Скачать или смотреть June 4, 1942: The Moment Japanese Pilots Realized Their Carriers Were Doomed at Midway

June 4, 1942, 10:22 AM. Lieutenant Joichi Tomonaga circled above the Japanese carrier fleet after attacking Midway Island. His aircraft had been damaged—fuel leaking from a punctured tank. He requested emergency landing priority. The response: negative. All four Japanese carriers were rearming aircraft below decks. He'd have to wait.
Below him, the Kido Butai—the same carriers that struck Pearl Harbor—steamed in formation. Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu. The most powerful carrier force in the world. Japan's naval aviation dominance was built on these four ships.
At 10:24 AM, Japanese lookouts spotted American dive bombers diving from 15,000 feet. Warnings were shouted. Anti-aircraft guns opened fire. But it was too late.
At 10:26 AM, the first bomb struck Akagi's flight deck, penetrating to the hangar where aircraft were being rearmed. The bomb detonated among aviation fuel and ordnance. Secondary explosions followed. Fires spread uncontrollably.
Within six minutes, three carriers—Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu—were burning wrecks. By afternoon, Hiryu joined them. All four Japanese carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor were destroyed in a single day.
Lieutenant Tomonaga watched from above as the fleet that had dominated the Pacific for six months was gutted in minutes. Japanese pilots circling the burning carriers understood immediately: the war had just turned against them.
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto had predicted Japan could fight effectively for six months after Pearl Harbor. The Battle of Midway occurred exactly six months later—June 4, 1942. And it marked the end of Japanese offensive capability.
Japan began the battle with four carriers. America had three. By evening, Japan had zero operational carriers. America had two (Yorktown was damaged but Enterprise and Hornet remained). The balance of power shifted permanently.
Japanese naval aviation never recovered. Replacing carriers took years. Replacing experienced pilots took longer. American industrial capacity—building carriers at one per month—overwhelmed Japanese ability to respond.
June 4, 1942, 10:26 AM. The moment the first bomb struck Akagi. The moment Japanese pilots realized their carriers were doomed. The moment Japan lost the Pacific War.
#WWII #BattleOfMidway #PacificWar #NavalHistory