1. As regards Midway, the terms overcomplex, blind luck, and commander's intent tend to come to mind.
2. I'll have a go at trying to simplify my view of the battle.
3. Yamamoto, after Coral Sea and the Doolittle Raid, came to the conclusion that American carrier power in the Pacific was still a threat and must be eliminated, if only temporarily.
4. He's lost the use of his two most modern carriers (though in theory, one carrier/air group could have been combined) and sends off his light carriers as part of a deception; he's also thinks there are only two American carriers, not knowing that Yorktown survived Coral Sea and is in the process of being repaired.
5. This isn't space, where you can see everything, and everything can see you, since there is no stealth, as has been variously pointed out.
6. The Americans have broken the Japanese naval code, and have figured out that Midway is their objective.
7. Japanese reconnaissance planes fail to locate the American carriers, until it's too late.
8. The Americans make a couple of lucky guesses, and the timing of their attacks discombobulate the Japanese, plus training, allows their dive bombers to take out three of the four Japanese carriers.
9. Yamamoto failed to impose his will on Nagumo, as to the primary objective of the operation was destruction of the American carriers, not the reduction of Midway.