"At Midway, thanks mostly to code-breakers and excellent planning, US forces ambushed a Japanese attack/invasion force that featured the same four aircraft carriers that had launched the attack on Pearl Harbor six months earlier. In the end, Hiryu, Soryu, Akaki, and Kaga were all sunk, with the loss of thousands of Japanese seamen and, most importantly, the loss of hundreds of Japanese aircraft and pilots. On the American side, the USS Yorktown was sunk. Japan, a relatively small island nation with practically no domestic natural resources, was unable to recover from the losses at Midway. While the US was able to launch dozens of new aircraft carriers and support ships during the war years, Japanese ship production was unable to even maintain the 1941 navy."
www.answers.com/Q/Why_was_the_US_able_to_ambush_the_Japanese_at_midway_and_why_was_it_a_turning_point
