# WWII question regarding Midway Intel **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 19, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544 "2003-09-19T03:55:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544/1 "2003-09-19T03:55:01Z")
Just a niggling thought. In my readings of the build up to Midway, I’ve seen it cited that the code-crackers had the Japanese plan basically understood, but they didn’t know if the primary target, “AF,” was Midway or the Aleutians. So, they had Midway send an uncoded message indicating that their desalinization plant was down, and they needed replacement parts. Supposedly this resulted in the Japanese generating radio traffic to the effect that the Midway invasion task force needed to take on fresh water equipment, as “AF” had reported problems. Aha! Mystery solved. The code-crackers now knew that Midway was the target, and we went on to win the war. But having just recently watched footage of the attempted invasion, and, thinking generally about sustaining troops on a Pacific island, it seems to me that a prudent commander would have thought: a.) I don’t know what the heck all of the Americans’ facilities my pilots or naval artillery might destroy during the course of an invasion and b.) fresh water’s going to be pretty damn important out on this little speck of land. So I would think that the Japanese invasion force would have already been prepared to supply fresh water independently of American facilities. What am I missing in appreciating this little gem of intelligence maneuvering? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544/2 "2003-09-19T04:21:04Z")
You’ll have to take my word for it. I deleted a funny post. Haaaaaaaaaaaa! God bless the hamsters. GBTH. gbth GBTH GBTH GBTH BGTH THBG THBG THBG THBG THBGod. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544/3 "2003-09-19T04:25:48Z")
OK, I’ll take your word for it that it was a true nostril-irrigator. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544/4 "2003-09-19T04:56:33Z")
It was not a matter of the Japanese suddenly making plans for their own water. It was simply a matter of getting the Japanese to pass on the message that Midway was out of water, using the “AF” code to indicate where the shortage had occurred. [http://www.nsa.gov/docs/history/AFWater.html](http://www.nsa.gov/docs/history/AFWater.html) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544/5 "2003-09-19T05:01:17Z")
A slightly different version that confirms the salient point: [http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/jhchuah/encrypt/midway.htm](http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/jhchuah/encrypt/midway.htm) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544/6 "2003-09-19T12:53:55Z")
I think the OP is slightly in error; if I recall corrently, the Japanese follow-up message was simply to the effect that desalinization facilities on “AF” were broken - not that anyone needed to bring fresh water or anything like that. That part sounds like an embellishment through retelling. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-question-regarding-midway-intel/202544/7 "2003-09-19T13:42:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > \*\*A slightly different version that confirms the salient point: > > \*\* That was an assault on my sense of humor.