Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway The
Battle of Coral Sea Battle of Midway
The Battle of Coral Sea • Took Place on May 7 th and 8 th, 1942 • Was SW of the Solomon Islands and E of New Guinea • It was the first Pacific War battle of 6 battles between opposing forces. • The Battle of Coral Sea resulted from Japanese forces trying to capture Fort Moresby on New Guinea’s E coast, which would threaten Australia’s safety also.
Japanese Operations at the Battle of Coral Sea • The operation had 2 seaborne invasion forces • The main force was aimed at Fort Moresby • The smaller was aimed at Tulagi • The battle was fought entirely by planes • Reason why: Neither ship saw each other to fire upon the other
The Battle Consisted of: • U. S. : • Flight carriers: U. S. S Yorktown and U. S. S Lexington led by Admiral Fletcher • 122 planes • Radar • Japan: • Flight carriers: Shokaku and Zuikaku led by Admiral Takagi • 121 planes • NO Radar
Questions? • Why did Japan go for a Pacific War? • They wanted to retrieve resources to be able to invade China • Why was this bad for the U. S. ? • If Japan captured the Philippines for their resources, they wouldn’t need the western nations anymore. This would hurt the American economy. • Who did Japan attack and what did they do? • They attacked the major power centers: Peral Harbor, Guam, Wake outposts, Philippines and Malaya, knocked Britain away, and invaded SE Asia to end China’s resource supply
More Info on the Battle of Coral Sea • • • Why was the U. S. S Yorktown and the U. S. S Lexington not at Pearl Harbor? • They were ordered out to sea to protect Port Moresby. The U. S. S Yorktown was first to attack in the battle and seriously damaged one of Japan’s destroyers and 3 of their minesweepers. Why was the Battle of Coral Sea considered a turning point? • It was the first aircraft carrier war. • There was no clear winner in the Battle of Coral Sea, but it was considered a tactical victory for Japan because the U. S. S Lexington had been lost. • Damage was suffered and experience was gained by both opposing sides. • This battle set the stage for the Battle of Midway a month later.
Losses of the Battle of Coral Sea • U. S. : • • 1 aircraft carrier 1 destroyer 1 valuable fleet oiler Damage to the second carrier • Japan: • 1 light aircraft carrier • 1 destroyer • Some smaller ships • Shokaku was damaged badly due to bombs • The Zuikaku air group was badly depleted • Forced to cancel the Moresby invasion
The Battle of Midway • It was fought over and near the tiny U. S. mid. Pacific base at Midway atoll • Now the U. S. and Japan were considered to be tactically equal • Why did Japan want to attack Midway? • They wanted to draw the U. S. Navy out to the Pacific to destroy their aircraft carrier force.
Midway Information • Was the attack on Midway unexpected? • No, the U. S. decoded a Japanese warning and Admiral Fletcher sent an ambush to Midway while the Japanese were rearming. • Admiral Fletcher destroyed 3 of 4 Japanese big aircraft carriers. • The surviving planes attacked and damaged the U. S. S Yorktown. • The Yorktown’s second strike sent down the remaining aircraft carrier. • Then, a Japanese submarine sank the U. S. S Yorktown.
Details • The Pacific Fleet Commanders: • U. S. : • Admiral Chester W. Nimitz • Japan: • Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto • The Battle of Midway represented the strategic high water mark of Japan’s Pacific ocean war. • Before this battle, Japan had been the superior in sea battles. Afterwards, the U. S. and Japan became equal in sea battles. • After the battle, Midway base had only small damage and was still operational • The U. S. was considered the winner, but by intelligence and sheer luck only
Battle of Midway Losses: • U. S. : • Aircraft carriers: Yorktown and Hammann • 144 planes • 104 pilots and air crew • 258 sailors Midway base lost approximately 70 pilots and air crew • Japan: • Aircraft carriers: Akagi, Kaga, Suryu, Hiryu, and the big carrier Mikuma • 250 planes • 110 pilots and air crew • 3, 000 sailors
Made for you by: Autumn Sanderson • A great site for information is: www. ww 2 pacific. com/coralsea. html & www. ww 2 pacific. com/midway. html
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