After Midway the Japanese Navy tried to regain the initiative by engaging the U.S. naval forces in the southern Solomon Islands supporting the Guadalcanal landings. While the Japanese naval air arm did damage the Enterprise, sink the Wasp and severely damage the Saratoga, the Japanese air crews were decimated again at the battle of Santa Cruz. The Marianas Turkey Shoot in the Solomons in June 1944 virtually ended the Japanese naval air arm with only 35 planes left fit to fly of the 473 at the start of the battle. The next tactic by the Japanese was the Kamikaze attacks against American carriers at the battle of Leyte Gulf and then at Okinawa. By March 1945 there were only 500 fighters left for the Japanese air forces for air defense of the Home Islands. The dropping of the atomic bombs in August 1945 ended the war.