May 1942–June 3
Intelligence places the U.S. carriers northeast of Midway
Partial reading of Japanese naval communications reveals Midway as the objective and helps Nimitz concentrate Enterprise, Hornet, and the hastily repaired Yorktown. Japanese forces are widely separated, and Yamamoto's main body cannot support the carrier force at the decisive moment.
WHAT TO NOTICEThe ambush begins with intelligence, concentration, and Japanese dispersal, not foreknowledge of every movement.