European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 3, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Battle of Midway timing Point in the Pacific War key naval engagement began 50 years ago tomorrow Battle of Midway Juno 4 /. 1 942 a a 1 two Larup  r  u How if 1 1 a if �?�1 f in r1f Mirow a a l r 1 a it in o. Nairn in i in Quot 1,1 Niri it a Terr of it   no. T 1 \ a c i n in a to a 1 a pop 1 if a it who i if i  a by Charles e. Glover Cox news service Victory by the United states in the Battle of Midway is the turning Point of the Pacific War. Its More than an upset for the americans it s a rout. It s also a tribute to the courage and dedication of the men who fought and died in this ferocious engagement. For the japanese the outcome of the Battle destroys dreams of a vast Ocean Empire ruled by the sons of heaven and their divine emperor. It draws an invisible line in the Pacific that the warriors of Japan will never again Cross. It Means Hawaii will not be bombed and invaded. The Quot Paradise of the Pacific Quot will not be violated a second time. The residents of the . West coast can sleep work and play More comfortably knowing they will not hear the Wail of air raid sirens in the night followed by enemy warplanes raining death and destruction from above. There will be no need to build bomb shelters and evacuate their children to the East. As at Pearl Harbor Hawaii the japanese Are counting on Surprise along with a cat and mouse game but at Midway the element of Surprise is on the Side of the americans. After the Battle . Chester a Nimitz commander of the Pacific Fleet declares that the Victory is due to the great work done by cmdr Joseph j. Rochefort or. And his combat intelligence unit at Pearl Harbor. Rochefort is described by Walter lord in his Book incredible Victory As Quot a tall thin humorously caustic Man in a red smoking jacket and carpet  Rochefort Breaks the lop japanese naval code and convinces Nimitz that the japanese Are preparing an amphibious attack on Midway. Since Washington is sceptical Rochefort suggests Midway Send a fake message in Plain English reporting the breakdown of its fresh water distillation Plant. Nimitz goes along with the idea and Midway sends the message. Two Days later Navy crypt analysts intercept a japanese dispatch that announces Quot of Quot is Short on water Rochefort is jubilant having insisted that the a oaf Quot appearing recently in numerous enemy messages is Midway. Nimitz visits Midway on May 2, prior to Rochefort s confirmation. He wants to know what the Navy and Marino commanders believe they need to defend the islands. The atoll is aptly named being 2,100 Miles East of Tokyo and 1,150 Miles West of Hawaii. After Nimitz returns to Pearl Harbor supplies and reinforcements begin pouring into Midway a anti aircraft guns it boats dive bombers lighter planes live Light tanks sandbags special clothing and Miles of barbed wire Nimitz decides to throw everything he has into stopping the enemy at Midway. It in t much considering the size and strength of the japanese forces bearing Down on the Little mid Pacific atoll he orders the aircraft carriers Enterprise Yorktown and Hornet to Quot expedite Quot a return to Pearl Harbor from the South Pacific. There Are several problems. The Yorktown is badly mauled in the recent Battle of the Coral sea. The enemy believes she has been sunk or is at least out of action naval historians Call the repair of the Yorktown incredible. It is estimated it will take 90 Days to repair her damage. Nimitz says he needs the big Carrier in 72 hours. In desperation he orders his aides to Tell workmen that . Task fore Imi from Pearl Harbor to engage tha Japan. . Task Force 16 . Spruance 2 carriers Enterprise Horne a cruisers 11 destroyers . Task Force 17 . Fletcher 1 Carrier Yorktown 2 cruisers a destroyers _ . To Force 10 Isle ii a a dive Bombere from the aircraft Carrier Enterprise crippled the japanese Cruiser a Okuma above. The ship is needed to Stop a japanese attack on Midway. The Battle begins june 4 with an Early morning japanese air attack on Midway islands. Casualties Are Light a 10 dead and 18 wounded. Ground defense units receive Only slight damage. Oil tanks and the seaplane hangar Are set on fire. Meanwhile vice . Chuichi Nagumo a first Carrier strike Force has been spotted. Nagumo who commanded the first air Fleet in Japan s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor has with him four of the six heavy aircraft carriers that took part in that assault. They Are the Akagi Nagumo s flagship then and now the Kaga Soryu and Hirayu. Sixty bombers and torpedo planes from Midway attack Nagumo s Fleet in five separate Waves. No hits Are recorded. American planes fall to anti aircraft fire and the agile zeros flying combat air patrol Over their Fleet next come three attacks by torpedo planes from the Hornet Enterprise and Yorktown. Almost All the . Planes Are shot Down without making a single hit. Amazingly Nagumo a task Force has come unscathed through eight successive air assaults. Now a after so Many failures to hit Nagumo s big carriers after 322 bombs dropped by  b-17 s fail to score a hit a the americans get the break that will change the course of the Pacific War minutes make the difference. At 10 25 �?�.tn., june 4, the four japanese carriers Are turning into the wind to launch their newly armed and refuelled fighters and bombers when All hell Breaks Loose. Dive bombers from the Enterprise and Yorktown unobserved by japanese planes and ships that have been occupied with shooting Down american torpedo planes Roar Down from 15,000 feet hitting the Akagi the Soryu and the Kaga. Paul s. Dull s a Battle history of the Imperial japanese Navy presents a thorough account of the effect of the . Attack on the japanese carriers. Dull says the exploding bombs touch off lethal fires and explosions in All three carriers. The japanese flattops Are caught in their most vulnerable position. A launched dive bombers Are on the flight deck More planes Are being armed and refuelled below on the hangar deck. Given another 15 or 20 minutes Many of the enemy planes would have been in the air. Hit with three 1,000-Pound bombs the Soryu completely ablaze with ammunition exploding loses rudder control and goes dead in the water. Commanding officer Yanagimoto severely burned ignores the pleas of his staff to seek safety orders abandon ship and plunges into the flames seeking Quot Senshin or Battle death. With fire covering the entire vessel the Soryu slips beneath the Waves at 9 15 . Casualties Are estimated at 718 killed of the ships complement of 1,103. Dull notes it is impossible to get exact figures because Many civilians Are aboard most of them newsmen. Dauntless dive bombers from the Enterprise score two hits on the Akagi the Carrier is Lorn by explosions and fire . Task Force 17 Yorktown planar from Torp do a litter \ hindu and love it Fleek my a a Fulvino Holmi the Battle 50 Miles flying Forte area map Inge red of japanese fleets 0 main body Force . Yamamoto on flagship 1 Carrier 0 1st Carrier striking Force . Nagumo 4 carriers Akagi Soryu Kaga Hirayu 5 cruisers 11 destroyers �?�00 Northern forces 2nd Carrier Atri King Force  hos Gaya 2 carriers 0 transport Force . Kondo 1 Carrier japanese occupation Force support forces inducing battleships cruisers destroyers support ships Midway forces before Battle As Wetr the Yorktown Eek june 7, 1942, after taking hits by dive bombers torpedo planes and a destroyer during the three Day Battle.  Oann Butts ships it  one.  a a 26 Komu Tamy islands u086es at mh2way had aircraft earners cruisers destroyers aircraft 1 0 1 147 307 Jun 4.6 34 s. M. Japanese planes hit \ Midway islands. Twenty three my out of 25 american fighters Are shot a Down or damaged. 7 45 . Sixty seven dive bombers 29 torpedo planes and 10 fighters from Enterprise and Hornet head for target. Japanese Carrier hire us a 0. Planes hit the Yorktown a. Vly with three bombs and two Auy torpedoes. Mass Huemm june 6 . Yamamoto orders his Fleet 9 Back to Japan losing a Cruiser 07 to . Bombers in route. June 5,3 30 .  Enterprise sends 24 dive bombers to find _ japanese Carrier Hirayu. 0 7 15 . Ten american torpedo planes attack a Moe Smasz 10 25 . .1 Yorktown s dive bombers y score hits on japanese of Aqunio s carriers. Q 7 28 . Japanese sight a 10  within six minutes Enterprise and to Hornet aircraft leave three japanese carriers 5 my Enterprise s dive i bombers Pul four i v \ i bombs into the Hirayu Mir of Leavina her aflame. A june 7 japanese submarine torpedoes a a Yorktown and sinks her.  world War two. P194  it War Miracle at gift was immediately As the first bomb penetrates the elevator Shaft detonating improperly stored torpedoes and bombs the second bomb explodes amidst the planes on the flight deck. Nagumo transfers his Flag to the tight Cruiser Nagara at 10 46 . The emperors picture is transferred at 1 38 . Minutes later the Akagi goes dead in the water. After fighting for More than 10 hours to keep his ship alive capt. Taijiro Aoki orders All hands to abandon ship at 9 25 . Despite pleas from his staff Aoki insists on going Down with the Akagi. With a smile on his face he is tied to part of the Anchor deck. When the Carrier is slow in sinking Akagi senior officers return to the ship and forcibly move Aoki to the destroyer Arashi. At 4 50 ., june 5, . Soroko Yamamoto orders the Akagi sunk. Four destroyers fire torpedoes into her and and Nagumo a flagship sinks at 5 . The official casualty total is 221 killed from a Crew of 1,630. Dull Calls this a a remarkably Small number Given at the fire and explosions on  slow to spot a Squadron of Enterprise dive bombers the Kaga is blasted by four bombs after a Sharp turn to avoid being hit. The third bomb explodes in front of the Island Bridge destroying the flight deck and its planes. Most of the men on the Bridge Are kilted including the ship s Captain. Flight officer Takahisa Amagai is blown off the Kaga s Bridge but is Able to assume command. He transfers the emperors picture to the destroyer hag Kaze at 1 25 . The order to abandon ship is Given at 7 . Quot finally at 9 25 ., the Forward gasoline storage tank caught fire two tremendous explosions occurred and the Kaga Sank Quot Dull reports. Eight Hundred men of a complement of 1,708 die Many of them in the engine room which bums so fiercely that an orderly cannot deliver the abandon ship message. A Cari Fox . Dive bombers Trail e damaged burning be Panzee help. Hirayu the fourth japanese heavy Carrier and her escorts end up some distance North of the stricken ships. The Hirayu immediately launches two attacks against the Yorktown. Despite intense anti aircraft fire from the Yorktown which splashes 10 enemy attackers eight planes get through and put three bombs into the american Carrier. Four serious fires Burn below the Yorktown a flight deck. Told the engine room will try to generate enough steam to get the Yorktown moving . Frank j. Fletcher decides he can t wait and transfers his Flag to the heavy Cruiser Astoria at 1 . Even though the flight deck has been repaired the Yorktown a planes have to land and refuel on the Enterprise or Hornet. By 1 50 ., Yorktown s fires Are under control. Fifteen minutes later the Carrier s radar picks up another incoming flight. It is from the still untouched japanese Carrier Hirayu. Two torpedoes Jolt the Yorktown knocking out All Power communications even emergency lighting. Yorktown Captain Elliott Buckmaster orders abandon ship. The Carrier is listing 26 degrees. Even As Fletcher is saying a for god s Sake Send a search and find out where this other Carrier is Quot an american scouting plane solves the Riddle. Quot pilots Man your planes Quot sounds in the ready rooms of the Enterprise at 3 15 . Fifteen minutes later the Enterprise turns into the wind to launch its own planes along with 14 refugees from the Yorktown. On the Hirayu rear . Tamon Yamaguchi decides to postpone a third strike against the americans until 6 . To feed and rest his exhausted pilots. He feels that with Only five dive bombers and four torpedo planes in shape to Fly an attack at dusk might be to his advantage it is a bad decision. At exactly 5 03 ., a Lookout on a quote Hirayu cries a enemy dive bombers directly overhead. Cull says 13 dive bombers come out of the Sun to attack smoke pours from the Yorktown a disabled boiler after a be Panzee dive bomber attack Early in the Battle. The Hirayu while 11 others attack the carriers escorting battleships and cruisers. After three misses four bombs hit the Hirayu in rapid succession ripping off the flight deck and exploding bombs and torpedoes on the hangar deck. The engines die when the fires spread to the lower decks. Just before giving an order to abandon the blazing Carrier the Captain and Yamaguchi make inspirational speeches to the Crew Exchange ceremonial cups of water lower the Flag and sing the National Anthem. Yamaguchi gives his last order instructing the destroyer Mak Gumo to torpedo and sink the Hirayu. After spending several moments admiring the Beauty of the Moon Yamaguchi and the hire us a Captain go to their Cabins and commit suicide by Hara Kiri. The Hirayu is torpedoed by a japanese destroyer which rejoins the flagship Nagara however the next morning june 5, a japanese observation plane reports the Hirayu Stilt afloat with people on Board waving their Caps by the Tom help arrives the Hirayu is gone. In his haste to leave the scene the japanese destroyer Captain leaves 70 men on Board the Hirayu. Thirty five survivors Are rescued by a . Destroyer. Hirayu casualties number 416 killed. Hours after the Yorktown has been abandoned she still is afloat and there is no appreciable change in her list Fletcher and Buckmaster decide to try to Salvage her three destroyers will try to bring her to port. A japanese search plane spots the Yorktown and reports her location and condition. Yamamoto sends a japanese submarine to the scene. The sub evades the destroyer screen and fires four torpedoes. One misses two go under the destroyer Hammann and hit the Yorktown and the last strikes the Hammann. The destroyer sinks in three minutes. The Yorktown known to her Crew As the a old lady Quot finally slides under the Waves at 6 . On june 7. At about the same time the heavy cruisers Mogami and Rikuma collide. . Dive bombers sink the Rikuma and damage the Mogami so badly that it takes almost a year to repair her. So ends the Battle of Midway one of the most significant engagements in naval history the japanese lose More than 2,500 men. Ironically Many of Japan s Veteran Carrier pilots die on their Mother ships rather that a in the air. They also lose four heavy aircraft earners a heavy Cruiser and 322 planes. American losses Are 307 men the Carrier Yorktown one destroyer and 147 aircraft Page 14 the stars and stripes wednesday june 3, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 15