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Battle of Midway, 3-6 June 1942: Composition of Japanese Naval Forces

Combined Fleet

Adm. Yamamoto Isoroku (Commander in Chief) in battleship Yamato 

Chief of Staff, Rear Adm. Ugaki Matome

Advance (Submarine) Force

Vice Adm. Komatsu Teruhisa (Commander in Chief, Sixth Fleet)

Chief of Staff, Rear Adm. Mito Hisashi in light cruiser Katori at Kwajalein.

Submarine Squadron 3, Rear Adm. Kōno Chimaki (in submarine tender Rio de Janeiro Maru, at Kwajalein)

I-168, damaged by depth charges by screening destroyers following the boat’s attack on carrier Yorktown (CV-5) on 6 June 1942.

I-169

1-171

I-174

I-175

Deployed between latitude 20 degrees North, longitude 166 degrees 20 minutes West and latitude 23 degrees 30 minutes North, longitude 166 degrees 20 minutes West.

Submarine Squadron 5

I-156

I-157

I-158

I-159
I-162

I-165

I-166

Deployed between latitude 28 degrees 20 minutes North, longitude 162 degrees 20 minutes West, and latitude 26 degrees North, longitude 165 degrees West.

Submarine Division 13

I-121

I-122

I-123

Bringing gasoline and oil to Laysan Island and French Frigate Shoals.

First Carrier Striking Force

Vice Adm. Nagumo Chūichi Chief of Staff, Rear Adm. Kusaka Ryūnosuke

Carrier Division 1

 Vice Adm. Nagumo Chūichiin carrier Akagi

Akagi, Capt. Aoki Taijirō

Severely damaged by bombs from SBDs from Enterprise (VB-6 and VS-6) NW of Midway (30°20'N, 179°17'W)on 4 June 1942, and scuttled by Japanese destroyers NowakeArashi, and Hagikaze, on 5 June 1942 (30°30'N, 179°08'W).

Akagi Air Unit,  Comdr. Fuchida Mitsuo

18 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighters,  [r2] Lt. Comdr. Itaya Shigeru

18 Aichi D3A1 Navy Type 99 carrier bombers , Lt. Comdr. Chihaya Takehiko

18 Nakajima B5N2 Navy Type 97 carrier attack aircraft, Lt. Comdr. Murata Shigeharu

6 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighter (6th Air Group)

Kaga, Capt. Okada Jisaku (KIA)

Sunk by bombs from SBDs from Enterprise (VB-6 and VS-6) on 4 June 1942 (30°20'N, 179°17'W).

Kaga Air Unit,  Lt. Comdr. Kusumi Tadashi (KIA)

18 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighter,  Lt. Satō Masao

18 Aichi D3A1 Navy Type 99 carrier bomber, Lt. Ogawa Shōichi (KIA)   

27 Nakajima B5N2 Navy Type 97 carrier attack aircraft, Lt. Kitajima Ichirō

9 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighter (6th Air Group)

2 Aichi D3A1 Navy Type 99 carrier bomber (embarked as cargo for Soryu)

Carrier Division 2

Rear Adm. Yamaguchi Tamon (KIA)

Chief of Staff, Capt. Ito Seiroku

Hiryu, Capt. Kaku Tomeo (KIA)

Severely damaged by bombs from SBDs from Enterprise (VS-6) and Yorktown (VB-3) NW of Midway Island, 4 June 1942, and scuttled by Japanese destroyers Kazegumo and Yugumo on 5 June 1942 (31°38'N, 178°51'W).

Hiryu Air Unit, (aircraft numbers approximate) Lt. Comdr. Tomonaga Jōichi (KIA)

18 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighter, Lt. Mori Shigeru (KIA)  

18 Aichi D3A1 Navy Type 99 carrier bomber, Lt. Kobayashi Michio (KIA) 

18 Nakajima B5N2 Navy Type 97 carrier attack aircraft, Lt. Kikuchi Rokurō (KIA)  

3 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighters (6th Air Group)

Soryu, Capt. Yanagimoto Ryūsaku (KIA)

Sunk by bombs from SBDs from Yorktown (VB-3) NW of Midway Island (30°38'N, 179°13'W).

Soryu Air Unit, Lt. Comdr. Egusa Takashige 

18 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 0 carrier fighter, Lt. Suganami Masaharu  

16 Aichi D3A1 Navy Type 99 carrier bomber, Lt. Ikeda Masahiro  

18 Nakajima B5N2 Navy Type 97 carrier attack aircraft, Lt. Abe Heijirō

3 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighters (6th Air Group)

2  Yokosuka D4Y1 Model 13 carrier bombers

Support Group

Cruiser Division 8

Rear Adm. Abe Hiroaki

Tone

3 Aichi E13A1 Navy Type 0 float reconnaissance seaplanes

2 Nakajima E8N2 Navy Type 95 float reconnaissance seaplanes   

Chikuma

3 Aichi E13A1 Navy Type 0 float reconnaissance seaplanes

2 Nakajima E8N2 Navy Type 95 float reconnaissance seaplanes

Battleship Division 3, (Section 2)

Rear Adm. Takama Tamotsu, in Haruna

Haruna

3 Nakajima E8N2 Navy Type 95 float reconnaissance seaplanes

Kirishima

3 Nakajima E8N2 Navy Type 95 float reconnaissance seaplanes

Destroyer Squadron 10

Rear Adm. Kimura Susumu, Commander Destroyer Squadron 10 in light cruiser Nagara

Nagara

1 Aichi E11A1 night reconnaissance seaplane

Destroyer Division 10

Capt. Abe Toshio

Kazagumo

Yūgumo

Makigumo

Destroyer Division 17

Capt. Kitamura Masayuki

Isokaze

Urakaze

Hamakaze

Tanikaze

Destroyer Division 4

Capt. Ariga Kosaku

Arashi

Nowake

Hagikaze

Maikaze

Supply Group

Oilers

Capt. Ota Masanao

Kyokutō Maru

Shinkoku Maru

Tōhō Maru

Nippon Maru

Kokuyō Maru

Destroyer Akigumo – from Destroyer Division 10 (3 June 1942)

Midway Occupation Force

Vice Adm. Kondō Nobutake (Commander in Chief, Second Fleet)

Chief of Staff, Rear Adm. Shiraishi Kazutaka

Covering Group

Vice Adm. Kondō

Cruiser Division 4, Section 1

Atago

Chōkai

Cruiser Division 5

Vice Adm. Takagi Takeo

Myōkō

Haguro

Battleship Division 3,  Section 1

Rear Adm. Mikawa Gunichi

Kongō

Hiei

Screen

Destroyer Squadron 4

Rear Adm. Nishimura Shoji, in light cruiser Yura

Destroyer Division 3

Capt. Oe Ranji

Murasame

Harusame

Yudachi

Samidare

Destroyer Division 9

Capt. Satō Yasuo

Asagumo

Minegumo

Natsugumo

Supply Group

Capt. Murao Jirō, in Sata

Oilers

ō Maru

Kenyō Maru

Sata

Tsurumi

Repair Ship

Akashi

Carrier Group

Capt. Obayashi Sueo (Commanding Officer, Zuiho)

Small Carrier

Zuiho

6 Mitsubishi A6M2 Navy Type 00 carrier fighter

6 Mitsubishi A5M4 Navy Type 95 carrier fighter

12 Nakajima B5N2 Navy Type 97 carrier attack aircraft

Destroyer

Mikazuki

Close Support Group

Rear Adm. Kurita Takeo, Commander Cruiser Division 7

Cruiser Division 7

Suzuya

Kumano

Mogami - damaged in collision with Mikuma while turning to avoid shadowing submarine Tambor (SS-198) while retiring from Midway, 5 June 1942; damaged by bombs from SBDs from the Hornet (CV-8) and Enterprise (CV-6), W of Midway Island, 6 June 1942.

Mikuma - damaged in collision with Mogami while turning to avoid shadowing submarine Tambor (SS-198) while retiring from Midway, 5 June 1942; sunk by bombs from SBDs  from  Hornet (CV-8) and Enterprise (CV-6), W of Midway Island, 6 June 1942 (30°00'N, 173°00'E).

Destroyer Division 8

Comdr. Ogawa Nobuki

Asashio - near-missed by bombs from SBDs from Hornet (CV-8) and Enterprise (CV-6), W of Midway Island, 6 June 1942.

Arashio - near-missed by bombs from SBDs from Hornet (CV-8) and Enterprise (CV-6), W of Midway Island, 6 June 1942

Oiler

Nichiei Maru

Transport Group

Approximately 5,000 troops embarked, Capt. Ota Minoru (Navy) (Kure and Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF)) and Col. Ichiki Kiyonao (Army)

Rear Adm. Tanaka Raizō, Commander Destroyer Squadron 2  in light cruiser Jintsu

Kiyozumi Maru

Keiyō Maru

Zenyō Maru

No.2 Goshu Maru

Tōa Maru

Kano Maru

Argentina Maru

Hokuriku Maru

Brazil Maru

Kirishima Maru

Azuma Maru

Nankai Maru

Two of the freighters carried construction equipment and weapons captured at Wake Island, 23 December 1941

High speed transports

Patrol Boat No. 1 Patrol Boat No. 2 Patrol Boat No. 34  

Carrying assault detachments, SNLF

Oiler

Akebono Maru (damaged by torpedo from PBY Catalina (VP-24) on 4 June 1942)

Screen

Light cruiser Jintsū

Destroyer Squadron 2

Rear Adm. Tanaka Raizo

Kuroshio

Oyashio

Hatsukaze

Yukikaze

Amatsukaze

Tokitsukaze

Kasumi

Arare

Kagerō

Shiranuhi

Seaplane Tender Group

Seaplane Tender Division 11 - Rear Adm.Fujita Ryūtarō

Seaplane Carriers

Chitose

16 Mitsubishi F1M Navy Type 0 observation floatplanes

4 Aichi E13A1 Navy Type 0 reconnaissance seaplanes

Kamikawa Maru

8 Mitsubishi F1M Navy Type 0 observation floatplanes

4 Aichi E13A1 Navy Type 0 reconnaissance seaplanes

Carrying seaplane group to be set up at Kure Island.

Destroyer

Hayashio

High Speed Transport

Patrol Boat No. 35 (troops embarked)

Minesweeping Group

Capt. Miyamoto Sadatomo

Converted Minesweepers

No. 3 Tama Maru  

No. 5 Tama Maru  

No. 7 Shōnan Maru   

No. 8 Shōnan Maru

Submarine Chasers

Submarine Chaser No. 16

Submarine Chaser No. 17

Submarine Chaser No. 18

Supply Ship

Soya

Cargo Ships

Meiyō Maru

Yamafuku Maru

Note - This Group, proceeding from Saipan and Wake, retired upon receiving word that the occupation of Midway had been abandoned.

Main Body (First Fleet)

Adm. Yamamoto

Battleship Division 1

Rear Adm. Takayanagi Gihachi

Yamato

Mutsu

Nagato

Small Carrier

Hōshō

8 Yokosuka B4Y1 Navy Type 96 carrier attack plane, Lt. Irikiin Yoshiaki

Destroyer

Yūkaze

Seaplane Carriers

Chiyōda

Nisshin - carrying 2 motor torpedo boats and 6 midget submarines.

Screen

Destroyer Squadron 3

Rear Adm. Hashimoto Shintaro in light cruiser Sendai

Destroyer Division 11

Fubuki

Shirayuki

Hatsuyuki

Murakumo

Destroyer Division 19

Isonami

Uranami

Shikinami

Ayanami

Destroyer Division 20

Amagiri

Asagiri

Yugiri

Shirakumo

Detachment from Main Body as Aleutian Screening (Support) Force

Vice Adm. Takasu Shiro Battleship Division 2

Ise

Hyūga

Fuso

Yamashiro

Cruiser Division (Light) 9

Rear Adm. Kishi Fukuhara

Kitakami

Ōi

Supply Unit

Oilers

Tōei Maru

Narutō

San Clemente Maru

Toa Maru

Note - Part of Destroyer Squadron 3 acted as Screen to this Force.

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