Miracle at Midway by Gordon W. Prange & Donald M. Goldstein & Katherine V. Dillon

Author:Gordon W. Prange & Donald M. Goldstein & Katherine V. Dillon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2018-07-24T16:00:00+00:00

* See Chapter 4.

CHAPTER 27

“At Last They Have Come”

As the soft glow of dawn flushed the Pacific sky that beautiful morning of June 4, Spruance waited eagerly for comparable light to break over the tactical situation. So far the Task Force had no word concerning the position of Nagumo’s flattops, which were Spruance’s particular pigeons. “That was my mission: to get those Japanese carriers and then protect and preserve Midway from the enemy,” he said.1

Spruance received the first confirmation that enemy carriers had been sighted when Enterprise picked up one of Ady’s transmissions at 0534. While this radio was enough to alert the Midway defenders, it was not sufficiently detailed to be of much concrete use to either Fletcher or Spruance as they cruised along with about ten miles separating them, Task Force Seventeen to the northeast of Task Force Sixteen.2 Then at 0553 Enterprise intercepted Ady’s famous “many planes” warning. “This report told me and Fletcher that that particular part of the Japanese plan was now in effect,” explained Spruance.3

This message gave no clue as to the number of carriers and their exact location, but it did give the bearing—320deg—and distance—150 miles from Midway—of the incoming aircraft. Armed with this information, Spruance instructed his chief of staff, Captain Miles S. Browning, “Launch everything you have at the earliest possible moment and strike the enemy carriers.”

In reaching this vital command decision to withhold no part of his air power, Spruance was just doing what came naturally. He never seriously entertained any idea of less than all-out attack. “I figured that if I were going to hit the Japanese, I should hit them with everything I had,” he declared.4

Fletcher had already reached the same conclusion the previous night. “There was only one thing to do to the Japanese: attack them and hit them as hard as we could,” he said. “We couldn’t afford to wait. We had to strike first, strike swiftly, and strike in great force.”5

Spruance had no sooner given the word to Browning than at 0603 the Task Force radios again picked up one of Midway’s reports. This one contained the information the two admirals had been waiting for: “Two carriers and battleships bearing 320deg, distance 180, course 135, speed 25.” This located the Japanese about 200 miles west-southwest of the American ships.6

Fletcher had to do some fast and furious thinking. Like an alert basketball player who sees a teammate nearer the basket than he is, Fletcher passed the ball to Spruance. At 0607 he flashed to his colleague: “Proceed southwesterly and attack enemy carriers when definitely located.” He had two excellent reasons for holding Yorktown in reserve. In the first place, he wanted to recover his SBDs still fanning out northward on patrol. In the second, the intercepted information spoke of only two Japanese carriers, whereas Naval Intelligence believed four and possibly five were participating in the massive movement toward Midway. Fletcher had been stung in the Coral Sea when he went all-out against Shoho, only to find himself wide open to attacks from Shokaku and Zuikaku.

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