Midway order of battle
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This is the order of battle for the World War II Battle of Midway.
Contents |
[edit] Japanese Combined Fleet
The Japanese forces actually consisted of two different fleets detailed to two separate operations, namely Operation Al (for the Aleutians) and Operation MI (for Midway).
[edit] First Fleet
- First Fleet Main Force
- Battleship Division (BatDiv) 1
- Carrier Group:
- Special Force
- CVS Chiyoda
- CVS Nisshin
- Screening Force
- Supply Group: 2 Oilers
- First Carrier Striking Force (First Air Fleet) - Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
- Carrier Division (CarDiv I): Vice Admiral Nagumo in Akagi
- Carrier Division 2 (Cardiv 2): Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi in Hiryū.
- Hiryū - Captain Tomeo Kaku
- Air Unit: Lt Joichi Tomonaga (18 A6M2 Type 21, 18 D3A1, 18 B5N2)
- Sōryū - Captain Ryusaku Yanagimoto
- Air Unit: Lt Commander Takashige Egusa (18 A6M2 Type 21, 18 D3AI, 18 B5N2, 2 D4Y1)
- Hiryū - Captain Tomeo Kaku
- Support Group Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe in Tone
- BatDiv 3, 2nd Section
- Screening Force
- Supply Group 1
- DD Akigumo
- 5 Oilers
[edit] Second Fleet (Midway Invasion Force)
- Second Fleet Main Body - Vice Admiral Kondo
- Midway Occupation Force - Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka
- 12 transport vessels, 3 Patrol Boats, 1 Oiler
- Escort Force - Rear Admiral Tanaka in CL Jintsu
- CL Jintsu
- DesDiv 15 (Kuroshio, Oyashio)
- DesDiv 16 (Yukikaze, Amatsukaze, Tokitsukaze, Hatsukaze)
- DesDiv 18 (Shiranuhi, Kasumi, Arare, Kagero)
- Seaplane Tender Group: Rear Admiral Ruitaro Fujita in Chitose
- Seaplane Tender Div 2
- CVS Chitose (16 A6M2 -N 'Rufe' floatplane fighters 4 scout aeroplanes)
- AV Kamikawa Maru (8 A6M-2N 'Rufe' floatplane fighters 4 scout aeroplanes)
- DD Hayashio
- 1 Patrol boat
- Seaplane Tender Div 2
- Midway Support Force - Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita in Kumano
- Minesweeper Group - Captain Sadatomo Miyamoto
- 4 Minesweepers
- 3 Subchasers
- 1 Supply ship
- 2 Cargo ships
- Advance (Submarine) Force (Sixth Fleet) - Vice Admiral Teruhisa Komatsu in Katori at Kwajalein
[edit] Shore-based Air Force
- Eleventh Air Fleet - Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara (at Tinian)
- Midway Expeditionary Force - Captain Morita
- 36 'Zero' fighters
- 10 'Betty' bombers at Wake Island
- 6 flying boats at Jaluit
- 24th Air Flotilla - Rear Admiral Maeda
- Chitose Air Group at Kwajalein
- 36 'Zero' fighters
- 36 B5N2s
- 1st Air Group at Aur and Wotje
- 36 'Zero' fighters
- 36 B5N2s
- 14th Air Group
- 36 H6K Flying boats at Jaluit and Wotje
- Midway Expeditionary Force - Captain Morita
[edit] Northern Area Force
- Fifth Fleet Main Body - Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya in Nachi
- Second Carrier Striking Force - Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta
- Aleutian Support Force - Vice Admiral Shiro Takasu in Hyūga
- Attu Invasion Force - Rear Admiral Sentaro Omori in Abukuma
- Kiska Invasion Force - Captain Takeji Ono in Kiso
[edit] United States
The US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas are under the overall command of Admiral Chester Nimitz.
[edit] Carrier Strike Force
Task Force 17 - Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher in Yorktown
- Task Group 17.5 (Carrier Group)
- USS Yorktown - Captain Elliot Buckmaster
- Task Group 17.2 (Cruiser Group) - Rear Admiral William Smith in Astoria
- Task Group 17.4 (Destroyer Screen) - Captain Gilbert Hoover (COMDESRON 2)
Task Force 16 - commander: Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance in Enterprise
- Task Group 16.5 (Carrier Group)
- USS Enterprise - Captain George D. Murray
- Air Group 6 (27 F4F-4, 38 SBD-2/3, 14 TBD-1) - Lt. Cmdr. C. Wade McClusky
- USS Hornet - Captain Marc A. Mitscher
- Air Group 8 (27 F4F-4, 38 SBD-1/2/3, 15 TBD-1) - Lt. Commander Stanhope C. Ring
- USS Enterprise - Captain George D. Murray
- Task Group 16.2 (Cruiser Group) - Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid (COMCRUDIV 6)
- Task Group 16.4 (Destroyer Screen) - Captain Alexander R. Early (COMDESRON 1)
- Oilers Group
Submarines Operational command under Rear Admiral Robert H. English (Commander, Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet) at Pearl Harbor.
- Task Group 7.1
- Task Group 7.2
- Task Group 7.3
[edit] Midway Garrison
- Air Group
- Marine Aircraft Group 22 - Colonel Ira Kimes, USMC
- VMF-221 Major Floyd B. Parks, USMC (KIA)
- VMSB-241 Major Lofton R. Henderson, USMC, KIA
- Navy Air Units - Captain Cyril Simmard
- Detachments of Patrol Wings 1 and 2 (PBY-5 and PBY-5A Catalinas)
- VT-8 TBF Avenger detachment (from USS Hornet)
- Detachment of 7th Army Air Force - Maj. Gen. Willis Hale
- B-26 Marauders Capt. James Collins, USA
- B-17 Flying Fortress Lt. Col. Walter C. Sweeney, USA
- Marine Aircraft Group 22 - Colonel Ira Kimes, USMC
- Local Defenses - Colonel Harold Shannon, Fleet Marine Force commander
- "C" and "D" Companies, 2nd Raider Battalion, USMC
- 6th Defense Battalion (Reinforced) USMC Colonel Shannon
- 1st Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron
- 4 small patrol craft, 2 tenders, and 1 DD (at French Frigate Shoals), 1 Oiler, 1 minesweeper in the area
The military forces at the immediate point of tactical contact (i.e. not including support formations) are described below.
[edit] Aircraft
[edit] American Forces
Naval Air Station (NAS) Midway operated:
- 4 B-26 Marauder, medium bombers
- 17 B-17 Flying Fortress, heavy bombers
- 19 Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless, dive bombers
- 17 Chance-Vought SB2U-3 Vindicator, dive bombers
- 21 Brewster F2A Buffalo, fighters
- 7 Grumman F4F-3A Wildcat, fighters
- 1 light utility aircraft
Yorktown: 75 aircraft
- 25 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, fighters
- 37 Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, dive bombers
- 14 Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, torpedo bombers
Enterprise: 78 aircraft
- 27 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, fighters
- 37 Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless, dive bombers
- 14 Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, torpedo bombers
Hornet: 77 aircraft
- 27 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, fighters
- 35 Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, dive bombers
- 15 Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, torpedo bombers
[edit] Japanese Forces
The Japanese carriers of the Striking Force operated:
Akagi: 60 aircraft
- 24 A6M Zero, fighters
- 18 Aichi D3A, dive bombers
- 18 Nakajima B5N, torpedo bombers
Kaga: 74 aircraft
- 27 A6M Zero, fighters
- 18 Aichi D3A, dive bombers
- 27 Nakajima B5N, torpedo bombers
- 2 Aichi D3A, dive bombers (cargo, likely non-operational)
Hiryū: 57 aircraft
- 21 A6M Zero, fighters
- 18 Aichi D3A, dive bombers
- 18 Nakajima B5N, torpedo bombers
Sōryū: 57 aircraft
- 21 A6M Zero, fighters
- 16 Aichi D3A, dive bombers
- 18 Nakajima B5N, torpedo bombers
- 2 Yokosuka D4Y-1C, pre-series dive bombers (experimental recon aircraft)
(Note: These figures include 21 operational Zero fighters of the 6th Air Group being ferried to Midway by the carriers.)
- Japanese Battleships and Cruisers: 16 recon floatplanes, most of them short-ranged (5 Aichi E13A, 10 Nakajima E8N, 1 Aichi E11A)