Operation Shoe String June 1942
The successful defense of Corregidor has electrified the United States and growing pressure from Congress and the Newspapers demanding that “something should be done” for “our brave boys at Corregidor”. While Admiral Stark, the Chief of Naval Operations, has been unhappy at the continued risk of an entire squadron of submarines to bring in a trickle of supplies in and a trickle of personnel out, Operation Shoestring means risking that entire force at once. A proposal by Nimitz to risk the carriers to support the effort sees Stark being overruled by the President. Roosevelt decides that the breaking of the Japanese codes, confirmed by the forewarning of the Aleutians operation and seizure of Attu, Adak and Kiska and raid on Dutch Harbor, means that with the knowledge of where the Japanese fleet is (and is not), risks can be taken. Thus the risk of sending the American carriers west of New Britain is acceptable. This disagreement will ultimately see Stark being replaced by Admiral Ernie King, current commander of US Navy Carribean Defense Command, within a few weeks. Disagreement aside, on June 10, 1942 a Presidential Order is delivered to Nimitz and Eisenhower giving the go ahead to Operation Shoe String.
Operation Jamboree
Admiral Spruance aboard the USS Indianapolis leads Task Force 17 into the South Pacific on June 10, as Nimitz had already assumed approval was going to be forthcoming and had his striking force heading south even before the order was received. After refueling east of Bougainville Island, the fleet with 4 carriers, 16 cruisers, 27 destroyers and 306 aircraft, including the first 18 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers to see service in the Pacific, steams past New Britain.
American and Japanese bombers have been raiding Rabaul and Manus over the last couple of weeks as each exchanges blows on the other, but American strikes have been limited to a few B26s from the 22nd Bombardment Group and losses from combat and operational reasons have been heavy. The recent completion of Tobera airfield and its runway long enough to handle 4 engine bombers means the game is about to change. B17s from the 7th Bombardment Group and B24s from the 11th Bombardment Group stage from Townsville and on June 13. The Carriers reach their launch positions on the morning of June 14 and launch a dawn strike that inflicts heavy losses on the Japanese fighters of the 26th Air Flotilla (although American losses are also heavy). Once again the Hornet air group fails to deliver on expectations, a disappointment that results in relief of its air group commander later in the month. But the carrier raid has cleared the way for the heavy bombers that come behind, and they plaster the airfield, wrecking it and knocking the 26th Air Flotilla out of action for weeks.
The Japanese High Command is completely surprised by this, as they expected the American carriers to be heading north to deal with the invasion of the Aleutians and have their carrier fleet there and thus are thousands of miles away. The raid opens the way for Spruance to then move further west, where his aircraft shatter the Japanese seaplane bases at Hollandia and Biak before retiring east at high speed for the protection of air cover out of Rabaul. The raid has eliminated for now the threat of Japanese air patrols spotting the approaching submarines of Operation Shoestring and also bought valuable additional time for reinforcements to continue to flow into Papau and New Britain.
US Pacific Fleet Task Force 17 June 1942
Commander Battle Force Pacific Fleet: Vice Admiral Raymond Spruance
Carrier Division One (R Adm Frederick Sherman, also Commander Aviation BatForce)
Enterprise w 48 Wildcat, 30 Dauntless , Saratoga w 24 Wildcat, 30 Dauntless, 18 Avenger
Carrier Division Two (R Adm George Murray)
Yorktown w 48 Wildcat, 30 Dauntless, Hornet w 48 Wildcat, 30 Dauntless
Cruiser Division Nine (Central Pacific) (R Adm Frank Fletcher, commander Cruisers Pacific Fleet)
CA Northhampton, Chicago, Indianapolis, Quincy,
Cruiser Division Four (R Adm Norman Scott)
CL Honolulu, St Louis, Phoenix, Boise
Cruiser Division Five (R Adm Thomas Kincaid)
CL Philadelphia, Savannah, Helena, Brooklyn
Cruiser Division Ten (R Adm Daniel Callaghan)
CLA Atlanta, Juneau, San Diego, San Juan
Destroyer Squadrons 16, 17 and 18 (27 destroyers)
Allied Forces Bismarks and Solomon Islands June 1942
Bismarks area: US VII Corps w Major General Roy Richardson
Rabaul area: VII Corps HQ and support units (arrive May 1942)(includes signals, combat and construction engineer battalions)
2nd Marine Brigade (3rd Marine Regiment, 7th Marine Defense Battalion) arrived January 1942
41st Coast Defense Brigade (1 battalion 90 mm AA, 1 battalion 155 towed guns, 1 battalion mixed towed 37 mm/50 caliber machine guns)(arrived March 1942)
803rd Aviation Engineer Battalion (airfield construction)(arrived January 1942)
28th Engineer Regiment (general engineer regiment)(arrived March 1942)
159th Regiment Combat Team (California National Guard) (arrived May 1942)
Cape Gloucester New Britain
Australian 14th Infantry Brigade (arrived April 1942)
46th Engineer Regiment (general engineer regiment) (arrived April 1942)
Kavieng (New Ireland): Australian Lark Force (2/22 Infantry battalion reinforced with artillery and commando company)
Solomon Islands area
Tulagi/Guadalcanal- Australian 16th Infantry Brigade, US 809th Aviation Engineer Battalion, USMC 3rd Defense Battalion, 5th US Navy Construction Battalion
US Army SW Pacific Theater (not listed above)
US Engineering forces
808th Aviation Engineeer Battalion (Darwin)
Allied Air Forces New Britain
15th Fighter Group (P40E)
7th Bombardment Group (B17E) staging from Townsville
11th Bombardment Group (B24C/D) staging from Townsville
22nd Bombardment Group (B26) Rabual
elements RAAF (1 squadron P40E, 1 squadron Hudson, 1 squadron PBY)
USN Patrol Wing 10 (PBY)
