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Battle of Midway: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date June 3, 1942 - June 6, 1942
Location Midway Islands • Pacific Ocean
Participants Japan • United States
Context Pacific War • World War II

Photos and Videos

Battle of Midway
Infographic map providing context for the Battle of Midway, June 3-6, 1942. It shows the Midway Atoll with Sand Island and Eastern Island, highlighting runways, roads, reefs, and key structures. Distance lines illustrate the location of Midway between Japan and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. A comparison of land areas is included for Japan, Hawaii, and Midway. Text summarizes the battle's significance in World War II and its impact on Japanese expansion in the Pacific.
Midway Islands
Midway Islands
Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Map showing the maximum territorial expansion of Japanese military forces in 1942 during World War II. The area of expansion is marked with red diagonal lines, covering large portions of East and Southeast Asia, the western Pacific, and islands reaching toward India and Australia. Japan's postwar territory is shaded in solid red. Key locations such as Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guam, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies are labeled, with country boundaries depicted as they were in 1942.
Infographic comparing Japanese and United States naval forces at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, with illustrated ship silhouettes, force counts, and a central map showing fleet movements in the Pacific.
Yamamoto Isoroku
Chester W. Nimitz
Infographic showing a timeline of key events during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, with a circular clock-like layout marking actions such as Japanese planes hitting Midway, American carriers launching, attacks on ships, and critical bombings by both sides.
The Battle of Midway: A turning point in World War II
A turning point: Understanding the Battle of Midway
Discover how the U.S. Navy defeated Japan's fleet to check Japanese expansion in the Battle of Midway
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Timeline

Pearl Harbor attack
Pearl Harbor attack
December 7, 1941
Wake Island
Battle of Wake Island
December 8, 1941 - December 23, 1941
Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March
April 9, 1942
Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
May 4, 1942 - May 8, 1942
Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
June 3, 1942 - June 6, 1942
U.S. Marines in combat gear wade ashore from a landing craft onto a sandy beach during the Guadalcanal landing in August 1942.
Battle of Guadalcanal
August 1942 - February 1943
Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
June 19, 1944 - June 20, 1944
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
October 23, 1944 - October 26, 1944
U.S. Marines on Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
April 1, 1945 - June 21, 1945

Key People

Yamamoto Isoroku.
Yamamoto Isoroku
Japanese naval officer
Chester W. Nimitz
Chester W. Nimitz
United States admiral
Marc Mitscher
Marc A. Mitscher
United States naval officer

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