Chapter 9 Chapter 5 Anticipated and Persistent Threats

In early May, the United Fleet was preparing for the implementation of the Midway Island operation, and the US Pacific Fleet was also preparing to deal with the Midway Island operation.Neither Yamamoto nor Nimitz, however, went all out.The day after Nagano's order, on May 6, General Jonathan Wainwright's valiant but doomed defenders of Corregidor surrendered.The United States has had bad luck, and there is no way to add it.But shortly thereafter, almost imperceptibly, America began to turn around. The exercise on the map to attack Midway Island is still in progress, and the Battle of the Coral Sea has kicked off.On May 7, the two sides began to contact.The Japanese army was very confident in winning this battle and capturing Port Moresby in the southeast of New Guinea. Even Sanhe, who was always very rational in his diary and paid attention to his words, wrote: The news of the discovery of the enemy spread to Combined Fleet Command, we are ecstatic.

However, later, in the same diary, Sanhe also had to write: My Fifth Aircraft Carrier Squadron first attacked the enemy in the south, but the enemy was actually just an oil tanker and a destroyer.Therefore, the first battle was lost.Sanhe very much hopes that the battle will be bigger, not just the destroyer Sims and the tanker Neosho.Miraculously spared from disaster during the Pearl Harbor raid, the Neosho now lies on the ocean floor.Meanwhile, Sanwa continued, the enemy south of De Boyne Island launched an attack on our forces, resulting in the sinking of our small aircraft carrier Shoho at about 9:30 am.The battle was at one point in a stalemate. [Note: Sanhe Diary, May 7, 1942. 】

The word confrontation sums up this conflict well.It is inappropriate to go into detail here, as we are looking at the impact of the Battle of the Coral Sea on the upcoming Battle of Midway.This effect is indeed important.On the morning of May 8, Rear Admiral Fletcher's 17th Task Force and Rear Admiral Chuichi Hara's Fifth Aircraft Carrier Squadron finally found each other.The two teams are evenly matched and evenly matched: Major General Yuan has the advantage in fighter jets and torpedo bombers, Major General Fletcher has radar and advanced navigation devices, Yorktown and Lexington have stronger anti-aircraft firepower, and Xianghe and Rui Crane had been working together for several months, and had an advantage in coordination. The weather was favorable for the Fifth Aircraft Carrier Squadron. The sky above it was covered with dense clouds, while the area where Fletcher was located was sunny. [Note: "Analysis of the Battle of the Coral Sea", page 82. 】

The distance between the enemy and us is 200 nautical miles. Sanwa continued to write on the Yamato that everyone on the same ship was paying attention to the naval battle in the south.The distance between the two sides is very close, and it is possible to succeed.It looked like there was bound to be a fierce battle. (Although there is no specific basis, I am confident of victory and have no qualms. But Kuroshima seems to be a little worried about the outcome of the battle.) The words in parentheses may be added by Sanwa later.He continued: Long-term, rigorous training is our forte. Therefore, victory is expected.At around 9:30 in the morning, a password signal was sent to rush up.Ten minutes later, the battle report came: the Saratoga was sunk.There was a burst of ecstatic cheers in the staff room.

Just after noon, a battle briefing was sent: the Saratoga had nine torpedoes and more than seven bombs.Yorktown had three torpedoes and more than eight bombs.Therefore, the two ships must sink.Although my Xianghe was hit by several bullets, it was still able to move.What a triumph! [Note: Sanhe Diary, May 8, 1942. 】 However, the Saratoga did not sink to the bottom of the Coral Sea, she was in Puget Sound for final repairs.Once again the Japanese mistook the Lexington for the Saratoga.The last time, earlier in the year, there were battle reports that the Lexington was sunk when a submarine actually damaged the Saratoga. [Note: "The Battle of Midway Island", note on page 79. 】

At this stage, the battle report of the Fifth Aircraft Carrier Squadron is extremely optimistic.Although many bombs fell around Yorktown, only one hit.An 800-pound bomb dropped vertically from a dive bomber penetrated the carrier's flight deck and exploded on the fourth floor, killing or seriously injuring sixty-six people.Yorktown acted quickly to bring the fire under control.Under the experienced command of Captain Elliott Buckmaster, she continued to engage in anti-air operations. The Lexington was far from being hit by nine torpedoes and more than seven bombs as reported by the former major general.In fact, she had two torpedoes on her port side, one bomb in her spare compartment, another bomb hit the funnel, and several missiles knocked out several shields.Ironically, she actually suffered relatively little damage from the fighting and, like Yorktown, was able to take off as usual.It seems that the sinking of the Lexington was not due to the accuracy of the Japanese bombing, but because the Americans themselves were careless.One of the ship's generators was forgotten to be turned off.As a result, about one hour after the battle ended at 11:40 on May 8, the gasoline mist released by the torpedo penetrated into the deep part of the engine room and was attracted by the high temperature generated by the non-stop operation of the generator, causing a series of explosions. Mrs. [Translator's Note: Refers to the Lexington. 】Very strong, until after seventeen o'clock, Captain Frederick C. Sherman reluctantly gave the order to abandon ship. [Note: "Analysis of the Battle of the Coral Sea", pages 94, 195, and 102; "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway Island, and Submarine Operations", page 59. 】

Some ships have been in bad luck since construction began, while others have been blessed with good fortune.The Lexington falls into the latter category.The crew took great care of it.Some crew members have been on board since it entered service in 1927.For these crew members, its sinking was not only a naval loss, but also a blow to their hearts.While the medical staff moved the wounded, the crew, like a family moving away from a well-loved but now too small fully-furnished apartment, carefully and gently dusted equipment and scattered dust on tables. Documentation and archiving.The evacuation work was carried out in an orderly and orderly manner in an atmosphere of grief and grandeur. From the beginning to the end, no life was damaged, and even Sherman's dog left the ship safely. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", pages 14 and 59. 】

Although Fletcher and Sherman had a deep affection for the Lexington, neither of them had any intention of dying with the ship.America needs trained commanders, not costly but pointless sacrifices.The captain conducted a thorough inspection of the entire ship for the last time, making sure that all personnel except the 216 dead had been evacuated, and he was the last one to climb down the rope ladder.When the destroyer Phelps launched a torpedo to sink the Lexington, the well-built and dark-skinned sailors wept loudly or silently like young girls. [Note: Ibid., page 59 | page 60. 】 The Fifth Aircraft Carrier Squadron of the former major general also suffered losses.The Xianghe was hit by three bullets, with 148 casualties.One of the bombs hit the bow of the ship, igniting the gasoline and burning out the flight deck, making it impossible for the plane to take off again.Another blew up the plane's engine repair bay.With these injuries, the Xianghe sailed back to the mainland staggeringly, almost capsizing on the way.Although the Ruihe was not hit, due to the loss of personnel and aircraft, it had to sail back to the mainland with the Xianghe to receive supplements. [Note: Sanhe Diary, "Analysis of the Battle of the Coral Sea", May 10, 1942, p. 1071108. 】

The Japanese on the Yamato received the optimistic battle report, and they were all making wishful thinking.They believe they sank not only the Lexington, Sims, Neosho, but also the cruiser Chicago and a California-class battleship (perhaps the only heavy battleship in the Confederates, the Royal Australian Navy Australia) and possibly sank the Wospite [Translator's Note: British warship. 】【J Note: HMS Warspite, someone flipped the Warspite, a big mistake, the Evil and Bingsha are the ones. ] But the ship was not present.In addition, the counterattack sank and damaged a number of miscellaneous ships. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", page 39. 】

In view of the above facts, Sanwa could not understand why Vice Admiral Narumi Inoue, Commander of the 4th Fleet and also Supreme Commander of the Japanese Forces for the Port Moresby/Coral Sea Operation, ordered a retreat to the north and abort the offensive.Ugaki also couldn't understand Inoue's order, so he immediately sent a telegram: The current fighter plane is very good, and we think we need to press on the enemy step by step.Please report the reason why the approach cannot be made.The Fourth Fleet simply ignored the harsh telegram, and once again ordered the postponement of the attack on Port Moresby, and changed its deployment to prepare to attack Nauru and Ocean Island. [Note: Sanhe Diary, May 8, 1942. 】

Sanhe flew into a rage, and his anger was on paper: this kind of thinking was tantamount to defeatism. Letting go of this order to the Fourth Fleet may lead to negating the fighting spirit of our Imperial Japanese Navy.Now we can't help but feel that the decency and authority of the commander of the Fourth Fleet need not be too much regard. A daytime attack tomorrow instead of a night attack tonight might be able to win.But if it does succeed, it can only be said that we have had good luck.Now we must pursue the fleeing enemy with all our might.It's time to press the enemy.If the fuel runs out, put all combustibles into the boiler Obviously, Yamamoto agreed with Sanhe's point of view, and he personally issued an order that had no precedent: to pursue and wipe out the remnants of the enemy.But Yamamoto's order, like Ugaki's telegram, had no effect.The Fourth Fleet has been a coward so far, Sanwa complained, and we can only conclude that they lack the traditional spirit that the Imperial Japanese Navy has always cherished. He didn't even want to read the telegram. [Note: Sanhe Diary, May 8, 1942. 】In fact, the land-based aircraft of the US Army Air Forces were putting the Japanese forces in the sea off Papua at that time.Without air cover, Inoue couldn't have won.He therefore postponed the Moresby landings until July.Later, there was no login at all. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway Island, and Submarine Operations", page 61 | page 63. 】 From the perspective of naval warfare alone, the Japanese had the upper hand in the Battle of the Coral Sea, losing only one light aircraft carrier, one destroyer and several minelayers, one heavy aircraft carrier was severely damaged, while the US side lost one heavy aircraft carrier, one A destroyer, an oil tanker, and another heavy aircraft carrier were severely damaged.But from a strategic analysis, any battle cannot be regarded as a victory if the goal is not achieved.The Japanese battle failed to achieve the expected goal of capturing Port Moresby.Therefore, objectively speaking, the Battle of the Coral Sea was a draw: the Japanese won tactically, and the US won strategically. Because he always thought that the Japanese army would attack Midway on May 28, Nimitz seized the time and transferred back to Fletcher.Immediately after the carrier battle in the Coral Sea, he gave Fletcher his orders, but without any particular urgency.The order said: After everything is ready, proceed to Pearl Harbor at the highest endurance speed.Since it is the highest cruising speed, it is not the highest speed, but stable and fast: neither time nor fuel is wasted.Thus, Fletcher's Task Force 17 was unaware that another major battle was about to take place. [Note: Smith and Vice Admiral William Ward, "The Battle of Midway: A Turning Point in the Pacific War", p. 54 | 55, hereinafter referred to as "Turning Point"; page note. 】 While Fletcher's fleet galloped toward Oahu, the official Japanese newspaper, which never liked to spoil a good battle report with overly modest rhetoric or qualifiers, announced a major Japanese victory in the Coral Sea.On May 9, the "Japan Times and Advertisement" quoted the "Asahi Shimbun" interview with Vice Admiral Nagamura Kiyoshi, saying that this well-known authority on aircraft carriers expressed his opinion.American losses in this latest battle had shattered its dreams of a counteroffensive against Japan; the loss of several aircraft carriers and wounded pride suggested that America was doomed. The English-language newspaper's own editorial also went further and further: Japan's unparalleled armed forces, both army and navy, under the shadow of His Majesty's holy virtue and inspired by the prayers of one hundred million supporters, have continued to achieve astonishing victory after victory The significance of this Japanese victory cannot be overestimated.It dealt a fatal blow to the weakest part of the Allies' strength, that is to say, it cost them battleships and aircraft carriers. 】 To be fair, the Japanese journalists did not make up anything, they just reported what they got from the Navy Command.It is difficult for any combatant to objectively estimate the battle situation.Throughout the Pacific War, naval aviators on both sides had a strong tendency to exaggerate near misses as hits and heavy damage to enemy ships as sinkings. Hitler personally sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Tojo: After this new defeat, American warships will no longer dare to confront the Japanese fleet, because any American warship fighting the Japanese navy is tantamount to death. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", p. 62. 】 This unusually euphoric mood in the press played a key role in brewing the sweat potion that fate had prepared for the Japanese Navy.Nagumo firmly believed that the Yorktown and the Saratoga (the Japanese still reported the Lexington as the Saratoga) had been buried at the bottom of the Coral Sea. heart.Although the Battle of Midway was still in the planning stage, he had lost one-third of the aircraft carriers originally scheduled to participate in the battle, but the enemy had also lost two aircraft carriers.Nagumo's staff did not pay much attention to this situation.Maj. Joe Hashiguchi, a veteran horizontal bomber who participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor and the current aviation staff officer of the Hiryu, explained: Since we firmly believe that the first and second aircraft carrier teams are much stronger than the fifth aircraft carrier team, even though the fifth aircraft carrier team is Losses were suffered in the Battle of the Coral Sea, and we still believe that the advantage is on our side. [Note: The questionnaire filled out by Qiao Hashiguchi in the autumn of 1964.Hereinafter referred to as Hashiguchi's statement. 】 The Japanese Navy is in no hurry to repair Shokaku and replenish Zuikaku.As a result, the two large aircraft carriers, which were less than a year old, failed to participate in the Battle of Midway with their companions.And if they join the fight, the tide of battle could change. Doubts still chill the commanders on Oahu from time to time.Rochford was all but certain that Midway was the primary Japanese target, and, as we have seen, Nimitz believed so, even visiting Midway himself.A place called AF is often mentioned in the intercepted secret messages of the Japanese army.From the context of the telegram, Rochford had a strong premonition that AF was referring to Midway.So on or around May 10, after obtaining the approval of Leighton and Nimitz, he set a small trap for the Japanese.According to his suggestion, Midway Island sent a report to Oahu Island in clear codes, reporting that the freshwater facilities had failed and the island was short of freshwater.The Japanese fell for the trap.Within forty-eight hours, the Combat Intelligence Bureau intercepted a secret Japanese military telegram, which notified the relevant commanders: AF was short of fresh water. [Note: Interview with Nimitz, September 4, 1964; Interview with Rochford, September 1, 1964. 】 As far as Rochford was concerned, the question of what AF was referring to was settled, but there were still differences with the Admiralty.The Admiralty quarreled with him over such trivial issues as the name of a Japanese aircraft carrier.At last he got mad, and said, call it whatever you like!He'd know what he meant anyway. [Note: Interview with Rochford, September 1, 1964. 】 For Leighton, Rochford's close colleague, this phase was also a time to keep his head above water about victory.Leighton later said: When Pearl Harbor happened, they didn't want to listen to me at all; but when it came to Midway, they would listen. [Note: Interview with Leiden, July 22, 1964. 】 But no one has yet made Emmons sing his praises.On May 15, Emmons issued another warning, explaining the martial law already in place in Hawaii.He said: The horrors of real aggression and war have fallen upon us.Now we may be threatened again at any time here. All efforts of the people and the army are aimed at preparing this theater of operations for any eventuality. [Note: "Honolulu Star", May 15, 1942. 】 Provoking Emmons' protest, Nimitz ordered a fleet ready to meet the invasion.In this way, the bombers of the Seventh Air Force were placed under the command of the Pacific Fleet by him.In mid-May he sent Nimitz an Army Intelligence analysis of the situation, along with his own opinion in favor of it.He pointed out that the Navy's operational planning is based on the estimation of the enemy's intentions rather than on the estimation of the enemy's capabilities.And the enemy is capable of attacking Oahu again. Emmons was right.Pearl Harbor provided a painful lesson: if Americans spent a lot of time studying what the Japanese might do instead of studying what the Japanese could do, anything could happen.But the trouble is, under the circumstances, Nimitz had no choice.His limited number of ships and aircraft was insufficient to deal with all of Yamamoto's combat options.Still, Nimitz could, and did, assign a staff officer, Captain James M. Steele, to question the analysis of Layton, Rochford, and their colleagues point by point. [Note: "Amazing Victory", page 24 | 25; "Nimitz", page 79 | page 80. 】 Many of Emmons' superiors in Washington were even more skeptical.As the saying goes: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.Some of this intelligence appears to be exaggerated, as Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall testified before the Congressional Pearl Harbor Investigation Committee: We were very disturbed that a unit of the Japanese Army had Midway as its postal address.Their attempt to expose themselves so publicly seems a little too much.We were relieved when the enemy fleet actually appeared.For if we had been tricked into concentrating our limited number of ships on Midway while the Japanese attacked elsewhere, they would have met no resistance. Because Marshall simply didn't know the whole story at the time, or because he had forgotten some of it over the years, he attributed his knowledge of the Japanese war plan to the magic that had broken Japan's top diplomatic code, known to the Americans as Purple Secret. [Translator's note: Americans call the advanced encryption system used by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the late 1930s Purple Secret.The code name of the US intelligence agency that deciphered the purple secret is magic. ] But he stresses that not everything the intelligence agencies tell us can be taken as true: We've always had to double check, because we never know when we're going to end up on our own feet.If the other government is smart enough to suddenly find out that we have broken their code and are using it to intercept their intelligence, they will certainly do everything they can to draw us into disaster. [Note: The third part of "Pearl Harbor Investigation", page 1158. 】 Nimitz certainly knew how serious the consequences would be if he miscalculated.But the reason why the Navy put four stars on his shoulders and appointed him commander of the Pacific Fleet is to ask him to make such extremely painful but far-sighted decisions. If these decisions lead to disastrous failures, he has to blame himself, so he Continue to shrink the front.At that time, Halsey's Task Force 16 was operating about a thousand nautical miles from the Coral Sea Battlefield.After leaving a fighter squadron of the Marine Corps in Noumea, Halsey led two aircraft carriers, four heavy cruisers, eight destroyers and two oil tankers to continue reconnaissance in this area.Halsey was so angry that the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet ordered his task force not to go beyond the air cover of shore-based aircraft, and felt that this literally broke his legs and immobilized him.On May 15, Halsey was still angry when he received an order from Nimitz to return to Pearl Harbor. [Note: Five-Star Admiral William F. Halsey and Major J. Bryan of the Naval Reserve III, Admiral Halsey, 105 | 106. 】 On the ship and ashore, American troops are stepping up their preparations for the battle.At this time, the Japanese Navy began to realize the true price they had paid for their so-called victory in the Coral Sea.The casualty list of the Fifth Aircraft Carrier Squadron was reported, and Sanhe wrote in his diary on May 14: Ruihe lost about 40% of its air crew, and Xianghe lost about 30%.Judging from the casualty list, the fighting was intense. Takahashi Kazuichi Marine Major was killed in battle, God! But it must be remembered that this kind of spirit is needed to save the country, that is, the high fighting spirit of the air combatants.This spirit should be carried forward in the Imperial Navy. The death of Takahashi, the calm, dependable captain of the dive-bomber squadron during the attack on Pearl Harbor, was a severe blow to the Japanese.Each of the Japanese Navy's early aerial victories drained its strength from its combat-experienced pilot corps.No matter how eager and brave the newly trained pilots are, they cannot completely replace the skilled battlefield veterans like Takahashi.