In May 1942, Japanese Admiral Isorosku Yamamoto devised a plan to drag the American Pacific Fleet into battle where he could completely destroy it . To carry out his master plan, he sought an invasion of Midway Island which would provide a base for Japanese troops to attack Hawaii. Unfortunately for Yamamoto, America decoded the Japanese radio transmissions and Admiral Chester Nimitz managed to launch a counterattack against this offensive. Nimitz sent three aircraft carriers, USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and 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. People claim that this had no effect on the war, but those critics couldn't be further from the truth. The Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war because it brought America fully into the war, kicked off the Pacific campaign, and put Japan on the defensive, thus preventing it from aiding the Axis forces. Midway itself was not that important in the larger picture of Japan's intentions. Japan was focusing on Samoa, Fiji, and Australia to expand its newly acquired South Pacific territory relative to Midway. Midway was the closest remaining American base to Japan and would therefore be heavily defended by the United States. Admiral Yamamoto's battle plan was bold. Like most Imperial Japanese Navy strategies, it was designed to lure much of the U.S. 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 Midway's aid. The plan was complicated because it was put together very quickly in the wake of the Tokyo air raid by US Army B-25s... middle of paper... it.co.uk/"Battle of Halfway. " Naval History and Heritage Command. Np, nd Web. December 17, 2011. .Revelations, the time of these, and Nimitz had more information than. "Stemming the Tide. The Battle of Midway, June 4 - June 7, 1942." » Maintenance mode. Np, nd Web. December 17, 2011.Symonds, Craig L.. The Battle of Midway. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. PrintTime, this and two secure American naval intelligence centers. "Battle of Midway: June 4-7, 1942." Naval History and Heritage Command. Np, nd Web. December 17, 2011. .White, Steve. The Battle of Midway: the destruction of the Japanese fleet. New York: Rosen Rosen Pub., 2007. Print.