Photos: Anniversary of the Battle of Midway
On June 7, 1942, the Battle of Midway ended in a decisive victory for American naval forces over Imperial Japan, marking a turning point in the Pacific War. The outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers during the four-day sea and air battle.
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- Anonymous
- Updated
The U.S.S. Yorktown, shown in this undated photo, was a World War II aircraft carrier that was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in the battle of Midway, June 7, 1942. The wreck was discovered on May 18, 1998 by National Geographic explorer Robert Ballard. (AP Photo/National Geographic)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- HOGP
- Updated
In this June 4, 1942 photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Torpedo Squadron Six aircraft are prepared for launching on USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean. Buffalo, New York native C. Wade McClusky Jr. will have a statue of his likeness included in a new military monument being dedicated June 4, 2017, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. (United States Navy via AP)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Updated
Smoke burns from the USS Yorktown after a Japanese bomber hit the aircraft carrier in the Battle of Midway near Midway Islands in June 1942 during World War II. Bursts from anti-aircraft fire fill the air. ( AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Updated
A Mogami class Japanese cruiser is the flaming target of carrier-based U.S. naval aircraft in the historic battle of Midway which raged for three days, June 1942. In this battle, the Japanese navy was dealt a paralyzing blow from which it never recovered, and turned the tide of the Pacific war. The Japanese cruiser's superstructure is shown twisted and flaming white-hot, her big guns pointing helter-skelter and her port holes awash. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- STF
- Updated
The U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown, left, and other fighting ships of the U.S. task force in the Pacific, throw up an umbrella of anti-aircraft fire to fight off a squadron of Japanese torpedo planes attacking the carrier during the Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942. A small column of smoke, far left, rises from a Japanese plane that was shot down near the carrier. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Updated
Crewmen aboard the USS Yorktown battle fire after the carrier was hit by Japanese bombs, during the Battle of Midway, on June 4, 1942. Later the vessel had to be abandoned and was sunk by a Japanese submarine torpedo hit. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Updated
Heavy smoke from the USS Yorktown is seen after being hit in early June 1942, by Japanese aircraft during the Battle of Midway, in this photo. The aircraft carrier was put out of action June 4, 1942, and sank June 7, 1942. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Updated
During the Battle of Midway, a Japanese heavy cruiser of the Mogami class lies low in the water after being bombed by U.S. naval aircraft, in May 1942. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- HOGP
- Updated
In this June 1942 file photo, the USS Yorktown lists heavily to port after being struck by Japanese bombers and torpedo planes in the Battle of Midway during World War II, as a destroyer stands by at right to assist as a salvage crew on the flight deck tries to right the stricken aircraft carrier. Buffalo, New York, native C. Wade McClusky Jr. made one of the most fateful decisions of World War II at Midway, yet his actions during the history-changing battle have received scant recognition. That will change in his hometown, a statue of his likeness will be included in a new military monument being dedicated June 4, 2017, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. (U.S. Navy via AP, File)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- AP
- Updated
President Franklin Roosevelt shakes hands with the chief petty officer at the Naval Hospital on Oct 1, 1942 at San Diego California. During his tour of the nation's war plants and defense facilities during World War II. More seriously wounded seamen looked on from wheelchairs. The men were wounded in the Battles of Carol Sea and Midway. At right stood Gov. Culbert L. Olson of California. (AP Photo/US Navy)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- George R. Skadding
- Updated
President Franklin Roosevelt bestowed the nation’s highest decoration posthumously upon Captain Richard E. Fleming, Marine pilot cited for heroic action in the Battle of Midway, when he handed the Congressional Medal of Honor to the flier’s mother, Mrs. Michael E. Fleming, of St. Paul, Minn., in a ceremony at Washington, D.C. on Nov. 24, 1942. Standing between them at the White House is Lieut. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, commandant of the Marine Corps. (AP Photo/George R. Skadding)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD
- Updated
Photo provided by the White House shows first lady Laura Bush visiting the Battle of Midway Memorial on the parade grounds of Midway Island in Hawaii, Thursday, March 1, 2007. Midway Atoll was the site of the World War II battle June 4, 1942. The U.S. Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Islands, marking a turning point in the war in the pacific theater. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is pictured wearing a blue shirt and is standing next to Mrs. Bush. (AP Photo/White House, Shealah Craighead)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- Jacquelyn Martin
- Updated
Henry Kudzik, 87, of Bethlehem, Pa., a veteran of the Battle of Midway, winks while holding an edition of Life Magazine from Aug. 3, 1942, while attending a Battle of Midway 70th Commemoration ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, Monday, June 4, 2012. The photograph Kudzik is holding is of a sinking destroyer photographed from the periscope on board the USS Nautilus, where he served in WWII. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway Anniversary
- Elliot Spagat
- Updated
Hundreds of people attend ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, aboard a retired U.S. Navy aircraft carrier named for the epic World War II battle, in San Diego, Monday, June 5, 2017. A small group of survivors of the June, 1942 battle, all in wheelchairs, received a standing ovation Monday aboard the USS Midway, which is now a museum in San Diego Bay. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)
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WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- Anonymous
The U.S.S. Yorktown, shown in this undated photo, was a World War II aircraft carrier that was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in the battle of Midway, June 7, 1942. The wreck was discovered on May 18, 1998 by National Geographic explorer Robert Ballard. (AP Photo/National Geographic)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- HOGP
In this June 4, 1942 photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Torpedo Squadron Six aircraft are prepared for launching on USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean. Buffalo, New York native C. Wade McClusky Jr. will have a statue of his likeness included in a new military monument being dedicated June 4, 2017, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. (United States Navy via AP)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smoke burns from the USS Yorktown after a Japanese bomber hit the aircraft carrier in the Battle of Midway near Midway Islands in June 1942 during World War II. Bursts from anti-aircraft fire fill the air. ( AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Mogami class Japanese cruiser is the flaming target of carrier-based U.S. naval aircraft in the historic battle of Midway which raged for three days, June 1942. In this battle, the Japanese navy was dealt a paralyzing blow from which it never recovered, and turned the tide of the Pacific war. The Japanese cruiser's superstructure is shown twisted and flaming white-hot, her big guns pointing helter-skelter and her port holes awash. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- STF
The U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown, left, and other fighting ships of the U.S. task force in the Pacific, throw up an umbrella of anti-aircraft fire to fight off a squadron of Japanese torpedo planes attacking the carrier during the Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942. A small column of smoke, far left, rises from a Japanese plane that was shot down near the carrier. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
Crewmen aboard the USS Yorktown battle fire after the carrier was hit by Japanese bombs, during the Battle of Midway, on June 4, 1942. Later the vessel had to be abandoned and was sunk by a Japanese submarine torpedo hit. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
Heavy smoke from the USS Yorktown is seen after being hit in early June 1942, by Japanese aircraft during the Battle of Midway, in this photo. The aircraft carrier was put out of action June 4, 1942, and sank June 7, 1942. (AP Photo)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- HOGP
In this June 1942 file photo, the USS Yorktown lists heavily to port after being struck by Japanese bombers and torpedo planes in the Battle of Midway during World War II, as a destroyer stands by at right to assist as a salvage crew on the flight deck tries to right the stricken aircraft carrier. Buffalo, New York, native C. Wade McClusky Jr. made one of the most fateful decisions of World War II at Midway, yet his actions during the history-changing battle have received scant recognition. That will change in his hometown, a statue of his likeness will be included in a new military monument being dedicated June 4, 2017, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. (U.S. Navy via AP, File)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- AP
President Franklin Roosevelt shakes hands with the chief petty officer at the Naval Hospital on Oct 1, 1942 at San Diego California. During his tour of the nation's war plants and defense facilities during World War II. More seriously wounded seamen looked on from wheelchairs. The men were wounded in the Battles of Carol Sea and Midway. At right stood Gov. Culbert L. Olson of California. (AP Photo/US Navy)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- George R. Skadding
President Franklin Roosevelt bestowed the nation’s highest decoration posthumously upon Captain Richard E. Fleming, Marine pilot cited for heroic action in the Battle of Midway, when he handed the Congressional Medal of Honor to the flier’s mother, Mrs. Michael E. Fleming, of St. Paul, Minn., in a ceremony at Washington, D.C. on Nov. 24, 1942. Standing between them at the White House is Lieut. Gen. Thomas Holcomb, commandant of the Marine Corps. (AP Photo/George R. Skadding)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD
Photo provided by the White House shows first lady Laura Bush visiting the Battle of Midway Memorial on the parade grounds of Midway Island in Hawaii, Thursday, March 1, 2007. Midway Atoll was the site of the World War II battle June 4, 1942. The U.S. Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Islands, marking a turning point in the war in the pacific theater. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is pictured wearing a blue shirt and is standing next to Mrs. Bush. (AP Photo/White House, Shealah Craighead)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway
- Jacquelyn Martin
Henry Kudzik, 87, of Bethlehem, Pa., a veteran of the Battle of Midway, winks while holding an edition of Life Magazine from Aug. 3, 1942, while attending a Battle of Midway 70th Commemoration ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, Monday, June 4, 2012. The photograph Kudzik is holding is of a sinking destroyer photographed from the periscope on board the USS Nautilus, where he served in WWII. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
WWII Pacific Battle of Midway Anniversary
- Elliot Spagat
Hundreds of people attend ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, aboard a retired U.S. Navy aircraft carrier named for the epic World War II battle, in San Diego, Monday, June 5, 2017. A small group of survivors of the June, 1942 battle, all in wheelchairs, received a standing ovation Monday aboard the USS Midway, which is now a museum in San Diego Bay. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)
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