The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-15
Army, Navy, Marines
 Win Greatest Battle
fContlnued frOm Page b

.ss9oysd er lost ct sea. Approxi- san1sly A,6oO Japanese soldiers, EtloEs and aviators were killed or drowned.
 U. 8. Losses Few
 nmerica's comparatively insignifi- can't losses included damage to the zlrrrafE carrier Yorktown and loss 1f the destroyer Hammann. Per- gonnel losses were 02 officers and alS men. The communique did not azt total American plane losses Cit mentioned 3S) but they apparently were light.
 The Midway victory, which sent moro than 100000 tons of Japanese alaips to the bottom, followed by a little less th.n month the Ameri- ean victory in the Coral Sea. The Midway battle has been described as a s'continuation" of that action of northern Australia. Fifteen enemy ships were sunk in the Coral Sea and many others were damaged.
 The two major defeats for the Japanese, coming 50 close together, may have Q lasting effect on the Japanese war effort, naval authori- ties agreed. They believed it would he impossible for Japanese to re- assemble such an invasion force again for months and said the two hattles had swung the balance of naval and air power in the Pacific fo the United States.
 Admiral Ernest J. King, com- uander of the navy, said while the Midway battle still was ss1 progress that its outcome prob ably would determine the course of &ha war in the Pacific for at least lm year. From the details of the battle now assembled it is obvious that the victory ended for some time a Japanese threat to Hawaii and may have prevented an attack in force on Alaska, the Panama Canal or the American mainland.
 Tales of HerOism
 The navy,S communique was re- p1ete with tales of heroism- a ma fine major who crashed his plane down the stack of 8 Japanese car- rier: another who crashed into a Japanese ship rather than bail out; c squadron of torpedo bombers which carried out an attack with out support at a cost of all 15 planes and 29 out of 30 flyers.
 The battle marked 8 high spot in cooperation among the armed forces. In contrast to Pearl Har- bOr the armed forces were ready. s'lgo plane was caught grounded at Midway" the communique said, which recalled that an undisclosed number of planes were destroyed on the ground during the Pearl Har- Dor attack Dec. '.
 "Alert navy, army and marine corps pilots, patrolling a far-fung beat over the Pacific detected ap- proach of the Japanese fleet, kept it under surveillance while cor1- ing in range. and then united to deal the enemy nearly annihilat!ng blows in the battle of Midway" the Navy Department said in a supple mentary statement praising the CO., ordination of the fighting services.
 The navy's recapitulation of the damage inflicted on enemy ships:
 Four Japanese aircraft carriers, the Kago (26,90O tons), Akagi (26,- 800 tons), Soryu (10,500 tons), and Hiryu (10,5O0 tons) sunk.
 Three battleships damaged by bomb and torpedo hits, one severely.
 Two heavy cruisers, the Mogami (0.5OO tons) and Mikuma (8,500 tOns), sunk; three others damaged, one or two severely.
 One light cruiser damaged.
 Three destroyers sunk and several Othe-s damaged by bombs.
 At least three transports or aux Hilary ships were damaged and one or more sunk.
 Pacific Losses 46
 Losses in the Midway battle bring the announced ship casualties for the United States in the Pacific to 46-28 sunk, nine scuttled and nine damaged. Japanese ship cas- ualties now stand at 303-includ- ing 69 warships and 93 non-com- battant vessels sunk: IT warships and 19 non- combattant vessels prob ably sunk, and 63 warships and AZ non -combattant vessels damaged.
 Tn the navy's own words the bat tie was a complex and widespread action" and even the active partici- pants were unable to give accurate accounts of the damage inflicted. To help the press and the public un- deEstand the many attacks and counter attacks, the navy issued a diagram outlining and explaining where and when the main actions occurred.
 The battle started at 9 a. m. son June 3 when American naval patrol planes discovered the enemy 700