 American radar picked up the enemy at a distance of several miles , and interceptors were scrambled . Unescorted bombers headed off to attack the Japanese carriers , their fighter escorts remaining behind to defend Midway . At 06 : 20 , Japanese carrier aircraft bombed and heavily damaged the U.S. base . Midway @-@ based Marine fighters , which included 7 F4Fs and 21 F2As , intercepted the Japanese and suffered heavy losses , though they managed to destroy 4 B5Ns and at least 3 A6Ms . Within the first few minutes , 3 F4Fs and 13 F2As were destroyed , while most of the surviving U.S. planes were damaged , with only 2 remaining airworthy . American anti @-@ aircraft fire was intense and accurate , destroying 4 additional Japanese aircraft and damaging many more . 
