The Fleet Lineup Before And After
How It All Started
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, Commander in Chief of the Combined Japanese Fleet, was stunned by the April 18, 1942 attack by 18 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, borrowed from the Army Air Force, as they flew off the deck of the carrier Hornet, accompanied by the Carrier Enterprise, at a distance of only 650 nautical miles from Japan. Led by Lt.-Col James H. Doolittle, these bombers hit Tokyo, Yokosuka, and a score of other towns. They did not inflicted material damage but they had severely shaken the Japanese morale.
If the Americans could hit Tokyo, they could also hit the Emperor's palace; that could harm the Emperor. To Yamamoto, this situation had to be remedied and that meant a decisive battle. Ever since March, Yamamoto had been pressing to convince the Naval General Staff that the planned attacks on Samoa and Fiji Islands had to be dropped in favor of an attack on the Central Pacific island of Midway.
A battle scheme was set up by Yamamoto and his staff. The entire force of the Combined Fleet would be sent across the Pacific to give battle to the US Pacific Fleet in the waters around Midway. For that goal, Yamamoto's order of battle included most every fighting unit that was not needed in tasks around the Empire.
First, Hosogaya would strike the US Naval facilities at Dutch Harbor, in the Aleutian Islands, on 3 June, in order to lure the U.S. carriers north to defend Alaska.
This would be followed by an air strike from Nagumo's carriers against Midway, which would annihilate the American defenses there. Then, Nagumo would take station in the area awaiting U.S. naval forces.
Midway Order Of Battle
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The Ships Came In All Sizes and Shapes
Aircraft Carrier
Battleship
Heavy Cruiser
Light Cruiser
Destroyer
| Japan (67 Ships) | Allied (20 Ships) |
|---|---|
| Starting Forces | |
Main Body (Yamamoto) - Admiral Yamamoto himself would lead the impressive Main Body, battleships Yamato, Nagato, and Mutsu, the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy and its most powerful battleships. Support would come from the light carrier Hosho and its eight attack planes, scheduled for anti-submarine work. Destroyers would screen the force.  x1 x3 x1 x9 First Carrier Striking Force (Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo) - But the true jewel of the fleet was the fear-imposing First Air Fleet. Under Vice-Admiral Nagumo Chuichi, this force had been the strike group at Pearl Harbor and since then covered every major Japanese operation. x4 x2 x2 x1 Midway Invasion Force - Second Fleet (Vice-Admiral Nobutake Kondo) - Admiral Kondo Nobutake would be leading the Second Fleet, including battleships Kongo and Haruna, and the light carrier Zuiho. His task would be to protect the Invasion Force under his command led by Rear-Admiral Tanaka Raizo. x1 x2 x8 x2 x21 |
Task Force 17 - Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher in Yorktown  x1  x2  x1  x6 Task Force 16 - commander: Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance in Enterprise x2 x6 x1 x9 |
| Losses | |
Yamamoto's fleet retired. Attu and Kiska had been taken, but at what cost! Four heavy carriers, one heavy cruiser, one hundred pilots, 3,400 sailors, three experienced carrier skippers and a carrier admiral, plus the secrets of the Zero fighter. In exchange, the IJN had sunk a carrier and a destroyer, and destroyed around 150 planes. It was nothing short of a disaster into which Yamamoto had led his fleet, and he was only right in claiming responsibility for this operation and its losses. Both fleets returned to their ports to think about their lessons at Midway. |
|
| x4 sunk CV Akagi (flagship, Akagi) 21 Zero fighters, 21 dive bombers, 21 torpedo bombers (Sunk) CV Kaga (Kaga) 21 Zero fighters, 21 dive bombers, 30 torpedo bombers (Sunk) CV Hiryu (flagship, Hiryu) 21 Zero fighters, 21 dive bombers, 21 torpedo bombers (Sunk) CV Soryu (Hiryu) 21 Zero fighters, 21 dive bombers, 21 torpedo bombers (Sunk) x1 sunk (Mikuma) x1 heavily damaged (Mogami) |
x1 sunk (Yorktown) x1 sunk (Hamman) |