Transcript Fourth Annual Battle of Midway Remembrance Day Battle of Midway Commemoration Committee Arizona Capitol Museum Historic Senate Chamber June 5, 2015 The Story of Midway: A.

Fourth Annual Battle of Midway Remembrance Day
Battle of Midway Commemoration Committee
Arizona Capitol Museum
Historic Senate Chamber
June 5, 2015
The Story of Midway:
A Brief History of the Turning
Point of the Pacific War
Fourth Annual Battle of Midway Remembrance Day
Battle of Midway Commemoration Committee
Arizona Capitol Museum
Historic Senate Chamber
June 5, 2015
Herb Zinn
Military Historian
© 2015 Herbert I. Zinn, All Rights Reserved
The Story of Midway
• Midway is the story of
–
–
–
–
–
Japan’s gross miscalculation
Overconfidence borne of “victory disease”
Rigid adherence to obsolete doctrine
Inherent technological and operational shortcomings
Unrelenting bravery against seemingly
overwhelming odds
– Lost opportunity
– Bad timing
– A dose of pure chance and luck…good and bad
Midway’s Relevance to Arizona
• First major payback for Pearl
Harbor
• Sinking of four of the six Pearl
Harbor Raiders
• Loss of Life aboard U.S.S.
Arizona (BB-39)
– Of the 2,403 dead at Pearl
Harbor, 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors
and marines assigned to the
U.S.S. Arizona were killed.
• 2012 - 10% of the U. S. Navy
comes from Arizona
• Midway Vets:
– Ensign John C. Butler
(1921 – 1942)
– Radioman 1C Henry Hight
(1924-2014)
The Pacific Battlefield - 1942
Admiral
Isoroku
Yamamoto
(1884 – 1943)
The Pacific Battlefield - 1942
April 18, 1942 – Doolittle Tokyo Raid
“Doolittle’s Avenging Strike”
By Robert Bailey
Midway Atoll
Source: The Midway Roundtable; www.midway42.org
A Battle of Intelligence, Lost Opportunity
and Poor Communication
Opposing Forces/Equipment
• Japan
– Overwhelming superiority in surface ships.
• 11 BBs, 12 CAs, 47 DDs and assorted auxiliaries
• 15 submarines
– Four fleet carriers fielding 225 fighters, bombers and torpedo
aircraft.
• Should have been 6 but for Coral Sea battle
– Additional 2 light carriers fielding 32 added aircraft.
– In general, Japanese aircraft superior to their then American
counterparts, excepting dive bombers.
– Veteran aircrew
– Excellent torpedo technology; armor-piercing bombs
– Poor search capability – 10 search aircraft on CAs Tone and
Chikuma
Forces/Equipment
• United States
– Three fleet carriers fielding 233 fighters, bombers
and torpedo aircraft
– Midway garrison fielding total of additional 95 Navy,
Marine and AAF fighters, bombers and torpedo
aircraft
– Plus 31 PBY amphibious patrol aircraft
• 3 times the Japanese resources
– Untried, inexperienced aircrew
– Unreliable torpedo design; obsolete torpedo
bombers; no armor-piercing ordnance
– Eight CAs, 15 DDs
Admiral
Chester William
Nimitz
(1885-1966)
Nimitz’s Ace-in-the-Hole:
Station HYPO
Captain Joseph John Rochefort
(1917-1976)
Captain Wilfred J. “Jasper” Holmes
(1900-1986)
The Opposing Carrier Commanders
Nagumo
1st Kido Butai
Spruance
TF 16
Fletcher
TF17
The Battle – 3 June
• Preliminary skirmishes
– 0843 hrs – PBYs spot
Minesweeper Group
– 0925 hrs – PBYs spot
Transport Group
– 1225 hrs – B-17s
dispatched to attack
transports; No hits or
losses
– 0130 hrs (4 June) – PBYs
make night torpedo attack
on Transport Group;
tanker Akebono Maru hit
The Battle – 4 June
• 0430 hrs
• 108 plane strike
launches against
Midway
• Reserves readied in
hangars to strike
American carriers
if/when discovered
Insufficient Reconnaissance
The Battle – 4 June
Soryu
Kaga
Hiryu
Akagi
Kido Butai @ 0430 hrs
Appr. 8,000 meters
(26,246.72 ft)
between carriers
The Battle – 4 June
• 0530 hrs.
• PBY “Strawberry 5”
sights Japanese carriers
• 0552 hrs – PBY spots
incoming attack
• 0600 - Midway starts
launching aircraft
– B-17s already airborne
at 200 miles west of
Midway
The Battle – 4 June
• 0620 hrs through 0630 hrs.
• Japanese strike force
breaks through Midway air
defenses and attacks island
installations
• 0705 hrs – Tomonaga
advises second strike
needed
• 0715 hrs. – Nagumo orders
reserves readied to attack
Midway – contravening
Yamamoto’s orders
Lt. Tomonaga Joichi
The Battle – 4 June
• 0710 hrs (just before
Nagumo orders rearming
of second Midway strike)
• Four B-26s attack Akagi
and six TBFs attack Hiryu
from the SE with no hits
• Carrier formations broken
up; CAP scattered
“Only One Survived” by Craig Kodera
“An Omen” by Jack Fellows (“Susie Q”, Lt. James Muri)
“Shot Across the Bow” by Roy Grinnell
(“Susie Q”, Lt. James Muri)
The Battle – 4 June
• What is Nagumo
thinking?
– Air attacks by land-based
aircraft had begun
– No reports of USN fleet
from subs, Operation K or
search aircraft
– No intel from Yamamoto
• That’s why he
contravened Yamamoto’s
orders
The Battle – 4 June
• 0705 hrs. (at about
time Tomonaga calls
for second strike)
• Enterprise and Hornet
launch 116 plane strike
against Japanese
carriers
• Uncoordinated.
• Hornet strike embarks
on “flight to nowhere”
“Best on Deck”
By James Dietz
“Requiem for Torpedo 8”
By Gil Cohen
“The Flight to Nowhere”
• Capt. Marc Mitscher, Stanhope Ring (Hornet Air Group
Commander) and John Waldron, Skipper, Torpedo 8
• Waldron goes in alone with his 15 Devastators.
• 44 Hornet SBDs and F4Fs miss the battle entirely.
Sidebar – “The Flight to Nowhere”
The Battle – 4 June
• 0728 hrs.
• CA Tone Scout #4 indirectly
reports U.S. Ships
– Chikuma’s Scout 1 should
have spotted the Americans
but for cloud cover
• 0745 hrs. (or 0800?) – Nagumo
reverses himself and orders
reserve readied to attack ships
instead of Midway
– How many Kates had already
switched to bombs?
– Zeros becoming preoccupied
with US attackers
– Conflict in record
– Crews became overwhelmed
• Nautilus
The Battle – 4 June
– 0755 hrs – spots
Japanese fleet
– Attacks BB Kirishima but
no hits
– 1359 – 1405 hrs –
attacks burning Kaga -but no hits
• Arashi
– Depth charges Nautilus
until 0955.
– Heads north at high
speed to rejoin Kido
Butai
– McClusky’s VB-6 follows
Arashi track and finds
Kido Butai
The Battle – 4 June
• 0800 hrs. (at about the
time Nagumo is ordering
rearming for strike against
ships)
• 16 Marine SBDs from
VMSB-241 (Henderson)
attack Hiryu from the east
• No hits
• Carrier formation further
dispersed
• Continuing deteriorating
effect on CAP
Maj. Lofton Henderson
The Battle – 4 June
• 0820 hrs.
• 14 B-17s (Sweeney)
attack Akagi, Soryu and
Hiryu at high altitude
from the NW; 20,000
feet
• No hits
• But continuing
displacement of fleet
and CAP
Hiryu dodging B-17 salvo
The Battle – 4 June
• 0805 -- Midway strike
aircraft return for
landing
• 0823 -- 11 Marine
Vindicators from VMSB241 attack BB Haruna
• No hits; 3 A/C lost
• 0830 hrs – Tone 4 -Confirmation of
American carrier
• 0905 hrs – Yorktown
launches strike after
recovering scouts
"Haruna 1934" by Shizuo Fukui
Kure Maritime Museum
The Battle – 4 June
• 0920 hrs. -- Waldron
leads VT-8 in attack on
Soryu from the NE
• All 15 bombers lost;
only Ens. Gay survives
attack
• Further deterioration
of Japanese carrier
operations
“Against the Odds” by Mark Stewart
Ensign Gay and his gunner/radioman,
ARM3c George Arthur Field
The Battle – 4 June
“Sole-Survivor” by William Reynolds (Ens. Gay attacks Soryu)
The Battle – 4 June
Soryu
Kaga
Akagi
Kido Butai Track
During VT-8
Attack @ 0920 hrs
Hiryu
VT-8
The Battle – 4 June
•
•
•
•
0805 hrs to 0918 hrs. – Recovery of
Tomonaga’s Midway strike.
Strike against U.S carriers planned
for 1030 hrs.
Crucial moment of the battle
– Could Nagumo have ordered
earlier strike on the American
carriers?
– Great mystery; but logistically
doubtful
– Nagumo opted for massive
coordinated blow
– Thought USN farther away
than it actually was
American carrier strikes, however,
already en route to Kido Butai 175
miles away
The Battle – 4 June
• 0940 hrs to 1000 hrs
• VT-6 (LCDR Lindsey) from
Enterprise attacks Kaga
from the south
• 10 lost
• No hits
LCDR Eugene Lindsey
“Go in and Get a Hit” by Jim Griffiths
The Battle – 4 June
Kaga
Hiryu
Lindsey
Ely
Akagi
VT-6
Kido Butai Track
During VT-6
Attack @ 0940 – 1000 hrs
Soryu
The Battle – 4 June
• 1002 – 1003 hrs –
Yorktown and
Enterprise SBDs sight
Kido Butai
• VB-3 (LCDR Leslie) from
Yorktown goes after
Soryu
• VB-6 (LCDR McClusky)
from Enterprise goes
after Kaga
“Turning Point” by Robert Rasmussen
The Battle – 4 June
Kido Butai Track
@ 1000 hrs
Hiryu
Kaga
Akagi
Soryu
The Battle – 4 June
• 1010-1030 – Yorktown’s
VT-3 (LCDR Massey) and
escorts attack Hiryu from
the southeast.
• No hits; only 2 TBDs
survive
• Further compromise of
Zero CAP effectiveness
“Tom Cheek at Midway” by John Greaves
LCDR Lance
Massey, VT-3
MACH Tom Cheek
Ens. Wesley Osmus
The Battle – 4 June
“First Hit at Midway” by Paul Rendel
The Battle – 4 June
Soryu
Kido Butai Track
@ 1010 hrs just before
the fateful attack
Hiryu
Kaga
VB-3
(Leslie)
Akagi
Best
VB-6/VS-6
(McClusky)
Query: Had Hornet’s
37 SBDs from VB8/VS-8 been on
scene, would Hiryu
have survived to
counterattack
Yorktown?
VT-3
(Massey)
The Battle – 4 June
• 1022 hrs – Enterprise
VB-6/VS-6 SBDs
(McClusky) attack
Kaga; 5 hits
• 1025 hrs – Yorktown’s
VB-3 (Leslie) hits Soryu;
three hits
• 1026 hrs -- Dick Best
and element hit Akagi
– 1 hit and 1 near miss
cripple her
McClusky
Leslie
Best
Myth
• The American dive bombers fell upon the Japanese
carriers with deckloads of aircraft waiting to be
launched.
“Midway – The Turning Point” by Stan Stokes
The Battle – 4 June
“Midway – The Attack on Soryu” by Anthony Saunders (Leslie’s VB-3)
The Battle – 4 June
“Pawn Takes Castle” by Tom Freeman (Best, VB-6 3-plane element)
The Battle – 4 June
“Battle of Midway” by Bill Shanefelt (Akagi)(Best, VB-6 3-plane element)
The Battle – 4 June
“Famous Four Minutes” by R. G. Smith (Akagi)(Best, VB-6 3-plane element)
The Battle – 4 June
“Attack on the Akagi” by R. G. Smith (Best, VB-6 3-plane element)
The Battle – 4 June
“The Turning Point” by R.G. Smith (Best, VB-6 3-plane element)
The Battle – 4 June
• Damage to Kaga – sinks at 1925 hrs
Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable -- http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/IJNCarrierDamage.aspx
The Battle – 4 June
• Damage to Akagi – sinks 5 June at 0520 hrs
Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable -- http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/IJNCarrierDamage.aspx
The Battle – 4 June
• Damage to Soryu – sinks at 1913 hrs.
Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable -- http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/IJNCarrierDamage.aspx
The Battle – 4 June
• 1050 hrs – Hiryu launches
Val dive bombers.
• 1209 hrs – Vals attack
Yorktown
• Yorktown hit 3 times and
one near miss astern;
one knocks out uptakes
and boilers. Yorktown
loses headway
• Damage control restores
power and puts out fires
VA Yamaguchi Tamon
The Battle – 4 June
Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable -- http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/YorktownDamage.aspx
The Battle – 4 June
• 1331 hrs – Hiryu
launches Kate torpedo
bombers
• 1443 hrs – Yorktown hit
by two torpedoes
“Battle of Midway - Japanese Aircraft”
By Brian Sanders
The Battle – 4 June
Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable --Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable -http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/YorktownDamage.aspx
The Battle – 4 June
• 1705 hrs – Enterprise
and Yorktown SBDs
score four hits on Hiryu
“Yorktown Replies”
By Jack Fellows
The Battle – 4 June
• Damage to Hiryu – sinks 0820 hrs, 5 June
Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable -http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/IJNCarrierDamage.aspx
The Battle – 5 - 6 June
• 0230 hrs - CAs Mogami
and Mikuma collide
retiring from Midway.
• 5 June 0840 hrs and 6
June 0945 hrs - SBD
attacks severely
damage both cruisers
• Mikuma sinks
The Battle – 5 June
• 0255 hrs
• Yamamoto cancels
Midway Operation
• Fleet returns home
• Crews secreted
Myth
• The Midway battle broke the back of
Japanese naval aviation.
The Battle – 5 June
1636 -1845 hrs
• Destroyer Tanikaze sent to sink Hiryu if still afloat
• Attacked by 43 SBDs from Hornet and Enterprise, and 18 B17s -- none of which scored a hit
• One SBD shot down, 5 destroyer crew killed
The Battle – 6 - 7 June
• Yorktown and DD Hammann torpedoed and
sunk by I-168
The Battle – 7 June
Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable --Source: The Battle of Midway Roundtable -http://www.midway42.org/TheBattle/YorktownDamage.aspx
Final Tally
US
• 1 carrier sunk
1 destroyer sunk
~150 aircraft destroyed
307 killed
Japan
• 4 carriers sunk
1 heavy cruiser sunk
1 heavy cruiser
damaged
248 aircraft destroyed*
3,057 killed
* Includes 11th Air Fleet fighters
carried aboard Kido Butai
destined for Midway service
Hiryu Survivors
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Overconfidence (“Victory Disease”)
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Cultural Considerations
'Last Moments of Admiral Yamaguchi' painting by Kita Renzo, 1942; Captain Tomeo Kaku, with
mustache, is next to Yamaguchi in the painting; Source: National Archives and Records Administration
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Poor battle
tactics/failure to heed
lessons from prior
operations (Indian
Ocean, Mar. - April
1942)
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Underestimating
American carrier and
naval aviation
capability (Coral Sea)
“Battle of the Coral Sea” by Robert Bailey
“Coral Sea” by Robert Benney
“Scratch One Flattop” by Stan Stokes
Factors Contributing to Defeat
Shokaku
Zuikaku
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Inherent flaws in IJN carrier
design and ops.
– No armor deck
– Poor hangar deck ventilation
– Little to no isolation of av.
gas supply and lines
– Bombs and torpedoes not
returned to magazines
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Insufficient damage
control
Source: http://www.collectorsquest.com/collectible/21393/aircraft-carrier-akagi
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Feeble early warning
capabilities
– No radar
– Depended on picket
alerts
CVL Nagara
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• “Short-legged” CAP
– Insufficient ammo loads
– Lack of appreciation for
ruggedness of American
aircraft
– Frequency of need to
refuel and rearm
“Jiro Horikoshi
Factors Contributing to Defeat
• Poor communication
capability
– Japanese aircraft did not
carry radios
– Yamamoto and IJN high
command failed to keep
Nagumo informed
• E.g., increased USN
carrier radio traffic never
passed on to Nagumo
“Zero” by Alex Hamilton
Conclusions
• Americans badly needed a decisive victory over
a seemingly undefeatable enemy.
– Contributes to early literature and analysis
• However, Midway – and even Coral Sea –
demonstrates inherent Japanese weaknesses
that were finally unveiled when the IJN came up
against an opponent that was prepared to meet
it on roughly equal footing.
• The very aircraft carriers the Japanese failed to
destroy at Pearl Harbor were their undoing at
Midway.
Conclusion
In Memoriam
Ensign
John C. Butler
(1921 – 1942)
Bombing Squadron 3
U.S.S. Yorktown
CV-5