Attempting to make a second crippling strike against the U.S. Navy, the Japanese formulated a plan to draw the enemy out into a vulnerable position. Turning their attention to the small island of Midway, Yamamoto's primary strategic goal was the elimination of America's carrier forces, which he perceived as the principal threat to the overall Pacific campaign. Armed with less-than-full-strength carriers, Admiral Nagumo sought to destroy the U.S. Navy’s counterparts commanded by Admiral Fletcher.
The Battle of Midway begins with Japanese aircraft poised to demolish the airfield on Midway Island. The Japanese carrier fleet has just moved within range to retrieve the aircraft after their attack, presuming the U.S. fleet is nearby. Knowing the Japanese fleets are within attack range, the U.S. has launched aircraft from Midway to deliver a counterstrike while maneuvering its fleet to launch an all-out air assault against the enemy flattops.
The Battle of Midway is a two-player game with one player controlling the U.S. forces defending Midway Island and the other player controlling the Japanese forces attempting to sink the U.S. fleet and invade the island.
While the U.S. faces grim odds in this battle, they have one major advantage – they have broken the Japanese radio code. They know the location and makeup of the Japanese forces; while the exact location and makeup of the U.S. fleet is unknown to the Japanese. The Japanese must first find the U.S. fleet before they can attack it, while simultaneously protecting their carriers from the inevitable counter-attack by U.S. aircraft.
BATTLE OF MIDWAY GAME MAP
34" X 42.5" Matte Vinyl color map
BATTLE OF MIDWAY RULES
Free Rules & Setup are available at "Battle of Midway" on Board Game Geek. Become a fan of the game, post pictures, and leave comments!
Additional items needed to play:
Japan Player
(5) Carriers
(4) Battleships
(12) cruisers
(8) destroyers
also a minimum of-
(10) fighters
(10) torpedo bombers
(10) dive bombers
U.S. Player
(3) carriers
(8) cruisers
(6) destroyers
(1) AA gun
(3) heavy bombers
also a minimum of-
(10) fighters
(10) torpedo bombers
(15) dive bombers
Fuel tokens (Free sheet with purchase) $3.95 value
D6 dice
Chips