FREE ESSAY ON SECOND WORLD WAR

SECOND WORLD WAR

The Second World War engaged the energies of the American people for almost four years and
was fought on a scale not even conceived by prewar observers. The war in the Pacific was
long and arduous due to the fact the Japanese were never willing to surrender. At the
beginning of the war most battles were fought between aircraft carriers and their planes.
The most significant of these was the Battle of Midway. This island was barren, but a
strategically important outpost guarding the western approaches to the Hawaiian Islands
and the United States itself. The Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war in
the Pacific. 
In 1895, Japan embarked on an imperialist policy of expansion when she occupied Formosa.
In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria and in 1937 she attacked China. When Germany overran
France and Holland in 1940 placing British, French, and Dutch far eastern colonies at
Japan's mercy following her attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan advanced in three directions:
the Dutch east Indies and Philippines, into mainland China, and into the Pacific towards
Guam. By the spring of 1942, Japan had overrun most of the Southern and Western Pacific
and needed to protect the oil and raw materials it had seized.
The commander and chief of the Japanese Navy Admiral, Isoraku Yamamoto conceived an
intricate plot to ambush and destroy Admiral Chester Nimitz's Pacific fleet at Midway.
This small but strategically important island guarded the Western approaches to the
Hawaiian Islands and the United States. Yamamoto's plan called for a decoy attack on the
islands of the Aleutian chain in the Northern Pacific. Then a bombardment of Midway by a
powerful carrier strike force was to be followed by an infantry landing. Yamamoto
believed this would lure the American Pacific Fleet out into the open where he could
destroy it.
The Americans however had broken the Japanese code and knew that a major attack on one of
the Pacific bases was imminent. Knowing that AF was the code name for the Japanese
target, US naval intelligence asked commanders in positions likely to get attacked to
report to HQ with some distinguishing problem. Midway complained of a faulty seawater
distillation plant and sure enough a little while later a radio message from Japanese
intelligence was intercepted reporting that AF had this trouble. Admiral Nimitz's plan
was to split his force into two strong carrier groups to surprise the would be supriser.
Task Force 16 comprising of the aircraft carriers Hornet and Enterprise escorted by six
crusiers and nine destroyers went to sea commanded by Rear Admiral Raymond Sprunce. The
carrier Yorktown, which was being repaired from damages it recived in the battle of Coral
Sea, would form Task Force 17 with two crusiers and five destroyers under the command of
Admiral Frank Fletcher.
On June 1,1942 the entire strength of the Japanese combined fleet was at sea. By June 2
the two US task forces were sationed some 250 miles Northeast of Midway(Prange 184). The
Japanese had not yet fixed the position of Fletcher's and Spruce's command because the
submarine screen had arrived on patrol late allowing the American ships to slip through.
The next day as planned the Japanese attacked the Aluetian Islands of Atta and
Kiska(Prange 184). When dawn broke on the fourth of June, Task Forces 16 and 17 were 200
miles northeast of Midway. At 5:30 AM, a U.S. Catalina flying boat spotted the Japanese
carriers and raised the alarm at the same time Midway radar picked up approaching enemy
fighters(Prange 184). 
The Japanese first strike of 76 bombers escorted by 36 fighters under the command of Lt.
Toicka Tomanaga were closing in on Midway(Morison 104). The Japanese planes were
intercepted by 26 American Brewster Buffalos and Grumman Wildcats(Morison 104). The
American planes shot down a few bombers but were no match for the Japanese Zeros. The
Japanese attack was only a partial success. A second strike was needed to destroy a still
operational airfield. Nagumo, suspecting that American warships might be in the area, had
his remaining planes armed with armor piercing bombs and torpedos. After he heard Lt.
Tomanaga's report, he rearmed the planes with incidieray and high explosive bombs for a
second raid on Midway. Fifteen minutes later, while his crews were working on switching
the armarments, Nagumo heard from one of his scout planes of the precense of US warships
in the area(Morison 105). Then at 8:20, he learned of American carriers bringing up the
rear of an American force(Morison 105). 
At 9:30 while the Japanese carrier deck was littered with unarmed and unfueled aircraft,
the first of Task Force 16 strike force roared into view 117 aircraft in all(Costello
294). An hour flying time behind them were another 35 planes from Tack Force 17(Costello
294). The formations from Hornet and Enterprise consisted of low flying Douglas
Devastator torpedo bombers with a fighter cover of Grumman Wildcats as well as high
flying unprotected Douglas Dauntless bombers(Costello 295). 15 Devastator torpedo bombers
from Hornet, unprotected by fighter cover went up against a 50 strong cover of Zeros and
contrated anti-aircraft fir and were all shot down(Costello 295). Next, 14 Devestators
from Enterprise arrived and 11 were lost(Costello 295). When the Yorktown's 12
Devestators arrived they too attaked, scoring no hits and only two surviving(Costello
296). With the airbattle taking place above him, Naguma launched his remaining 102
planes(Costello 296). 
Unnoticed by Nagumo's sailors, 55 Douglas dive bombers were about to start their run. Two
bombs, one 1000 pounds and the other 500 pounds struck the Akagi, Nagumos flag ship.
Next, four 1000 pound bombs hit Kiya and later three plowed into Soruyu, seeling the fate
of Japan's largest carriers and a compliment of around 200 aircraft. In little more time
than it takes to boil an egg, America had changed the fate of the war in the Pacific.
The American raid was hardly over, when the remaining Japanese carrier Hiryu sent out a
counter strike. At 11:00, 15 dive bombers escorted by half a dozen Zeros took off on a
direct course for the Yorktown. Only 8 dive bombers managed to get through the American
fighter umbrella to the Yorktown and only one got away after the attack but three 500
pound bombs struck the carrier causing boiler room damage. 
24 Dauntless dive bombers from Enterprise followed by 16 from Hornet took off to attempt
to locate and destroy the last Japanese carrier. The formation found the remaining
carrier under an umbrella of six Zeros. The enemy fighters were able to eliminate the
first elements of the American attack. But those lagging in the rear hit the Hiryu four
times setting it ablaze. As darkness fell on June 4th, Fletcher turned East to avoid an
encounter with the remainder of Nagumos force. At 2:15 June 5th, appaled by his lossess,
Yamamoto canceled the invasion of Midway and withdrew. This marked the last major
offensive of the Japanese Navy in World War II.