Battle of Midway

Midway, fought 4 to 7 June 1942, was the turning-point carrier battle of the Pacific War. US carriers, aided by broken Japanese naval codes, ambushed Admiral Nagumo’s striking force near Midway Atoll and sank four fleet carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu, for the loss of Yorktown. The destruction of Japan’s veteran carrier air groups ended its strategic initiative in the Pacific. The action established the aircraft carrier as the dominant capital ship and is studied as a model of intelligence-led naval operations.