SATURDAY, 6 JUNE 1942
China: B-25s of the 11th BS (Medium) attacked the waterfront at Canton, marking their initial action against coastal facilities of Japanese-held Chinese ports. The bombers are escorted by AVG P-40s from 2nd Squadron took part in this raid between 11:40-14:00. They were in combat with reported I-97 fighters 50 miles northwest of Canton and Flight Leader John Petach claimed one destroyed and one probable while Squadron Leader David Hill claimed one destroyed.
ALASKA (11th Air Force): Various search-attack missions are flown by bombers in an attempt to locate Japanese forces reported to be near Seguam. No contact is made
due to weather. Eight P-38s enroute from Cold Bay to Umnak mistakenly attack
a Soviet freighter. Japanese forces land on Kiska.
IJN: Five hundred No. 3 Special Naval Landing Force (3rd SNLF) land at Kiska Harbor on Kiska Island.
PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, 7th Air Force): B-17s maintain searches around Midway. Six B-17s mistakenly attack a US submarine, which later reports no damage. More
B-17s arrive at Midway from Oahu. This attack was met by a greatly outnumbered United States
carrier force composed of Task Force 17 (TF-17) under the command of Rear Admiral F. J. Fletcher with USS Yorktown (CV-5),
and Task Force 16 (TF-16) under the command of Rear Admiral Spruance with USS Hornet and USS Enterprise,
and Navy, U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), and U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) units based on Midway.
Aircraft from Midway located and attacked
the Japanese Occupation Force 600 miles to the west (3 June), and of
the mobile Force (4 June) as it sent its aircraft to attack Midway. Concentrating on the destruction
of Midway air forces and diverted
by their torpedo, horizontal, and dive bombing attacks, the Japanese carriers
were caught unprepared for the carrier air attack which began at 9:30am with the
heroic but unsuccessful effort of Torpedo Squadron 8, and were hit in full force
at 10:30am when dive bombers score hits on aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu.
At noon, a Japanese counter attack damages USS Yorktown (CV-5) with bombs and torpedoes so severely that she was abandoned.
In the late afternoon,
U.S. carrier planes hit the Mobile Force again sinking Hiryu, the fourth and last
of the Japanese carriers in the force. With control of the air irretrievably lost,
the Japanese retired under the attack by Midway based
aircraft (5 June) and of carrier air (6 June) in which the heavy cruiser Mikuma was sunk and Mogami severely damaged. Japanese losses totaled two heavy
and two light carriers, one heavy cruiser, 258 aircraft, and a large percentage
of their experienced carrier pilots. United States losses include 40 land based
and 92 carrier aircraft, destroyer USS Hammann (DD-412) sunk by Japanese submarine and aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5)
sinks June 7, 1942 at 5:30am.
During the Battle of Midway, a decisive Naval defeat suffered by the Japanese Navy ends their
offensive operations and effectively turns the tide of the Pacific War.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): P-39F 41-7271 suffers a crash landing and is written off.
U.S. Navy: The Battle of Midway concludes as planes from carriers Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet (CV-8) attack retiring Japanese force. SBDs bomb and sink heavy cruiser Mikuma (30°00'N, 173°00'E); near-misses damage destroyers Asashio and Arashio. At Admiral Spruance's expressed orders (because of the destruction of three torpedo squadrons on 4 June), TBDs (VT 6) that accompany the strike do not attack because of the antiaircraft fire from the Japanese ships. After recovering planes, TF 16 changes course to eastward to refuel and breaks contact with the enemy.
Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) losses include 3,500 men, four
carriers, a cruiser, 332 aircraft, and many of their most experienced
pilots. American losses include 150 aircraft, 307 men. The Battle of Midway, one of the most decisive battles in naval history, marks the turning point of the Pacific War. In the wake of the battle, efforts to locate downed aviators persist over the ensuing days.
Meanwhile, Japanese submarine I-168 interrupts salvage operations on Yorktown (CV-5), which is under tow of the tug (ex-minesweeper) Vireo (AT-144) and screened by destroyers, torpedoing Yorktown and torpedoing and sinking destroyer Hammann (DD-412) while she lies alongside the carrier (30°36'N, 176°34'W). Screening destroyers depth-charge I-168, but the Japanese boat, although damaged, escapes destruction.
IJN: Japanese submarine I-10 torpedoes U.S. freighter Melvin H. Baker approximately 45 miles off the coast of Mozambique, 21°44'S, 36°38'W; all hands abandon ship. British steamship Twickenham rescues the 48 men: 34 merchant seamen, 6-man Armed Guard, and the eight passengers (six of whom had been survivors of U.S. freighter Bienville, sunk on 6 April).
