the battle of the coral sea in 1942 quizlet

Finally, at 10:51 Shkaku scout aircrews realized they were mistaken in their identification of the oiler and destroyer as aircraft carriers. The film ends with footage of the Battle of the Coral Sea (1942), which according to the film was made possible through the information brought back by the submariners. Undetected, gasoline vapors spread into surrounding compartments. Three U.S. aircraft were lost in the attack: two SBDs from Lexington and one from Yorktown. [42], At 06:25 on 7 May, TF17 was 115nmi (132mi; 213km) south of Rossel Island (1320S 15421E / 13.333S 154.350E / -13.333; 154.350). Late in the evening of 9 May, Takagi and Got headed southeast, then southwest into the Coral Sea. In 1972, U.S. Vice Admiral H. S. Duckworth, after reading Japanese records of the battle, commented, "Without a doubt, May7, 1942, vicinity of Coral Sea, was the most confused battle area in world history. Japan moves southerly hoping to take control of Southern nations 2. By committing crucial assets to MO, Yamamoto made the more important Midway operation dependent on the secondary operation's success. Crace also turned west to stay within striking range of the Louisiades. Tulagi was undefended: the small garrison of Australian commandos and a Royal Australian Air Force reconnaissance unit evacuated just before Shima's arrival. The Japanese suffered much higher losses to their carrier aircrews, losing ninety aircrew killed in the battle compared with thirty-five for the U.S. side. [84], Aboard Lexington, damage control parties put out the fires and restored her to operational condition, but at 12:47, sparks from unattended electric motors ignited gasoline fumes near the ship's central control station. The submarine took no damage and apparently did not realize that it had been attacked by carrier aircraft. At 13:00 on 10 May, Takagi concluded that the enemy was gone and decided to turn back towards Rabaul. Sailors abandon ship from the USS Lexington "the Lady Lex" during the Battle of the Coral Sea, May 8, 1942. Six of the weary dive bomber pilots were told they would be immediately departing on another mission. The U.S. carriers each launched a separate strike. [98], One of the most significant effects of the Coral Sea battle was the loss of Shkaku and Zuikaku to Yamamoto for his planned battle in the air with the U.S. carriers at Midway. Believing that he faced overwhelming Japanese carrier superiority, Fletcher elected to withdraw TF17 from the battle. Battle of France, (May 10-June 25, 1940), during World War II, the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. At 11:27, Yorktown was hit in the centre of her flight deck by a single 250kg (550lb), semi-armour-piercing bomb which penetrated four decks before exploding, causing severe structural damage to an aviation storage room and killing or seriously wounding 66 men, as well as damaging the superheater boilers which rendered them inoperable. Since no Allied ships were in that area, the search planes found nothing. During the Battle of Coral Sea, what happened on May 7th, 1942? Augmenting their search were several floatplanes from Deboyne, four Kawanishi H6Ks from Tulagi, and three Mitsubishi G4M bombers from Rabaul. Shima's invasion force departed Rabaul on 30 April. [37], At 10:00, a Kawanishi reconnaissance flying boat from Tulagi sighted TF17 and notified its headquarters. The submarines investigated Rossel Island and the Deboyne Group anchorage in the Louisiade Archipelago, Jomard Channel, and the route to Port Moresby from the east. . Japan planned to use these conquered territories to establish a perimeter defense for its empire from which it expected to employ attritional tactics to defeat or exhaust any Allied counterattacks. At this time, Shkaku and Zuikaku were about 10,000yd (9,100m) apart, with Zuikaku hidden under a rain squall of low-hanging clouds. [94], From a strategic perspective, however, the battle was an Allied victory as it averted the seaborne invasion of Port Moresby, lessening the threat to the supply lines between the U.S. and Australia. [16], Based on un-encrypted intercepted radio traffic from TF16 as it returned to Pearl Harbor, the Japanese assumed that all but one of the U.S. Navy's carriers were in the central Pacific. He was informed that Allied intelligence sources believed that up to four Japanese carriers might be supporting the MO operation. Beginning in December 1941, the Japanese had devastated the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor, seized Hong Kong, conquered Southeast Asia, the Dutch East Indies and much of the Philippines, and terrorized the Indian Ocean with a naval sweep. 300x-52), a description of-- (1) the purposes for which the grant funds received by the State under such subsection. The U.S. destroyer Henley responded and rescued 109 Neosho and 14 Sims survivors later that day, then scuttled the tanker with gunfire. In the meantime, having heard nothing from Fletcher, Crace deduced that TF17 had departed the area. Takagi detached his two carriers with two destroyers under Hara's command to head towards TF17 at 20kn (23mph; 37km/h) in order to be in position to attack at first light the next day while the rest of his ships completed refueling. Before losing power, Neosho was able to notify Fletcher by radio that she was under attack and in trouble, but garbled any further details as to just who or what was attacking her and gave wrong coordinates (1625S 15731E / 16.417S 157.517E / -16.417; 157.517) for its position. All of Shh's aircraft complement of 18 was lost, but three of the CAP fighter pilots were able to ditch at Deboyne and survived. During the night, the warm frontal zone with low clouds which had helped hide the U.S. carriers on 7 May moved north and east and now covered the Japanese carriers, limiting visibility to between 2 and 15nmi (2.3 and 17.3mi; 3.7 and 27.8km). [58], Crace at 15:26 radioed Fletcher he could not complete his mission without air support. Hidden by a rain squall, Zuikaku escaped detection, but Shkaku was hit three times by bombs and was unable to launch or recover her aircraft. Fletcher concluded that by the time his scout aircraft found the remaining carriers it would be too late in the day to mount a strike. By the end of April, the U.S. was reading up to 85% of the signals broadcast in the Ro code. Fletcher noted that both his carriers were hurt and that his air groups had suffered high fighter losses. USS Wolverine (IX-64) USS Wolverine (IX-64), August 1943. At this time, Fletcher sent Crace's cruiser force, now designated Task Group 17.3 (TG17.3), to block the Jomard Passage. Vocabulary. Following the loss of Lexington, improved methods for containing aviation fuel and better damage control procedures were implemented by the U.S.[117] Coordination between the Allied land-based air forces and the U.S. Navy was poor during this battle, but this too would improve over time. The results of the battle confirmed the low opinion held by the Japanese of U.S. fighting capability and supported their overconfident belief that future carrier operations against the U.S. were assured of success. By the early spring of 1942 the Japanese high command was faced with an unexpected problem. Seaplanes from Deboyne assisted Takagi in searching for TF17 on the morning of 10 May. SIMS (DD-409) by Japanese Bombers in the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942, U.S.S. Assisting in the search were three Kawanishi H6Ks from Tulagi and four G4M bombers from Rabaul. Yorktown's planes sank the Sry, located Hiry, and helped Enterprise planes sink Hiry. [100] Unlike the Japanese, the U.S. Navy was willing to put one aircraft carrier's air group on another ship. A mushroom cloud rises after a heavy explosion on board USS Lexington, 8 May 1942.US Navy. "[7], To support these goals, during the first few months of 1942, besides Malaya, Japanese forces attacked and successfully took control of the Philippines, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, Wake Island, New Britain, the Gilbert Islands and Guam, inflicting heavy losses on opposing Allied land, naval and air forces. The Japanese landed at Tulagi in the Solomons on 2 May. U.S. carrier aircraft numbers by ship the morning of 7 May: The smaller warships included 5 minesweepers, 2 minelayers, 2 subchasers, and 3 gunboats. Japan began its land offensive towards Port Moresby along the Kokoda Track on 21 July from Buna and Gona. [45] The Shkaku aircraft actually sighted and misidentified the oiler Neosho and destroyer Sims, which had earlier been detailed away from the fleet to a southern rendezvous point. [33], At 08:16 on 5 May, TF17 rendezvoused with TF11 and TF44 at a predetermined point 320nmi (370mi; 590km) south of Guadalcanal (15S 160E / 15S 160E / -15; 160). [8], Shortly after the war began, Japan's Naval General Staff recommended an invasion of Northern Australia to prevent Australia from being used as a base to threaten Japan's perimeter defences in the South Pacific. [38], U.S. B-17 bombers based in Australia[39] and staging through Port Moresby attacked the approaching Port Moresby invasion forces, including Got's warships, several times during the day on 6 May without success. a 1942-1943 battle of World War II, in which German forces were defeated in their attempt to capture an industrial port city on the Volga River in the Soviet Union; one of the most deadly battles of wwii; crushing defeat for Germany significance of the Battle of Stalingrad A third explosion occurred at 15:25 and at 15:38 the ship's crew reported the fires as uncontrollable. The resulting explosion killed 25 men and started a large fire. Choosing his most experienced crews, including Takahashi, Shimazaki and Lieutenant Tamotsu Ema, at 16:15 Hara launched 12 dive bombers and 15 torpedo planes with orders to fly on a heading of 277 to 280nmi (320mi; 520km). By March 1942, the U.S. was able to decipher up to 15% of the IJN's Ro or Naval Codebook D code (called "JN-25B" by the U.S.), which was used by the IJN for approximately half of its communications. [92], Both sides publicly claimed victory after the battle. Both sides having suffered heavy aircraft losses and carriers sunk or damaged, the two forces disengaged and retired from the area. Expecting the Japanese torpedo bombers to be at a much lower altitude than they actually were, six of the Wildcats were stationed too low, and thus missed the Japanese aircraft as they passed by overhead. Phelps and the other assisting warships left immediately to rejoin Yorktown and her escorts, which departed at 16:01, and TF17 retired to the southwest. [79], The 33 Japanese dive bombers circled to attack from upwind, and thus did not begin their dives from 14,000ft (4,300m) until three to four minutes after the torpedo planes began their attacks. The first group included 12 torpedo-armed G4M bombers and the second group comprised 19 Mitsubishi G3M land attack aircraft armed with bombs. [35], In the meantime, Takagi's carrier force steamed down the east side of the Solomons throughout the day on 5 May, turned west to pass south of San Cristobal (Makira), and entered the Coral Sea after transiting between Guadalcanal and Rennell Island in the early morning hours of 6 May. The sun set at 18:30. [76] One of the survivors, Swede Vejtasa, claimed three Zeros during the onslaught (though none were lost). Battle of the Coral Sea is a 1959 war film directed by Paul Wendkos. Unlike the Japanese, the U.S. Navy put forth a maximum effort to make Yorktown available for the coming battle. The Battle of the Coral Sea, which took place between May 7 and 8, 1942, was one of the important aircraft carrier battles of World War Two's Pacific arena. [109] Thus began the Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns that resulted in a series of attritional, combined-arms battles between Allied and Japanese forces over the next year which, in tandem with the New Guinea campaign, eventually neutralized Japanese defenses in the South Pacific, inflicted irreparable losses on the Japanese militaryespecially its navyand contributed significantly to the Allies' eventual victory over Japan. To strengthen their defensive position in the South Pacific, the Japanese decided to invade and occupy Port Moresby (in New Guinea) and Tulagi (in the southeastern Solomon Islands). Reconnaissance patrols conducted from the U.S. carriers throughout the day failed to locate any of the Japanese naval forces, because they were located just beyond scouting range. Since Yamamoto had decided the decisive battle with the U.S. was to take place at Midway, he should not have diverted any of his important assets, especially fleet carriers, to a secondary operation like MO. Why did the Japanese want to take Port Morseby. At 10:19, Nielsen landed and discovered his coding error. The strike force was commanded by Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi (flag on cruiser Myk), with Rear Admiral Chichi Hara, on Zuikaku, in tactical command of the carrier air forces. America reacts and fights back Takagi now realized the U.S. carriers were between him and the invasion convoy, placing the invasion forces in extreme danger. Another submarine, I-21, which was sent to scout around Nouma, was attacked by Yorktown aircraft on 2 May. [18], The Japanese Port Moresby Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Ks Abe, included 11 transport ships carrying about 5,000 soldiers from the IJA's South Seas Detachment plus approximately 500 troops from the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF). More significantly, the news informed Fletcher his only nearby available fuel supply was gone. WWII carrier-versus-carrier engagements between American and Japanese naval forces: This page was last edited on 3 February 2023, at 22:09. [75] Because of the heavy losses in aircraft suffered the night before, the Japanese could not execute a full torpedo attack on both carriers. Critically low on fuel, Takagi's warships spent most of 9 May refueling from the fleet oiler Th Maru. [27], On the morning of 1 May, TF17 and TF11 united about 300nmi (350mi; 560km) northwest of New Caledonia (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}1616S 16220E / 16.267S 162.333E / -16.267; 162.333). Upon the completion of Mo, the navy planned to initiate Operation RY, using ships released from Mo, to seize Nauru and Ocean Island for their phosphate deposits on 15 May. The Battle of Midway WWII Nimitz Yamamoto (Text, Maps & Questions)Thank you for considering this product. The Yorktown torpedo planes missed with all of their ordnance. Taking the Japanese formation by surprise, the Wildcats shot down seven torpedo bombers and one dive bomber, and heavily damaged another torpedo bomber (which later crashed), at a cost of three Wildcats lost. Got and Kajioka were told to assemble their ships south of Rossel Island for a night surface battle if the U.S. ships came within range. On 19 May, TF16 which returned to the Efate area to refuel turned towards Pearl Harbor and arrived there on 26 May. [55], Apprised of the loss of Shh, Inoue ordered the invasion convoy to temporarily withdraw to the north and ordered Takagi, at this time located 225nmi (259mi; 417km) east of TF17, to destroy the U.S. carrier forces. [9], In April 1942, the army and navy developed a plan that was titled Operation Mo. In launching this war, Japanese leaders sought to neutralize the U.S. fleet, seize territory rich in natural resources, and obtain strategic military bases to defend their far-flung empire. [97] For the Japanese, who focused on the tactical results, the battle was seen as merely a temporary setback. The U.S. learned of the Japanese plan through signals intelligence and sent two U.S. Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force to oppose the offensive, under the overall command of U.S. Admiral Frank J. Fletcher. [46], At 08:20, one of the Furutaka aircraft found Fletcher's carriers and immediately reported it to Inoue's headquarters at Rabaul, which passed the report on to Takagi. Yorktown's group consisted of six fighters, 24 dive bombers, and nine torpedo planes and was on its way by 09:15. [116], The U.S. did not perform as expected, but it learned from its mistakes in the battle and made improvements to its carrier tactics and equipment, including fighter tactics, strike coordination, torpedo bombers and defensive strategies, such as anti-aircraft artillery, which contributed to better results in later battles. Got's cruisers surrounded the carrier in a diamond formation, 3,0005,000yd (2,7004,600m) off each of Shh's corners. [24], The Carrier Strike Force, with the carriers Zuikaku and Shkaku, two heavy cruisers, and six destroyers, sortied from Truk on 1 May. Yamamoto's decision meant Japanese naval forces were weakened just enough at both the Coral Sea and Midway battles to allow the Allies to defeat them in detail. [57], Inoue's staff directed two groups of attack aircraft from Rabaul, already airborne since that morning, towards Crace's reported position. [93] The Japanese public was informed of the victory with overstatement of the U.S. losses and understatement of their own. [63], In the meantime, at 15:18 and 17:18 Neosho was able to radio TF17 she was drifting northwest in a sinking condition. The plan, Operation Mo, involved several major units of Japan's Combined Fleet. Lexington's group of nine fighters, 15 dive bombers, and 12 torpedo planes was off at 09:25. During the Battle of Dunkirk from May 26 to June 4, 1940, some 338,000 British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk to England as German forces closed in. . On 34 May, Japanese forces successfully invaded and occupied Tulagi, although several supporting warships were sunk or damaged in a surprise attack by the U.S. carrier Yorktown. [25], En route to the Coral Sea, Takagi's carriers were to deliver nine Zero fighter aircraft to Rabaul. Signed Bob. Port Moresby was vital to Allied strategy and its garrison could well have been overwhelmed by the experienced Japanese invasion troops. The battle would prove significant as the first aircraft carrier . Yamamoto concurred with Takagi's decision and ordered Zuikaku to return to Japan to replenish her air groups. [60], To try to confirm the location of the U.S. carriers, at 15:15 Hara sent a flight of eight torpedo bombers as scouts to sweep 200nmi (230mi; 370km) westward. Two of the dive bombers were shot down by a CAP Wildcat during the attack. TF16 immediately departed but would not reach the South Pacific in time to participate in the battle. Lieutenant Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki, commanding the Japanese torpedo planes, sent 14 to attack Lexington and four to attack Yorktown. [72], Lexington's aircraft arrived and attacked at 11:30. [23], Got's force left Truk on 28 April, cut through the Solomons between Bougainville and Choiseul and took station near New Georgia Island. On 8 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the main carrier forces located one another and launched maximum-effort raids, which passed each other in the air. Ro-33 and Ro-34 were also deployed in an attempt to blockade Port Moresby, arriving off the town on 5 May. Each side readied the rest of its carrier attack aircraft to launch immediately once the enemy was located. No effort appears to have been made to combine the surviving Shkaku aircrews with Zuikaku's air groups or to quickly provide Zuikaku with replacement aircraft. Nevertheless, Fletcher decided the risk was necessary to ensure the Japanese invasion forces could not slip through to Port Moresby while he engaged the carriers. The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. They also sent a carrier force to patrol into the Coral Sea to intercept any American carriers sent to thwart their planned attack. These would be repeated at Midway, for the same reason, and as a result, Japan lost four fleet carriers, the core of her naval offensive forces, and thereby lost the strategic initiative in the Pacific War. In H. P. Willmot's words, the commanders "had to contend with uncertain and poor communications in situations in which the area of battle had grown far beyond that prescribed by past experience but in which speeds had increased to an even greater extent, thereby compressing decision-making time. Hara in turn believed Fletcher was south of him and advised Takagi to send the aircraft to search that area. The two carriers rejoined the Combined Fleet on 14 July and were key participants in subsequent carrier battles against U.S. forces. [56], At 12:40, a Deboyne-based seaplane sighted and reported Crace's detached cruiser and destroyer force on a bearing of 175, 78nmi (90mi; 144km) from Deboyne. [73], With her flight deck heavily damaged and 223 of her crew killed or wounded, having also suffered explosions in her gasoline storage tanks and an engine repair workshop destroyed, Shkaku was unable to conduct further aircraft operations. The Battle of the Coral Sea, which lasted from May 4 to May 8, 1942, came at an unsettling time for the United States, Australia and their allies. Takahashi's bombers damaged Lexington with two bomb hits and several near misses, causing fires which were contained by 12:33. Instead, aircraft launched from carrier decks were sent out to attack the enemy with bombs and torpedoes. Zuikaku arrived at Kure on 21 May, having made a brief stop at Truk on 15 May. [85], That evening, Crace detached Hobart, which was critically low on fuel, and the destroyer Walke, which was having engine trouble, to proceed to Townsville. Japanese carrier aircraft numbers by ship: The B-17s were from the 40th Reconnaissance Squadron. At 14:22, Fitch notified Fletcher that he had reports of two undamaged Japanese carriers and that this was supported by radio intercepts.

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