The Battle of Midway, was carried out from June 4-7, 1942. It acted as an unforgettable turning point in World War II. It was a mere six months following the events of Pearl Harbor, that the U.S. Navy executed a devastating blow to Japan’s fleet. It sunk a total of four aircraft carriers, while it also only lost one of its own, which was the USS Yorktown. Amidst a very dramatic sequence of airstrikes, U.S. dive bombers were able to catch Japanese carriers off guard, and in the process destroyed them before they were able to carry out a counterattack. The victory was significant in helping to shift the balance of power in the Pacific as a whole, thereby halting Japan’s expansion and also putting the U.S. back on the offensive. We’ll now take a look at some iconic wartime images from the Battle of Midway.
1. SBD Dauntless Dive Bombers in the Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942
Things got dicey quite quickly up there.
2. USS Atlanta, Hornet, and New Orleans following the Battle of Midway, 6 June, 1942
Everyone was ready to go.
3. F4F Wildcats of VF-8 and SBD Dauntlesses of VB-8 and VS-8 prepare to take off from the USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway
Those F4F Wildcats weren’t playing any games at all.
4. SBD Dauntless dive bomber coming in for a landing on the USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway, June 1942
You really had to be locked in to stick those landings.
5. Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in late May 1942, being readied for the Battle of Midway
The buildup in those moments must’ve been truly next-level.
6. Sailors walk across the sloping flight deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S Yorktown after damage suffered in the battle of Midway, 1942
It looks to be just a tad bit disorienting to navigate.
7. Battle of Midway. USS Yorktown (CV-5) underway with her air group on the flight deck, 4 June 1942
Those flight decks must’ve served as quite the gritty arenas, indeed.
8. TBD Devastators of VT-6 being prepared for takeoff on the deck of the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway
You wouldn’t want to get caught wandering in front of one of these.
9. The Pilot Bombers at the Battle of Midway, 1942
A sharp looking crew of gents, indeed.
10. IJN Mikuma, a Mogami class heavy cruiser in WWII, sinks below the waves during the Battle of Midway
That is just a devastating shot.
11. IJN heavy cruiser Mikuma sank at the Battle of Midway
Seeming moments of calm before everything proceeded to go south.
12. A grim shot taken from the Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942
That must’ve been pure mortifying chaos to be caught on board in all of that wreckage.
13. A US Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless of bombing squadron VB-8 on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Battle of Midway in 1942
The colorization really adds another layer of dramatic depth to this shot taken from the Battle of Midway.
14. Damage and floating remains of Japan’s aircraft carrier Kaga following bombing hits during the Battle of Midway, June 1942
The “ghost ships” after these naval battles existed as their own kind of nightmares.
15. Battle of Midway, June 1942. USS Portland (CA-33), at right, high line transfers USS Yorktown survivors to USS Fulton (AS-11) on 7 June 1942
Those transfers were a high-stakes process, indeed.
