the Battle
of Midway (translation)

44

Chapter 7. Time Is Everything (American Side), by John B. Lundstrom,

from Black Shoe Carrier Admiral 46

Chapter 8. Soaring, by Mark R. Peattie, from Sunburst, The Rise of

Japanese Naval Air Power, 19091941 51

Chapter 9. Prelude to Midway, by Mitsuo Fuchida and Masatake

Okumiya, from Proceedings 53
Chapter 10. Opening Shots, by John B. Lundstrom, from The First Team 65
Chapter 11. Forging the Thunderbolt, by Mark R. Peattie, from Sunburst,
The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 19091941 71
Chapter 12. Preparing to Defend Midway, by E. B. Potter, from Nimitz 74
Chapter 13. Lest We Forget: Civilian Yard Workers, by
LCDR Thomas J. Cutler, USN (Ret.), from Proceedings 78

Part III. The Battle 81

Chapter 14. Out in Front at Midway, compiled by Dr. Fred H. Allison,

from Naval History 85

Chapter 15. Torpedo Squadron 8, the Other Chapter, by LT H. H.

Ferrier, USN, from Proceedings 91
Chapter 16. The Lone Avenger, by Rich Pedroncelli, from Naval History 97
Chapter 17. Report of Incidents in Connection with Participation of
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron One in the Battle of
Midway Island, 46 June, 1942, by LTJG H. S. Parker Jr.,
USNR, from Naval War College Archives

104

Contents

Chapter 18. Mounting the TF-16 Strike, by John B. Lundstrom,

from Black Shoe Carrier Admiral

ix

108

Chapter 19. Five Fateful Minutes at Midway, by Mitsuo Fuchida and

Masatake Okumiya, from Proceedings 111

Chapter 20. Flying into a Beehive, by ADM John S. Jimmie Thach,

USN (Ret.), from Naval History 118

Chapter 21. Moment at Midway: McCluskys Decision,

from Proceedings 127

Chapter 22. The Battle of Midway I: The Most God-Awful

Luckiest Coordinated Attack, by John B. Lundstrom,
from Black Shoe Carrier Admiral 131

Chapter 23. Flags at Midway, by Thomas B. Allen,

from Naval History 135
Chapter 24. We Werent Going to Go Off and Leave the Ship:
Oral History of Frank Fabian, interview with
Dr. Evelyn Cherpak, from the Oral History Collection
of the Naval War College

142

Chapter 25. I Sank the Yorktown at Midway, by Yahachi Tanabe,

with Joseph D. Harrington, from Proceedings 147

Chapter 26. Incredible Midway, by LCDR Thomas E. Powers, USNR,

from Proceedings 156

Chapter 27. Comment and Discussion: Incredible Midway,

by J. D. Harrington, JOC, USN, and LTCOL R. E. Barde,
USMC, from Proceedings 169
Chapter 28. Sweating Out the Strike, by John B. Lundstrom,
from Black Shoe Carrier Admiral

171

Chapter 29. Lost Letter of Midway, by CAPT Bruce R. Linder,

USN (Ret.), from Proceedings 173

Part IV. The End of the Battle 185

Chapter 30. Finale, by John B. Lundstrom, from
Black Shoe Carrier Admiral

187

Contents

Part V. The Official Report of the Battle 195

Chapter 31. Battle Experience from Pearl Harbor to Midway, December
1941 to June 1942, by United States Fleet, Headquarters of
the Commander in Chief, from Navy Department Library,
Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC

197

Chapter 32. This Was All Happening So Fast: Oral History of

RADM Ernest M. Eller, USN, interviewed by
John T. Mason Jr., from U.S. Naval Institute

215

Part VI. The Commanders 217

Chapter 33. Admiral Nimitz and the Battle of Midway, by E. B. Potter,

from Proceedings 219
Chapter 34. Excerpt from Nimitz, by E. B. Potter, from Nimitz 231
Chapter 35. Chester W. Nimitz: Victory in the Pacific, by John B.
Lundstrom, from Quarterdeck and Bridge:

Two Centuries of American Naval Leaders 234
Chapter 36. Commentary on RADM Raymond A. Spruance,

by Thomas C. Hone

247

Chapter 37. Harsh Lessons, by John B. Lundstrom, from

Black Shoe Carrier Admiral 252

Chapter 38. Enemy Carriers, by John B. Lundstrom, from

Black Shoe Carrier Admiral 255

Chapter 39. Mitscher and the Mystery of Midway, by Craig L. Symonds,

from Naval History 259

Part VII. The Code-Breaking 267

Chapter 40. Code-Breaking before Midway, by Elliot Carlson,
from Joe Rocheforts War

269

Chapter 41. America Deciphered Our Code, translated by

RADM Edwin T. Layton, USN (Ret.),
from Proceedings 273
Chapter 42. Freedom of the Press or Treason? by Grant Sanger, M.D.,
from Proceedings 277

Contents

xi

Part VIII. Assessments of the Battle 281

Chapter 43. Foreword to Midway, The Battle That Doomed Japan,

by ADM Raymond A. Spruance, USN (Ret.),
from Proceedings 283
Chapter 44. Underappreciated Victory, by James Schlesinger,
from Naval History 286

Chapter 45. The Great Midway Crapshoot, by Lee Gaillard,

from Proceedings 291
Chapter 46. Comment and Discussion: The Great Midway Crapshoot,

by CAPT Chris Johnson, USN (Ret.), from Proceedings 297
Chapter 47. A Tactical Model of Carrier Warfare, by CAPT Wayne P.
Hughes Jr., USN (Ret.), from Fleet Tactics, Theory and Practice 299

Chapter 48. Midway: The Decisive Battle? by Geoffrey Till,

from Naval History 305
Chapter 49. Descending in Flame, by Mark R. Peattie, from Sunburst,
The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 19091941 312

Chapter 50. Midway: The Story That Never Ends, by Thomas B. Allen,
from Proceedings 314

Chapter 51. Identifying Kaga, by Jonathan Parshall, with Anthony Tully

and David Dickson, from Proceedings 322
Chapter 52. Book Review of Peter C. Smith, Midway: Dauntless Victory:
Fresh Perspectives on Americas Seminal Naval Victory of
World War II, reviewed by CWO Ronald W. Russell,
USN (Ret.), from Naval History 325

Chapter 53. Midway Is Our Trafalgar, by CDR Brian Fort, USN,

from Proceedings 327
Appendix A. USS Enterprise Action Report, 8 June 1942

335

Appendix B. RADM R. A. Spruances Letter of 8 June 1942 to

RADM F. J. Fletcher

341

Appendix C. Aircraft Names 343

Notes

345

Selected Bibliography

347

Index

351

Illustrations
Photos
Carrier Kaga 25
Admiral Yamamoto

27

Vice Admiral Nagumo

45

RADM Chester Nimitz

47

Midway 75
Nimitz on Midway with two officers

77

Nimitz leaving bunker on Midway

77

PT boat at sea

105

Devastators on the Enterprise 109

The Yorktown early on 4 June 1942

109

LCDR John Thach

119

Close-up of island of the Enterprise 128

LCDR John Waldron

132

The Hornets screen 136

Yorktown burning on 4 June 1942

143

1.1-inch antiaircraft gun on Yorktown 144

The Yorktowns damaged flight deck

145

Bel Geddes painting of the Yorktown 148

The Yorktown burning on 4 June 1942

158

xiii

xiv

Illustrations

Torpedo attack on the Yorktown 161

Attack on the Yorktown 172
The Yorktown and the Balch 172
The Yorktown and Destroyers 174
Abandoning the Yorktown 175
USS Ralph Talbot 188
Fire on Sand Island 199
Fire and albatross young 201
Damaged hangar on Sand Island 202
Flag Raising on Midway 205
B-17E on Midway 232
The Soryu 233
RADM Raymond A. Spruance 248
RADM Fletcher 253
The Damaged Hiryu 256
The Nautilus (SS-168) 292
Tanker Neosho 300
The Mikuma 306
Cruiser New Orleans 315
USS Fulton 316
Maps
Map 1. Midway Atoll, June 1942 76
Map 2. Approaches to Midway 86
Map 3. The Hornet and Enterprise attacks 110

Acknowledgments
LCDR Thomas J. Cutler, USN (Ret.), editor, facilitator, and wise counselor. Paul
Stillwell, for directing me to the articles that mattered. Norman Polmar, a careful student of aircraft carriers and carrier warfare. CDR Janis Jorgensen, USNR
(Ret.), for help finding photographs. Frank Uhlig Jr., my best critic. And the staffs
of the Navy Department Library and the National Archives.

xv

Help for Readers

The different chronologies of the opposing forces

Japanese and American time-keeping differed during the battle, which can confuse readers. The Battle of Midway was fought across the international date line.
The Japanese used east longitude dates and Tokyo time. The Americans used west
longitude dates, and there was a two-hour difference between Midway clocks and
clocks in TF-16 and TF-17 (the carriers were two hours ahead of Midway). This
can be very confusing. The point to keep in mind is that 0130 for the Japanese
was 0430 for the American defenders of Midway the previous day. What was often
4 June time for the Americans was 5 June time for the Japanese.
To simplify matters for readers, here is a brief chronology of events on 46 June
in Midway time:
4 June 1942
0130: Midway-based PBY seaplanes begin attack on Japanese transports.
0405: Midway-based B-17s depart Midway to attack Japanese transports.
_

0430: Planes from the kido butai launched to attack Midway.

0430: Yorktown sends 10 SBD scouts to search for Japanese carrier force.
0437: Dawn
0552: PBY reports sighting Japanese carriers.

xvii

xviii

Help for Readers

0603: PBYs sighting received on the Enterprise.

0630: Marine antiaircraft guns open fire on Japanese planes attacking Midway.
07000705: The Hornet and Enterprise launch strike aircraft.
0705: Leader of the Japanese aircraft attacking Midway signals need for second
strike.
_

0708: Midway-based attack aircraft begin attacks on the kido butai.

0820: Scoutplane from the Japanese cruiser Tone signals that U.S. formation
includes a carrier.
0838: The Yorktown launches a strike.
0918: The Hornet torpedo planes begin attack.
1020: American dive-bombers begin their attacks on the Kaga, Akagi, and Soryu.
1054: The Hiryu launches a strike against U.S. carriers.
1200: The Hiryu planes attack the Yorktown.
1320: The Hiryus second strike of attack planes sets off to attack U.S. carriers.
1445: SBD from the Yorktown locates the Hiryu.
1700: Planes from U.S. carriers attack the Hiryu.
5 June
0020: Admiral Yamamoto cancels cruiser attack on Midway.
0255: Admiral Yamamoto cancels Midway invasion.
0300 (approximately): The Mogami and Mikuma collide.
6 June
0945 (approximately): The Hornet aircraft attack the two cruisers. The Enterprise
planes attack at 1230.
1331: The I-168 attacks the Yorktown and Hammann.
1900: The Enterprise and Hornet recover aircraft and head east.

General Chronology
Events leading up to and including the Battle of Midway

11 January: The Saratoga torpedoed and damaged by a Japanese submarine. Sent

to the mainland after temporary repairs at Pearl Harbor.
20 January: VADM William Halsey in the Enterprise arrives off Samoa.
23 January: The tanker Neches sunk by Japanese submarine.
24 January: The Yorktown arrives in Pearl Harbor after having escorted Marines
to Samoa.
25 January: The Enterprise and Yorktown begin steaming toward the Gilbert and
Marshall Islands.
31 January/February 1: Vice Admiral Halsey in the Enterprise (TF-8) and RADM
Frank J. Fletcher in the Yorktown (TF-17) attack Japanese-held Wotje, Kwajalein,
Jaluit, and Mili Islands.
5 February: The Enterprise returns to Pearl Harbor. The Yorktown returns on
6 February.
7 February and 9 February: Admiral Nimitz responds to Admiral Kings order
to take action with the carrier task forces. King wanted the carriers to take the
offensive before Japanese forces then in the southwest Pacific could turn around
and head east. He made this clear to Admiral Nimitz on 9 February.
14 February: Enterprise TF-16 leaves Pearl Harbor to attack Wake and Marcus
Islands.

xix

xx

General Chronology

24 February: Enterprise planes attack Wake.

4 March: Enterprise planes attack Marcus.
10 March: TF-16 (Enterprise) returns to Pearl Harbor.
10 March: Aircraft from the Lexington and Yorktown attack Lae and Salamaua in
New Guinea.
26 March: The Lexington returns to Pearl Harbor.
8 April: TF-16 (the Enterprise and Hornet) departs from Pearl Harbor on
Tokyo raid.
18 April: U.S. B-25s from TF-16 bomb Tokyo.
25 April: Tokyo striking force (Enterprise and Hornet as TF-16) returns to
Pearl Harbor.
30 April: TF-16 leaves Pearl Harbor for southwest Pacific.
4 May: Attack on Japanese forces on Tulagi by aircraft of TF-16.
78 May: Battle of the Coral Sea. The Lexington is lost and the Yorktown
is damaged.
21 May: North Pacific Force established under RADM Robert A. Theobald to
defend Alaska.
2 June: Task Force 17 (the Yorktown) joins Task Force 16 (the Enterprise and
Hornet) northeast of Midway.
46 June: Battle of Midway. The Yorktown is damaged on 4 June and torpedoed
and fatally damaged on 6 June.

Introduction
By LCDR Thomas J. Cutler, USN (Ret.)

he Battle of Midway is arguably the greatest battle in American naval

history. It is a classic drama in which the underdog comes off the ropes to
score a devastating knockout punch. It abounds with moments of phenomenal
courage, inspirational sacrifice, clever deception, and fateful decisions. It has been
studied in detail by great naval historians including Samuel Eliot Morison, Gordon
Prange, and Craig Symonds because it is a rich case study, full of timeless lessons.
It is a story that exemplifies how war brings out the best and the worst of humanity.
It is no surprise, then, that the U.S. Navy has chosen this battleof all the
battles it has fought over more than two centuriesas the one to commemorate
annually, to reflect on it much as the Royal Navy has long celebrated its singular
victory at Trafalgar, to draw from it a sense of those special qualities that define
the American sailor.
It is fitting, too, that the U.S. Naval Institutewhose mission includes the
preservation of our naval historyshould provide this guide as a means of
commemorating, researching, experiencing, and learning about this momentous
battle. Within these pages, readers will find a unique collection of materials, all
drawn from the Naval Institutes massive collections of intellectual content.
Over the years since June 1942, the Battle of Midway has been reported,
analyzed, and discussed in the pages of Proceedings and Naval History magazines,
in Naval Institute Press books, and as part of the Institutes ongoing oral history
project. These have been collected, entirely or in part, in this useful and entertaining anthology.

Introduction

Part I sets the stage for the upcoming battle; part II covers planning and
preparations on both sides; part III describes the actual battle, including the firsthand accounts of both Japanese and American participants; part IV consists of
postbattle events and analysis; part V includes the official battle report; part VI
focuses on the senior commanders; part VII covers one of the most interesting
aspects of the battle, the role of code-breaking; and part VIII concludes with
numerous assessments of the battle. Three appendices round out the coverage
with additional materials that provide further insight into the many facets of this
important and gripping moment in history.
The result is a unique collection that only an organization as unique as the
U.S. Naval Institute could provide. From general survey to detailed analysis, this
book is a welcome addition to the vast literature on World War II, providing
a superb reference collection as well as an aid to those who are searching for
materials to enhance the annual commemoration of this awe-inspiring and

historically significant battle.

PART

Midway Anthology

art I contains four selections. The first, Akagi, Famous Japanese Carrier (chapter
1), is one of the first
_ postwar accounts of the Battle of Midway to summarize the
operations of the kido butai up to and during the engagement off Midway. Published
in 1948, it contains errors of detail that the author could not have known about when
he wrote the article. It stands, however, as a succinct summary of events leading up to
the battle and of the battle itself. The second selection, Attacking a Continent (chapter 2), explains how and why the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) came to appreciate
large-scale carrier strikes and why Japanese carrier pilots were so skilled in 19411942.
The third selection, Time Is Everything (Japanese Side) (chapter 3) from Black Shoe
Carrier Admiral, puts the reader into the shoes of Admiral Yamamoto and shows why
he insisted on a decisive battle with the U.S. Navys Pacific Fleet. The last selection in
part I, Midway Island Operation Plan (chapter 4), drawn from a widely read Japanese
account of Midway, presents Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto from a Japanese perspective.
As the Royal Navys official history, War with Japan, noted, Vice Admiral Chuichi
_
Nagumos kido butai had, since 7 December 1941,
operated across one-third of the globe, from Hawaii to Ceylon, conducting effective strikes against ships and shore installations at every important allied [sic] base out of reach of shore-based aircraft....They had
destroyed the United States battle fleets and driven the British out of the
Indian Ocean. To their credit stood the destruction of thousands of tons
of merchantmen, hundreds of Allied aircraft as well as docks, hangars and
base facilities. All this Admiral Nagumo had accomplished without loss or
damage to a single one of his shipsindeed, he was seldom sighted and
never effectively attacked.1
The Battle of Midway would bring this naval triumph to an abrupt halt.