This Day In History | World War II May 3, 1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea begins

http://www.historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=worldwarii ^

[mainepatsfan]

This Day In History | World War II

May 3

1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea begins

On this, the first day of the first modern naval engagement in history, called the Battle of the Coral Sea, a Japanese invasion force succeeds in occupying Tulagi of the Solomon Islands in an expansion of Japan's defensive perimeter.

The United States, having broken Japan's secret war code and forewarned of an impending invasion of Tulagi and Port Moresby, attempted to intercept the Japanese armada. Four days of battles between Japanese and American aircraft carriers resulted in 70 Japanese and 66 Americans warplanes destroyed. This confrontation, called the Battle of the Coral Sea, marked the first air-naval battle in history, as none of the carriers fired at each other, allowing the planes taking off from their decks to do the battling. Among the casualties was the American carrier Lexington; "the Blue Ghost" (so-called because it was not camouflaged like other carriers) suffered such extensive aerial damage that it had to be sunk by its own crew. Two hundred sixteen Lexington crewmen died as a result of the Japanese aerial bombardment.

Although Japan would go on to occupy all of the Solomon Islands, its victory was a Pyrrhic one: The cost in experienced pilots and aircraft carriers was so great that Japan had to cancel its expedition to Port Moresby, Papua, as well as other South Pacific targets.

[SunkenCiv]

...one of the handful of major battles that crippled the Japanese fleet and led to retreat and kamikaze tactics. Thanks for posting this topic. Usually I wind up sneakin' in a day or more after, so this is a double treat. :')

[SunkenCiv]

Here's a possible topic for next month, same war, and check out something I put in bold down below:

The Marianas Turkey Shoot
American Fighter Aces

The weather was clear with scattered cumulus clouds off the coast of Saipan on the morning of 19 June, 1944. As part of Task Force 58 protecting the Marianas landings, Fighting Squadron 16 was expecting an attack from the 400-plane Japanese carrier force. At 10:30 bogeys were picked up on radar approaching in several large groups and twelve Hellcats were launched from the USS Lexington to intercept the Japanese force. Twelve-victory ace, Lieutenant Alex Vraciu was one of the pilots in that group.

Leading a division of four Hellcats, Vraciu experienced engine problems and couldn't climb past 20,000 feet, but requested a vector from the fighter director and was put onto a line of Yokosuka D4Y2 Judy dive bombers. In the eight minute tail-chase, Vraciu splashed six. The air battle became known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot - Task Force 58 Hellcats destroyed over 300 Japanese aircraft. The following day, Alex Vraciu claimed his 19th and last victory, a Zeke.

Looks like the Lexington was replaced during that flurry of building during (and beginning somewhat before Dec 7) the war.

[rmlew]

The battle was a tactical draw and a strategic defeat. Its importance only came in hindsight. We did manage to keep the see lanes open to Australia, but the cost was high. Trading the heavy carrier Lexington (80-110 planes) for the light carrier Shoho (30+) was seen as a disaster. Fortunately, the Yorktown was patched up (but not fully repaired) in time for Midway, while the Shokaku took longer to repair. The loss of Japanese aviators was also damaging in the long run.

Still, had the Japanese focused their forces at Midway instead of squandering 4 light carriers in the Aleutians, it is quite possible that they could have won. Had that occured, the Battle of the Coral Sea would have been for naught. Even after that, the loss of the Wasp and Hornet meant that we were dangerously overstretched in late 1942.

[SunkenCiv]

Still, had the Japanese focused their forces at Midway instead of squandering 4 light carriers in the Aleutians, it is quite possible that they could have won.

Wholeheartedly agree. Midway was (at the peak of the Japanese order of battle) such a close thing that I very much doubt it would have ended in a US victory. The diversionary attack in the Aleutians doesn't really make any sense to little old me, even though the Japanese weren't aware that their codes had been cracked. It seems like ground-war thinking, misapplied over the Pacific, which is half the world's surface.

[GATOR NAVY]

I hate the History Channel sometimes. "The Blue Ghost" was CV-16, the ESSEX class LEXINGTON named in honor of CV-2, the LEXINGTON sunk at Coral Sea. CV-2 was "Lady Lex".

USS LEXINGTON (CV-2)