| During the spring of 1942 under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (right), the Japanese fleet planned on capturing the islands of Midway. From there Japan could attack U.S. forces in Hawai'i, following up on the surprise raid on Pearl Harbor, only six months earlier. Yamamoto planned an attack that would use a diversionary feint at the Aleutian Islands near Alaska to draw out the U.S. Pacific fleet, splitting it up in hopes of destroying it. |  Click photo for larger view |
 Click photo for larger view |
Unfortunately for the Japanese, U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander, Chester Nimitz (left, third from left) had been alerted of the impending attack through the efforts of Naval code-breakers. To learn more about the role of code-breaking and the Battle of Midway, click here (opens a new window). |
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At Pearl Harbor the aircraft carrier Yorktown (right)
which had recently been damaged in the Battle of the Coral
Sea, was urgently repaired. Soon, a flotilla
of U.S. Navy warships, including the aircraft carriers Enterprise,
Hornet and Yorktown, were steaming towards Midway,
to intercept the main Japanese fleet. Click below to go to the next page (2) |
 Click photo for larger view |