As was mentioned before Japanese Naval plans during World War II were complex. Operation K, the invasion of Midway, was no exception.

The plan was simply this. Take Midway and destroy as much of the American fleet as possible. Once Midway was in the hands of Japan it could be used as a base for attacks and then the invasion of Hawaii.

This seems simple enough, but Yamamoto added another action into the plan, Operation AL. This was the invasion of the Aleutian Islands. It was hoped that with these two actions the American fleet would be distracted and not know where to send support.

The plan also called for reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor to ensure the American fleet was still present. However this part of the plan was not possible due to American ships in the area.

Operation K had problems from the beginning. First of all Japanese ships had been in a constant state of attack since December 7th. The carriers had been into the Indian Ocean and now were heading into the North Pacific. They were in need of repairs and refit. Most of all there was actually a shortage of front line aircraft. This is the main reason that Zuikaku did not take part in the attack. One other problem in the attack was the lack of proper recon on the American fleet. Nagumo was not aware the American fleet location could not be determined.

One final item that the plan called for was attacking in two places at once. This divided the Japanese Navy. Yamamoto had plenty of scout planes in the group whereas Nagumo lacked sufficient numbers to probe for the American carriers. The old adage rings true, do not divide your forces. Who knows the outcome had Yamamoto been closer to Nagumo and used his battleships in the battle.

If Operation K been successful it would have caused a sever blow the American moral and Navy. Second guessing is easy to do today, but 67 years ago it was not so easy.