5 things you didn’t know about the Battle of Midway

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Tim Kirkpatrick, We Are The Mighty

Just six months after the tragic bombing of Pearl Harbor, US and Japanese forces clashed once again in the Pacific.

For three days, Navies battled near the Midway Atoll, located roughly half way between Hawaii and the Japanese mainland. From June 4th to the 7th, brilliant minds orchestrated incredible naval feats in hopes of destroying the other side.

Although an Allied victory here is seen as a key turning point of the war, there are so many important details that some are lost even on the most staunch historians. Here are five things you likely didn’t know about this momentous battle.

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1. Japan wanted to mirror the successes of Pearl Harbor

Japanese battleship Yamato under construction at the Kure Naval Base, Japan, September 20, 1941.Yamato Museum via Wikimedia Commons

Japanese Adm. Yamamoto wanted to once again employ the element of surprise to defeat Allied forces stationed at Midway. To distract the US, Yamamoto sent many ships toward the coast of Alaska in hopes of baiting American reinforcements to defend against a non-existent attack.