Prof. Greg Jackson

Japanese logs say 1.30 a.m.

American rear admirals Black Jack Fletcher and Raymond Spruance say it's 6.30.

But on the atoll, it's 4.30.

These complications on the time are due to today's battle being so close to the international dateline.

For simplicity's sake then, we'll stick with midway time, the time zone in which the atoll is located.

But if things get a little fuzzy with other reports you've read, you now know why.

Okay, back to sunrise at midway.

At 5.34 a.m., Lieutenant Howard Addy is patrolling in his Catalina aircraft when he comes out of a cloud and is met with the fearful sight of Japanese carriers and several other warships.

Yes, he's spotted the Kido Butai.

Howard immediately radios to headquarters.

He'll later recall this moment as being, quote, like watching a curtain rise on the biggest show on earth, close quote.

Rear Admiral Jack Fletcher gets the report but wants more confirmation.

At 6.07, he sends his fellow rear admiral, Raymond Spruance, a message.

Proceed southwesterly and attack enemy carriers when definitely located.

I will follow as soon as plane is recovered.

But even as Raymond reacts, around 100 Japanese aircraft, including Aichi D-3A2 dive bombers, otherwise known as VALs, Nakajima B-5N torpedo bombers, also known as Kates, and their deadly escorts of Mitsubishi A-6M fighters, or Zeros, are already coming in hot.

Thanks to a heads-up from their radar, some two dozen of Midway's Marine fighters, consisting of Brewster F-2A Buffaloes and Grumman F-4F Wildcats, scrambled to meet their incoming foe.

As with the takeoff of the Doolittle raid, US filmmaker John Ford is in the thick of it, capturing it all as the Japanese drop 38 tons of explosives on the atoll.

The Japanese do plenty of damage, yet despite that and having the numbers, they are less successful than their wildest hopes.

Around 7 o'clock, strike leader Tomonaga Joichi radios back that, quote, there is need for a second attack, close quote.