Midway 's WW II History

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During WW II there were 29 BPY sea planes able to carry a 4000 pound bomb load stationed at Midway. These planes, able to fly only 100 miles per hour, were very slow. Before the days of advanced radar it was decided to load these planes with 4000 pounds of fuel instead of bombs and use them as reconnaissance planes. This way they could fly 2700 miles in 27 hours. Generally they flew a 7 mile radius around the atoll. Since Japanese carriers needed to be within 100 miles of their target this strategy gave the US early warning and advantage of any attack

In March 1942,the Halsey-Doolittle raid bombed Tokyo, which made the Japanese determined to wipe out US carriers. The Battle of Midway took place June 4-6, 1942. Most of the battle took place 100 miles from Midway, but the atoll was bombed again. Both the rebuilt hospital and hanger were again hit. The half of the hanger destroyed was never rebuilt and the hospital for the duration of the war was underground.

The US sank four Japanese air craft carriers plus numerous other ships. Shore artillery hit and damaged two Japanese ships and several aircraft at the atoll. The Battle of Midway lasted three days with the Japanese outnumbering  US forces  4 to 1.  The first Japanese naval defeat in 300 years   was the pivotal turning point of the war in the Pacific. From that point on the Japanese were on the defensive instead of the offensive.

One gun remains

The US lost 307 men, but the Japanese lost 3500 men. We lost the carrier Hornet but the enemy lost a total of 28 ships and 108 planes. Of the 112 American planes sent into battle 40 were lost. 26 ancient WW I planes left Midway, flew over low flying Japanese planes with a good success rate. However, only ten of those planes returned to the island and only two of those were ever able to fly again.

The US had broken the Japanese code and were pretty sure ‘AF’ meant Midway. We sent a false message about a broken water system. When an intercepted Japanese message stated to bring water, the US suspicions were confirmed. Thus the US knew when the Battle of Midway would take place and were off their estimate by only five miles and five minutes!

During the Korean War Midway played an important role as a defensive outpost in the Distant Early Warning (DEW) System, and was a port of call and air traffic center during the Vietnam war.

It was hard to imagine the 1200 acre island supporting 3500 people for three decades!

On Eastern Island we saw what was once a Boy Scout camp/retreat that now has returned to its natural state. On Sand Island the enlisted barracks have been torn down. Only the Bravo and Charlie BOQs remain. Termites ate and destroyed both the chapel and the Cannon school. The Officer in Charge house remains and the Senior Officer housing now houses island staff. By its very nature a golf course is not very bird friendly so is now gone. Most of the operational structures remain.

Memorial to the Gooney Bird

In 1969 President Nixon met secretly with Vietnam’s President Thieu here in the original Officer-in- Charge house. In 1978 the air station became a Naval Air Facility and dependents started to leave.  In 1985 a Pan Am 747 China Clipper II visited Midway to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the first China Clipper flight.

 There are 43 designated historical sites/buildings on Midway. Visitors need to remember that Midway is a refuge and not a resort. A resort puts the needs of its people first and a refuge puts the needs of wildlife first and the needs of people second.

That’s the history of Midway in a nutshell. More about the island and our experience there another day.