Midway 1976
The purpose of the battle was to capture the strategic Midway island and destroy American aircraft carriers. The Japanese navy had 8 aircraft carriers and 11 warships with a fleet of 200 people. On the other hand, the Americans were able to gather a fleet of 76 ships around 3 aircraft carriers. However, the Japanese dispersed their forces, sending two aircraft carriers to the Aleutian Islands to lure the Americans north and leaving them vulnerable. After deciphering the Japanese code, despite numerous setbacks and the sinking of the Yorktown, the Americans managed to sink four of Japan’s most important aircraft carriers, the backbone of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The key factor in the American victory in this battle was their ability to decode the Japanese encryption system without the Japanese being aware of it. One factor in the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carriers was the failure of the attack fleet to return and the Japanese admiral’s decision to load heavy weapons onto the aircraft for bombing runs, leaving them vulnerable to American attacks. A major factor in the defeat of the Japanese fleet in this and subsequent battles was the lack of radar on Japanese ships.
