Coral Sea Campaign
The Battle of the Coral Sea was a naval battle fought by the US and Japanese aircraft carrier fleets in the Coral Sea during the Pacific War in May 1942.
The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first long-range engagement between an aircraft carrier formation and carrier based aircraft in the history of warfare, and also the first setback encountered by the Japanese Navy in the Pacific. Due to the inability to immediately replenish lost aircraft and pilots, the Japanese Navy was forced to suspend its attack on Port Moresby.
Background of War
In early 1942, the Japanese Combined Fleet was still immersed in the joy of victory. The tasks of the first phase have been exceeded, but the tasks of the second phase have not yet been completed.
In Japan's view, although the United States has enormous economic potential, it will take a long time to transition to a wartime state. It is estimated that the United States will not be able to organize a counterattack until the summer of 1943, and Japan will have time to further advance the front line and expand its defense circle. The plan to control Australia is a manifestation of this strategy: the Japanese army and navy unanimously believe that Australia will be the biggest stronghold for the British and American counterattacks. But due to the fact that most of the Japanese army was deeply involved in China, it was impossible to send troops to Australia. The feasible option is to sever its connection with Pearl Harbor.
The process of war
The US military stationed in the Coral Sea
In early 1942, the Pacific was a bleak picture for the Allies. On January 20, 1942, the Japanese I-124 was sunk while laying mines in Darwin Port. The US military subsequently used a submersible to retrieve the codebook from I-124. In the following months, with the accumulation of intelligence, especially after the Tokyo air raid, the Japanese Empire overreacted and almost deployed a joint fleet. The Pearl Harbor Intelligence Room began gradually deciphering Japanese codes and using scattered intelligence to gradually map out the attack targets of the Combined Fleet. This secret was the most important basis for the US Navy to deal with the Combined Fleet in the early stages of the Pacific War.
Although it was learned through deciphering the code that the Japanese army was about to land in the port of Mobitz, their advance team would first occupy Tulagi Island and have basic control over the troops deployed by the Japanese. Nimitz was determined to prevent the Japanese from landing in Mobitz, and this decision was not a hasty one, as it was not easy for the Allies to gather the necessary troops to deal with the incoming enemy. The Saratoga was damaged by a Japanese submarine and was repaired on the west coast. The Enterprise and Hornet are on their way back from the Tokyo attack. The 8th Task Force Kingston Fleet and the 17th Task Force Yorktown Fleet, as well as 8 cruisers and 13 destroyers, are all available. Under Fletcher's unified command, two fleets entered the Coral Sea on May 1st.
The first battle began on May 3rd, when Fletcher's navy received news that the Japanese were landing on Tulagi Island, while his Yorktown was still over a hundred miles west of Cape Batca. This is the news we have been waiting for a month, "he wrote. He immediately interrupted refueling and ordered to sail north at a speed of 26 knots to the central Solomon Islands.
At dawn on May 4th, the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier arrived in the waters about 100 miles southwest of Guadalcanal Island (remember the name). Aircraft carrier fighter pilots read the old version of National Geographic magazine and launched a series of attacks on enemy forces in the waters near Tulagi Island, destroying seaplanes and sending back exaggerated reports of the number of enemy ships sunk. Progress.
Nimitz later reevaluated the so-called Battle of Tulagi: 'Compared to the ammunition consumed and the results achieved, this battle must have been disappointing.' Another mistake of this attack was that it exposed the strength of the US military.
On May 6th, under the cover of dense clouds, the heavy cruisers Fletcher, Admiral Grace, and Lexington refueled together. The latest intelligence from Pearl Harbor indicates that the invading forces in Port Moresby are using two aircraft carriers to provide air cover and will pass through the Lewis Islands the next day. Fletcher then headed west directly to the Coral Sea. Fletcher had almost no idea that he had been spotted by a Japanese seaplane that afternoon. The news that two US aircraft carriers are about to intercept Japan's invasion of Port Moresby has almost caused panic at Admiral Inoue's headquarters in Rabaul. The command center urgently ordered the transport ship to stop moving forward. The mobile unit led by Major General Takagi, with Shokaku and Ruihe as the main force, was refueling south of Guadalcanal Island when they received the alarm. When he was about to launch an airstrike, the fleet encountered thick clouds and mist. So he decided to continue working hard and wait until dawn to pursue.
The Japanese army obtained intelligence
At around 4:00 am on May 7th, due to the basic grasp of the position of the US fleet, the Japanese mobile formation dispatched 12 carrier based aircraft into 6 groups to search for the enemy within a 250 nautical mile range between 180 ° and 270 ° azimuth angles. At 5:45, the Japanese aircraft conducting a southward search reported the discovery of an enemy aircraft carrier and a cruiser. 6: From 00:00 to 6:15, 9 Zero fighters, 17 bombers, and 11 torpedo planes took off from Ruihe, while 9 Zero fighters, 19 bombers, and 13 torpedo planes took off from Xianghe. A total of 78 Japanese planes flew towards the discovered target. But when they reached their target, they found that it was not the US aircraft carrier formation, but the oil tanker Neosho and destroyer Simms that had separated from Fletcher's team on the afternoon of the 6th. Zooming in on two ships, they definitely look like an aircraft carrier and a cruiser.
The Japanese assault fleet flew over the fleet and found that it was not an aircraft carrier. They searched the nearby waters repeatedly for two hours, but still couldn't find any other targets. Among them, the torpedo planes did not attack and began to return at 9:15, while the 36 dive bombers barely attacked the initially discovered targets between 9:26 and 40, which is the feeling of killing a chicken with a cow's knife. The Sims was hit by three 250 kilogram bombs, two of which exploded inside the cabin and sank in less than 60 seconds. The Neosho, carrying a fire, floated on the sea for several days before being attacked by seven bombs and sinking.
At this time, the main force of the Fletcher US aircraft carrier separated from the oil tanker and was sailing westward to intercept the Japanese landing fleet, but the US fleet also made the same mistake: no fleet was found. Two hours after dawn, a patrol aircraft on board the Lexington reported the discovery of two aircraft carriers and four heavy cruisers. Fletcher thought it was a Japanese aircraft carrier unit, so he decided to launch a full-scale attack.
Lexington dispatched 28 dive bombers, 12 torpedo planes, and 10 fighter planes, while Yorktown dispatched 25 dive bombers, 10 torpedo planes, and 8 fighter planes. A total of 93 carrier based aircraft flew towards the target successively. After flying towards the target, two light cruisers and two gunboats were discovered as cover forces for the Japanese landing. Due to a password error, they were exaggerated as assault teams. But the US military ultimately found a valuable target in the exaggerated fleet: the Shoho aircraft carrier.
After 93 American fighter jets and bombers took turns attacking for half an hour, the Xiangfeng had hit 13 bombs and 7 torpedoes. Ize ordered the abandonment of the ship. A few minutes later, the Xiangfeng sank, leaving only a cloud of black smoke and a patch of oil on the surface of the Coral Sea, marking the first large ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy to sink here.
On the morning of May 7th, the US and Japanese attack fleets were just on the edge of each other's attack range, but due to technical reasons, neither side detected the other and missed the opportunity to take preemptive action. The mistake of the United States is even more dangerous because the carrier based aircraft it attacks deviate from its main threat by more than 90 degrees, but the US military has achieved greater results - destroying an aircraft carrier; It's a pity for the joint fleet, as they at least know the approximate location of the main target.
When the Fifth Air Squadron wanted to correct their mistake, they encountered a time issue: they took off at 14:00 in the afternoon and could return at 18:00 in the evening (2 hours after sunset). Due to weather conditions, the target was not found until the return flight when the US military fleet was discovered. However, these fighter jets had already dropped bombs and were intercepted by American Wildcat fighters. In the twilight, several disoriented Japanese pilots mistakenly attempted to land on the Yorktown. But due to a signal recognition error, one of the planes was discovered and shot down by anti-aircraft gunners and fell into the sea, while the others hastily fled into the darkness of the night. This made Fletcher realize that the Japanese Navy aircraft carriers were nearby, and the showdown between the carriers that would determine the outcome of this naval battle must be held the next day.
Japanese aircraft carrier burned down
In the last hour before sunrise on May 8th, four aircraft carriers within 200 nautical miles of the Coral Sea completed the same preparation work. The only difference may be that American pilots receive chocolate, while Japanese pilots receive rice cakes. All reconnaissance planes departed before sunrise. Aircraft performing search tasks will almost simultaneously discover each other's targets. At 8:15, the northernmost reconnaissance plane of the US military sent back a report: the enemy carrier special task force is sailing south at a speed of 25 knots in the sea about 175 miles northeast of the Lexington.
Just a few minutes later, the radio station of the US aircraft carrier received a cheering report from the Japanese, clearly indicating that they had been discovered. Subsequently, the Yorktown and Lexington took off a total of 15 fighter jets, 46 bombers, and 21 torpedo planes, with a total of 82 planes rushing towards the Japanese fleet. One hour and three quarters later, the US assault fleet discovered that the Xianghe and Zuihe were sailing southeast. The distance between two aircraft carriers is eight miles, and each carrier is escorted by two heavy cruisers and destroyers.
When the Americans used precious minutes to organize attacks in the cumulus, Xianghe took the opportunity to send out more fighters, while Zuihe hid in the nearby sea area where rainstorm was falling. The American pilot who launched the first attack on the enemy fleet's aircraft carrier still lost his position in the face of a truly formidable enemy. Torpedo planes and dive bombers were dispersed by Zero fighters, lacking coordination. Torpedoes are fired into the sea at a distance from the target, and the bombing is blind. Only two bombs hit the Shokaku, and the flight deck of the Shokaku caught fire due to a fuel leak.
More than ten minutes later, the plane on board the Lexington arrived, but it was difficult to find the enemy ship under the thick clouds. Further thwarting the attack. Only fifteen bombers found their target, but only six Wildcat fighters were protecting them, making them easily dispersed by Zero fighters. The torpedo attack failed again, and the bomber only dropped one bomb. However, the reports from American pilots were not like this. After the first attack, Captain Taylor optimistically stated, "About fifty to one hundred feet from the waterline to the flight deck at the end of the hull, there was a sea of fire... About fifteen minutes after the attack, when I saw the aircraft carrier, the fire was burning fiercely and I thought the situation was very serious, sinking. When 43 American planes returned to the American aircraft carrier, they found that the Japanese opponent was thanks to radar. The commander of the Lexington fighter plane knew that the enemy plane was coming from a distance of more than seventy miles northeast and sent a squadron to intercept them.
However, the 69 carrier based aircraft of the 5th Air Force were already divided into three attack groups before being intercepted. The Japanese torpedo fleet first flew towards the aircraft carrier Yorktown. Due to the ship's flexible evasion, Japanese aircraft attacks were ineffective. However, due to the self evasion of the two aircraft carriers in the loop alert sequence, the distance between the two ships quickly increased, and the alert vessels were divided into two, thereby weakening the air defense capability and providing an opportunity for Japanese aircraft to take advantage.
The Japanese aircraft launched 8 torpedoes towards the port side of the Yorktown, all of which were avoided by the ship. Subsequently, the bomber team began to dive and drop bombs on Yorktown. An 800 pound bomb hit the flight deck near the bridge, but the battle continued. When the Japanese torpedo fleet attacked the Lexington, they successfully employed flank tactics, projecting torpedoes from both sides of the bow at a height of 15-70 meters and a distance of 1000-1500 meters. Due to the large tonnage and turning radius of the Lexington, it is not agile in turning. Two out of the 13 torpedoes launched by Japanese aircraft hit the port side of the ship, causing water to enter three boiler rooms.
When the Lexington desperately avoided torpedoes, the Japanese bomber squadron began attacking it again, and two more bombs hit their targets. The encounter lasted only thirteen minutes, and the Japanese flew away excitedly, reporting that they had avenged the failure of the Xiangfeng the day before by unequivocally sinking a "large aircraft carrier" and a "medium aircraft carrier".
In fact, although the Lexington was hit by torpedoes and bombs and showed a 7-degree tilt, the ship regained balance after adjusting its fuel and continued to accept returning planes landing on board. At the same time, refuel fighter jets and strengthen air control. However, due to a fuel leak, an explosion suddenly occurred inside the USS Lexington aircraft carrier, triggering a fire that quickly spread beyond control.
At around 3:00 pm, the captain ordered all crew members to leave the ship.
17: Around 00, the Phelps destroyer was ordered to launch 5 torpedoes at it, and the Lexington sank at 17:56.
The 36 planes that landed on the ship also sank into the sea. Although there were still 27 bombers, torpedo planes, and 12 fighter planes on board the US 17th Task Force Yorktown, it was already evening and Fletcher had no intention of fighting again, so he led his team out of the battlefield. The next day, when the pilot of the Drunken Crane conducted reconnaissance patrols to pursue the American ship, only the wreckage of the Lexington remained at sea.
But the 69 carrier based aircraft of the 5th Air Force had already been divided into three attack teams before being intercepted. The Japanese torpedo squadron first flew over the USS Yorktown on the American ship. Due to the ship's flexible evasion, the attack by Japanese planes was ineffective. However, as a result of the two aircraft carriers in the circular alert sequence evading on their own, the distance between these two ships quickly increased, and the alert ships were split in half, weakening the air defense and giving Japanese planes an opportunity to take advantage.
The Japanese aircraft launched 8 torpedoes on the port side of the Yorktown, all of which were avoided by the ship. Subsequently, the bomber fleet began diving and dropping bombs on the Yorktown. An 800 pound bomb hit the flight deck near the bridge of the ship, but the battle continued. When the Japanese torpedo squadron attacked the Lexington, they successfully employed a pincer attack tactic, projecting torpedoes from both sides of the ship's bow, at an altitude of 15-70 meters and a distance of 1000-1500 meters. Due to its large tonnage and circular radius, the Lexington was not agile in turning. Two out of the 13 torpedoes projected by Japanese aircraft hit the port side of the ship, causing water to enter three boiler compartments.
While the Lexington was desperately trying to avoid torpedoes, the Japanese bomber squadron began attacking it again, and two more bombs hit their targets. This encounter lasted only thirteen minutes, and when the Japanese flew away, they joyfully reported that they had avenged the failure of the previous day's Xiangfeng and unequivocally sunk a "large aircraft carrier" and a "medium aircraft carrier".
In fact, despite being hit by torpedoes and bombs, the Lexington tilted at 7 degrees, but after adjusting its fuel, the ship regained balance and continued to receive returning aircraft for landing. Simultaneously refueling fighter jets to enhance air superiority. However, due to a fuel leak, an explosion suddenly occurred inside the USS Lexington, causing a massive fire that quickly spread beyond control.
At around 3pm, the captain ordered all crew members to leave the ship.
At around 17:00, the USS Phelps was ordered to launch five torpedoes at it, and the USS Lexington sank at 17:56.
The 36 planes that had already landed on the ship also sank into the sea. Although there were still 27 bombers, torpedo planes, and 12 fighter planes on board the Yorktown of the US 17th Special Operations Fleet, it was already nightfall and Fletcher had no intention of fighting again, so he led his team to withdraw from the battlefield. The next day, when the pilot of the Ruihe conducted another reconnaissance patrol to pursue the American ship, there was only the wreckage of the Lexington on the sea.
The role of war
This is a naval battle that has never been seen before in history, with both fleets engaging in combat beyond their line of sight. From a tactical perspective, the Battle of Coral Sea can be said to have given the Japanese army a slight advantage. Although the Japanese aircraft and casualties were higher than those of the United States, they achieved success in sinking the Neosho, Sims, and the 33000 ton large aircraft carrier Lexington at a relatively small cost of losing 12000 tons of the Shoho and sinking several small ships on the outskirts of Tulagi Island. However, from a strategic perspective, it was the United States that achieved success. Since the outbreak of the war, the military expansion of the Japanese army has been halted for the first time, and the plan to attack Port Moresby has had to be postponed. More importantly, the damaged aircraft carrier "Shokaku" needs to be repaired, and the heavily damaged "Shoho" needs to be rebuilt, greatly weakening Japan's strength in the upcoming Battle of Midway.
The Battle of the Coral Sea was a sign of a reversal in the situation on the Pacific battlefield, entering a stage of strategic stalemate. Nimitz had planned to keep the Fletcher fleet in the Coral Sea, as Halsey was rapidly heading towards the Coral Sea to merge the Yorktown and its escort ships into the We6 Task Force in search of new fighter jets. However, he ultimately gave up on this idea. His strategically astute gaze has now turned to the upcoming encounter in the Central Pacific.
So he ordered that the 'Yorktown' must be repaired quickly in order to enter a new decisive battle with a more complete formation. Together, Nimitz ordered the submarine fleet to launch a surprise attack on the injured Japanese aircraft carrier returning home, and also sent a message to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, urging them to accelerate the repair of the Saratoga for urgent needs.
On May 10th, the Japanese army carried out a military demonstration aimed at saving face lost in the Battle of Coral. They sent a unit to occupy two islands, Ocean Island and Nauru Island. Nimitz devised a plan and ordered Halsey to rush to the waters within 500 nautical miles of the Eastern Solomon Islands. The formation of the USS Hornet, Enterprise, and the 16th Special Operations Fleet was intended to confuse the enemy and make the Japanese believe that all aircraft carriers of the Pacific Fleet had arrived in the South Pacific, thereby restraining the Japanese military's northward attack. This move was indeed effective. After the Japanese attacking forces discovered the US aircraft carrier, they hastily withdrew from the occupied islands and deployed troops in the South Pacific waters. At this point, the smoke and clouds surrounding the Battle of the Coral Sea have completely dissipated, and both Japan and the United States have begun to brew new offensives in the surface quietness.