In May 1942, Japanese Admiral Isorosku Yamamoto hatched a plan to draw the U.S. Pacific Fleet into battle where he could completely destroy. To carry out his master plan, he sought to invade Midway Island, which would provide a base for Japanese troops to attack Hawaii. Unfortunately for Yamamoto, America deciphered Japanese radio transmissions and Admiral Chester Nimitz was able to launch a counterattack against this offensive. Nimitz sent three aircraft carriers, the USS Enterprise, the USS Hornet, and the USS Yorktown, to destroy the Japanese. This is just a brief overview of the Battle of Midway, or as it is commonly called, the battle that changed the war. Some claim that it had no effect on the war, but these criticisms could not be further from the truth. The Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war because it brought America fully into the war, it launched the Pacific Campaign, and it put Japan on the defensive, thus preventing them from aiding the forces of the Axis. Midway itself wasn't that important. within the broader framework of Japan's intentions. Japan focused on the Samoa Islands, Fiji, and Australia to expand its newly acquired territory in the Southeast Pacific from Midway. Midway was the closest American base to Japan and would therefore be heavily defended by the United States. Admiral Yamamoto's battle plan was daring. Like most Imperial Japanese Navy strategies, it was designed to draw a large portion of the American fleet into a fatal situation. Yamamoto's main force followed his carriers and was intended to eliminate any portion of the American fleet that might come to support Midway. The plan was complicated because it was developed very quickly following the Tokyo air raid by US Army B-25 planes flying...... middle of paper ......ite.co. uk/"Battle of Halfway." Naval History and Heritage Command. Np, and Web. December 17, 2011. .Revelations, at the time, and Nimitz had more information than. "Stopping the Tide. The Battle of Midway, June 4-7, 1942." » Maintenance mode. Np, and Web. December 17, 2011. Symonds, Craig L.. The Battle of Midway. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. PrintTime, this and two secure US naval intelligence centers. "Battle of Midway: June 4-7, 1942." Naval History and Heritage Command. Np, and Web. December 17, 2011. .White, Steve. The Battle of Midway: the destruction of the Japanese fleet. New York: Rosen Rosen Pub., 2007. Print.