Aware of the sensitivity of the Americans toward Hawaii after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto believed that if he attacked there again, the U.S. commander, Admiral Chester Nimitz, would be certain to commit all his strength to its defense. Yamamoto selected the the Naval Air Station on the Midway Atoll for his attack, which was beyond the range of most U.S. land-based aircraft.

Yamamoto launched his attack on 4 June 1942, but the U.S. had intercepted and deciphered Japanese signals and Nimitz, with three aircraft carriers, knew exactly Yamamoto's plans. Yamamoto had hoped to draw the U.S. carriers into his trap but instead, he sailed into an ambush.

The four-day battle resulted in the loss of four Japanese aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy losing only one. The Japanese were never able to recover from these losses, and it was the Americans who were able to take control of the Pacific. The Battle of Midway, unquestionably, marked the turning point in the war against Japan.