February 1st, 1944
Burma Campaign
Air activity
Occupied Burma - The month starts with a Circus mission of P-40s of the 80th FG and Spitfire VIII of Sqn 81 and 136. The purpose of this sortie is to try to attract the Japanese fighters to the north in order to divert it from the ongoing Rhubarb. Between Ye and Tavoy, everything goes well for the three Beaumont squadrons, each accompanied by a Spitfire V escort, as they encounter no opposition. Further south, the 11th and 77th Sentai reacts to attempt to stop a Mitchell raid escorted by Mustangs of the 1st ACG, but the skirmish results in only one damaged bomber.
Rangoon - The evening sees another Ki-21 raid on the port. The bombs do little damage; however, a cargo ship is damaged by a near miss.
Indonesia
Operation Meridian
Java - Operations resume with a long-range sweep (Corsairs(e) operating with tanks) against the Soerabaya sector. After the surprise obtained two days before, the air opposition is almost null. The only victory of the day is won by Lt-Commander Cork of the
Illustrious, who shoots down a Toryu [Nick] - his eighth victory.
As a result, Allied fighters descend to strafe targets of opportunity and flak damages five aircraft.
Pacific Campaign
Battle of the Marshall Islands
Task Force 50 (off Kwajalein), 05:30 - It is barely dawn when the warning horn sounds on the American aircraft carriers, but most of the personnel are already up, due the previous days' raids on the Japanese airfields of Kwajalein and Roi-Namur, leading to the reaction of the Nipponese.
On the flight deck of the USS
Essex (CV-9), there is already a lot of activity. An SBD-5 reconnaissance aircraft has just taken off, but like on the neighbouring carriers, the activity is increasing.
The Hellcat pilots come running in and settle into their planes, assisted by the deck engineers. The start-up of the powerful star engines deafens the whole ship with a growing roar.
VF-15's boss, Lt. Commander Charles W. Brewer, is the last to leave, because he had come by the Ops room to see what all the fuss was about. The destroyers' radars on the outer area have spotted what appears to be a major raid from the west, the job of the fighters is to prevent them from reaching Task Force 50. Started by his mechanics, the engine of his F6F-3 is already running when he comes aboard and his mechanic, Petty Officer Kirk, helps him fasten his harness. With a wave of his arm, the wings are unfolded and followedby his wingman, Lt. Twelves, Brewer takes off, engine at full power. The ballet repeats itself, as the other fighters are brought onto the flight deck. TBF Avenger and SBD Dauntless remain in the hangar for the moment.
As the fighter groups begin to move away from the carriers, the cover patrol (CAP) of TG 58.1, the westernmost one, consisting of six VF-31 Hellcats led by Lt Cornelius N. Nooy, manages to shoot down a number of aircraft. Nooy manages to shoot down an Aichi reconnaissance seaplane E19A (Fritz). This aircraft, coming from the cruiser
Chikuma, was able to emit a radio message - the Japanese attack is not long in coming.
Directed with precision by their fighter commanders, the Hellcats climb rapidly, heading 230.
In addition to the VF-15, there are the VF-2 (CV-8
Hornet), VF-10 (CV-6
Enterprise), VF-5 (CV- 10
Yorktown), VF-16 (CV-16
Lexington), VF-8 (CV-17
Bunker Hill), VF-24 (CVL-24
Belleau Wood), VF-25 (CVL-25
Cowpens), or 212 F6F-3 Hellcat. The VF-31 (CVL-28
Cabot), VF-32 (CVL-27
Langley), VF-28 (CVL-26
Monterey) and VF-27 (CVL-23
Princeton) remain in close cover over the fleet.
Task Force 52 (in front of Kwajalein) - TF-52 is composed of three old battleships, the
Pennsylvania (Vice Admiral Turner),
Colorado and
Maryland, the escort carriers
Chenango, Sangamon and
Suwanee, the cruisers
Helena and
Nashville and sixteen destroyers:
Abner Read, Anderson, Bache, Burns, Dale, Gansevoort, Gridley, Hudson, Hughes, Meade, Morris, Mustin, Russel, Sigsbee, Wainwright, Worden. This TF escorts six transports carrying a reinforced regiment (Regimental Combat Team) of the 40th US-ID, three LST carrying LVT-2 landing craft and one LST carrying tanks.
Turner's squadron is in charge of the first part of operation Flintlock: the capture of Kwajalein and Roi-Namur.
Shortly before the launch of Flintlock, Nimitz's staff was concerned about the lack of heavy cruisers in the Pacific. Of the ships of this type in service at the beginning of the war, only six were still floating: the
Chester, Louisville, Minneapolis and
San Francisco escorted convoys between Pearl Harbor and the West Coast, while the
Augusta and
Tuscaloosa are in the Mediterranean. Among the new ones (Baltimore class), only two are operational in the US Navy (a third was offered to the Australians). As a result, Nimitz has requested and obtained (without talking too much about it to Admiral King) that the stay in the Pacific of the "fast battleships"
Dunkerque and
Strasbourg (Rear Admiral Barois) be extended along with the Desron 70-1 which escorts them: DD USS
Buchanan, Dewey, Ellett and
Ralph Talbot. These ships were already in San Diego, where they benefited from the latest improvements in American technology and an enthusiastic reception from the population. To get everything in place, it was necessary to delay Flintlock by 48 hours, but now the two Frenchmen are accompanying Turner's squadron. If the Japanese attempted an operation of the same kind as the first battle of Savo Island, with heavy cruisers (which this time could take advantage of their speed to outflank Turner's old battleships), they would find someone to talk to.
At dawn, Turner's ships are at work. In the absence of any Japanese force, the men of the 40th ID seize without a fight the small island of Majuro, southeast of Kwajalein, and four islets close to the atoll, which were given code names: Carlos, Carter, Cecil and Carlson. In the morning, 155 mm batteries, capable of reaching Kwajalein, are installed.
Then the whole TF-52 heads back to the north-east, at the very reasonable speed of 12 knots. It seems that the TF-50 is getting hot and the staff does not want the transports to be caught up in the fight. All of a sudden, the elements disembarked on Majuro and the islets feel a bit lonely...
Task Force 50 (off Kwajalein), 06:30 - 100 nautical miles from TF-50, the first visual contact is for the pilots of VF-2, led by Commander William "Bill" Dean Jr, who can detail the first Japanese assault wave, launched by the
Soryu, the
Zuiho and the
Chitose. Close to the water, 42 Nakajima B6N2 Tenzan (Jill) torpedo bombers. Around 3,000 meters, 44 Yokosuka D4Y1 Suisei (Judy) dive bombers, covered by 30 Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen (Zeke) fighters at 5,000 meters (the poor quality of the Japanese radios prevented the escort from moving further away...). Informed of the approach of a hundred aircraft, Vice-Admiral Spruance finds the number rather low and orders the destroyers on radar picket to move away in the direction of the enemy, in order to detect new attackers.
The Hellcats of VF-2, VF-5 (Lt-Cdr Owen) and VF-24 (Lt-Cdr Link Jr) swing into a dive and, 8,000 meters, they cross the different levels of the enemy formations without engaging in any spinning combat but not without casualties! One, for the majority, often two, and some pilots even made a triple in a single pass. The Hellcat's altitude surprised the Japanese pilots, as well as the rising sun - the last straw! Disorganized by the initial attack, the Japanese pilots are even more disorganized by the successive arrival of hordes of Hellcats that do not let them breathe - the escort fighters are even unable to cover their protégés. On the other hand, the American pilots, guided by the fighter command, have a field day.
In his combat report, Maj. David McCampbell says, "
My first target was a Judy that was on the left flank about halfway through the enemy formation. My intention was to make a first pass on this aircraft, then go under the formation to attack a second aircraft on the right flank from below. My plan was interrupted when the first one I shot at literally vanished in front of me, forcing me to avoid it by passing over the formation. (...) I made my second attack on a Judy that was flying to the right of the formation. It caught fire and dived out of control. While trying to maintain as much speed as possible, I moved into position to attack the leader.
In doing so, I made a third pass on a Judy who was hit and left the formation and left the formation spitting smoke. I cleared with an ascending turn, which for a short time put me in a position to shoot at the leader in a tight formation with his left wingman, the one on the right being somewhat behind. (...) After a first pass on the leader, without apparent damage, I cleared to the right. Deciding that it would be easier to get the leader, I executed my next pass coming from behind at 7 o'clock. The winger exploded into a fireball. Clearing from below and to the left, I found myself in position to aim at the leader. I fired at him until he burst into flames and went into a spin. A brief examination of the situation revealed to me that the enemy formation had been decimated and his attack broken off cleanly. A new Judy (...) offered himself as a target, at 4 o'clock, below. I made a quick pass. Only my right weapons worked, which put me in a skid. I cleared prematurely. I rearmed twice as the Judy picked up speed. A few short bursts from my right guns, before they jammed in turn, were enough to set him on fire. It went airborne before plunging into the ocean. Neither crew member parachuted out before the plane disintegrated when it hit the water." McCampbell returns to his carrier at 08:26, with five victories awarded to him for this mission. He won seven during the day for a score of 34 at the end of the war. This is the first of the six "Aces in a Day" of this memorable day. (According to
Le Fana de l'Aviation, Hors série n° 49, 1996)
Only a few aircraft of this wave reach the outer screen, but they do not cause much damage, hampered by the flak and by the incessant Hellcat attacks. Fortunately for the survivors, the Americans were recalled by the fighter directors: a second wave is reported, it is necessary to refuel urgently. But out of the 110 aircraft of the first wave, only 28 were to return to their carriers...
On the decks of the TF-50, enthusiasm quickly gives way to irritation, because the starving fighters , which had lost only 16 of their number, must be refuelled. However, the organization is generally impeccable: the aircraft are placed at the back of the bridge, wings still unfolded, the pilots remaining at the controls - they are refueled while the ammunition bins are being filled. When the magazines are full, the fuel supply is stopped, no need for a full tank in close defense, and the planes take off again.
.........
During this time, the second screen of fighters, carefully positioned by the direction of the fighters, dives on the second wave, at 50 nautical miles from the TF-50. More powerful but relatively dispersed, this wave, which comes from the
Akagi,
Shokaku and
Hiryu, counts 65 B6N2, 92 D4Y and 40 A6M5. Without worrying about the Zeros, the Hellcat tumble on the torpedo bombers before climbing back on the "Judy". Despite the fighting, the Japanese formations progress towards their target under a clear sky where the refueled fighters start to climb and are directed towards the most threatening Japanese aircraft.
Soon the confusion is total - and the spectacle too: the black smoke of the downed planes contrast on a clear sky with the condensation trails, above a blue ocean streaked with dozens of wakes. Finally, the attackers arrive at range, but it is to find themselves subjected to an intense flak that exceeds even the memories of the few veteran pilots of the 1942 battles. None of the young Japanese pilots flinch in the face of this wall of fire, but many lose their lives...
Some because the absence of a battleship in Task-Group 50-6 made its flak barrier less solid, many because the confusion was such that the wall of fighters let some planes through: six Tenzan torpedo bombers manage to launch a coordinated attack on the
Hornet at the cost of an incredible temerity which cost the lives of five of the six crews. If the carrier manages to avoid four of the torpedoes, two, launched at less than 500 meters, hit the carrier and seriously damage the engines and electrical systems. The
Hornet's speed drops to less than 10 knots, which attracts several Suisei. A bomb crushes the flight deck near the front elevator. Two "Judy", hit to death, crash voluntarily on the ship, one against the left side, near the bow, the other on the front of the island, killing seven men and spilling burning gasoline onto the deck. The
Hornet was one of the ships that had launched their bombers at the beginning of the Japanese attack and only a few aircraft were destroyed on board (the others found refuge on other aircraft carriers), but the ship is very badly damaged. The cruiser
Phoenix takes it in tow and tries to move away from the combat zone at about 5 knots.
No other American ship receives a torpedo. The A turret of the battleship
South Dakota is scratched by a bomb and two destroyers are seriously shaken by two near-misses, but nothing more. But the Suisei who think they are done after dropping their bomb are far from being even.
"Ensign Wilbur B. Webb, of VF-2, found himself isolated not far from Kwajalein when he saw a group of about 40 aircraft flying away from the battle area at low altitude. Before attacking them and shooting down six "Judy" aircraft, he made a call: "
To all American fighters near Kwajalein, I've got 40 Japs surrounded, need some help!"
The message will remain in the annals of the Navy.
The mission of Lt-Cdr Alex Vraciu, who flies from now on with the VF-16, starts badly, as he will explain to a correspondent: "
After a while, the skipper [Paul Buie], who was riding a new engine, began to gradually pull away until he was out of sight. His wingman, Lt. W. C. B. Birkholm, was seen to stall - the full climb had put too much strain on his engine, his propeller froze and he had to ditch. Luckily, he was rescued by a destroyer fourteen hours later. My engine regularly deposited a film of oil on my windshield, forcing me to throttle back. My division stayed with me and two other planes joined us. When I realized that my tired engine would not give me more power, we limited our altitude to 6,000 m. The control was alerted to our predicament. Throughout the climb, my wingman, Ensign Homer W. Brockmeyer, kept pointing at my wing, unwilling to break radio silence. Thinking he had spotted the enemy, I tried several times to give him command, but each time he would just nod his head. Not understanding what he wanted, I finally stepped aside to focus on the task at hand. Later, I discovered that my folding wings were not completely locked - the red safety locks were clearly visible, which explained Brockmeyer's panicked movements." Unlocked wings or not, Vraciu will take down six "Judy's." Badly started, but perfectly successful, his mission could have ended tragically: "
I felt a great sense of satisfaction that I had made my personal contribution to the Pearl Harbor debt. However, that feeling quickly faded when some gunners tried to shoot me as I was walking back to the Lexington. The fact that my IFF was on, that my approach was in the right direction and that I had followed safety instructions with two consecutive 360's did not affect the desire of these maniacs: I wanted to believe that the choice words I shouted on the radio would stop this circus, but I'm not fooled!" Vraciu eventually landed without further problems." (Aéro-Journal Hors série n° 24)
Combined Fleet - Of the 197 Japanese planes of the second wave, 114 did not return, and some survivors are in a terrible state of nerves. The pilots of the bombers have the impression of having gone through a double hell, that of the fighters and that of the flak, and the fighter pilots are very shocked by the Hellcat's superiority in terms of quality and numbers, which demonstrates the relevance of its name.
Those who do not understand what is going on and are still confident are the crews of the 20 B5N2 "Kate" of the
Junyo and their escort, 10 A6M5. Separated from the rest of the attackers because of the too low speed of the B5N, they did not find the target and returned to land.
In the middle of this maneuver, the carrier's speed suddenly dropped to less than 10 knots - after running at full speed since Truk's departure, the cooling of the port condenser's turbo-pump has proven insufficient (especially in relatively high water temperatures) and a bearing in the pump burned out. The port shaft line is unavailable for repair, which will be carried out by the onboard mechanics, but they will need about fifteen hours. The aircraft that could not return will land on other aircraft carriers - there is room...
Horrified, Admiral Ozawa tells Yamamoto that he has only 176 aircraft available out of 380 (111 survivors of the two attack waves, 50 fighters he had kept to protect his fleet and 15 of the aircraft launched by the
Junyo). Of course, he adds that the pilots claim to have sunk "a battleship, two cruisers and at least two aircraft carriers", while destroying "more than a hundred American aircraft," but Ozawa, like his commander, knows that such claims must always be scaled back...
By this time, Yamamoto is already away from his aircraft carriers. On the
Yamato, he is in the middle of his battle line: seven battleships, six heavy cruisers, four light cruisers and nineteen destroyers. All of them are heading towards the enemy at 22 knots. The catastrophic result of the attack by his airmen only strengthened his belief that he has to force a surface combat, especially as he knows that he would now have to undergo the attack of American planes.
He could order Ozawa to head west to get away from the enemy aircraft carriers as quickly as possible, whose planes had less range, but then it would be on his carrier fleet, "supreme hope and supreme thought", that the American bombers could unleash! He therefore asked his subordinate to prepare a new raid with the forces that are remaining to him. And then, who knows if some planes did not land at Kwajalein after the raid?
...
Task Force 50, 10:10 - Except for a few aircraft left on patrol, all the fighters (and the bombers that had to be taken off) have landed. Wings folded, they are advanced on the deck for a more complete refueling and a quick check of the mechanics in order to be ready to leave for the attack of the Japanese fleet, spotted by the reconnaissance planes launched by TF-50 or coming from the Gilberts. The pilots rest for a while and eat while discussing the morning's flights. In all, the Americans only lost about forty Hellcats, of which ten were damaged but repairable. And finally, only ten pilots will not be recovered.
Avenger and Dauntless go up to the decks, their crews eager to fight. Some, who took off between the two attacks, return to refuel and load their bombs and torpedoes - and even refill the ammunition for their machine guns. Indeed, some pilots played the fighters against the "Jill", sometimes successfully!
12:00 - Finally! Spruance, whose ships tried to get closer to the enemy fleet (as much as the launch and recovery operations of their planes allowed) launches its attack. A part of the fighters form a large scanning screen in front of the bombers and torpedo bombers. All of them are guided towards the Japanese by two PBY-5As coming from the Gilbert Islands equipped with air-to-surface detection radars that allow them to stay at a good distance from the Japanese. The number of aircraft launched to the assault (205 F6F, 132 SBD-5, 130 TBF torpedo bombers and 31 TBF armed with bombs) make the Americans attack in four irregularly staggered groups. Between a massive strike and a steamroller, we cannot always choose what we want!
Combined Fleet, 13:30 - Ozawa had kept 50 A6M5 Reisen to defend his fleet.
When the radar announces the arrival of a large number of planes from the east, those that were not in the air take off to join the aircraft already on patrol, while the fighters that survived the attack - about thirty, plus those of
Junyo - are refueled in priority. Not having received the latest reports from Monzo Akiyama, Ozawa is convinced that there were still combat-capable planes at Roi and Kwajalein and decides to have the surviving planes prepare for a new raid. However, he is concerned that the enemy had so many reserves that he could counter-attack so quickly?
The Japanese fighter command divides the defenders into two groups: one, of 20 aircraft, remains in cover of the main ships, while the other 30 throw themselves at the the enemy. But their positioning is awkward and they are intercepted by what appears to be a cloud of Hellcats, diving from their 8,000 meters. Worse, these fighters do not disperse, they still do not seek the honorable combat and content themselves with shredding the fragile Reisen with their heavy machine guns. And the few Zeros which reach the bombers are greeted by a powerful defensive armament, especially when they try to take on the sturdy Avengers.
Magnetized by the aircraft carriers, the American torpedo bombers and bombers pounce on their prey. On his bridge, Ozawa listens incredulously to the calls of his pilots, who confirm the indications of the radar operators and the lookouts. He could be heard whispering: "
So many planes! It's not possible! A year ago, we sank all their aircraft carriers except one!" [He was not far wrong: a year earlier, the US Navy had only two operational aircraft carriers].
The crews of the Avengers are no more reckless than their counterparts, and their aircraft are much better able to withstand the Japanese flak, which is much less dense and accurate than that of the US Navy. A group of six TBFs from the
Belleau Wood manages to approach the
Chitose and at least two torpedoes are fired at the target, close to each other, on the port side, in front of elevator 1. Boiler rooms 2 and 4 are immediately flooded and the ship heels over 27 degrees before the crew manages to reduce the list to 15 degrees. A quarter of an hour later, the list increases again to 20 degrees, the starboard engine room floods and the speed drops to 14 knots.
Covered by six VF-15 Hellcats led by Lt-Cdr Brewer, who had just shot down a Zero, twelve SBD-5 Dauntlesses from VT-15 make their way to the largest carrier, the
Akagi itself. Two of the Dauntlesses were hit by flak, and one of them ended up with its bomb right on the carrier's islet. Ozawa is killed, as well as several members of his staff. A bomb hits in the middle, near the island, causing a fire in the hangar. Another bomb crashes through the aft end of the flight deck and explodes under the stern. A third bomb explodes hitting the hull, on the port side forward. The damage to the ship itself seems moderate until several internal explosions sound, probably from bombs prepared to rearm the planes returned from the morning raid.
A very violent fire fuelled by ruptured aviation gasoline lines ignites. Above the badly hit giant, the Hellcat pilots discover that their leader was missing. Enemy fighter or flak, no one will ever know what killed him.
Another skipper disappeared: Lt-Cdr Ernest W. Wood, of VF-27, was shot down by two particularly well flown Zeros while defending "his" TBFs of VT-17 from the
Princeton, which attacked the
Soryu in conjunction with SBDs from the Enterprise's VB-10. Not only is he avenged by Lt. "Tex" Harris and Stanley Wejtasa, from VF-10, who shoots down the two Japanese, but the
Soryu takes two bombs, one on the front elevator, the other near the rear elevator, causing furious fires. A few moments later, a torpedo hits in the middle of the starboard side, then another one, a little further back. A huge waterway engulfs the starboard engine room, then internal explosions sound and the ship stops.
In the indescribable chaos of these battles between sky and sea, a mistake in identification can be enough to make one of the actors go from anonymity to a celebrity he would have done well without. Thus, the seaplane cruiser
Chikuma has the particularity of having a clear rear deck, which, in the smoke and excitement of the battle, is enough for the pilots of the Avenger and Dauntless from the
Bunker Hill to mistake it for a real aircraft carrier! Well protected by "their" VF-8, they throw themselves on it and hit it with several bombs and especially three torpedoes that all hit him on the port side. This is too much for the unfortunate
Chikuma, which sinks in a few minutes.
Attracted by the smoke of the fires, 80 other bombers and torpedo bombers from VB-2, VT-2, VT-5 and VB-5 arrive in contact with the dying
Akagi, surrounded by destroyers which try to help it. In a sky which, at that moment, is almost empty of Japanese fighters, the TBF launch their torpedoes as if on exercise, barely hindered by the fire of a bloodless flak. The destroyer
Niizuki receives one of the missiles intended for the carrier and breaks in two, but two others finish off the big ship which sinks, taking the body of Vice-Admiral Ozawa with it.
At about this time, the
Chitose gives up the fight. The waterways become uncontrollable and the transformed aircraft carrier sinks in turn.
Finally, the planes of the last group of attackers, which took off later because of the operations and got somewhat lost, they came across the
Junyo almost by chance, accompanied by two destroyers and whose mechanics are feverishly repairing the damage caused by the overloading of its machinery. It is an execution. The unfortunate ex-liner, unable to maneuver (and of course to launch the planes she still carries), is literally massacred by a rain of projectiles that the attackers drop as if on exercise.
Shortly after, the
Soryu is shaken by several internal explosions. The ship is lost, it will be torpedoed by one of the destroyers of the escort.
Task-Force 50, 16:30 to 17:30 - The landings are staggered, without causing any major problem. The robustness of the American equipment is once again impressive, because if many aircraft are damaged (especially in the TBFs and SBDs), very few are missing, 18 in all for 22 airmen, but two Group Commanders are reported missing. McCampbell, who had recently become CAG, goes back on duty as head of VF-15, in spite of the pasha's reprimands: he had flown in the morning while he was forbidden to fly!
Japanese Line Fleet, 18:00 - The best of the Imperial Navy advances on four lines, surrounded by nineteen destroyers. In the center, the
Yamato, followed by the
Musashi and the two old battleships. On their right, the three fast battleships. On the left flank, a division of two heavy cruisers preceded by the light cruiser
Agano. On the right flank, two divisions of two heavy cruisers, and as scouts, Tanaka's three light cruisers.
At sunset, the American planes sent to keep an eye on the carriers discover this spectacle while keeping an eye on the Japanese aircraft carriers... It is too late to mount a new raid today, but Spruance's staff is not worried: their aircraft carriers were sunk or forced to flee, the Japanese battleships will retreat. In any case, the two American forces are ordered to withdraw to the northeast during the night. And if some enemy elements could catch up with them, the modern battleships of TF-50 would be in their way.
Combined Fleet, 18:30 - The three remaining able-bodied Japanese aircraft carriers - the large
Shokaku, Hiryu and the small
Zuiho - leave the scene with a hundred aircraft on board, a quarter of the air force that the Combined Fleet was still lining up twelve hours earlier. Their escort is now composed only of the heavy cruiser-seaplane carrier
Tone, the light cruiser
Noshiro and eleven destroyers.
Task Force 50, 19:30 - The Catalinas that have been monitoring the Combined Fleet during the day have mostly returned to their bases. The latest indications are that the enemy is withdrawing westward - this is the case of the aircraft carriers, it will surely be soon the case of the battleships. Nevertheless, as expected, the American task forces move away from Kwajalein for the night: TF-52 towards the east-north-east and TF-50 on a parallel route, a little further north.
Japanese Line Fleet, 19:30 - Admiral Yamamoto must make a crucial decision. He has already ordered what remains of his carriers to return to Truk, for them the game is lost. But he still hopes to inflict "unbearable" losses on the American fleet. To do so, he would have to catch up with the enemy during the night. However, the planes that had left Eniwetok and informed him throughout the day about the position of the enemy squadrons, indicate to him that, if the main force is undoubtedly now north of Kwajalein, heading northeast, a secondary force, composed - according to them - of transports, but also of small aircraft carriers, battleships and heavy cruisers, is located to the east, heading northeast.
By heading northeast at 28 knots, Yamamoto could hope to bypass the main force during the night and force and force the secondary force to fight at night or in the early morning. It's a gamble - but the admiral is a gambler. The Combined Fleet must absolutely return fire and, to the Imperial General Staff, he must be able to claim that he has inflicted significant losses on the Yankee fleet. After having promised the "Decisive Battle" and mobilized almost the entire fleet, he has to come back with a minimum of results (apart from the press release, which states that the US Navy had lost 5 aircraft carriers, 4 battleships and 10 cruisers).
Of course, all the ships of the fleet of the line could not participate in this real race (the consequences of which could prove fatal for the ships involved). But it is a a mission well within the capabilities of the three fast battleships* and the six heavy cruisers.
After a brief discussion with his staff, Yamamoto decides - his only regret was not to accompany the ships he sent as raiders to attack the enemy fleet.
The
Yamato, the
Musashi, the two old battleships, the light cruiser
Agano and six destroyers retreat to Truk.
The
Kirishima, the
Hiei and the
Haruna go east, accompanied by the heavy cruisers
Atago, Takao, Kumano, Suzuya, Haguro and
Myoko, the light cruisers
Jintsu (Vice-Admiral Tanaka),
Naka and
Sendai, the "super-destroyer"
Shimakaze and the destroyers
Amatsukaze, Hatsukaze, Hayashio, Kagero, Shiranui, Tokitsukaze, Yukikaze and
Fujiyami, Kazagumo, Kiyonami, Naganami and
Onami. This force is commanded by vice-admiral Ugaki, still on the
Atago.
Task Force 50, 20:30 - At the beginning of the night, informed that, according to the radar reconnaissance, the Japanese battleships are now moving west, Spruance considers the Combined Fleet is withdrawing. Judging that he has little chance of catching them the next day, he decides that TF-50 will head straight north, in order to be within range of Eniwetok by the morning of the 2nd and eliminate any threat that might come from that direction before TF-53 arrives. This change of course must be imitated by TF-52, so that it remains covered by TF-50.
South of Kwajalein, 21:00 - For several hours, the
Hornet, the
Phoenix and the four destroyers escorting them have been followed.
The Japanese submarine
I-180 was heading for the Gilberts to patrol when it received orders to set course for Kwajalein... And around noon, Lieutenant Commander Hidenori Fujita thanks his family deities when he sees in his periscope an aircraft carrier being towed by a large cruiser! Too far to attack, of course...
So the submarine dives away to the south, then surfaces and heads east at more than 22 knots. At nightfall, it heads north again and, still on the surface, it finally finds its prey.
The destroyer
O'Bannon's radar picks up a suspicious echo and the escort diverts to find out more, but it is too late.
On the
I-180, Commander Fujita takes the time to take care of his aim and launch three torpedoes at each of his two targets, which are dragging at 5 knots and unable to maneuver.
Out of three torpedoes aimed at the
Hornet, two hit it - more than enough to doom the carrier. They wipe out the makeshift repairs painstakingly carried out and cause a new and important leak, which immediately results in a 14 degree list. Soon after, it becomes clear that the ship has to be abandoned.
However, the other three torpedoes from
I-180 hit the
Phoenix. One, at the bow, does only minor damage. But the other two hit the ship a little aft of the second stack and explode in the aft engine room. The explosion kills 275 men and destroys the ship's electrical generating system, preventing effective damage control. The
Phoenix is doomed. Twenty minutes later, she sinks by the stern.
The
I-180, which had lingered too long on the surface to perfect its aim, could not rejoice of this double. No sooner had it dived than the first depth charges from the
O'Bannon explode, while
Kidd comes to assist his teammate. After half an hour of hunting, the submarine surfaces very briefly and then sinks for good, leaving an officer and two sailors to tell the story...
It is strange that, despite the testimony of these three men and the absence of any British submarine within a radius of several thousand miles, a legend has long circulated on the oceans that the
Phoenix had been the victim of a British, not Japanese, submarine.
Task Force 52 (east-northeast of Kwajalein), 23:00 - On the
Pennsylvania, Vice Admiral Turner examines the latest messages with concern. A B-24 from the Gilberts equipped with radar has spotted a large enemy force near Kwajalein - eight to ten large echoes and at least twelve smaller ones. These are obviously some of the ships seen in the afternoon. It seems that the losses inflicted on the Japanese carriers did not discourage this squadron... So, what could be their intention?
It is doubtful that these ships can catch up with the TF-50 - and if so, Spruance has enough to accommodate them. But if they are fast ships, Turner wonders, couldn't they catch up with his TF-52 by overtaking Spruance's squadron before the night was over? The large Japanese cruisers have proven time and again how dangerous they can be.
Of course, it has three ships of the line, five with the two French, but with these two light cruisers and a few destroyers, is he sure, at night, of being able to prevent the dreaded Japanese torpedoes from reaching the ten precious transports and the three escort carriers entrusted to his care? His three old battleships are very slow. Certainly, Spruance's are not far away and should even be in a position to intercept the Japanese (the admiral was not informed of the change of course of the TF-50, which moves it away from his squadron and especially from the Japanese route). But you never know, some Japanese could overtake him...
At Guadalcanal, on the
Jeanne d'Arc, Turner got into the habit of taking the advice of the French sailors: he even learned to express himself somewhat in their language. This is why he does not hesitate to question Rear Admiral Barois on the
Strasbourg.
He is surprised by the latter's answer: he proposes to accept combat with the Japanese ships, in charge of intercepting the cruisers that would try to overrun the slow American battleships to go to attack the precious transports and escort carriers. The mission, especially at night, is obviously dangerous - more so than staying in the line of battle - and Turner does not fail to point out to Barois that he, an American admiral, would not want to be made responsible for the sacrifice of two precious battlecruisers to protect transports full of GI's. Subtext: I like your proposal, but is it politically valid?
Barois's answer is in a few words: "
Since last September 6th, my ships no longer have the same importance for my country. They can have a lot of importance for your boys."
Turner understands. For five months, France has not been in exile. The
Dunkerque and
Strasbourg are no longer political symbols, but mere warships.
- Very well," he replies. "
But you will take with you, in addition to your Desron 70-1, the cruiser Helena. Sorry I can't do better!
He explained later that the whole US Navy was not going to hide behind two allied ships!
............
"Some historians will of course ask why Turner did not ask for help from Spruance's battleships at that time. Others will accuse Spruance of having neglected TF-52's cover by speeding to Eniwetok at night. In both cases, there was the fact that the American admirals did not envision the Japanese sending in more than two or three heavy cruisers and a few destroyers: would these forces not be doomed to destruction the next day anyway?
Moreover, for Spruance, who had Yamamoto's squadron under surveillance, the Japanese were in full retreat. Like Turner, it was only at 23:00 that he learned that this squadron had split in two under the cover of night. But even then, the course taken by Ugaki's group did not seem to allow him to endanger TF-52, which he thought was further
to the north.
For Turner, the danger came primarily from a force of cruisers and destroyers, likely to move at high speed and outflank TF-50. Learning that the enemy force was larger than he had expected only confirmed his belief that he had to be careful of the arrival of a light brigade of some sort. He did not know that the change of course of the TF-50 had facilitated the task of the Japanese.
Indeed, it appeared that this change of course had not been communicated to Turner (excessive application of the rule of radio silence or message lost in the ether, it is difficult to be sure). However, Spruance, cautious as usual, was convinced of the contrary. In his mind, as in Turner's, the two task forces were much closer than they actually were, and the TF-50 was between the Japanese and the TF-52.
In any case, Turner would have to face Ugaki alone - more alone, at least, than he thought. But as he would say after the war with a smile, "
I was not alone: I had my good friend Barois with me." (Jack Bailey,
An Ocean of Flames, op. cit.)
Sino-Japanese War
Operation Bailu (preparations)
Chongqing - The 1st, 5th and 52nd Armies as well as the 200th Armored Division begin to move towards their respective deployment areas in the framework of the future operation Bailu. Starting from the provisional Chinese capital, they are heading south and will travel by road to Guiyang in Guizhou Province. From there they will continue by train, a railroad whose construction had been thwarted by the war connecting the city to the main north-south railroad axis of China.
US Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Essex, Battle of the Marshall Islands, February 1944
* The four "Kongo" had been built during the First World War as battlecruisers on the plans of the HMS
Tiger. Between the two wars, they had undergone two major refits. Their silhouette had been modified by the replacement of the mast and the front superstructure by a pagoda tower and the lengthening of the hull. The evaporative apparatus had been modernized (new boilers), the light artillery had been replaced, the main and medium artillery had seen its elevation increased to increase its range and the armored bridge had been reinforced. The Japanese had then reclassified them as "fast battleships", but as for HMS
Hood, their protection remained that of a battlecruiser, unable to compete with that of the battleships built in the second half of the thirties in the world or even with the dreadnoughts built in the years 1915-1920.
