Less than an hour behind Midway's torpedo planes were sixteen Marine Scouting Squadron 241 (VMSB-241) SBD-2 bombers. They attacked the Japanese carrier Hiryu, scoring a near miss and causing a few casualties with machinegun fire. Again, the Japanese combat air patrol handled the attackers roughly. Only eight of the Marine SBDs returned to Midway, of which but two were fit for further service.

Then, somewhat after 0800, fifteen Army B-17s struck, raining down sticks of bombs from high altitude. Much was expected of this kind of attack, but no hits were scored, a result that further war experience would demonstrate was all-too-typical. On the other hand, the "Flying Fortresses" were little damaged by Japanese anti-aircraft fire and fighters. They made several fine photographs of the Japanese carriers maneuvering far below, an indication of the true role of these heavy bombers in contemporary maritime warfare: long-distance reconnaissance by aircraft capable of defending themselves.

Last of the Midway attack force were eleven Marine SB2U dive bombers, which came on the scene some minutes after the B-17s. These older planes attacked the battleship Haruna. They, too, made no hits, but most of them survived.

While all this was taking place, the Japanese also had to contend with the stealthy presence of the submarine Nautilus (SS-168), which poked up her periscope in the middle of their formation and fired a torpedo that missed. That provoked a series of depth charge attacks, some by the destroyer Arashi that lasted until after 0900 and had far-reaching consequences.

Midway's air strikes were over, and the submarine was left behind. The Japanese carriers recovered the planes returning from hitting the U.S. base and began preparing a second attack, this one targeting a U.S. Navy task force that had been unexpectedly discovered to the east. As he was dealing with the last of the Midway planes, Vice Admiral Nagumo was informed that an aircraft carrier was among the U.S. ships.