The Balance of War: America’s Counterattack and Midway
The Moment the Tide Turned
America’s Preparation for Total War
Though it was a small-scale attack in reality, this operation was reported with great fanfare in the United States. Newspapers and radio broadcasts loudly proclaimed, “U.S. forces attacked Japanese bases and returned safely,” amplifying the event.
Hearing this, the American public began to think, “Our military is putting up a good fight and making progress against Japan.” This was significant because the U.S. understood that the Pacific War was a total war—one that could not be won without the full cooperation of its citizens.
In modern warfare, victory is impossible unless the population supports the military by producing weapons, food for soldiers, uniforms, and more. It’s not enough for soldiers to fight bravely on the battlefield; the entire nation, including those on the home front, must unite and commit all its resources to the effort. This is why it’s called a “total war.” The United States clearly recognized the Pacific War as such.
National Morale and the Bombing of Japan’s Homeland
Since total war involves everyone, maintaining national morale was critical in the Pacific War. After the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor and continued losses, if the U.S. kept losing, the public’s resolve to continue the war could have crumbled.
This might have sparked an anti-war movement, with factory workers striking and farmers refusing to produce food for the war effort, saying, “We won’t grow crops for this war.” Such internal collapse could have crippled the U.S.
To prevent this, the U.S. took small victories—like harassing the enemy with minor attacks—and spun them into big news: “With everyone’s cooperation, our forces are achieving small but impressive successes.” This showcased America’s commitment to involving the entire nation in the war effort.
Amid this, the U.S. prepared a bolder counterstrike: bombing the Japanese homeland. At the time, all the islands around Japan were under its control, and the idea of American bombers reaching the mainland was unthinkable.
The bombers of that era couldn’t fly such long distances from U.S. bases to Japan. However, the U.S. military devised a plan: they loaded land-based heavy bombers onto naval ships—aircraft carriers—sailed as close as possible to Japan, and launched the bombers to strike the mainland.
The Significance of Bombing Japan’s Homeland
The bombers barely made it to their targets, so they had to be stripped down and couldn’t carry many bombs, resulting in minimal physical damage to Japan. Yet, for the U.S., the mission was a success. The goal wasn’t destruction but a psychological blow to Japan.
Until then, clashes between Japanese and American forces had occurred far from Japan’s mainland—on remote islands or in Southeast Asia. With no direct threat to the homeland, Japan confidently expanded into Southeast Asia and beyond. But then, the U.S. struck Japan’s mainland directly.
The message was clear: “If we set our minds to it, we can hit your homeland. Focus only on Southeast Asia, and you might lose everything at home.” This was a check on Japan’s aggressive expansion.
The Background of the Midway Operation
Japan, naturally, wanted these homeland bombings to stop. For Japanese citizens, the war had been a distant event on far-off islands, so they supported it without hesitation. But once bombs fell on their homeland, the war became real—explosions overhead, homes and fields burning.
This could lead people to question their involvement, a fatal problem in a total war where unity between the public and military is essential. After the triumph at Pearl Harbor and victories like the conquest of the Malay Peninsula, Japan had been riding high.
But the homeland bombing threatened to shake public resolve. In this “What do we do now?” moment, the “Midway Operation” was proposed.
The Plan for the Battle of Midway
Japan deduced that future U.S. bombings of the homeland would come not from land bases but from aircraft carriers at sea. Thus, the Midway Operation was designed to eliminate these carriers, the source of the attacks.
However, Japan couldn’t strike the carriers unless they showed themselves. So, they turned their attention to Midway Island, the stage for the operation. Midway is a small island near Hawaii, a key U.S. military base. Attacks on Japanese bases and the homeland bombing had all originated from carriers departing Hawaii.
Preparations by the U.S. and Japan
If Japan seized Hawaii, the U.S. would be left with only its mainland as a major base. Losing Hawaii would force the U.S. to send fleets from the mainland, making it nearly impossible to strike Japan effectively.
Losing Midway, near Hawaii, would jeopardize this vital stronghold. The island also had U.S.-built airfields, so if Japan captured it, they could attack Hawaii at will. Thus, the U.S. was desperate to defend Midway to protect Hawaii.
Japan’s plan was simple: “Attack Midway, draw out the U.S. carriers defending it, and destroy them.” The U.S., still reeling from Pearl Harbor, wasn’t in top shape. But holding Midway was non-negotiable.
With their backs against the wall, the U.S. poured everything into the Battle of Midway. They frantically repaired their carriers, working around the clock in a high-speed effort. Perfect repairs were abandoned; the goal was just enough functionality to sail and fight.
Japan’s Overconfidence and America’s Victory
The U.S. completed repairs—estimated to take six weeks—in just three days, readying their fleet. They managed to position three carriers at Midway. Though the U.S. scrambled desperately, Japan didn’t take the situation as seriously.
After crushing Pearl Harbor and winning skirmishes over small islands, Japan’s carrier force was overconfident, believing defeat was impossible. Japan had indeed dominated the U.S. thus far, but they weren’t unscathed. They planned to use six carriers for Midway, but two were lightly damaged in the earlier Battle of the Coral Sea.
Rather than rushing repairs like the U.S., Japan left them behind, thinking, “We’ve won every fight so far; four carriers are enough to beat the Americans.”
The Battle of Midway Unfolds and Its Outcome
With only four carriers, Japan set out from its homeland. On June 5, 1942, they approached Midway and launched the operation. Like Pearl Harbor, Japan planned a surprise attack, expecting another one-sided victory. But this time, things didn’t go as planned. Unbeknownst to Japan, their plans had leaked—U.S. forces had cracked their codes.
Communication tech was rudimentary then, and radio signals were easily intercepted. Nations encrypted messages to counter this, but the U.S. invested heavily in codebreaking, forming teams to study Japan’s encryption patterns.
They succeeded in deciphering most of Japan’s codes, learning not just that Midway was the target but when and where Japan’s fleet would strike. Japan, meanwhile, had no insight into U.S. movements, relying on limited submarine reconnaissance.
The U.S. was fully prepared, while Japan, oblivious, walked into a trap. Japan expected a quick victory, but the U.S., forewarned, put up fierce resistance. Worse, Japan’s fleet was plagued by internal confusion and poor communication.
Japan’s Defeat and the Turning Tide
Japan’s goal was to hit Midway, lure out U.S. carriers, and destroy them. But this plan wasn’t fully coordinated within their navy. Some commanders even thought, “Why just hit the carriers and leave? Let’s take Midway too.” This indecision led to shifting orders: first, arm planes with torpedoes for carriers, then switch to bombs for Midway, then back again when carriers were spotted.
The constant changes left crews scrambling, unable to prepare properly. Amid this chaos, U.S. bombers struck. With explosives scattered on decks from the rushed rearming, a few hits triggered massive chain explosions, engulfing Japan’s carriers in flames. Unable to launch planes from burning decks, Japan had no choice but to retreat.
In the end, Japan sank just one U.S. carrier, but lost four of their own, along with countless planes and skilled crew. The Battle of Midway, a crushing defeat, shifted the Pacific War’s momentum decisively to the U.S.
The next part, Part 5, will detail how the war tilted further in America’s favor.