I: Coral Sea (5/42)
Operation FS, the Japanese invasion of the South Pacific islands, will likely always be the most ambitious military campaign ever attempted. The plan demanded that thousands of Japanese soldiers be transported as far as 7500km away from their home bases, to capture several islands including one of the most heavily defended naval bases in the world, with a minimum of friendly air support available. At the same time, the Imperial Japanese Navy was expected to blockade an entire continent and to locate and completely defeat the rest of the US Navy in a final decisive battle. All the while relying on only half the tankers normally required for a Navy that size, and an air force that could expect little reinforcement.
While not as large in terms of troops or tonnage as the Torch landings or D-Day, no operation has ever demanded more success from less resources than 'FS'. And in spite of every difficulty, the campaign almost worked. A story of boldness and overreach, this is the tale of the time Japan went an island too far.
On December 7th, 1941, bombs rained down on Pearl Harbour. Over the next four months, Wake, Guam, Hong Kong, Luzon, Singapore and Java would all fall to the Japanese with minimal casualties. The oil fields that convinced the Japanese high command to go to war in the first place were secure, although Dutch sabotage greatly hindered Japanese efforts to get anything useful from them. The plan was that after this string of successes, the Allies would have no choice but to surrender, reopening trade with Japan in exchange for the return of some of their islands. Crucially, no allowance was made for if the Americans refused.
With no Allied surrender forthcoming, the Japanese accelerated and expanded their plans. The most important of these new offensives would begin with the Battle of the Coral Sea...
I: Coral Sea, May 1942
FS was born from a bold idea: if Japan could seize and control a number of key bases off the north and eastern coasts of Australia, they could sever communication between Australia and the United States, and thereby cause a collapse of the Allied coalition. In May of 1942, most Japanese troops in the Pacific had only recently completed the conquest of Java, or were tied up in the battle to take the final American bastion in the Philippines on Corregidor Island. This left few troops available to fight in the South Pacific, and the bulk of that campaign was presently timetabled for July. However, Japan could presently spare the South Seas Detachment, a force of around 5000 men, for an invasion of Port Moresby on the south coast of New Guinea. The invasion was set to take place on the 10th of May.
To escort the invasion, the Japanese sent Admiral Inoue, with the two newest fleet carriers flying the Rising Sun: the Shokaku and Zuikaku, as well as a collection of cruisers and destroyers and a third, smaller carrier in Shoho. Inoue’s opponents would consist of Rear Admiral Fletcher, the US carriers Lexington and Yorktown, and a slightly smaller group of surface vessels. Perhaps more importantly, the Americans had broken the Japanese codes, and knew of the planned invasion of Port Moresby. Their goal was to stop it.
The Battle of Coral Sea can be considered to have begun with the Japanese takeover of Tulagi, a small island in the Solomons that could provide a good anchorage but was otherwise of limited military value. Fletcher received word of the invasion around 1830 on May 3rd, and decided to act. Shortly after dawn on May 4th, he ordered most of his aircraft to attack the Japanese fleet. Despite the favourable weather conditions, the American attack accomplished very little: an old destroyer, three minesweepers and five recon planes were destroyed, at the cost of just one TBD Devastator (whose crew were successfully rescued). Unfortunately for the Americans, Vice Admiral Takagi, commander of the Japanese carrier group, now knew that American carriers were in the area. The valuable ships had eluded the Japanese at Pearl Harbour and been a constant thorn in their side since, raiding various Japanese outposts in efforts to raise morale at home. Takagi wanted them sunk, and on May 5th, he would get his chance.
Coral Sea’s second day began uneventfully. Although both sides knew the other’s carriers were in the area, neither knew exactly where. Both needed to refuel some of their ships, and for much of the morning the efforts to refuel dominated both commanders’ attention. While this was happening, a Japanese H6K flying boat based in Rabaul discovered the American fleet. Although the flying boat was shot down just minutes later, the message was sent back to 25 Air Flotilla’s HQ. More importantly, it was then passed on to Inoue*.
Inoue, after some consideration, decided to act. His own forces were now protected by the cold front that had shielded the Americans the previous day, and it was apparent that Fletcher was still refuelling some of his ships. The Americans, he believed, probably didn’t know where the Japanese carriers were, meaning that any counterattack they launched would be confused and weak. An order was sent to Takagi, to launch two-thirds of his available strike forces: 60 bombers, an even split between torpedo-carrying B5Ns (known as ‘Kate’s to the Allies), and D3A (‘Val’) dive bombers, as well as 18 A6M ‘Zero’ fighters as escorts. If a more certain positioning of the American carriers was found, the reserves were to be sent out immediately. Else, he would have to guess.
As it turned out, Takagi had guessed correctly. Just a few hours after the recon report came in, the strike force found the two American carriers. Both were protected by a combined combat air patrol of 16 F4F Wildcat fighters, but it was evident that the Americans were not expecting a Japanese attack. Fletcher rushed to get as many fighters as possible into the air, and called for urgent reinforcements from the land-based aircraft in Australia and New Guinea. Unfortunately for Fletcher, the battle was taking place too far east for any fighters to be sent to assist, although a squadron of P-39s based out of Port Moresby was launched in case any additional Japanese planes were sent out of Rabaul.
Takagi’s strike proved decisive. Both American carriers were pounded by the Japanese onslaught, while the elite Japanese pilots did to the carriers what they had done to the battleships at Pearl Harbour. Lexington was hit by no fewer than four torpedoes, and sank quickly. Yorktown meanwhile had its flight deck plastered by the dive bombers, as well as two torpedoes, one of which hit the engine room. As the Japanese departed, Yorktown was scuttled by her crew. Luckily for the Americans, the Japanese never launched a second wave, and efforts to evacuate the crews of both carriers saved enough men to be considered a success.
Takagi’s amazing success had not come cheaply however: the two carriers cost him eleven Zeroes, ten dive bombers and fourteen torpedo bombers – half his striking power against an unprepared foe. Planes, at least for the moment, were replaceable. His elite pilots were not.
By dawn of May 6th, the great battle was over. Bereft of any carriers, and too far from Australia or New Guinea to cover his forces with land-based aircraft, Fletcher gave the order to retreat. Those ships that could be safely sent to assist in defending Port Moresby were sent west, while Takagi was ordered to move his carriers west to cover the invasion force. A flight of B-17 bombers would attempt to bomb the Japanese fleet from high altitude later that day, which damaged a cruiser but was otherwise ineffective, and in the late afternoon news arrived announcing the fall of Corregidor Island. The Japanese had now conquered the Western Pacific, and their position in the south had never looked stronger.
The invasion attempt on Port Moresby itself followed as planned on May 10th. The bulk of Japanese airpower in the South Pacific was committed to the battle, including much of the carrier strike forces and nearly 40 aircraft based in Rabaul, many of them bombers. The Australian garrison, only slightly smaller than the Japanese invaders, gave good account of itself but was ultimately overwhelmed, as the furious naval battle taking place off the coast failed to scatter the Japanese ships. Japanese losses approached 1500 ground troops and another 40 aircraft, but the port and airbases were secured in the following days. In addition to the defenders of New Guinea itself, the Allies saw two destroyers sunk and three cruisers with varying levels of damage, while the Japanese light cruiser Yubari was also sent to the bottom.
*This is the PoD: historically the message made it only as far as flotilla HQ.
- BNC
While not as large in terms of troops or tonnage as the Torch landings or D-Day, no operation has ever demanded more success from less resources than 'FS'. And in spite of every difficulty, the campaign almost worked. A story of boldness and overreach, this is the tale of the time Japan went an island too far.
On December 7th, 1941, bombs rained down on Pearl Harbour. Over the next four months, Wake, Guam, Hong Kong, Luzon, Singapore and Java would all fall to the Japanese with minimal casualties. The oil fields that convinced the Japanese high command to go to war in the first place were secure, although Dutch sabotage greatly hindered Japanese efforts to get anything useful from them. The plan was that after this string of successes, the Allies would have no choice but to surrender, reopening trade with Japan in exchange for the return of some of their islands. Crucially, no allowance was made for if the Americans refused.
With no Allied surrender forthcoming, the Japanese accelerated and expanded their plans. The most important of these new offensives would begin with the Battle of the Coral Sea...
I: Coral Sea, May 1942
FS was born from a bold idea: if Japan could seize and control a number of key bases off the north and eastern coasts of Australia, they could sever communication between Australia and the United States, and thereby cause a collapse of the Allied coalition. In May of 1942, most Japanese troops in the Pacific had only recently completed the conquest of Java, or were tied up in the battle to take the final American bastion in the Philippines on Corregidor Island. This left few troops available to fight in the South Pacific, and the bulk of that campaign was presently timetabled for July. However, Japan could presently spare the South Seas Detachment, a force of around 5000 men, for an invasion of Port Moresby on the south coast of New Guinea. The invasion was set to take place on the 10th of May.
To escort the invasion, the Japanese sent Admiral Inoue, with the two newest fleet carriers flying the Rising Sun: the Shokaku and Zuikaku, as well as a collection of cruisers and destroyers and a third, smaller carrier in Shoho. Inoue’s opponents would consist of Rear Admiral Fletcher, the US carriers Lexington and Yorktown, and a slightly smaller group of surface vessels. Perhaps more importantly, the Americans had broken the Japanese codes, and knew of the planned invasion of Port Moresby. Their goal was to stop it.
The Battle of Coral Sea can be considered to have begun with the Japanese takeover of Tulagi, a small island in the Solomons that could provide a good anchorage but was otherwise of limited military value. Fletcher received word of the invasion around 1830 on May 3rd, and decided to act. Shortly after dawn on May 4th, he ordered most of his aircraft to attack the Japanese fleet. Despite the favourable weather conditions, the American attack accomplished very little: an old destroyer, three minesweepers and five recon planes were destroyed, at the cost of just one TBD Devastator (whose crew were successfully rescued). Unfortunately for the Americans, Vice Admiral Takagi, commander of the Japanese carrier group, now knew that American carriers were in the area. The valuable ships had eluded the Japanese at Pearl Harbour and been a constant thorn in their side since, raiding various Japanese outposts in efforts to raise morale at home. Takagi wanted them sunk, and on May 5th, he would get his chance.
Coral Sea’s second day began uneventfully. Although both sides knew the other’s carriers were in the area, neither knew exactly where. Both needed to refuel some of their ships, and for much of the morning the efforts to refuel dominated both commanders’ attention. While this was happening, a Japanese H6K flying boat based in Rabaul discovered the American fleet. Although the flying boat was shot down just minutes later, the message was sent back to 25 Air Flotilla’s HQ. More importantly, it was then passed on to Inoue*.
Inoue, after some consideration, decided to act. His own forces were now protected by the cold front that had shielded the Americans the previous day, and it was apparent that Fletcher was still refuelling some of his ships. The Americans, he believed, probably didn’t know where the Japanese carriers were, meaning that any counterattack they launched would be confused and weak. An order was sent to Takagi, to launch two-thirds of his available strike forces: 60 bombers, an even split between torpedo-carrying B5Ns (known as ‘Kate’s to the Allies), and D3A (‘Val’) dive bombers, as well as 18 A6M ‘Zero’ fighters as escorts. If a more certain positioning of the American carriers was found, the reserves were to be sent out immediately. Else, he would have to guess.
As it turned out, Takagi had guessed correctly. Just a few hours after the recon report came in, the strike force found the two American carriers. Both were protected by a combined combat air patrol of 16 F4F Wildcat fighters, but it was evident that the Americans were not expecting a Japanese attack. Fletcher rushed to get as many fighters as possible into the air, and called for urgent reinforcements from the land-based aircraft in Australia and New Guinea. Unfortunately for Fletcher, the battle was taking place too far east for any fighters to be sent to assist, although a squadron of P-39s based out of Port Moresby was launched in case any additional Japanese planes were sent out of Rabaul.
Takagi’s strike proved decisive. Both American carriers were pounded by the Japanese onslaught, while the elite Japanese pilots did to the carriers what they had done to the battleships at Pearl Harbour. Lexington was hit by no fewer than four torpedoes, and sank quickly. Yorktown meanwhile had its flight deck plastered by the dive bombers, as well as two torpedoes, one of which hit the engine room. As the Japanese departed, Yorktown was scuttled by her crew. Luckily for the Americans, the Japanese never launched a second wave, and efforts to evacuate the crews of both carriers saved enough men to be considered a success.
Takagi’s amazing success had not come cheaply however: the two carriers cost him eleven Zeroes, ten dive bombers and fourteen torpedo bombers – half his striking power against an unprepared foe. Planes, at least for the moment, were replaceable. His elite pilots were not.
By dawn of May 6th, the great battle was over. Bereft of any carriers, and too far from Australia or New Guinea to cover his forces with land-based aircraft, Fletcher gave the order to retreat. Those ships that could be safely sent to assist in defending Port Moresby were sent west, while Takagi was ordered to move his carriers west to cover the invasion force. A flight of B-17 bombers would attempt to bomb the Japanese fleet from high altitude later that day, which damaged a cruiser but was otherwise ineffective, and in the late afternoon news arrived announcing the fall of Corregidor Island. The Japanese had now conquered the Western Pacific, and their position in the south had never looked stronger.
The invasion attempt on Port Moresby itself followed as planned on May 10th. The bulk of Japanese airpower in the South Pacific was committed to the battle, including much of the carrier strike forces and nearly 40 aircraft based in Rabaul, many of them bombers. The Australian garrison, only slightly smaller than the Japanese invaders, gave good account of itself but was ultimately overwhelmed, as the furious naval battle taking place off the coast failed to scatter the Japanese ships. Japanese losses approached 1500 ground troops and another 40 aircraft, but the port and airbases were secured in the following days. In addition to the defenders of New Guinea itself, the Allies saw two destroyers sunk and three cruisers with varying levels of damage, while the Japanese light cruiser Yubari was also sent to the bottom.
*This is the PoD: historically the message made it only as far as flotilla HQ.
- BNC
