Naval History and Heritage Command

Resources to plan Battle of Midway commemoration events may be found in our Commemoration Toolkit.

The Battle of Midway was fought 3–7 June 1942 at and near the island of Midway in the central Pacific Ocean. The United States took the offensive in World War II after this victory of the U.S. Navy over the Japanese Imperial Navy. After Midway, the tide of the war turned in favor of the United States and her allies.

Read the combat narrative (PDF, 5.6 MB), republished in 2017 by NHHC with a new introduction in observance of the 75th anniversary of the battle. The combat narrative was originally published by the Office of Naval Intelligence in March 1943; an HTML reproduction of the text is available in the Online Reading Room. 

80-G-41686, Battle of Midway, June 1942. Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6) TBD-1 aircraft are prepared for launching on USS Enterprise (CV-6) at about 0730-0740 hrs, 4 June 1942. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click image to download.

U.S. and Japanese Forces at Midway

Learn about the composition of U.S. forces at Midway.
Learn about the composition of Japanese forces at Midway.
Learn about The Japanese Story of the Battle of Midway.

History

Explore the key events before, during, and after the battle.
Analyze the battle in the Online Reading Room:

• Pacific war before Midway
• Role of communications intelligence
• Role of doctrine
• Strategic lessons learned
• Operational lessons learned

Review the U.S. Naval War College Strategical and Tactical Analysis (PDF, 18.2 MB).
Consult additional sources for your own research.

Read H-Gram 006 by NHHC Director Sam Cox that provides his thoughts on the Battle of Midway 75th Anniversary. 

People

Read first-hand accounts of Midway.

Review select biographies of Navy leaders at Midway:

• Admiral Ernest McNeill "Judge" Eller
• Rear Admiral John Ford
• Lieutenant Commander George Henry Gay
• Commodore Dixie Kiefer
• Rear Admiral Clarence Wade McClusky, Jr.
• Admiral Marc Andrew Mitscher
• Admiral Frederic C. Sherman
• Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance (Read his Fitness Report.)

Vignette: "Chief Water Tender Charles Kleinsmith and Yorktown (CV-5)"

Digital Collections

See the battle through the photographer’s lens in the Photo Collection.
View artists’ depiction of the battle in the Art Collection.

Related Topics

• Doolittle Raid on Japan
• Battle of the Coral Sea