Why did Japan launch a naval battle on Midway Island against the United States in history?

1. The Japanese conquest frenzy after Pearl Harbor incident has been fully realized? South? target

Since 194 1 attacked Pearl Harbor, the naval base of the US Pacific Fleet, Japan has ushered in a series of conquest frenzy.

194 1 year 65438+February 8, autumn in Bangkok, Thailand;

194 1 year 65438+February 19, Hong Kong fell;

1942 65438+1October 3 1, Malaya fell;

1942 February 15, Singapore fell;

In mid-February 1942, Sumatra and Borneo fell;

On March 6 1942, Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, fell;

On March 8 1942, Java island fell;

At the end of March 1942, Timor Island fell;

1 942 may1,Myanmar fell;

On May 6th, 1942, the Philippines fell.

By this time, the Japanese had completely reached the original General Staff of Lu Haijun? South? Combat goal, that is, occupation? Philippines, Guam, Hong Kong, British Malaya, Myanmar, Bismarck Islands, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes, Timor? Formed the so-called Japanese dominance? Greater East Asia * * * Glory Circle? .

As a result, Japan has gained considerable strategic resources:

Obtained 70% of the world's tin ore reserves and all natural rubber resources, forcing Americans to develop synthetic rubber for their car tires. Japan's oil production (7.9 million tons) exceeds that of California and Iran combined. The Japanese also transport 6.5438+0.4 million tons of coal from Sumatra and Borneo every year; Shipped 65,438+065,438+one moz of gold from the Philippines (exceeding the gold production of Alaska or other American states except California) and about 500 million tons of manganese, chromium and iron; Tin was shipped from Thailand; Transport oil, silver, lead, nickel and copper from Myanmar.

Moreover, the Japanese army completely cut off the land transportation lines between China and other allies, forming a very active strategic situation.

According to the original plan of the General Staff Department, Japan's next move should be to make peace with the United States by taking advantage of the war.

However, as the saying goes, push your luck. In view of such favorable conditions, Japan is no longer satisfied with its original ideas.

Second, the Japanese army did not cooperate, so that the Japanese navy was prepared to fight a beautiful battle alone.

Before Pearl Harbor, more than 90% of Japan's oil and a lot of steel were imported from the United States. South? The achievement of the goal is based on the victory of the war against Britain, the United States and the Netherlands, so there are uncertain risks, so it is decided. Greater East Asia * * * Glory Circle? Once this goal is achieved, it is necessary to make peace with the United States and force the United States to recognize the vested interests of Japanese military forces.

However, a series of victories in the Pacific made Japan think that Britain, the United States and Holland are paper tigers, and their strength is far less than expected.

Advocating force is the tradition of Japanese samurai. If you can't beat your opponent, you will commit suicide by caesarean section. Once you think you can beat your opponent, you will not hesitate to cut off his head without mercy.

At this time, the samurai in the Japanese army threw the original goal into the garbage dump, re-established a new goal, and completely drove the United States, Britain and the Netherlands out of the Pacific Ocean.

In addition, there are two main reasons why Japan is unwilling to stop at the original plan:

First, Japan's national policy is exploitation by force, fearing that the fighting spirit of Japanese soldiers will gradually decline; Second, they are worried that Britain and the United States, which have a solid economic foundation, will fight back against Japan after getting a break.

After determining the goal of continuing to fight against the United States and Britain, the Japanese navy set its sights on Hawaii and Australia for fear that the US navy would pose a threat to itself from Hawaii and Australia.

After the Pearl Harbor incident, Japan has been afraid that the attack on Pearl Harbor will not succeed. I am worried that the US Navy's aircraft carrier will leave Pearl Harbor, and I am worried that the US Navy will use Australia as a springboard to counterattack Japan.

Therefore, the Japanese navy hopes that the Japanese army will cooperate with the landing operations in Hawaii or Australia. However, the Japanese army has different ideas. Japanese hope

China as the center, moving eastward to India. Therefore, they want to fight Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), not Australia and Hawaii. Because the army seems that the goal of fighting these two places is too ambitious, it needs a lot of troops and time, and the army does not want to take risks.

In order to make the Japanese army recognize its own plan, the Japanese navy believes that it is necessary to fight a beautiful battle alone and win a great victory before the Japanese army can change its mind and cooperate with the navy to capture Hawaii and Australia.

Therefore, the Japanese navy's goal is to focus on midway island, which is 0/000 mile west of Pearl Harbor, and other islands around Solomon Islands, Fiji and Australia.

Third, the Japanese navy's two-line combat strategy.

In view of the fighting in Hawaii and Australia, the Japanese navy is divided into two factions:

1, Isoroku Yamamoto and the joint fleet command hope to attack midway;

2. The Navy Staff Headquarters hopes to capture Solomon Islands, Fiji and other islands and cut off the connection between the United States and Australia.

The debate was dominated by the naval staff headquarters, and the Japanese navy began to actively prepare for the islands around Australia. However, an unexpected event changed the original conclusion.

1942 On April 18, Tokyo, Japan was attacked by the US military.

In order to prevent Tokyo from being attacked by the United States again, the Japanese navy decided to hit midway island in addition to the islands around Australia. The plan is divided into four steps:

The first step: go deep into Solomon Islands and capture Tulaji Island as a seaplane base;

The second step: capture port moresby in New Guinea and use it as a base to bomb Queensland, Australia;

The third step: capture midway island;

Step 4: Capture Guadalcanal Island and cut off the traffic between the United States and Australia.

Therefore, strategically, the Japanese navy is facing a two-front battle against Australia and midway.

Fourth, the Battle of Coral Sea, an outpost that laid the foundation for the naval battle of Midway Island.

1On May 3rd, 942, the Japanese army occupied Tulaji Island in Solomon Islands in the northeast of Australia as planned.

What is the cover for the Japanese landing? Shoukaku? And then what? Ruihe? 2 aircraft carriers, 4 heavy cruisers, 6 destroyers and *** 125 aircraft.

Got the message, American army? Yorktown? And then what? Lexington? Two aircraft carriers escorted five heavy cruisers and seven destroyers, and *** 14 1 aircraft departed from Pearl Harbor.

On the morning of May 8, the United States and Japan met in the Coral Sea, Japan? Shoukaku? And then what? Ruihe? Two aircraft carriers were injured, America? Lexington? The aircraft carrier exploded and sank. Yorktown? The aircraft carrier was injured.

This encounter between the United States and Japan caused the US military to lose 1 aircraft carrier, which looks bigger than Japan. However, due to the gap between the two countries' industrial capabilities, Japan's two aircraft carriers cannot return to the battlefield in the short term, while the United States? Yorktown? 1 soon appeared on the sea of midway island.

The Battle of Coral Sea became an outpost to lay the foundation for the naval battle of Midway Island.

5. Midway naval battle: Japanese troops use bait tactics.

In the Midway naval battle, the Japanese army fought in two ways.

That is, the main force will fight midway, and the other division will fight the Aleutian Islands north of midway.

In the midway naval battle, the Japanese army dispatched almost all the main naval forces, including:

1, an advance submarine force: 2 1 submarine;

2. Midway Raiders, Fleet Commander Takeshin Kondo: 12 transport ships carrying 5000 landing troops, 8 heavy cruisers, 2 battleships, 1 light aircraft carrier;

3. The first aircraft carrier fleet, fleet commander Nan Yunzhong: 4 heavy aircraft carriers, 250 aircraft, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 1 destroyer;

4. Main fleet, commander Isoroku Yamamoto: 3 battleships (1 is the world's largest battleship Yamato), light aircraft carrier 1, destroyer 2 1.