| The
Battle of Midway June 3 - 6, 1942 |
APPENDIX THIRTEEN: CHRONOLOGY1 |
Note: Times and date is
parenthesis are approximate.
Japanese events are given in Japanese time until June 3, after
which times are local.
| 1941 | |
| 7 December | Nagumo carrier force attacks Pearl Harbor |
| 10 December | Guam falls |
| 16 December | VADM William S Pye assumes temporary command of the US Pacific Fleet |
| 23 December | Wake Island falls. Pye calls off attempted rescue |
| 31 December | Adm Chester W Nimitz assumes command of the US Pacific Fleet |
| 1942 | |
| January 11 | Saratoga torpedoed and goes to Bremerton for repairs |
| 1-14 January | Ukagi writes scetch for future operations, including the occupation of Midway |
| 20-22 January | Nagumo force covers Japanese landings at Rabaul |
| 25 January | Ukagi turns project over to Kuroshima, who recommends instead a strategy centered on India and Burma |
| 15 February | Singapore surrenders |
| 19 February | Nagumo force hits Darwin |
| 20-25 February | Table maneuvers aboard Yamato where Army turns down India project |
| March (mid) | Japanese plans now center of Midway |
| 28 March | Kuroshima and Combined Fleet staff begin work on Midway operation |
| 2-5 April | Wantanabe and Kuroshima discuss Midway at Naval General Staff and obtain reluctant approval |
| 5 April | Nagumo force strikes Colombo and sinks two British crusiers |
| 9 April | Nagumo force strikes Trincomalee and sinks British carrier Hermes and destroyer Vampire |
| 18 April | Doolittle raid on Japan |
| 21 April | Stinson warns Marshall and Arnold of possible attack on West Coast |
| 22 April | Nagumo's carriers return to Japan. Shortly thereafter he and his staff learn about the Midway project |
| 24-29 April | Yamamoto holds critique aboard Yamato |
| 29 April | Nimitz advises King Midway could hold off a moderate attack but would need fleet support agains a major one |
| 1-4 May | Preliminary war games for Midway (Japanese) |
| 2 May | Nimitz flies to Midway to inspect defenses |
| 5 May | Nagano orders Midway and Aluetians operations |
| 6 May | Corregidor surrenders |
| 7-11 May | Battle of the Coral Sea. Lexington sunk and Yorktown damaged; Shoho sunk and Shokaku damaged |
| (10 May) | Midway at Hypo's arrangement sends a trap message that they are short of water |
| (12 May) | Hypo intercepts a Japanese message that "AF" is short of water |
| 15 May | Nimitz orders Halsey's task force back to Pearl Harbor |
| 17 May | Triton sinks I.164 |
| 18 May | 7th Air Force placed on special alert, and new B-17s begin to arrive from the mainland |
| 20 May | Yamamoto issues offical order of forces to participate and estimate of US strength |
| 20 May | Midway Transport Group and Seaplane Tender Group sortie from Japan for rendevous in Saipan |
| 21 May | Midway begins its alert phase |
| 22 May | Yamamoto's Main Body exercises at sea |
| 22 May | Marshall flies to West Coast because War Department fears attack there |
| 22 May | Demolition charge tripped and blows up Midway's gasoline dump |
| 22 May | Midway initiates search and reconnaissance phase |
| 22 May | Part of VP-44 arrives at Midway |
| 23 May | Rest of VP-44 reaches Midway |
| 24 May | Final table maneuvers aboard Yamato |
| 25 May | Midway receives more reinforcements for VP-44 |
| 25 May | Marine 3d Defense Battalion AA battery, and Companies C and D of 2d Raider Battalion arrive at Midway |
| 26 May | General Tinker, CG 7th AF visits Midway, brings with him Maj Warner as AF Liasion Officer |
| 26 May | More aircraft and personel of MAG-22 arrive at Midway |
| 26 May | Enterprise and Hornet reach Pearl Harbor. Halsey too ill to command the operation. He recommends Spruance |
| 27 May | Navy Day in Japan |
| 27 May | Nagumo Force sorties; Fuchida stricken with appendicitis |
| 27 May | Midway Transport Group and Seaplane Tender Group sortie from Saipan |
| 27 May | Close Support Group sorties from Guam |
| 27 May | Nimitz meets with Spruance and gives him his instructions |
| 27 May | Enterprise and Hornet refurbishing and remanning |
| 27 May | Yorktown enters Pearl Harbor and repairs begin immediately |
| 28 May | Northern Force sortie from Japan |
| 28 May | Fletcher named commander of US task forces |
| 28 May | Nimitz briefs Fletcher and Spruance |
| 28 May | Nimitz briefs Ramsey and sends him to Midway to take charge of air operations |
| 28 May | Task Force 16 (Spruance) sorties from Pearl Harbor |
| 29 May | Main Body of Midway Invasion Force sorties |
| 29 May | Yamamoto's Main Body sorties |
| 29 May | Midway receives another B-17, 4 B-26's and their crews |
| 30 May | I.123 finds two ships at French Frigate Shoals; Operation K postponed |
| 30 May | Task Force 17 (Fletcher) sorties |
| 30 May | Midway initiates air search |
| 30 May | 2 PBYs encounter 2 Japanese land-based bombers from Wake. Both PBYs are damaged |
| 30 May | Seven more B-17s arrive at Midway with crews |
| 31 May | I.123 reports two US flying boats at French Frigate Shoals; Operation K cancelled |
| 31 May | Nine more B-17s reach Midway, including B-17 commander, Lt Col W C Sweeney, Jr |
| 31 May | B-17s scouting from Midway |
| 31 May | Last cargo of drummed gasoline aviation reaches Midway |
| 31 May | Mitscher, captain of Hornet, promoted to Rear Admiral |
| 31 May - 1 June | Two Japanese midget submarines attack Sydney harbor |
| 1 June | Genda ill, ordered to sick bay |
| 1 June | Japanese land-based aircraft report US submarines and hear US dispatching many "Urgent" messages |
| 1 June | 2 PBYs encounter 2 Japanese land-based bombers from Wake; Fuchida decides this means US search arc has been extended and Tanaka's Transport Group may be sighted prematurely |
| 1 June | RADM Theobald, commanding Task Force 8, leaves Kodiak in Nashville to rendezvous with his Main Body |
| 1 June | Spruance orders radio silence after a freak TBS interception |
| 1 June | Saratoga sorties San Diego in attempt to reach Midway in time to participate in the battle |
| 2 June | Fog hampers Japanese refueling |
| 2 June | Nagumo breaks radio silence to insure change of course |
| 2 June | Task Forces 16 and 17 meet at Point Luck |
| 3 June | |
| Time unknown | Japanese submarine cordons arrive on station two days late |
| 0415 | Ramsey sends up B-17s on reconaissance |
| 0600 | Nagumo's oilers drop away |
| 0700 | 2nd Carrier Striking Force attacks Dutch Harbor |
| 0800 | Aleutian Guard Force breaks from Yamamoto's Main Body |
| 0820 | B-17s return to Midway from scouting |
| 0825 | Abe orders next day's antisubmarine patrols |
| 0900 | Escort Force spots a US plane |
| 0904 | Ens. Eaton advises Midway of sighting (part of Minesweeper Group) |
| 0925 | Midway receives Ens. Reid's message of "Sighting Main |
| 1130 | Body"PBY 7V55 reports "two cargo vessels..." |
| 1158 | B-17 OV 58 (Lt Smith) up on reconaissance |
| 1200 | 2nd Carrier Striking Force begins to withdwaw toward Adak |
| 1228 | Nine B-17s under Sweeney take off to hit Invasion Force |
| 1325 | Nagumo signals fleet movements to be taken on June 4 |
| 1611 | Smith reports two transports and two destroyers |
| 1640 | B-17s begin attack on Transport Group. No hits |
| 1830 | Abe signals changes in the antisubmarine patrols |
| 1950 | Fletcher changes Yorktown's course toward launching point |
| 2115 | 4 PBYs equiped with torpedoes take off |
| 4 June | |
| 0130 | Catalinas begin attack on Transport Group |
| 0245 | Catalinas report attack completed |
| 0245 | Akagi air crews awakened |
| 0300 | Reveille on Midway |
| 0400 | Nagumo orders all hands to stations |
| 0400 | 6 F4Fs of VMF 221 take off from Midway on cover patrol |
| 0400 | 11 Catalinas of VP-44 take off from Midway on search sector |
| 0405 | 16 B-17s take off for second strike on Transport Group |
| 0430 | Nagumo begins launching Midway attack force |
| 0430 | Akagi, Kaga, and Haruna launch reconnaissance planes |
| 0430 | Yorktown launches 10 SBDs to cover northern arc |
| (0430) | Midway aircraft begin to warm up |
| 0435 | Chikuma launches No. 5 reconnaissance plane |
| 0437 | Dawn |
| 0438 | Chikuma launches No. 6 reconnaissance plane |
| 0442 | Tone launches No. 3 reconnaissance plane |
| 0500 | Tone launches No. 4 reconnaissance plane |
| (0500) | On Midway, aircraft engines off, pilots return to flight shacks |
| (0505) | Kimes calls in the six patrol fighters |
| 0510 | Tone No. 4 plane reports "two enemy surfaced submarines..." |
| 0520 | Ady reports an unidentified aircraft |
| 0530 | Ady reports an enemy carrier |
| 0530 | Air crews alerted at Midway |
| 0534 | Enterprise receives report of a carrier |
| 0545 | Chase reports "Many planes heading Midway..." |
| 0552 | Ady reports "Two carriers and main body ships..." |
| 0553 | Enterprise receives "Many planes" report |
| 0553 | Sand Island radar reports incoming planes |
| 0555 | Tone No. 4 plane reports "15 enemy planes are heading towards you." |
| 0556 | Air raid alarm on Midway; Brewsters and Wilcats up |
| 0600 | B-17s ordered to divert to carriers |
| 0600 | A messanger advised B-26s and TBFs to "attack enemy carriers" |
| 0603 | Enterprise receives word of "two enemy carriers..." |
| 0607 | Fletcher orders Spruance to proceed westerly and attack |
| (0610) | VMSB 241 bombers take off |
| 0610 | Japanese planes 47 miles out of Midway |
| 0612 | Wildcats make initial contact: "Hawks at Angels Twelve" |
| 0615 | TBFs take off from Midway |
| 0615 | B-26s take off from Midway |
| 0615 | Japanese planes 30 miles out |
| 0616 | Midway fighters engage attackers |
| 0620 | Japanese planes 22 miles out |
| 0630 | Battalion HQ orders AA to open fires |
| 0632 | "One plane in a formation of 20 is on fire" |
| 0632 | "Hanger and runways have been hit several times" |
| 0633 | "Eastern Island has been hit several times" |
| 0635 | An enemy plane downed. Laundry hit; hospital on fire |
| 0638 | Power plant hit; electricity out |
| 0638 | Eastern Island being dive bombed |
| 0641 | Hanger of fire. One Japanese plane crashed on the ramp |
| 0643 | Nagumo receives radio from Tomonaga-attack complete |
| 0658 | Tomonaga reports that he has been hit |
| 0700 | Hornet begins to launch |
| 0705 | Tomonaga radios "There is a need for a second attack wave" |
| 0706 | Enterprise commences launching |
| 0707 | Air officer of Kaga reports "Sand Island bombed and great results obtained." |
| 0708 | Akagi and Tone begin firing of US planes |
| 0709 | 10 Zeros head off US planes |
| 0710 | Nautilus sighted smoke and AA fire and investigated |
| 0710 | The US planes "divided into 2 groups." Actually the TBFs and B-26s were attacking independently. |
| 0712 | Akagi in full turn, evaded torpedo to starboard and another to port |
| 0714 | US level bomber attack on carriers, no hits |
| 0715 | "All clear" sounded on Midway |
| 0715 | Nagumo ordered planes to stand by for a second wave, and to re-equip with bombs |
| 0720 | Spruance split his command to assist operations |
| 0728 | Tone No. 4 plane reported "what appears to be 10 enemy surface ships" |
| 0732 | Sweeney (B-17) sighted the enemy but no carrier in sight |
| 0745 | Nagumo prepared to attack and ordered torpedoes left on those planes not yet switched to bombs |
| 0748 | Soryu sighted "6 to 9 enemy planes." These probably VMSB-241 |
| 0755 | Hornet completed launch |
| 0755 | Nautilus strafed |
| 0755 | Soryu under attack, no hits. |
| 0755 | Soryu reported 14 "twin-engine planes" coming in. This was Sweeney and his B-17s |
| 0756 | Akagi and Hiryu under attack |
| 0758 | Tone No. 4 plane reports enemy change of course |
| 0800 | Nagumo orders Tone No. 4 to advise ship types |
| 0800 | Akagi sights enemy planes and assumes battle speed |
| 0806 | Chikuma reported what they thought were carrier-based planes. Probably Tomonaga coming in or the SB2U-3s |
| 0809 | Tone No. 4 reports enemy fleet consists of 5 cruisers, 5 destroyers |
| 0810 | Nautilus depth bombed |
| 0810 | Akagi and Hiryu under attack |
| 0812 | Miss astern Kaga |
| 0819 | "many bombs" near Soryu |
| 0820 | SB2U-3s reach outskirts of Mobile Force |
| 0820 | Tone No. 4 advised the enemy ships include "what appears to be a carrier." Yamamoto asks if he should order Nagumo to attack at once. Kuroshima does not think necessary |
| 0820 | Miss astern Akagi |
| 0821 | Akagi assumes maximum battle speed |
| 0822 | Akagi heads into torpedo planes |
| 0824 | Soryu under attack |
| 0827 | Haruna under attack |
| 0830 | Ten enemy planes dive on Haruna |
| 0837 | Akagi commences landing Tomomaga's planes |
| 0838 | Yorktown launches |
| 0839 | Akagi sights U.S. torpedo planes and stops landing |
| 0840 | Akagi resumes the recovery |
| 0855 | Nagumo orders force to proceed northward after completing homing |
| 0859 | Homing of bombers completed |
| 0905 | Akagi receives Tone No. 4 report that 10 enemy torpedo planes are heading for the task force |
| 0905 | Leslie's VB-3 launches off Yorktown |
| 0910 | Nautilus attacked by Arashi |
| 0917 | Akagi changes course to 70 degrees, away from Midway to close U.S. task force |
| 0918 | 1st Air Fleet completed homing of all attack units |
| 0918 | Chikuma sights VT-8 and opens fire; Akagi evades |
| 0925 | Akagi maneuvers to bring VT-8 astern |
| 0930 | Arashi advises of Nautilus attack |
| 0945 | Leslie flies over VT-3 and 6 VF-3 fighters, follows VT-3 |
| 0952 | Gray wires Task Force 16 he is over target |
| 0955 | McClusky sees Arashi's wake and follows |
| 0958 | Akagi sights 14 enemy planes in 2 groups (Ely and Lindsey had split forces);Kaga under fire |
| (1005) | McClusky sights the Mobile Force |
| 1005 | Leslie's gunner spots the Mobile Force about 35 miles off |
| 1014 | Akagi under attack; no hits |
| 1015 | Akagi spots torpedo planes (VT-3) |
| (1015- 1020) |
Torpedo drops; no hits |
| 1020 | Dive bombers spotted over Kaga; Akagi goes into maximum turn |
| 1022 | Kaga being dive bombed (Best-VB-6) |
| 1024 | Akagi maneuvers to avoid torpedo; sees dive bombers and makes maximum reverse turn |
| 1024 | Fires break out on Kaga |
| (1025) | Leslie and Holmberg (VB-3) start dive on Soryu |
| 1025- 1028 |
Soryu hit twice |
| 1026 | Three dive bombers attack Akagi; 1 near miss, 2 hits |
| 1033 | Akagi goes into maximum turn to avoid 4 torpedo planes |
| 1036 | Akagi can still proceed at cruising speed |
| 1042 | Akagi's steering gear damaged and her engines stop |
| 1043 | Fighter planes aboard Akagi catch fire |
| 1046 | Nagumo and his staff abandon bridge and commence transfer to Nagara |
| 1050 | Chikuma sees 5 torpedo bombers |
| 1050 | Nagumo radios Yamamoto that fires are raging on Kaga, Soryu, and Akagi |
| 1050 | Yamaguchi wires Abe that planes are taking off to destroy enemy |
| 1054 | First wave off Hiryu |
| 1055 | Yanagimoto orders abandon ship on Soryu |
| 1058 | Takeoff from Hiryu completed |
| 1100 | Hornet dive bombers jettison bombs off Midway |
| 1127 | Akagi stopped |
| 1130 | Akagi air personnel and wounded ordered transferred to destroyers |
| 1140 | Hiryu bombers report U.S. force of 3 carriers and "22 destroyers" |
| 1145 | Nagumo's flag hoisted aboard Nagara |
| 1200 | Hiryu attacks Yorktown |
| 1201 | Hiryu reports fires breaking out on Yorktown |
| 1203 | Akagi starts turning on her own |
| 1220 | Yamamoto orders Main body, Occupation Force and 2d Mobile Force to rendevous |
| 1235 | Spruance detaches 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers to Yorktown |
| 1237 | Enterprise begins to recover VB-3 |
| 1310 | Yamamoto temporarily postpones Operations AF and AO |
| 1310 | Nagumo hears U.S. task force of 5 large cruisers and 1 carrier, the latter "burning fiercely" |
| 1313 | Fletcher transfers to Astoria |
| (1320) | Hiryu launches second attack wave |
| 1350 | Akagi stopped |
| 1355 | Nagumo now hears U.S. force of 5 cruisers and 5 carriers, the latter all burning fiercely |
| 1359 | Nautilus fires 3 torpedoes at Kaga. All miss |
| 1434 | Tomonaga orders his planes to attack |
| 1437 | Yorktown able to make 19 knots |
| 1445 | Adams message locating Hiryu and her support ships. Spruance immediately arranged to attack |
| 1454 | Hiryu reports two certain hits in Yorktown, which is believed to be a second U.S. carrier |
| 1455 | Buckmaster orders Abandon Ship on Yorktown |
| 1531 | Yamaguchi plans a dusk attack |
| 1550 | Nagumo shifts course from northeast to northwest |
| 1550 | All dive bombers (from VS-6, VB-6 and VB-3) clear Enterprise |
| 1600 | Yamaguchi advises he has hit two carriers |
| 1600 | All air personnel off Akagi |
| 1640 | Amagai orders abandon ship on Kaga |
| 1645 | Gallaher sights Hiryu |
| 1701 | Chikuma sights U.S. planes. They dive on Hiryu |
| 1705 | Hiryu on fire from several hits |
| 1707 | Haruna under attack |
| 1712 | VB-8 and VS-8 come from Hornet. They attack Tone and Chikuma. No hits |
| 1715 | Isokaze taking Kaga survivors aboard |
| 1730 | Yamamoto reinstated occupation of Aleutians |
| 1745- (1815) |
B-17s attack Tone and Chikuma. No hits |
| 1750 | All Kaga survivors aboard Maikaze |
| 1800 | Nautilus sees Kaga burning |
| 1915 | Soryu sinks |
| 1915 | SB2U-3s and SBD-2 take off from Midway for night attack |
| 1925 | Kaga sinks |
| 2000 | All hands abandoning Akagi |
| 2030 | I.168 ordered to "shell and destroy" air base on Midway |
| 2200 | SBD-2 returns safely to Midway. They did not sight the objective |
| 2340 | Nagumo ordered to turn around and back up Occupation Force's night engagement |
| 5 June | |
| 0020 | Yamamoto cancels bombardment of Midway by Kurita's cruisers |
| 0130 | I.168 fires on Midway. No damage. Shortly thereafter he is ordered to sink a U.S. carrier some 150 miles away |
| 0200 | Following various movements since midnight, Spruance turns west |
| 0215 | Tambor sights 4 large ships |
| 0230 | Kaku ordered "abandon ship" aboard Hiryu |
| 0238 | Tambor reports many unidentified ships |
| 0255 | Yamamoto cancels Midway operation |
| (0300) | Mikuma crashes into Mogami |
| 0315 | Kaku orders all hands to leave Hiryu after farewell ceremonies |
| 0350 | Nagumo receives orders to scuttle Akagi |
| 0415 | Tambor report reaches Midway |
| 0430 | 12 B-17s seeking the enemy ships |
| 0430 | Evacuation of Hiryu completed |
| 0500 | Akagi scuttled |
| 0510 | Makigumo torpedoes Hiryu |
| 0630 | Patrol planes report 2 Japanese "battleships." |
| 0700 | MAG-22 sends up Dauntlesses and Vindicators to find above |
| 0700 | Patrol plane reports 2 enemy cruisers |
| 0800 | Patrol plane reports 2 BBS, 1 CV and 3 CAs |
| 0800 | Hosogaya recommends suspension of Aleutians operation |
| 0840 | Vindicators attack Mikuma |
| 0900 | Hiryu sinks |
| 1100 | TF 16 detaches Monaghan. Turns northwest by west to seek Nagumo force |
| 1205 | Chikuma sights Main Body and Occupation Force (Japanese forces rendevousing for retreat homeward. |
| 1259 | Yamamoto returns 2d Carrier Force to Northern Force |
| 1430 | Vireo begins to tow Yorktown to Pearl Harbor. Boarding party working to lighten the ship |
| 1435 | B-17s attack "a heavy cruiser." |
| 1545 | Enterprise and Hornet begin launching 58 bombers. Find only Tanikaze. No hits |
| after dark | Enterprise and Hornet recover planes and Spruance heads due west |
| 2320 | Yamamoto transfers a large body of surface ships to the Northern Force |
| At night | Nagumo's destroyers transfer wounded to the battleships |
| 6 June | |
| 0410 | I.168 lookout spots Yorktown in distance |
| 0502 | Enterprise launches 18 SBDs |
| 0600 | I.168 sees destroyers on guard near Yorktown |
| 0630 | Mikuma reports two U.S. planes sighted |
| 0645 | Plane 8B2 reports sighting a carrier and 5 DDs (erroneous) |
| 0730 | Plane 8B8 reports two CAs and 3 DDs |
| 0759 | Hornet launches 26 dive bombers and 8 fighters |
| (0945) | Hornet planes attack, hits on Mogami, Mikuma, and Asashio. Minor damage |
| 1045 | Enterprise launches 31 dive bombers and 12 fighters. Midway sends out 26 B-17s after the cruiser. Bomb Grayling in mistake for cruiser |
| 1230 | Enterprise planes score hits on both cruisers |
| 1237 | I.168 within 500 meters of Yorktown; moves back |
| 1245 | In Honolulu Star Bulletin, Nimitz announces "midway to our objective" |
| 1331 | I.168 torpedoes Yorktown, but she still does not sink. One of the torpedoes hits Hammann, which sinks immediately |
| (1336) | Depth charges begin on I-168 and continue several hours |
| 1445 | Second Hornet group of 23 dive bombers hit Mikuma |
| 1500 | Yamamoto orders all-out battle risking Main Body, but air search fails to find U.S. fleet so plan is abandoned |
| (after sunset) | Mikuma sinks |
| 1850 | I.168 has evaded all depth charges |
| 1900 | Spruance has completed air operations, turns east to rendevous with oilers |
| 7 June | Yorktown sinks at
0458 Task Force 17 breaks up. 3 DDs join Task Force 16, the other ships return to Pearl Harbor. General Tinker lost in an abortive air expedition against Wake. Destroyer Isonami collides with destroyer Uranami. Slowed but not sunk. Article in Chicago Tribune strongly implies the JN25 break. |
| 9 June | Conference aboard Yamato with representatives of the Nagumo force to discuss reasons for the defeat. Yamamoto promises Nagumo and Kusaka another chance. He accepts full responsibility for the defeat. |
| 11 June | Japan claims a great victory. |
| 12 June | AAF claims most of the credit for the victory. |
| 13 June | Task Force 16 returns to Pearl Harbor. |
| 15 June | Fuchida and about 500 wounded taken aboard hospital ship, thence to Yokosuko where they are kept incommunicado. |
| 18 June | USS Ballard saves 35 survivors of Hiryu. |