22. The Unluckiest Five Minutes in Japanese History
At 10:25 AM, June 4th, 1942, Japan was mistress of the Pacific. She had the world’s most powerful naval aviation force, had been running roughshod over her enemies while marching from victory to victory, and was in the driver’s seat, dictating the terms of World War II in the Pacific Theater. By 10:30 AM, Japan had effectively lost WWII. The Japanese had experienced what was probably the unluckiest five minutes ever experienced by any country in the history of warfare.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan went on a rampage and won a series of stunning victories. However, Japan’s war strategy was to win a battle of annihilation, like Tsushima, then negotiate a favorable peace. Pearl Harbor was a success, but no Tsushima. So the Japanese planned an invasion of Midway Island to lure what was left of the US Navy into showing up for a climactic showdown. Assuming that the US Navy had only one or two aircraft carriers in the Pacific, the Japanese launched their operation with four fleet carriers. It backfired, however, because American code breakers had cracked Japan’s secret codes and knew of the upcoming attack.