The Battle of Midway Battle Analysis Before the Battle of Midway, American involvement in World War II had just begun. On June 4, 1942, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamo launched an attack on Midway Atoll, starting one of the largest naval battles in history. Just 6 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese carrier fleet was considered strong and nearly invincible. America's decisive victory over the Japanese fleet swung the momentum of the Pacific War. Starting on June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway took place six months after the United States became involved in World War II due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After the collapse of France in World War II, Japan seized the undefended territory of Indochina and also began invading China. In response to these harsh moves, the United States and England imposed an oil embargo on Japan. Relying heavily on imported oil, the embargoes would lead Japanese industry to halt production. Japan's response to these unwanted sanctions was to attempt to conquer various Pacific islands that could supply the homeland with oil. The Japanese knew that the American response to these actions would be war, so they began the impending war with an attack on Pearl Harbor to cripple the American fleet. As Japan gained ground in the Pacific early in the war, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto decided that the only way to win the war was to destroy the American carrier fleet. Destroying America's carrier fleet would require engaging the carriers in an all-out battle, staying away from the heavily fortified land defenses of most U.S. bases. The Japanese admiral decided that the Midway Island Atoll would be......middle of paper......boulders who carried out attacks to decisively finish off the first three Japanese aircraft carriers showed excellent economy of forces. Although the Americans launched a hundred planes against the Japanese fleet, no major hits were recorded. These last remaining aircraft were well synchronized to deliver the blows that led to the complete destruction of the Japanese carrier fleet. Offensive of a fighting force means having the initiative to attack enemy forces and seize what you want. In this battle both forces showed great initiative. The battle consisted of sending multiple waves of aircraft to seek out and destroy enemy air fleets. Admiral Nagumo of the Japanese Carrier Group was unable to show initiative to attack the American fleet which had been spotted as his planes were returning to base.