The tiny atoll of Midway was the most westerly of U.S. bases in the Central Pacific. Only 1,500 miles from Oahu, it was a perfect starting point for aconquest of Hawaii. If the base was threatened by Japan, Yamamoto reasoned, the U.S. Fleet would have to meet the challenge and could be lured into a hopeless battle with superior Japanese forces. Yamamoto planned the mother of naval battles. Some 200 ships would participate, burning more …showed first 75 words of 1950 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1950 total…planes and 2,155 men, including many of Japan's prized pilots. Never again would Yamamoto have the naval strength to engage the enemy far from home. Never again would Japan move so aggressively. "Pearl Harbor has now been partially avenged," wrote Nimitz in his communique on the battle. "Vengeance will not be complete until Japanese sea power is reduced to impotence. Perhaps we will be forgiven if we claim that we are about midway to that objective."