 Of the 108 Japanese aircraft involved in this attack , 11 were destroyed , 14 were heavily damaged , and 29 were damaged to some degree . The initial Japanese attack did not succeed in neutralizing Midway : American bombers could still use the airbase to refuel and attack the Japanese invasion force , and most of Midway 's land @-@ based defenses were intact . Japanese pilots reported to Nagumo that a second aerial attack on Midway 's defenses would be necessary if troops were to go ashore by 7 June . 
