Battle of Midway order of battle

IJ Combined Fleet and US Pacific Fleet Commanders
Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto (HQ aboard BB Yamato)
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz (HQ at Pearl Harbor)

This is the order of battle for the Battle of Midway, a major engagement of the Pacific Theatre of World War II, fought 4–7 June 1942 by naval and air forces of Imperial Japan and the United States in the waters around Midway Atoll in the far northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The Japanese had two purposes for the campaign: to occupy Midway for use as a base for long-range search planes (for which the Americans were already using it), and to draw the US Pacific Fleet out of its base at Pearl Harbor for a decisive showdown battle.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet (comprising all combat vessels) and mastermind of the Pearl Harbor Attack, was tasked with drawing up the operational plan. The Japanese Naval General Staff, responsible for strategic planning, required him to include a diversionary move as part of his detailed battle plan; they told him to include a side operation that would result in the capture of two islands in the Aleutians chain, believing that the occupation of even a tiny portion of a US possession would be sufficient to draw out the bulk of the Pacific Fleet.[1]

US Navy code-breaking, Japanese overconfidence and the courage of American carrier fliers combined to create both a strategic and a tactical defeat for the Japanese: they failed to capture Midway and they suffered much greater losses in ships and planes than did the Americans (the loss of experienced naval pilots would prove to be particularly costly as the war dragged on). Midway put an end to Japanese expansion in the Pacific.

Because the Japanese assumed the tactical initiative, their forces are listed first.

Overview

Ships involved in the Midway operation[2][3]
Losses indicated by *, counts in parentheses

Combat vessels

Imperial Japanese Navy Ship Type United States Navy
Akagi * · Hiryū * · Kaga * · Sōryū * 4 (4) Fleet carriers
(CV) 		3 (1) Enterprise · Hornet · Yorktown *
Zuihō · Hōshō 2 Light carriers
(CVL) 		-
Chitose · Kamikawa Maru · Chiyoda · Nisshin 4 Seaplane tenders
(CVS/AVD) 		2 Thornton · Ballard
Fusō[4] · Haruna · Hiei · Hyūga[4] · Ise[4] · Kirishima · Kongō · Mutsu · Nagato · Yamashiro[4] · Yamato 11 Battleships
(BB) 		-
Atago · Chikuma · Chōkai · Haguro | Kumano · Mikuma * · Mogami · Myōkō · Nachi · Suzuya · Tone 11 (1) Heavy cruisers
(CA) 		7 Astoria · Minneapolis · New Orleans · Northampton · Pensacola · Portland · Vincennes
Jintsu · Kitakami[4] · Nagara · Ōi[4] · Sendai · Yura 6 Light cruisers
(CL) 		1 Atlanta
Akigumo · Amagiri[4] · Amatsukaze · Arare · Arashi · Arashio · Asagiri[4] · Asashio · Asagumo · Ayanami · Fubuki · Hagikaze · Hamakaze · Harusame · Hatsukaze · Hatsuyuki · Hayashio · Isokaze · Isonami · Kagerō · Kasumi · Kazagumo · Kuroshio · Maikaze · Makigumo · Minegumo · Mikazuki · Murakumo · Murasame · Natsugumo · Nowaki · Oyashio · Samidare · Shikinami · Shiranui · Shirakumo[4] · Shirayuki · Tanikaze · Tokitsukaze · Urakaze · Uranami · Yūdachi · Yūgiri[4] · Yūgumo · Yūkaze · Yukikaze 46 Destroyers
(DD) 		20 (1) Aylwin · Anderson · Balch · Benham · Blue · Clark · Conyngham · Dewey · Ellet · Gwin · Hammann * · Hughes · Maury · Monaghan · Monssen · Morris · Phelps · Russell · Ralph Talbot · Worden
I-9 · I-15 · I-17 · I-19 · I-25 · I-26 · I-121 · I-122 · I-123 · I-156 · I-157 · I-158 · I-159 · I-162 · I-164 · I-165 · I-166 · I-168 · I-169 · I-171 · I-174 · I-175 22 Submarines
(SS) 		19 Cachalot · Cuttlefish · Dolphin · Finback · Flying Fish · Gato · Grayling · Grenadier · Grouper · Growler · Gudgeon · Narwhal · Nautilus · Pike · Plunger · Tambor · Tarpon · Trigger · Trout

Auxiliaries

Imperial Japanese Navy Ship Type United States Navy
Akebono · Fujisan · Genyo · Kenyo · Kokuyu · Kyokuto · Naruto · Nichiei · Nippon · Nissan Maru · San Clemente[4] · Sata · Shinkoku · Toa Maru[4] · Toei · Tōhō Maru · Tsurumi 17 AO 4 Cimarron · Guadalupe · Platte · Kaloli
No. 1 · No. 2 · No. 34 · No. 35 4 PT 16 PT-20 · PT-21 · PT-22 · PT-24 · PT-25 · PT-26 · PT-27 · PT-28 · PT-29 · PT-30 · PT-42 · Crystal · YP-284 · YP-290 · YP-345 · YP-350
Awata Maru 2 AMC -
Soya 1 AE -
Argentina Maru · Azuma Maru · Brazil Maru · Goshu Maru · Hakusan Maru · Hokuroku Maru · Kano Maru · Keiyo Maru · Kinugasa Maru · Kirishima Maru · Kiyosumi Maru · Kumagawa Maru · Meiyo Maru · Nankai Maru · Toa Maru No. 2 Go · Tōkō Maru No. 2 Go · Yamafuku Maru · Zenyo Maru 18 AP / AK -
Tama Maru No. 3 · Tama Maru No. 5 · Showa Maru No. 7 · Showa Maru No. 8 · Hakuhō Maru · Kaihō Maru · Shunkotsu Maru 7 AMS -
CH-16 · CH-17 · CH-18 3 SC -
Akashi 1 AR -
Magane Maru 1 ML -
- AT 1 Vireo

Aircraft

Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Type United States Navy
105 × Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" Fighters 86 × Grumman F4F-4 "Wildcat"
97 × Aichi D3A "Val" Dive
bombers 		131 × Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless"

17 × Chance-Vought SB2U-3 "Vindicator" (USMC)

101 × Nakajima B5N "Kate" Torpedo
bombers 		42 × Douglas TBD-1 "Devastator"
6 × Grumman TBF "Avenger" (USMC)
Level
bombers 		17 × Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (USAAC)
4 × Martin B-26 "Marauder" (USAAC)
10 × Nakajima E8N2 Type 95 "Dave" float plane

6 × Aichi E13A1 Type 0 "Jake" float plane

2 × Yokosuka D4Y1 "Judy" dive bomber

Reconnaissance 31 × Consolidated PBY "Catalina"
(Due to production flaws early D4Y were unable to dive bomb and were used for reconnaissance) (US Navy used carrier dive bombers for reconnaissance, reflected in the designation SB - scout-bomber)

Japan

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto[a]
Commander, Combined Fleet

Significant combat was experienced by Nagumo's First Striking Force and Kurita's Midway Support Force. The vast majority Japanese ships saw no action during the entire Midway campaign.

First Fleet

First Fleet Main Force

Super battleship Yamato fitting out several weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor
Battleship Nagato
Light carrier Hosho

Admiral Yamamoto in Yamato

First Carrier Striking Force / First Air Fleet

Chuichi Nagumo
Deck scene on carrier Akagi in Indian Ocean
Carrier Kaga showing small superstructure and downward pointing funnel
Carrier Hiryu on fire after US air attacks at Midway
Carrier Soryu pre-war
Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighter
Aichi D3A "Val" dive bomber
NakajimaB5N "Kate" torpedo bomber

Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo[c] in Akagi

  • 1st Carrier Division
  • Vice Admiral Nagumo
  • 2nd Carrier Division
  • Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi† in Hiryū
    • Hiryū (scuttled 5 June) (Capt. Tomeo Kaku†)
      • Air Unit (Lt. Joichi Tomonaga†)
        • 18 Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 21 'Zeke' fighters (Lt. Shigeru Mori†)
        • 18 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers (Lt. Michio Kobayashi†)
        • 18 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers (Lt. Rokuro Kikuchi†)
    • Sōryū (scuttled 4 June) (Capt. Ryusaku Yanagimoto†)
      • Air Unit (Lt. Cmdr. Takashige Egusa)
        • 18 Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 21 'Zeke' fighters (Lt. Masaji Suganami)
        • 16 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers (Lt. Masai Ikeda)
        • 18 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers (Lt. Heijiro Abe)
        • 2 Yokosuka D4Y1 'Judy' dive bombers
  • Support Group
    • 8th Cruiser Division
    • Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe[d] in Tone
      • 2 Tone-class heavy cruisers (8 × 7.9-in. main battery)
        • Tone (Capt. Tametsugu Okada)
        • Chikuma (Capt. Keizo Komura)
          • Air Unit: 3 Aichi E13A1 Type 0 'Jake' float planes, 2 Nakajima E8N2 Type 95 'Dave' float planes
    • 3rd Battleship Division, 2nd Section
    • Rear Admiral Tamotsu Takama in Haruna
      • 2 Kongo-class fast battleships (8 × 14-in. main battery)
        • Haruna (Rear Adm. Takama)
          • Air unit: 3 Nakajima E8N2 Type 95 'Dave' float planes
        • Kirishima (Capt. Sanji Iwabuchi)
          • Air unit: 3 Nakajima E8N2 Type 95 'Dave' float planes
  • Screening Force
  • Supply Group 1
  • Captain Masanao Ota in Kyokuto Maru
    • 1 Kagero-class destroyer (6 × 5-in. main battery)
    • AO Kyokuto Maru (Capt. Ota)
    • AO Shinkoku Maru (Capt. Tokugyo Ito)
    • AO Tōhō Maru (Capt. Kazutaka Niimi)
    • AO Nippon Maru (Capt. Hironosuke Ueda)
    • AO Kokuyo Maru (Capt. Toraji Hidai)

Second Fleet (Midway Invasion Force)

Nobutake Kondo
Battleship Hiei during war
Atago-class heavy cruiser pre-war
Nagara-class light cruiser pre-war
Light carrier Zuiho pre-war

Second Fleet Main Body

Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō[5] in Atago

  • 3rd Battleship Division less 2nd Section
  • Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa
  • 4th Cruiser Division less 2nd Section
  • Vice Admiral Kondo
  • 5th Cruiser Division
  • Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi[e]
  • Screening Force
  • Carrier Group
  • Captain Sueo Obayashi
    • CVL Zuihō (Capt. Obayashi)
      • 12 Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 21 'Zeke' fighters (Lt. Saneyasu Hidaka)
      • 12 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers (Lt. Kaji Matsuo)
    • 1 Mutsuki-class destroyer (4 × 4.7-in. main battery)
  • Supply Group
  • Captain Jiro Murao in Sata
    • AO Sata (Capt. Murao)
    • AO Tsurumi (Capt. Toshizo Fujita)
    • AO Genyo Maru (Capt. Shigetaro Ogawa)
    • AO Kenyo Maru (Capt. Yoshio Kanemasu)
    • AR Akashi (Capt. Tsunekichi Fukuzawa)

Midway Occupation Force

Raizo Tanaka
Kagero-class destroyer
Light cruiser Sendai
Seaplane tender Chitose
A6M "Rufe" floatplane fighter
Aichi E13 "Jake" scout plane

Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka[g] in Jintsu

Midway Support Force

Heavy cruiser Mikuma heavily damaged by US air attack at Midway
Destroyer Asashio
Nakajima E8N "Dave" scout plane

Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita in Kumano

Advance (Submarine) Force (Sixth Fleet)

Light cruiser Katori pre-war
I-class submarine underway

Vice Admiral Teruhisa Komatsu in Katori at Kwajalein

  • 1 Katori-class cruiser (4 × 5.5-in. main battery)
  • 3rd Submarine Squadron
  • Rear Admiral Chimaki Kona in Rio de Janeiro Maru at Kwajalein
    • 19th Submarine Division (Capt. Ryojiro Ono)
      • I-156 (Lt. Cmdr. Katsuo Ohashi)
      • I-157 (Lt. Cmdr. Sakae Nakajima)
      • I-158 (Lt. Cmdr. Soshichi Kitamura)
      • I-159 (Lt. Cmdr. Tamori Yoshimatsu)
    • 13th Submarine Division (Capt. Takeji Miyazaki)
      • I-121 (Lt. Cmdr. Yasuo Fujimori)
      • I-122 (Lt. Cmdr. Sadatoshi Norita)
      • I-123 (Lt. Cmdr. Toshitake Ueno)
    • 30th Submarine Division (Capt. Maseo Teraoka)

Shore-based Air Force

Mistubishi G4M "Betty" level bombers
Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" flying boat

Eleventh Air Fleet
Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara at Tinian

Northern Area Force

Fifth Fleet Main Body

Boshirō Hosogaya

Vice Admiral Boshirō Hosogaya[j] in Nachi

Second Carrier Striking Force

Kakuji Kakuta

Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta[k] in Ryujo

  • 4th Carrier Division (Rear Adm. Kakuta)
    • CVL Ryūjō (Capt. Tadeo Kato)
      • Air Unit (Lt. Masayuki Yamagami)
    • CV Jun'yō (Capt. Shizue Isii)
      • Air Unit (Lt. Yoshio Shiga)
        • 24 Mitsubishi A6M Zero Type 21 'Zeke' fighters (Lt. Shiga)
        • 15 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers (Lt. Zenji Abe)
  • 4th Cruiser Division, 2nd Section (Capt. Shunsaku Nabeshima in Maya)
  • 7th Destroyer Division (Capt. Kaname Konishi)
  • AO Teiyo Maru (Capt. Katasuke Tanaka)

Aleutian Support Force

Shiro Takasu

Vice Admiral Shiro Takasu[l] in Hyūga

  • 2nd Battleship Division (Vice Adm. Takasu)
  • Screening Force (Rear Adm. Fukuji Kishi] in Kitakami)
  • Supply Group (Capt. Matsuo Eguchi)
    • AO San Clemente Maru (Capt. Eguchi)
    • AO Toa Maru (Capt. Yataro Yokohama)
Attu Invasion Force
Sentarō Ōmori

Rear Admiral Sentarō Ōmori[m] in Abukuma

    • 1st Destroyer Squadron
    • Rear Admiral Ōmori
  • CL Abukuma (Capt. Seiroku Murayama)
  • 21st Destroyer Division (Capt. Toshio Shimizu)
  • ML Magane Maru (Capt. Heiji Sasaki)
  • AP Kinugasa Maru (Capt. Naoshi Arima) carrying 1,200 army troops under Major Matsutoshi Hozumi
Kiska Invasion Force

Captain Takeji Ono in Kiso

  • 21st Cruiser Division (Capt. Ono)
    • 2 Kuma-class cruisers
      • Kiso (Capt. Ono)
      • Tama (Capt. Masaharu Kawabata)
    • 2 auxiliary cruisers
      • Asaka Maru (Capt. Jiro Ban)
      • Awata Maru (Capt. Kikuta Maki)
  • Screening Force
  • 13th Minesweeper Division (Capt. Toshio Mitsuka)
  • Transports
    • Hakusan Maru (Capt. Hareyoshi Goto) carrying 550 troops under Lt. Cmdr. Hifumi Mukai
    • Kumagawa Maru (Capt. Shiro Yoshida) carrying 700 labor troops with construction equipment
  • Submarine Detachment
    • 1st Submarine Squadron (Rear Adm. Shigeaki Yamakazi)
      • I-9 (Cmdr. Akiyoshi Fujii)
      • 2nd Submarine Division (Capt. Hiroshi Imazato)
        • I-15 (Cmdr. Nobuo Ishikawa)
        • I-17 (Cmdr. Kozo Nishino)
        • I-19 (Cmdr. Shogo Narahara)
      • 4th Submarine Division (Capt. Mitsuru Nagai)
          • I-25 (Cmdr. Akiji Tagami)
        • I-26 (Cmdr. Minoru Yokota)
  • Aleutian Seaplane Tender Force (Capt. Keiichi Ujuku)

United States

The US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas were under the overall command of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.[6]

Task Force 17

Main article: Task Force 17
Frank Jack Fletcher
Damaged Yorktown with destroyer Balch standing by

Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher[n] in Yorktown

Task Force 16

Main article: Task Force 16
Raymond A. Spruance as a full admiral
Grumman F4F Wildcat
Douglas SBD Dauntless
Douglas TBD Devastator
Porter-class destroyer pre-war

Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance[s] in Enterprise

Submarines

Gato class
Nautilus class
Porpoise class

Rear Admiral Robert H. English[z]
Commander, Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, HQ at Pearl Harbor

Midway Garrison

Brewster Buffalo
Consolidated Aircraft PBY Catalina
Boeing B-17

Deployed along lesser reefs and islands of the Hawaiian Group

Oiler Guadalupe refueling a destroyer and a carrier

Midway Refueling Unit

The military forces at the immediate point of tactical contact (i.e. not including support formations) are described below.

Aircraft

American Forces

Naval Air Station (NAS) Midway operated:[9]

United States Navy

United States Army Air Forces

United States Marine Corps

Task Force 17:

Yorktown: 77 aircraft (sunk)

Task Force 16:

Enterprise: 78 aircraft

Hornet: 77 aircraft

Japanese Forces

The Japanese carriers of the Striking Force operated:

Akagi: 60 aircraft (sunk)

Kaga: 74 aircraft (sunk)

Hiryū: 57 aircraft (sunk)

Sōryū: 57 aircraft (sunk) [10]

(Note: These figures include 21 operational Zero fighters of the 6th Air Group being ferried to Midway by the carriers.)

Footnotes

  1. ^ Shot down and killed by US fighter planes while on tour of upper Solomons April 1943.
  2. ^ Killed during Battle of the Malacca Strait May 1945
  3. ^ Died by self-inflicted gunshot on Saipan July 1944
  4. ^ Forced to resign from navy March 1943 following unsatisfactory performance at Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
  5. ^ Died during Battle of Saipan July 1944
  6. ^ Killed during Battle of Surigao Strait October 1944
  7. ^ Fell out of favor with Naval high command after the Guadalcanal campaign and was assigned to shore duty from December 1942 until end of war.
  8. ^ Died by self-inflicted gunshot on Okinawa June 1945
  9. ^ Killed on Guadalcanal August 1942
  10. ^ Assigned to shore duty following unsatisfactory performance in Battle of the Komandorski Islands
  11. ^ Died on Tinian prob. by suicide August 1944
  12. ^ Died of illness September 1944 six months after promotion to full admiral
  13. ^ Later oversaw work with torpedo suicide weapons; survived war
  14. ^ Held overall command of invasion forces for Guadalcanal August 1942..
  15. ^ Including elements from the sidelined Saratoga air group
  16. ^ These aircraft were obsolete by mid-1942 and their slow speed allowed them to be practically wiped out during their attacks on the Japanese carriers. This sacrifice, however, was instrumental in allowing the US dive bombers to appear over Nagumo's task force almost unnoticed.
  17. ^ Held desk job for remainder of war following disappointing performance in Aleutian Islands campaign.
  18. ^ Impulsively relieved of command by Halsey following loss of light cruiser USS Juneau November 1942, a career-ruining move Halsey later supposedly expressed regret over.
  19. ^ Later promoted to full admiral and commanded US Third Fleet.
  20. ^ Later promoted to full admiral and commanded US First Fleet after war.
  21. ^ An early proponent of naval aviation; later promoted to full admiral and commanded Fast Carrier Task Force.
  22. ^ Later promoted to full admiral and commanded US Seventh Fleet.
  23. ^ Later promoted to vice admiral and commanded amphibious forces in both Mediterranean and Pacific Theatres.
  24. ^ First Puerto Rican to graduate from US Naval Academy; relieved following disastrous Battle of Savo Island and never held another sea command.
  25. ^ Received ten commendations over his service in war.
  26. ^ Killed in plane crash in Mendocino County, California January 1943.
  27. ^ These aircraft were obsolete by mid-1942 and were no match for the advanced Mitsubishi Zero.

References

  1. ^ Prange, Gordon W.; Goldstein, Donald M.; Dillon, Katherine V. (1982). Miracle at Midway. MJF Books. p. 30. ISBN 978-1567318951.
  2. ^ "MilitaryHistoryOnline.com". Archived from the original on 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  3. ^ Spennemann, Dirk HR (June 2009). "The Cultural Landscape of the World War II Battlefield of Kiska, Aleutian Islands" (PDF). National Park Service.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Part of the Aleutian's Support Force: These ships detached from the Main Body before the Midway action commenced
  5. ^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "Vice-Admiral Nobutake Kondō". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  6. ^ "Battle of Midway". World War 2 Facts. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Midway Order of Battle". NavWeaps.com. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  8. ^ THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY INCLUDING THE ALEUTIAN PHASE. U.S. Naval War College. 1948. p. 120. Meanwhile, at 1920 CNAS Midway decided to employ his motor torpedo boats as an attack squadron and sent a squadron of nine MTB's from Midway and two MTB's from Kure Island to attack the task force containing the burning carriers. They were unable to locate the target. With the coming of daylight they commenced their return to Midway.:
  9. ^ "ONI Review of Midway". iBiblio.org. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  10. ^ "After Midway". Military History Online. militaryhistoryonline.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_order_of_battle