The situation
Six months after Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto planned to seize Midway and draw the remaining American carriers into a decisive battle. He did not know that American codebreakers were reading enough of his signals to predict the plan.
The decision
Admiral Nimitz committed his three available carriers, including the damaged Yorktown, rushed back into service, to an ambush northeast of Midway.
On 4 June waves of American torpedo bombers attacked first and were cut to pieces, but they pulled the Japanese fighter cover down to sea level. Dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown arrived overhead at almost the same moment. In a matter of minutes Akagi, Kaga and Sōryū were burning. Hiryū was hit later that day.
What it cost
Japan lost four fleet carriers and many experienced aircrew. The US lost Yorktown and the destroyer Hammann. After Midway the strategic initiative in the Pacific passed to the United States.