THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
THE BATTLE
(Taken from "I gladiatori del mare" di Angelo Solmi, Rizzoli 1980)
The prodromo of the operation was the advance of the 15 Japanese submersibles: a beginning indeed few promising.
None of the submersibles placed him in fact to the correct point, nobody gave useful news to Yamamoto on the American aircraft carriers, rather it gave of of it wrong or even than in - gusts, that deceived the supreme commander nipponico.
Meanwhile you/they had departed from Japan the first teams for the "huge> operation: the admiral Kakuta I pour the Aleutian ones with the aircraft carriers Ryujo and Junyo; the admiral Hosogaya with the objective to invade Attu and Kiska, always in the Aleutian ones; and, on May 27, the admiral Na-gumo with the Akagi "<red Castle") and with the other three aircraft carriers from the picturesque names of " Joy that it climbs " (Kaga), "Dragon police squad" (Hiryu), "green Dragon" (Soryu).
Commander in second of the aircraft carriers was the rear-admiral Yamaguchi.
They left therefore the moorings of Saipan the troops of occupation of Midway (rear-admiral Tanaka), the " group of support " of Kurita, admiral Kondo's battle ships, and finally her "strength manager" of Yamamoto.
Never, in the history, such an enormous fleet had stirred for an objective in appearance so meschìno, protected from so weak means, but in remuneration defended by definite men not to make to be overpowered. Such a powerful fleet had ever been destined to suffer the fate of Golia in front of David.
We would like to save to the readers many details of the operation, but they are some of it that must be reported because they have, in various way, a notable weight in the battle.
Therefore, the first June the admiral Spruance, with her "Task Force l6", it was already in the anticipated point, 350 northeasts miles of Midway: on the Enterprise, as you/he/she is said, the same Spruance was, while the Hornet was commanded by Marc Mitscher.
In complex the two aircraft carriers could count on 54 fighters, 74 bombardiers and 29 aerosilurantis, but soon the Yorktown of Fletcher arrived, also with 25 fighters, 37 bombardiers and 29 aerosilurantis: around 250 airplanes in everything. The aircraft carriers of Spruance had the support of five heavy cruisers of the rear-admiral Thomas Kinkaid (New Orleans, Minneapolis, Vincennes, Northampton and Pensacola), besides the cruiser Atlanta.
The " Task Force 17 " of Fletcher, on June 2 come, you/he/she was escorted by the cruiser heavy Portland and from the light cruiser Astoria. The crews you/he/she was issued statement that concluded to a dry land: " L 'operation what time it has beginning it is of vital importance for our country ".
Meanwhile, while a part of the Japanese fleet was by now in sight of the Aleutian ones, that almost occupied without hit to hurt, on June 3 the admiral Kondo and the strength of invasion of Midway (admirals Kurita and Tanaka) they proceeded toward the atoll: also the four aircraft carriers of Nagumo sailed in that direction, while three hundred more miles in - behind Yamamoto it was found always. At 9 o'clock an airplane from the troops of occupation of Midway (rear-admiral Tanaka), the " group of support " of Kurita, admiral Kondo's battle ships, and finally her "strength manager" of Yamamoto.
Never, in the history, such an enormous fleet had stirred for an objective in appearance so scanty, protected from so weak means, but in remuneration defended by definite men not to make to be overpowered.
Such a powerful fleet had ever been destined to suffer the fate of Golia in front of David. We would like to save to the readers many details of the operation, but they are some of it that must be reported because they have, in various way, a notable weight in the battle. Therefore, the praises June the admiral Spruance, with her "Task Force l6", it was already in the anticipated point, 350 northeasts miles of Midway: on the Enterprise, as you/he/she is said, the same Spruance was, while the Hornet was commanded by Marc Mitscher.
The Japanese, to every way, they prefer to attribute the responsibility of Midway to the poor Nagumo, more wretch how guilty: over all it died him of appendìcite, really to the beginning of the action, Mitsuo Fuchida, commander the airplanes of the Akagi, which you/he/she had driven six months first the attack to Pearl Harbor.
To the 4.30 of June 4, 108 aereìs of the aircraft carriers of Nagumo to lieutenant Tomonaga's command, substitute of Fuchìda, took off toward Midway: , a hour after an American scout departed by Midway, (lieutenants Hady and Chase) it flowed the Japanese aircraft carriers and it immediately transmitted: Here they are. Aircraft carrier.
" Never me wise man had been so express and sìntetico. Immediately later I'ammiraglio Fletcher ordìnò to the "Task Force 16" day Spruance to launch the attack.
Trentasette bombardiers, a squadron of 14 aerosilurantis and 10 fighters were raised dalponte of the Enterprise, while from the Hornet they took off 33 bombardiers, 15 aerosilurantis and 10 fighters.
They were the 7 precise of June 4. "'- What you/they were doing, meanwhile, the Japanese?
Nagumo, after having done the more contradditorìes dichiarazìoni, to his/her uomìnis "Although the enemy misses day combative spirit, probably you/he/she could also move some type of attack ", it informed them that " the enemy ignores our presence and it will keep on ignoring her/it up to when we won't have begun our attack to the Midway ", and besides it worried him about to reassure everybody: " You supposes ", it said with boldness, " that in the waters in the proximities of the Midway there is no aircraft carrier."
Hisfretus, adire is worth on these beautiful convictions, Nagumo prepared him to kill at random of the enemies.
He/she didn't know her, instead, that, on him and on Japan, it was about to fall one of the most terrible mazzates of the war, that that would have marked such a turn to be made preveder defeated final some Rising Sol.
Therefore, at 6.15 o'clock, a powerful person formation of 72 bombardiers nipponici, to the command of Tomonaga, escorted by 36 fighters type " Zero ", it flew toward Midway.
The Americans made to depart from the atoll the " Fortitudes flying " colonel Sweeney to attach the transport ships avversarie and then, with every airplane able to fly, tried to intercept the instruments of Tomonoga.
Always from Midway, almost together with those of the portaeris Spruance, in fact 26 old fighters of the " marineses " you/they were taken off to the command of the most greater Parks and 27 bombaf4s of the " marineses " that went to the attack with reckless courage, on old airplanes without coverage of the hunting they were still in flight six aerosilurantis and four B26s of the army, also them without hunting.
All these pilots knew that probably, under such conditions, is not be returned back anymore, but they flew impassive toward the enemy, with calculated coldness, definite to inflict the most greater possible damage to the Japanese. They were the 26 fighters of Parks to face for first the formation of Tomonaga and they went out from there to a large extent destroyed: 10 same greater Parks left us the life, together with the crews of 22 of his/her 26 fighters.
This way, as an avalanche that seemed unstoppable, the airplanes of Tomonaga fell on Midway, where attached were from the anti-aircraft one. In ten minutes Midway was devastated and, to the 7 Tomonagas you/he/she could communicate to Nagumo: "Finished mission. We return ".
Its losses were superior to the expectation, but also always limited: nevertheless Tomonaga to' had the impression not to have quite " flattened " the defenses of Midway, and therefore it transmitted at 7 o'clock to Nagumo: a second attack is " needed ".
While the admiral was perplexed to meditate here is on this worrisome message that on his/her aircraft carriers the tottering American flights appeared coming from Midway: the B26s and the aerosilurantis.
Anybody, except two, he saved, but Nagumo remained more and more impressed and taken the fatal decision to send on Midway the " second wave ", replacing the bombs with the torpedos of which the airplanes were provided in sight of an attack to the ships of the fleet avversaria.
It derived an indescribable chaos of it. The bridges of the four aircraft carriers were obstructed, and from a moment to the other one it could reenter the formation of Tomonaga, that would have had the necessity to land. While, beginning from the 7.15, the precious aerosilurantis of Nagumo were frantically to be turned into useless bombardiers (and they wanted us to the - I lead a hour for the operation), the 70 bombardiers, the 29 airs - torpedo and the 20 fighters departed by the aircraft carriers of Spruance - 119 airplanes in everything, in full efficiency they majestically roared toward Nagumo, without this last, satisfied of the success gotten so cheap against the " ferrivecchis " of Midway, it suspected the presence of it.
At 7.30 o'clock, nevertheless, a recognition airplane of the cruiser Dens you/he/she had signalled nipponico to have discovered a hostile formation with ten ships to the admiral.
The news put Nagumo of bad mood and 10 made halfhearted: prey to the restlessness it made then the peggior thing that could do.
At 7.45 o'clock it ordered to get ready himself/herself/themselves to attach " unity of the hostile " fleet (it didn't have idea of what he treated) and it commanded to leave on the airplanes the torpedos not yet replaced with bombs.
The chaos on the bridges of the aircraft carriers, if possible, it increased: now, at least in theory, Nagumo had half airplanes bombardiers and half aerosiluranti, adire it is worth not hail - nothing homogeneous goes and of effectiveness. Moreover all bombs and torpedos were strenuously exchanging himself/herself/itself. L 'admiral, to this point, it looked for hopelessly to know from the airplane scout of the Dens with that types of ships you/he/she would have had to whether to do, and the scout, at 8 o'clock, it transmitted, that dealt with five cruisers and five fighters: the news was completely wrong, but for Nagumo it was a bell of alarm.
At that time the aerial dls Tomonagas of return were introduced by Midway. What to do? It also needed to make to land them.
Nagumo ordered to bring in the underground hangars the bombardiers and the ready aerosilurantis on the bridges of flight. The chaos touched the limits of the comedian, so much more than, of under, all were busy to replace the bombs with the torpedos but, for the nervousness, they didn't succeed us. By now anybody it understood void and the submitted of Nagumo started to contradict the commander.
The rear-admiral Yamaguchi from the Hiryu transmitted to Nagumo: "I would recommend immediate attack.
To the airplane of the Tone, which Nagumo had ordered to reenter, the rear-admiral Abe, embarked note on the Tone, you/he/she transmitted: Don't reenter at all.
To maintain the contact with the enemy and to keep on transmitting position.
They were by now the 9 and finally, with the water to the throat, Nagumo decided to attach, with a message from the usual emphatic style that said: We will " destroy the enemy up to the last ship and to the last man."
Then it sent a dispatch to Yamamoto saying that you/he/she had been sighted at 5.30 o'clock a hostile team composed of an aircraft carrier, five cruisers and five destroyer, and that he got ready to attach her/it.
As we know, instead, the sighting was in reality happened " ploughed 1> and it was doubtful and confused.
At 9.20 o'clock precise on the aircraft carriers of Nagumo the first appeared aerial departed by the aircraft carriers of Spruance: the aerosilurantis of the Hornet, to the orders of the commander John C. Waldron (a descendant of the heads pellirosse of Dakota, famous for his picturesque uniforms, for his complexion language and for his impetuous courage); the aerosilurantis of the Enterprise, to the command of Eugene E. Lindsey; the fighters of lieutenant Gray Enterprise and the bombardiers of the commander Clarence W. Mc Clusky.
As you/he/she is said, the 7 was taken off to, but the operations of throwing were prolonged until almost to the 9 and not all you/they could find Nagumo, that had veered toward north in the meantime. Stanhope C. Ring, has for example to return with his/her bombardiers on the Hornet, and in a first time also M c Clusky risked not to come on the objective.
But Waldron, Lindsey and Gray punctually arrived. Waldron attached for first with rash decision: dark him same, struck by the Japanese fighters, and all the pilots of his/her squadron fell without succeeding in striking the aircraft carriers. After Waldron (what for this action it had, to the memory, the medal of the Congress, the tallest American honor: it was the time of the aerosilurantis of Lindsey: also Lindsey didn't return backer and its airplanes almost all came destroyed.
They were the ten and 25 on 29 American aerosilurantis they didn't exist anymore, while the four Japanese aircraft carriers were still intact, although all disarrange ones.
In the meantime, at 8.30 o'clock, the admiral Fletcher had made to depart from the Yorktown 12 aerosilurantis of the captain Massey, 17 bombardiers of the lieutenant Max Leslie and 6 fighters of the lieutenant Jimmy Thach: 35 airplanes in everything. Few minutes after the he, finished hardly not the slaughter of the aircrafts of the the Hornet and of the Enterprise, a new wave threw him on you upset her ships of Nagumo.
Now the Japanese fighters were almost to dry of fuel and without ammunition, but they tirelessly defended still the precious aircraft carriers
Also Massey, that attached for first, lost the life, and his/her airplanes were decimated; but by now it drew near l; develops decisive. The sacrifice of 35 American aerosilurantis had cleared away the field to the action of the bombardiers in beaten, that were arriving as you bend, driven d: Leslie and from M c Clusky, which had finally found the correct road.
To the lO.24s Leslie it was on the aircraft carriers and him it launched on the biggest, the Kaga, from 27.000 tons.
Behind, of him, from 700 meters, the second of its bombardiers struck in full the Kaga with a 500 kilos bomb, that a slaughter did: dark the commander of the ship, Okadas, died on the hit 248 men, the bridge of flight he tore and, other three bombs Immediately smashed later, the great aircraft carrier, setting on fire her/it, mutilating her/it, burning many pilots and big part of the crew you live.
The Americans had never seen a similar thing: the immense ship was a fire I know - him, while the deposits of bombs jumped in air and void living he/she remained on the aircraft carrier in agony.
Almost contemporarily Mc Clusky attached I'Akagi, flagship of Nagumo and the Soryu.
In 26 second I'Akagis you/he/she was literally crumbled and the commander Aoki it raced from Nagumo shouting him that it needed immediately to abandon the ship.
Nagumo had a hysterical attack, you must be grabs with the strength, tied up and dragged away, while the flames salivate from all the parts. To big work the admiral transferred on the cruiser Nagara and of there he saw the Akagi, shaken by a series of boati to go adrift.
The fate of the Soryu was not best: part of the crew, invested by the fire, it threw him in water where it perished in big number; the commander, was instead charred.
For the whole day and part of the night the three ships went adrift as huge pyres: at 19.13 o'clock it sank the Soryu, dragging with if others 700 men trapped on board; at 19.25 o'clock the Kaga jumped in air and disappeared; the Akagi resistette more and it sank with 1.000 men to the 3.25 of June 5.
The battle of the Midway had been resolved by Leslie and Mc Clusky in two exact minutes, from the 10.24 to the 10.26 of the morning: only the Hiryu for the time being you/he/she was escaped them, and on it it was the brave rear-admiral Yamaguchi.
It was really him that, in that desperate situation, it tried a revenge: at 7 o'clock it let eighteen bombardiers departed and it directed them on the Yorktown, jackets the aircraft carriers of Spruance had not been discovered yet. Shortly after midday the Japanese airplanes attached and, also having almost suffered total serious losses, they succeeded in placing on the Yorktown three bombs, of which one inside the chimney, so the boilers were damaged.
The admiral Fletcher disembarked from the Yorktown and climbed on the cruiser Astoria, while the Portland took to towing the Yorktown.
In the meantime Spruance had sent the cruisers to the protection of the hurt aircraft carrier Pensacola and Vincennes.
Yamaguchi, in fact, had decided sferrare a second attack with all of this that he/she still remained him on the Hiryu: 10 aerosilurantis and 6 battered fighters, to the command of the usual one, tireless lieutenant Tomonaga.
The Yorktown had already started to stir in autonomous way and to good speed, when, the 14, was sighted shortly after by the formation of Tomonaga.
This came seeds destroyed, but two torpedos struck the left side of the Yorktown.
The great aircraft carrier skidded of 30 degrees and embarked enormous quantities of water: the wounded and part of the crew abandoned the ship that, however, it refused to sink, also going adrift.
In the meantime Fletcher, from the Astoria, you/he/she had ordered sull to Spruance that 24 landed bombardiers' Enterprise (many of which it belonged - no to the Yorktown) they attached the Hiryu.
The Hiryu possessed only at that time 12 some 63 airplanes in endowment: with these the tenacious Yamaguchi decided to launch a last attack.
It warned therefore the always far and it seemed indifferent Yamamoto, that he intended to do everything the possible for recar damage to the hostile aircraft carriers (you/he/she had finally succeeded in knowing with certainty that you/they were three), attacking her to the dusk.
How Yamaguchi thought, with 1 (his/her miserable aerial strengths, to reach the objective remains a mystery.
Certainly Yamaguchi was bona fide, but he/she had undoubtedly mistaken his/her calculations: it was convinced, probably, that the second attack brought to the Yorktown had struck another aircraft carrier instead, the Enterprise, and it founded therefore its reasonings on this wrong datum.
Now all the various Japanese teams hastened in hurry and fury to help Nagumo, but from the most remote angles: the admiral Kondo, that had with if one precious light aircraft carrier, the Zuiho, was distant over 700 kilometers.
As for the busy aircraft carriers in the Aleutian ones (Ryuj and Yunyo) they were even to over 1300 kilometers. 17.01, while Yamaguchi was preparing himself/herself/itself to launch his/her desperate attack, on the Hiryu the airplanes of the Enterprise appeared, gathering of surprised the Japanese.
You repeated what was happened to the other three aircraft carriers: bursts, fires, dead everywhere.
In the night the Hiryu, reduced to an afloat wreck, it started to tilt more and more himself/herself/themselves, with over 400 fallen on board, and to the 2.30 of June 5 Yamaguchi talked for the last time to the survivors, it made to bring the portrait of the emperor on a destroyer, it ordered to put in safe what it stayed some crew, and he/she remained on the ship by now near to the death.
L 'admiral tied him to the bridge and was immovable to look at the sky: at 8.21 o'clock the aircraft carrier overturned and in few seconds it disappeared.
The " first strength operational aircraft carrier ", the most powerful war tool of the Japanese harbor, didn't exist anymore.
What did it do meanwhile, in front of this terrible disaster, the admiral Yamamoto?
Between the 12.20 and the 13.10 de14s June him still deluded to be able to straighten the fates of the battle and it started to give to the right orders and to it misses, to his/her teams disseminated in the Pacific because, abandoned the respective objectives, they retried the attack to Midway.
It counted above all on the team of Kondo, but it evidently had a very confused idea of the situation, also because his/her subordinates, not telling his truth but trying to sweeten her/it (system used in Japan during the whole course of the war, with catastrophic results), they ended up deceiving entirely it.
Nagumo transmitted him, for example, that its aircraft carriers were " out temporarily use" when they were on the point to sink, and so street. Only in such way the operational " Order n can be explained. c 158 " envoy at 19.15 o'clock from Yamamoto to the fleet and, for knowledge, to Tokyo.
It is worth to reproduce him as document of the human weakness: 1 The hostile fleet runs away toward east practically destroyed; 2 Unities of the Reunited Fleet prepare him to pursue the ships hostile survivors and to occupy Midway.
But Yamamoto, that was calm, far and well protected, it had a beautiful rave: to the 21.30 Nagumos, by now prey to the panic, it signalled him: " The strengths of the enemy are composed from five (sic!) aircraft carrier, six cruisers and 15 destroyer, and they are directed to west, toward of us.
Also the Hiryu is in flames ". The fear had evidently been stronger than the ceremonious euphemisms, to which however Nagumo applied once more later, affirming: " None of our aircraft carriers is efficient ", intending with what they were after all all to the sea.
Yamamoto he surrendered to a terrible scene and it telegraphically dismissed the wretched Nagumo, replacing him/it with the viceammiraglio Kondo, embarked on the heavy cruiser Atago.
But of it Spruance of it Fletcher, that for the time being they had the suit dominion of the air, they intended to undertake himself/herself/themselves in a nighttime fight and they were held to the wide one.
Finally also Yamamoto accepted the defeat and, to the 2.55 of June 5, it transmitted to the whole fleet the order: " The operation Midway is annulled ". To his/her greater state it said: " When enough, enough ", sentence that the wisest was certain pronounced by him during the whole action.
When all the Japanese ships made rout toward west to reenter, Yamamoto it put on in bed ages it was for a week.
There was also a tail to the tragic adventure Japanese: the ships in retreat were hunted by the American submersibles and one of them it launched a torpedo against a heavy cruiser of admiral Kurita's group.
In the attempt to avoid him/it, the Mogami bumped against the Mikuma and lost the bow: the two ships, seriously damaged, they remained back and they were hammered at the pilots of the Hornet and the Enterprise.
On June 6 the heavy cruiser Mikuma sank and the Mogami went to strand to the island of Truk.
In that same 6 June a Japanese submersible definitely liquidated the Yorktown (really while he was by now sure to save her/it), together with the destroyer Hammann, that escorted her/it.
It was the only positive result of the Japanese but the Yorktown, that it was really hard to be died, it didn't materially sink that to the 6 of the morning of June 7.
MIDWAY SEEN BY JAPANESE
MIDWAY: THE PROTAGONISTS OF THE BATTLE
BATTAGLIA DI MIDWAY: THE FINAL SENTENCE OF THE SHINANO