4 juin 1942 - Battle of Midway

Description:

After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and America's declaration of war, the Japanese kept trying to take out the United States Navy. In order to stop the Japanese threat, the U.S. decided to try and break Japanese codes--Navy codebreakers were determined to crack the Japanese JN-25 code, which carried their most secure communications. Messages were constantly intercepted by American intelligence and analyzed mathematically and technically. In March of 1942, they finally broke the code and erased Japan's advantage of a surprise attack. This also allowed them to turn Japan's plan at the Battle of Midway against them. Midway was such an important location because it was the site of another U.S. Navy base, 1,300 miles away from Pearl Harbor. On June 2, the Americans took position and on June 4, the Japanese began bombing. The Battle of Midway was a U.S. win, and it also led to a new tactic of carrier-based warfare and using air power as a strategic powerhouse. This would aid in leading the U.S. to an overall victory against the Japanese.