Chapter 124 Volume Four, Chapter Fourteen, American Naval Victory [1]: The Coral Sea and Midway

Japan's Victory Period Their New Forward Expansion Plan Admiral Nimitz Concentrates Forces in the Coral Sea Japanese Landings at Tulagi Island First Confrontation May 7 Admiral Fletcher Operation May 8 Air Combat American Victory Naval History Fate of the first aircraft carrier battle USS Lexington Admiral Yamamoto's plan Doom befells the Japanese Navy's use of the main force The admiral's excellent tactics The situation is extremely dangerous on both sides Four Japanese aircraft carriers are destroyed 【1】See U.S. Navy Captain S. E. Morrison: Coral Sea, Midway Island, and Submarine Activities.

In the Pacific Ocean, there is now a sensational event happening in the entire war situation.By the end of March, Japan had successfully completed the first phase of the combat plan, and those involved in the plan were dumbfounded.Japan became the master of Hong Kong, Siam, Malaya, and the vast Dutch East Indies.The Japanese army is penetrating deep into the hinterland of Burma.In the Philippine Islands, the United States was still fighting hard at Corregidor, but there was no hope of relief. The Japanese were ecstatic.They believed that the West had no intention of fighting to the end; this belief reinforced their confidence in their leaders and their pride in military victories.The imperial army now stood on the frontiers of the advance carefully chosen in the pre-battle plan.Within this vast area contained endless resources and wealth which they could use to consolidate these conquered places and develop their newly won power.In their long-term plan, this stage is stipulated as a respite time to resist the counterattack of the United States, or to organize further offensives.Still, in the excitement of victory, Japan's leaders believed their destiny had been fulfilled.They can't live up to it.These ideas arose not only from the natural allurement of victory, but also from serious military reasoning.Whether it is better to thoroughly consolidate the newly acquired peripheral areas or to advance aggressively in depth for the defense of these areas, it seems to them that they should weigh the pros and cons strategically.

After much deliberation, Tokyo adopted a more ambitious plan and decided to expand its occupation outwards, including the western Aleutian Islands, Midway Island, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Morse in southern New Guinea. Port Piraeus.This expansion threatened Pearl Harbor, the main U.S. base, and, if maintained, would have cut off direct U.S. lines of communication with Australia and provided Japan with a suitable base for future offensives. The Japanese High Command displayed extreme ingenuity and bravery in formulating and executing the plan.However, they acted on the basis that they had never estimated world power in correct proportions.They never understood the potential power of America.

At this stage, they still believed that Hitler would win in Europe.They are passionate and want to conquer Asia without restriction, lead Asia forward, and create meritorious deeds.Thus they were caught in a gamble: a victory would prolong their advantage for only one year; a loss would ruin them for as long.The practical result is that they have exchanged a fairly strong and firmly held interest for a vast and loose territory that they cannot control; There is no power left. Nevertheless, at the present period of the world war, no one can be sure that Germany will not defeat Russia, or drive it behind the Ural Mountains, so that it can return to attack Britain; The vanguard of Japan joins forces in India.In order for the Grand Alliance to operate smoothly, the United States must win a decisive naval victory and thus gain an advantage in the Pacific Ocean, even if it cannot establish full sea control over the Pacific Ocean for a while.Our hopes for this victory have not disappeared.As it turns out, I always believed that by May, with some help from the Atlantic, America would regain command of the seas in the Pacific.This hope was based on counting the battleships, aircraft carriers, and other ships newly created by the United States and Great Britain.We now describe this splendid and thrilling naval battle with the necessary abbreviation.It was this naval battle that indisputably confirmed the aforesaid grandeur.

At the end of April 1942, the Japanese High Command began to implement a new policy of expansion.This included the capture of Port Moresby and Tulagi Island, in the southern Solomon Islands, opposite the larger island of Guadalcanal.The capture of Port Moresby completed the first phase of the conquest of New Guinea and consolidated their forward naval base at Rabaul on the island of New Britain.From New Guinea or from the Solomon Islands they could start the siege of Australia. U.S. intelligence agencies soon became aware of the Japanese concentrations on these surfaces. Ships from Truk, the main naval base in the Caroline Islands, were observed to be concentrating at Rabaul, apparently about to head south.It is even possible to speculate that May 3rd was the date of their offensive.At this time, U.S. aircraft carriers were scattered about with various missions.Among these missions was General Doolittle's daring and astonishing air raid on Tokyo on April 18.This incident may in fact be one of the factors determining Japan's new policy.

Aware of the threat to the south, Admiral Nimitz immediately began mustering the strongest fleet possible in the Coral Sea.Rear Admiral Fletcher led the aircraft carrier Yorkton and three heavy cruisers to patrol the area.On May 1, Rear Admiral Fitch led the aircraft carrier Lexington and two cruisers to join him from Pearl Harbor; three days later, British Rear Admiral Kress led a squadron to join him.The squadron included the Australian cruisers Australia and Hobart and the American cruiser Chicago.The only other aircraft carriers immediately available were Enterprise and Hornet, which were involved in the bombing of Tokyo; they sailed south as soon as possible, but would not join Commander Fletcher's fleet until mid-May.Before they arrive, the battle begins.

On May 3, while refueling four hundred miles south of Guadalcanal, Commander Fletcher learned that the enemy had landed on Tulagi Island and evidently wished to immediately establish a sea air base from which to monitor the coral The eastern entrance to the sea.A handful of Australian defenders had withdrawn two days earlier as the outpost was clearly under threat.Fletcher immediately attacked the island with his squadron; Fitch's squadron was still refueling.At dawn the next day, Yorkton's fleet bombarded Tulagi Island.However, the enemy escort ships have already retreated, leaving only a few destroyers and some small ships.Therefore, the results were disappointing.

There were no major incidents for the next two days, but it was clear that a major battle was soon to come.Fletcher's three squadrons, after refueling and bombing, stood in battle off the northwest coast of New Guinea.He was informed that the Japanese attacking Port Moresby had set out from Rabaul and might cross the Yomade Channel in the Louisiades Islands on the 7th or 8th.He also knew that three enemy aircraft carriers had entered the nearby sea, but their locations were unknown.Japan's main offensive force, the Zuikaku and the aircraft carrier Xianghe, with the support of two heavy cruisers, went south from Truk Island along the eastern tip of the Solomon Islands, just outside the range of aerial reconnaissance, and entered the Coral Sea from the east on the evening of the 5th. .On the 6th, these ships were closely surrounded and approached Fletcher's fleet.At dusk one day, the distance was only seventy miles, but neither side noticed the existence of the other.That night, the fleets of both sides were far away.At dawn on the 7th, Fletcher entered the predetermined position south of the Louisiades Islands, where he was preparing to meet the incoming enemy troops.He sent Kress's detachment onward to control the southern exit of Jomade Gap, where the enemy might emerge that day.The position of Kress was discovered by the enemy soon, and in the afternoon, it was attacked by groups of torpedo bombers taking off from land, which was as violent as the sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Enemy.By vigilant command and good luck, none of the ships were torpedoed, and he continued on to Port Moresby, turning south only when he learned that the enemy had turned back.

At this time, there was still no accurate information about the location of the enemy aircraft carrier, and Fletcher was very disturbed.At dawn he launched an extensive search, and at 8:15 a.m. he finally received reports of two aircraft carriers and four cruisers north of the Louisiades.However, the discovered enemy ships were not the main attack fleet of the aircraft carrier, but only the escort ships of the weaker cover transport ships, including the light aircraft carrier Xiangfeng.Fletcher still went all out and sank the Shohō three hours later.This action deprived the enemy attacking force of air cover and had to turn back.The transports scheduled for Port Moresby, therefore unable to enter the Jomade Sound, remained north of the Louisiades Islands until a final retreat was ordered.

Fletcher's location is now known by the enemy, and he is currently in an extremely difficult situation.The enemy could come under attack at any time, and his own main attacking force would not be ready for further combat until the afternoon. However, he was lucky that the weather was getting worse and worse, and the enemy had no radar.In fact, the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet is within striking distance to the east.They had launched an air strike in the afternoon, but the plane missed the target in the fog and wind.There were no results, but on the way back, they passed near the Fletcher fleet and were detected by radar.The fighter planes immediately took off to intercept, and in a melee that was approaching at night, many enemy planes were destroyed.Of the twenty-seven bombers that had departed, only a few returned to their carriers for the next day's action.

Because they know each other very close, both sides intend to carry out night attacks with surface ships.Both sides thought that was too risky.So during the night they parted ways again.On the morning of the 8th the favorable weather conditions were reversed.The Japanese were now under the cover of low cloud cover, while Fletcher's fleet was in clear seas.The game of hide and seek begins again.At 8:38, a scout plane from the Lexington finally spotted the enemy, and at about the same time, an intercepted signal made it clear that the enemy had also spotted the American aircraft carrier. A battle of equal strength between the two sides began. Before 9:00 a.m., the United States dispatched an attack force consisting of 82 aircraft, and by 9:25 a.m., all of them had taken off and flew towards the target.At about the same time, Japan sent the same attack force, consisting of sixty-nine aircraft. The American offensive started around 11:00, and the Japanese offensive about twenty minutes later.By 11:40, the fighting was all over.Low cloud cover near the target made it difficult for the American fleet.When they found the target, an enemy aircraft carrier immediately sailed into the dense fog and rain for cover, so all the aircraft attacked the other aircraft carrier; the Shokaku was hit by three bombs and burst into flames, but it was hit The damage isn't as bad as it looks.Although it has lost its combat effectiveness, the Xianghe can still sail back to China for repairs.The Ruihe was not damaged in any way. At the same time, the Japanese fleet attacked the Yorkton and Lexington in the clear sky.Thanks to outstanding maneuvering, Yorkton dodged almost all of the attack, but was damaged by bombs that missed and fell nearby.A bomb caused serious casualties and a fire broke out.Soon, the fire was extinguished, and the ship's combat capability was hardly affected.The less agile Lexington was not so lucky, it was hit by two or three bombs and two torpedoes.After the battle, it had caught fire, listed to port, and had three boiler rooms flooded with sea water.As a result of heroic action, the fire was extinguished, the list was corrected, and before long the ship was sailing at twenty-five knots.This is the first fierce confrontation between aircraft carriers in history. According to post-war estimates, the aircraft lost by both sides: Thirty-three in the United States; forty-three in Japan. If the incident in the Coral Sea ends here, the United States clearly has the upper hand.They sank the light aircraft carrier Shohō, severely damaged the Shokaku, and turned back the forces attempting to attack Port Moresby.Their own two aircraft carriers still appear to be intact, with the only loss so far being a fleet tanker and accompanying destroyer, which had been sunk by the Japanese aircraft carriers a day earlier. However, now a misfortune suddenly hit them.An hour after the battle, the Lexington was shaken violently due to an internal explosion, and the lower cabin began to catch fire, which continued to spread until it was out of control.Efforts to rescue it were also ineffective. In the evening of the same day, the ship began to abandon the ship without causing further casualties, and then it was sunk by an American torpedo.At this time, both sides withdrew from the Coral Sea, and both sides declared that they had won.The Japanese announced in harsh terms that not only Admiral Fletcher's two aircraft carriers had been sunk, but also a battleship and a cruiser.However, their own actions after the battle were not consistent with this belief.Although the route to Port Moresby was now open to them, they delayed advancing there until July.By then, the whole situation had changed, and they abandoned their original policy and advanced by land from bases in New Guinea.These days marked the limits of the Japanese coastal advance to Australia. On the American side, it is extremely necessary to preserve their aircraft carrier strength.Admiral Nimitz had learned that a greater event was about to take place in the North, and that this event would require all of his strength.Satisfied with keeping the Japanese out of the Coral Sea area so far, he immediately recalled all his aircraft carriers, including Enterprise and Hornet, to Pearl Harbor, and then made a part-time trip to join Fletcher's fleet.At the same time, it was very tactful to conceal the news of the loss of the Lexington before the end of the Battle of Midway, because the Japanese obviously did not understand the real situation and were groping secretly to seek information. The impact of this encounter was out of proportion to its tactical importance.Strategically, this was the first welcome victory since the United States was at war with Japan.A naval battle like this has never been seen before.It was the first naval battle in which surface ships did not fire at each other.It raised the chances and dangers of war to new heights.The news spread around the world and had an inspiring effect, bringing great comfort and encouragement to Australia, New Zealand and the United States.The tactical lessons gained at a great price were soon applied in the Battle of Midway and achieved outstanding results.The prelude to the Battle of Midway is beginning. The foray into the Coral Sea is only the beginning of a more ambitious Japanese policy.Even while this initial phase was under way, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto was preparing to capture Midway and its airfields, to compete with American forces in the Central Pacific, from which Pearl Harbor could be threatened or conquered a thousand miles to the east. At the same time, a diversionary force went to occupy the superior stronghold in the western part of the Aleutian Islands.After carefully arranging the time of action, Yamamoto hoped to first lead the American fleet to the north to deal with the threat to the Aleutian Islands, so that he could devote the main force to the battle of Midway without hindrance, and when the United States can make a large-scale intervention on this island, He hoped to capture Midway and was ready for a strong counterattack.Midway was extremely important to the United States as an outpost of Pearl Harbor, and as a result of these developments an inevitable general battle would arise.Yamamoto was confident that he could force the opponent into a decisive battle, and, because he had overwhelming advantages, especially in the fast battleships, he had a good chance of annihilating the enemy.This was the outline plan told to his subordinate, Admiral Nagumo.However, the key to the whole plan is whether Admiral Nimitz can enter the trap, and also whether he himself will be attacked by surprise. American commanders, however, were active and alert.His intelligence service kept him well informed, even knowing the expected date of the attack.Although the plan to attack Midway may have been used to disguise an attack on the Aleutian Islands, thereby making it possible to turn to the American continent.But Midway was always more likely than anywhere to be in greater danger, and he never hesitated to deploy his forces in this direction.His main concern was that his aircraft carriers were no match for Nagumo's four combat-experienced aircraft carriers, which had achieved outstanding feats from Pearl Harbor to Ceylon.Two other ships of the Nagumo fleet had turned to the Coral Sea, and one was wounded; Nimitz, on the other hand, lost the Lexington, the Yorkton was hors de combat, and the Saratoga had not yet rejoined his fleet after being repaired , the Wasp rescued the island of Malta and was still near the Mediterranean Sea.Only the Enterprise and the Hornet sailed back from the South Pacific, and the Yorkton, if it can be repaired in time, can also participate in the upcoming battle.Admiral Nimitz had no battleships closer than San Francisco, and they were too slow to match the aircraft carriers; Yamamoto had eleven battleships, three of which were the strongest and fastest in the world.Although the United States was at a disadvantage, Nimitz was able to receive strong air support from Midway. During the last week of May, the main body of the Japanese navy began to leave their bases.First to go was the Aleutian diversionary fleet, which was due to attack Dutch Harbor on June 3 and lure the American fleet in that direction.After this, the landing force went to seize the islands of Attu, Kiska and Adak at the western end of the archipelago.Nagumo led four aircraft carriers to attack Midway the next day. On June 5, the landing force was about to reach the island and occupy it. They did not expect to meet stubborn resistance.Yamamoto's combat fleet would then be stationed to the west of the rear, out of range of aerial reconnaissance, to stand by for an expected American counterattack. This event was the climax after Pearl Harbor.The aircraft carriers Enterprise and Hornet arrived from the south on May 26.The Yorkton also appeared the next day. It was originally expected that the repair would take three months. However, in order to meet the critical needs, it was decided to repair it within 48 hours to adapt to operations, and a new air force was redeployed.On the thirtieth she sailed again to join Admiral Spruance's fleet.Spruance led two aircraft carriers to leave first two days ago.Admiral Fletcher remained in charge of tactical command of the mixed fleet.The airfield at Midway was full of bombers, and the ground forces defending the island were on high alert.Early news of the enemy's approach was essential, and therefore continuous aerial reconnaissance began on 30 May.American submarines kept watch west and north of Midway.Four days were spent in anxiety.At 9 a.m. on June 3, a Catalina seaplane patrolling more than 700 miles west of Midway spotted eleven enemy ships.Bombing and torpedo attacks ensued, but were unsuccessful, with only one torpedo hitting a tanker, but the battle began and all doubts about the enemy's intentions were cleared.Admiral Fletcher, based on intelligence, had reason to believe that an enemy aircraft carrier was approaching Midway from the northwest. The first report of the enemy's sighting did not prompt him to set off immediately. He correctly estimated that the enemy ships he had spotted were a group of transport ships.At dawn on the 4th, the aircraft carrier under his command sailed to the predetermined position 200 miles north of Midway Island. If Nagumo appeared here, he could immediately swoop on his flank. At dawn on June 4 in fine weather, a patrol plane from Midway at 5:34 gave the long-awaited signal: the report of an approaching Japanese aircraft carrier.The reports kept coming.Many planes were heading towards Midway, and a large number of battleships were spotted supporting the aircraft carrier.At 6:30 in the morning, Japan launched a powerful offensive.The attack was met with fierce resistance, and about a third of the intruders never returned.Despite the many losses and casualties caused by the air raids, the airfield remained operational and there was still time to launch a counterattack against Nagumo's fleet.His overwhelming fighter was badly hit.But this heroic attack, on which great expectations had been placed, turned out to be a disappointment.The confusion caused by their onslaught seemed to cloud the judgment of the Japanese commanders.His pilots told him that another attack on Midway was necessary.His aircraft carrier has a sufficient number of planes in order to meet the American aircraft carrier that may appear at any time. However, his reconnaissance ability is not strong, and there is no gain at the beginning, so he thinks that the American aircraft may not come.Now he decided to disperse the formation he had maintained to meet the American planes in order to re-equip for the Midway attack again.In any case, the flight deck had to be cleared so that the first attacking aircraft could land.This decision put him in mortal danger.Although Nagumo later learned that an American fleet, including an aircraft carrier, had appeared to the east, it was too late.His flight deck was full of unusable bombers being refueled; he was sure to suffer the disaster of an American attack. Fletcher and Admiral Spruance, according to their early sober judgment, had been prepared to engage in this critical battle.They intercepted the incoming messages in the morning.At 7 a.m. Enterprise and Hornet launched an attack with all aircraft except those necessary for self-defense.Yorkton's planes, which had been on a morning reconnaissance mission, were delayed by their movements, but her strike group was also in the air a little after nine o'clock.At this time, the first fleet of the other two aircraft carriers was close to the target.Around the enemy, the sky was cloudy, and the dive bombers failed to find the target at first.The Hornet's fleet, unaware that the enemy had turned on him, failed to spot the enemy and missed the battle.As a result of these accidents, the first attack was carried out alone by the torpedo bombers of the three carriers; although they approached the target with the utmost heroism, they were unsuccessful in the face of fierce resistance.Of the forty-one torpedo bombers that participated in the attack, only six returned.Their sacrifices brought their rewards.Thirty-seven dive bombers aboard the Enterprise and the Yorkton flew overhead as all Japanese attention and all available fighter jets were focused on them.Their bombs dropped almost unimpeded on Nagumo's flagship Akagi and her sister ship Kaga; about the same time another batch of seventeen from Yorkton attacked Soryu.Within minutes, the decks of all three aircraft carriers had become killing fields, littered with burning and exploding aircraft.A fire broke out in the lower deck, and soon it became clear that the three aircraft carriers were doomed.Admiral Nagumo had to move his flag to a cruiser and watch three-quarters of his good fleet burn to the ground. The American plane did not return to land until after noon.They lost more than 60 aircraft, but the results obtained were extremely huge.Of the enemy's aircraft carriers, only Hiryu remained, and it immediately decided to launch a violent attack for the honor of the Sun Banner.While returning American pilots were talking about their stories on board the Yorkton, news of an incoming enemy plane came.It was reported that about forty enemy planes swooped in. Although the enemy planes were heavily hit by fighter jets and artillery fire, the Yorkton was hit by three bombs.Although serious damage was done, the burning was extinguished and the aircraft carrier continued to sail until Hiryu struck again two hours later, using a torpedo attack with a fatal outcome. After floating at sea for two days, the ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine. The Yorkton retaliated while it was still afloat.Dragon was spotted at 2:45 p.m.; within an hour twenty-four dive bombers had taken off from Enterprise and were flying towards it.At 5:00 p.m., the attack began, and within minutes it burned into a ball and did not sink until the next morning.The last of Nagumo's four aircraft carriers was sunk, along with its entire well-trained aviation crew.These losses can never be repaired.The campaign ended on June 4th.This battle is rightly regarded as a turning point in the war in the Pacific. Victorious American commanders faced additional dangers.The commander-in-chief of the Japanese Navy may still be heading for Midway with his invincible battle fleet.The U.S. Air Force had suffered severe losses, and the U.S. would lack the heavy ships to confront Yamamoto if he decided to press ahead.Admiral Spruance, now the commander of the aircraft carrier fleet, decided not to pursue westward because he did not know the strength of the enemy, and his aircraft carrier lacked heavy ship support.His decision is undoubtedly correct, but it is not easy to understand that Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto did not take measures to save his fate.At first he decided to press forward, and ordered four of his most powerful cruisers to bombard Midway early on the morning of 5 June.At the same time, another powerful Japanese fleet advanced to the northeast.Had Spruance decided to go after Nagumo's remnant fleet, he might have met disaster in a night battle.However, during the night, the Japanese commander suddenly changed his plan and issued a general retreat order at 2:55 am on June 5th.His reasons were unclear, but it was clear that he had been deeply affected by the unexpected and devastating loss of his precious aircraft carrier.Disaster befell him again.Two heavy cruisers sent to bombard Midway collided in order to avoid the attack of an American submarine.Both warships were badly damaged and fell behind when the general retreat began.On June 6, the two horrified warships were attacked by Spruance pilots, resulting in the sinking of one and the sinking of the other.The battle-hardened Mogami warship finally sailed back to the mainland. After capturing the small islands of Attu and Kiska in the western Aleutians, the Japanese retreated as quietly as they had come. It is instructive to look back now at the command methods of the Japanese leaders. Twice in one month they brought their air and naval forces into battle with aggressive skill and determination.And every time their air force was hit hard, they gave up, even though the target was close at hand.Naval admirals such as Yamamoto, Nagumo, and Kondo of the Battle of Midway participated in and executed these brave and large-scale battle plans.These battles destroyed the Allied fleet in the Far East within four months and drove the British Eastern Fleet out of the Indian Ocean.Yamamoto's retreat from Midway was due to the overall battle showing that a fleet without air cover and thousands of miles from base would not be able to risk staying in a force formed by aircraft carriers with a largely undamaged air force within the range of activities.He ordered the transport fleet to retreat because of the lack of air support, and the island was air defensed and small in size, so it was impossible to receive the effect of a surprise attack, and attacking would be tantamount to suicide. The rigidity of Japanese planning, and the tendency to abandon the purpose whenever the planned plan is not carried out, etc., are considered to be mainly due to their complicated and imprecise language, which is difficult to give impromptu signals. communication. There is another salient lesson.U.S. intelligence had managed to see through the enemy's best-guarded secrets well in advance.In this way, Admiral Nimitz, although weaker, was able to concentrate sufficient forces at the right time and place. This proved decisive when the battle came.The importance of secrecy in war and the consequences of leaking information are clearly illustrated here. This memorable victory for the United States has great significance not only for the United States, but for the cause of the entire Allied Powers.The impact on morale was widespread and timely.The move reversed Japan's dominance in the Pacific.Gone is the superiority displayed by the enemy who for six months frustrated our entire efforts in the Far East.From this moment on, all of our thinking turns to a strong belief in taking the offensive.We no longer considered where the Japanese would attack next, but where we could strike the enemy and recover the vast territories they had so quickly conquered.However, this road is long and arduous, and a lot of preparation work is still required to achieve victory in the East. However, we have no doubts about the outcome; Cope with the enormous effort of the European theater. In the annals of sea combat there are no more thrilling events than these two battles in which the good qualities of the United States Navy, United States Air Force, and the American nation shone brightly.The novel and hitherto immeasurable situation created by aerial combat has brought about unprecedented drastic changes in the speed of action and in the transformation of fortunes.However, the bravery and dedication of American aviation personnel and naval fighters, and the command determination and command skills of their commanders are the basis for this situation.After the Japanese fleet had withdrawn to distant home ports, their commanders knew that not only had their aircraft carrier strength been irreparably lost, but that they were facing a foe of stamina and passion equal to those of their Bushido ancestors. rivaled by their noble traditions and backed by the power, numbers and science of limitless development.