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The particular section of
my website contains countless detailed facts from World War II (1939 -
1945) my favorite period of world history. The PTO (Pacific Theater of Operations)
is the main extent of my knowledge of WWII. A table of contents follows
below:
1. The Attack on Pearl Harbor
2. Battle of Midway
3. Battle of the Philippine Sea
4. Battle of Leyte Gulf
5. Submarine Operations
Pearl
Harbor
DECEMBER 7, 1941
The infamous attack
on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, is considered the worst U.S. maritime
disaster in history.
Six Japanese
aircraft carriers, the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu, Zuikaku, and the
Shokaku, lay wait approximately one hundred miles north of Pearl Harbor,
Oahu.
Battle
of Midway JUNE 4-6 1942
The
battle of Midway began as the Japanese hungered for more territory in
their Pacific realm. Midway, to them, seemed a logical target: it had and
airfield, and from there, Japanese bombers could attack the Hawaiian
Islands. Japanese Admiral Chuichi Nagumo was put in charge of the Midway
operation. A main strike force was assembled at Japan, and it steamed
eastward towards Midway. The strike force consisted of four aircraft
carriers, a battleship, several cruiser, and a screen of destroyers. The
bombardment and invasion force came in from the south.
At
four thirty in the morning, Admiral Nagumo launched a large air raid on
the island of Midway. His planes, Aichi "Val" dive bombers
made a successful attack, damaging Midway, but Nagumo decided there was
need for a second raid. As he ordered planes to be loaded with bombs and
fuel, he received an important
message from a search plane that had been launched from the heavy
cruiser Tone. Three United States flat-tops (aircraft carriers) had
been sighted. Nagumo quickly had the bomb-loaded aircraft fitted with
torpedoes to attack the U.S. fleet.. Before long, they were attacked by
high flying B17s and low flying Avenger torpedo bombers, sent out from
Midway, but weren’t hit. The ecstatic Japanese gunners maimed the
pitiful force: all but one of the TBM-1Avenger pilots were killed. The
B-17s were badly damaged. However, what seemed like incredible luck for
the Japanese was about to turn around. In the six minutes that changed the
world, the Japanese were attacked by Dauntless dive- bombers from the U.S.
carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown. The decks
of the Japanese flattops were cluttered with torpedoes, bombs, and gas
lines. Each carrier took several bomb hits, and after that, each was
reduced to a burning hulk. The attack sunk three carriers, the Kaga,
Akagi, and the Soryu. The remaining carrier Hiryu
then launched eight-teen dive-bombers which struck the U.S. carrier Yorktown,
badly damaging its engines. By two o clock in the after noon however, the
Yorktown was fixed and moving like normal. Admiral Chester Nimitz had been
transferred to another ship, a cruiser.
The Japanese weren’t finished with the Yorktown, though.
The still-fighting Hiryu launched more planes at the Yorktown.
Two torpedoes slammed into the side of the doomed ship, initiating a bad
list to port. The Americans realized that if their other carriers Enterprise
and Hornet were damaged along with the Yorktown, America
might lose the battle, possibly the war. The Hornet launched the
heaviest attack possible against the Hiryu. Just before the attack
began, a fearful cry went out on the Hiryu: “Enemy
dive bombers over head!” The first three Dauntlesses missed
with their bomb. However, four bombs struck the flight deck in quick
session, leaving it burning out of control.
When
the planes made it safely back to there carriers, Nagumo, who had long ago
been transferred to a cruiser, canceled his Midway attack plan. The battle
officially didn't end until the next day. As the Japanese were heading
back to port, the two heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma were
attacked by Midway based B17s, but unfortunately, for the Americans, no
hits were made. At 8:00 in the morning, the American carrier Hornet
launched twenty- six dive -bombers and eight fighters at a small group of
ships consisting of two heavy cruisers Mikuma and Mogami.
The Hornet’s planes didn’t inflict much damage, and, unfortunately
for the United States, more planes were shot down by flak than made it
back to their carrier. Then, a few minutes later, the Dauntlesses from the
Enterprise attacked. This was far more affective than the Hornets
attack. One Dauntless was hit by flak and flew into the side of the
Mogami, and to this day it is unknown if the pilot did it on purpose or
not The bomber smashing in to the Mogami did the most damage on the
ship. Suddenly, in all the confusion, the Mogami accidentally
rammed the Mikuma, leaving the Mikuma with a gaping hole in
the side and Mogami with a smashed bow. The Hornet launched
yet more aircraft, resulting in further damage of the Japanese fleet.
As
the wounded American carrier Yorktown still clung to life, listing
to port at twenty-five degrees, the U.S. sailors began to think that the Yorktown
might make it. Just as Admiral Jack Fletcher made the decision to order
the Yorktown back to Pearl Harbor for repairs, a lookout yelled loudly:
“ Torpedoes !” The first of the four torpedoes, fired from the
Japanese submarine I-168, missed. The second one slammed into the side of
the destroyer Hammann, breaking its spine. It went down almost
immediately, exploding underwater. The last two torpedoes exploded against
the side of the Yorktown, leaving two gaping holes in the Yorktown’s
protective steel plates. There was nothing more the American DC (damage
control ) party could do to save the Yorktown. At daybreak on June
seventh, 1942, the Yorktown began to lean over on her side
(listing) more sharply. In the words of the Yorktown’s skipper,
Captain Elliot Buckmaster, “ She turned over on her port side and
slipped below two thousand fathoms of water .” The
Battle of Midway was over.
The
Battle of Midway played an important role in World War II. It raised the
morale of the seemingly defeated American people, and it put the United
States on the offensive and the Japanese on the defensive. The
Battle of Leyte Gulf OCTOBER
23-25 1944
The battle of
Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in the Second World War. It was
also the largest naval encounter in history; it would also be the last in
World War II. In the three-day battle for Leyte Gulf, near the island
of Leyte in the Philippines, the Americans won a decisive victory over the
Japanese Imperial Navy; which after that battle, was never to sail as a
major fleet again.
The
epic battle for Leyte Gulf lasted three days: October twenty-third,
nineteen forty-four, through October twenty fifth, nineteen forty-four.
The
Japanese had planned a major attack against the Leyte Gulf vicinity,
hoping to secure the area and annihilate any American ships in the area.
Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita was to play the largest role of this battle for
the Japanese. He controlled the central force that was steaming towards
the target. His task force was a large and powerful one; it consisted of
five battleships, ten heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and fifteen
destroyers. Two of those
five battleships were Yamato
class battleships. They were the largest battleships ever built; each of
them sported nine eighteen-point one inch main turrets that could pack a
powerful punch. The Yamato’s
sister ship, the Musashi, was
somewhat larger and more powerful.
Vice
Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa was the leader of a decoy fleet that was steaming
from the north. Multiple other smaller task forces were patrolling the
area.
Kurita was
destined to have bad luck for the entire battle. His worries were started
when lookouts reported periscope sightings, which were, in fact, bamboo
poles sticking out of the water. However,
unbeknownst to him, there were the two American submarines Darter
and Dace in the vicinity.
The Darter launched six torpedoes towards the Atago, Admiral Kurita’s flagship. Four of them hit, shattering her
from “Number one turret to the stern.” The Atago
soon became the first casualty of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. A moment after
the Darter had fired its forward
torpedoes, it emptied its stern tubes of their load. Two of them found
their mark on the heavy cruiser Takao.
Although the Takao wasn’t
completely destroyed, the Admiral sent her, along with two destroyers,
back to Brunei for repairs. This
was a terrible blow to Kurita, but the submarines weren’t done their
work yet. The Dace launched its “tin fish” at the heavy cruiser Maya.
Four of them hit, sinking her in four minutes. Most of the crew on board
was killed or drowned.
The
Darter and the Dace still
had work to finish, though. They tracked the wounded cruiser and its two
escorts for some time until disaster struck. The Darter accidentally ran aground on a reef known as Bombay Shoal.
They tried to destroy it so that it wouldn’t fall into enemy hands, but
attempts failed. Finally, a Japanese plane flew overhead. Fortunately, its
target was the Darter and it
destroyed it. Although
this was the end of the submarine attacks, a far more potent attack was to
come the next day; attacks from the air.
On
the morning of October Twenty-fourth, Admiral “Bull” Hasely launched
air raids against the Japanese navy. His target was Kurita’s main fleet.
Several different planes took
part in the massive air raid. The “Helldiver”, which was a
dive-bomber, the “Avenger”, which was a torpedo bomber, and many, many
“Hellcats”, which were fighters. Before
these could be launched, however, several Hellcats took off from an
aircraft carrier. The squadron, known as “The Fabled Fifteen” was led
by Commander David McCampbell. The purpose of sending this potent force
into the sky was to help stop the assaults on the U.S. ships. Japan had
been launching raids against the American fleets, and although most
Japanese pilots couldn’t even find their targets, they were still a
potentially dangerous squadron.
They
encountered a force of thirty enemy fighters, and about the same amount of
dive - bombers and torpedo bombers. McCampbell personally sent nine
fighters into the ocean; probably six more, after the records showed extra
six missing. Although he modestly explained that “His foes just kept
flying into his sights” he was awarded America’s highest award, the
Congressional Medal of Honor. Although
about half of the Japanese planes had been shot down, the American luck
was about to run out. A solitary “Judy” dive-bomber appeared out of
the low clouds. It dove down towards the carrier Princeton
and released its bomb. The 550 pound bomb dropped to the cooking room of
the ship before detonating, killing the luckless cooks instantly. It soon
became apparent that there was no hope for the Princeton.
Ammunition that was lying around, like torpedoes and bombs, detonated. The
Birmingham, a cruiser that had
come to help the men of the carrier, was damaged severely in a massive
explosion that tore the remains of the Princeton
apart. Ironically, more men on the cruiser were killed than on the doomed
carrier. Soon, it became
apparent that the Princeton was
on its way out, so they left it to burn, after rescuing anyone they could
find. Finally, the first American air raid reached Kurita. Immediately,
the skillful Japanese gunners brought down several planes, but this
didn’t seem to have any effect. A torpedo and a bomb hit Musashi.
The torpedo ruptured her oil tank, and a slow but steady stream of
telltale oil leaked out. The
heavy cruiser Myoko was hit
astern by a torpedo, and was ordered to return to Brunei for repairs.
Although no gunfire had yet been exchanged between the to opposing fleets,
Japan had already lost four of its cruisers to the Americans. It
would take a lot more than the blows it had received to sink the Musashi,
though. She steamed on with the rest into the Sibuyan Sea, completely
aware of the approaching danger.
The
Japanese had very poor radar. Planes could be almost on top of them before
definite blips could be made out on the radar screen. The American ships,
on the other hand, had only the highest in technology of radar. This was
to play a roll in how the battle turned out. For instance, the Japanese
weren’t able to do night fighting well at all; they would have to rely
completely on their eyes or the searchlights to illuminate the foes.
However, the lights proved excellent targets to fire at, and undoubtedly,
that was the cause of many casualties.
The
second raid caused considerable damage; it scored four torpedo hits and
two bomb hits on the Musashi.
The great warship was thus reduced to twenty-two knots, but still, she
steamed on to Leyte Gulf. The
third raid, although successful, was poorly defended. For one, they were
armed with only five hundred pound all-purpose bombs. Second of all, many
of the escorting fighters had to turn back because of bad weather. Third
of all, the AA (anti-aircraft) was more accurate than usual. However,
despite the odds, they managed to reduce the deck of the Musashi
to shambles. The ship was now so low in the water the waves crashed on top
of her massive forward guns. Although the bombs which were dropped
didn’t penetrate the thick deck, they caused considerable damage to the
deck; including flattening many anti-aircraft guns. After
several more air attacks, the valiant Musashi
rolled over to her port side and sank beneath the waves. Estimates later
showed the battleship received about nineteen torpedo hits and seventeen
bomb hits before she succumbed to the enemy. One
more raid, which did no damage, was the last of the day. After hours of
fighting, the first day of the battle for Leyte Gulf was over. Meanwhile,
Kurita sped towards the San Bernardo Straits, and although he didn’t
know it, there was nothing there to stop him.
Another
major Japanese fleet was steaming into the San Bernardo Straits, heedless
of the danger that lay in wait for them. The Jap fleet, commanded by rear
admiral Nishimura, was a very potent one. The Americans had a couple of
battleships on their side, including the Pearl Harbor veterans. The
Japanese, although not as well armed, had in their possession two
battleships. They were the Yamashiro
and the Fuso. However,
before the heavy sixteen-inch guns of the battleships were to fire, two
more attacks would be made against the enemy. The first consisted of
numerous PT boats. Approximately
fifty of the small torpedo boats took place in the attack. Each boat was
armed with several torpedoes, and a puny 37-mm machine gun. Although all
torpedoes were fired, and many of the boats were destroyed, only one
torpedo found its mark. It was aimed at a destroyer, but it passed too
low, and hit the larger but less armed light cruiser, Abukuma.
The torpedo boat attack failed
miserably. On the other hand, a larger and more deadly force was about to
make its play in the battle: a force of destroyers. The
small U.S. squadron split up, and then seven destroyers rushed the
Japanese fleet. They launched their torpedoes, and then fled the enemy
shells. One torpedo, possibly two, found its mark on the battleship Fuso.
The torpedo supposedly hit the engine room, and severely slowed its rate
of speed. Finally, it came to a dead halt, where fires continued to
spread. Thirty minutes after it received the torpedo, the fire reached the
ship’s ammunition magazines. The ship exploded, and it was literally
ripped in half; slowly, each part sank, blazing furiously. A
second destroyer attack followed. A torpedo from an American destroyer
found its mark on the battle cruiser Yamashiro.
Although the torpedo had a disastrous effect, hasty flooding of the
ammunition magazines prevented an explosion. The
Japanese destroyers suffered much more, however. One destroyer, the McDermut, was responsible for the destruction of three. The first
two took torpedo hits and slowly drifted away from the fleet, and then
sank. A solitary torpedo struck another Japanese destroyer, the Yamagumo.
The ship blew up, taking most of its sailors with it. The explosion was so
titanic that it could be seen from twenty miles away, on Rear-Admiral
Jesse Olendorf’s cruiser. More
attacks soon followed. Three more destroyers charged. They released their
torpedoes, and one hit the Yamashiro.
Although the battle cruiser’s speed was reduced to a mere five knots,
its speed was quickened to fifteen knots in a short time. Three
more destroyers barreled in, but despite valiant attacks, none of the
torpedoes hit. Yet three
more destroyers followed, but they, too, failed to inflict any damage.
In any event, the destroyer
attacks were over. The Japanese ships had moved in range of the
battleships, now. They opened fire at 0353, and almost immediately, the Yamashiro and the Mogami
were hit. Eventually,
after being mauled by a barrage of gunfire, the Yamashiro
began to sink. Finally, an American destroyer sent two torpedoes plowing
into the luckless vessel. This ripped out her port side, and she sunk
later on, taking with her Rear-Admiral Nishimura. Only
the lucky Shigure made it out
alive. The tiny destroyer was the only ship of Nishimura’s that
survived.
Meanwhile,
Shima’s fleet was steaming in. As the Shigure
was leaving the battle scene, it met with the other fleet. The men on
board, strangely enough, told nothing of the previous disasters. Most
likely, the captain assumed that from the sight of the blazing Mogami and the mauled halves of the burning Fuso, that Shima already knew. As
the Nachi, Shima’s lead ship, sped forward, it was unaware of the fact
that the Mogami was still
moving. The Nachi swung hard to
starboard, but to no avail. The two ships collided. The Nachi
lost the majority of her bow, while the Mogami
was damaged even worse.
Shima
soon realized it would be fruitless to fight against the overwhelming
American ships with two heavily damaged cruisers, a light cruiser, and a
handful of destroyers. Instead of fighting, he retired south. Jesse
Olendorf and his ships were ordered to pursue the fleeing Shima. The
luckless Mogami, however, was not able to keep up with Shima’s ships
because of the damage he had sustained. Instead, the hapless cruiser was
left to fend for herself. Immediately, the blazing vessel became the main
gunfire target. Although she was pummeled beyond belief, she still
continued south. Several
torpedo boats attacked Shima's fleet, but also to no avail. Meanwhile, the
destroyer Asagumo, which had
been severely crippled at the early stages of battle, had somewhat
recovered. However, Olendorf’s ships changed that by putting countless
shells into her and promptly sinking her. Although
the Mogami was virtually
unsinkable, or so it seemed, her days were numbered. The next morning, a
squadron of torpedo bombers scored two hits on her, putting the valiant
ship out of action once and for all.
Thus
ended the action in Surigao Strait.
The
next engagement was to take place of Cape Engano. Rear Admiral Ozawa had
under his command two aircraft carriers (Zuikaku
and Zuiho), two battleships (Hyuga
and Ise), and numerous destroyers and light cruisers. After
a while of pursuing the enemy, Admiral Mitscher’s planes were launched.
The carrier Zuiho was the only
ship with fighters, so as the American planes attacked, it withdrew from
the fleet and launched its fifteen planes. The Zeros shot down an Avenger,
and damaged others. However, American fighters counter-attacked and shot
down nine Japanese. The
first attack knocked the light carrier Chitose
out of action. It sank at 0937. The Chiyoda
may have been hit, although not seriously. Also, the Zuikaku
suffered a torpedo hit in the stern. This slowed it down, and ruptured its
oil tank. However, it continued onward. A
second raid soon followed, and this destroyed a light cruiser and the
light carrier Chiyoda.
It
wasn't long until Mitscher realized with dread the mistake he had made. He
had played right into the hands of the Japanese. Kurita was steaming
towards Samar Island, right next to Leyte, were transport ships were
unloading troops and supplies there. The only guards they had were five
tiny escort carriers, which could hold about fifteen planes each, and a
few small destroyers. Mitscher’s planes could not fly far enough to bomb
the Japanese ships. The
five carriers launched their meager supply of aircraft, which promptly
attacked the enemy. The battleships started firing at about the same time
the planes got there. This attack did little damage. It knocked out the
main range finder on a Japanese battleship, and an Avenger managed to
plant a bomb square in the center of a cruiser. However,
hard on the heels of the planes came the escorting destroyers. The Johnston, the first destroyer to attack, managed to hit the cruiser Kumano
with gunfire. Then, the American destroyer launched all ten of its
torpedoes. A few hit their target, and the crew had the satisfaction of
seeing several explosions on the enemy ship, which drifted out of
formation. They also managed to pound another cruiser into submission.
However, bad luck fell upon the tiny ship. Several shells from other
destroyers, and some from cruisers, smashed into her, “Like a puppy
being smacked by a truck.” Seconds later, huge shells from the
battleships hit home, further damaging the ship. The destroyer Hoel
attacked the battleship Kongo,
but all it received for its efforts were several huge shells, which put
half of its guns out of action. The
Hoel later attacked a heavy cruiser, but was sunk by over forty
shells. Fairly soon,
despite all the hubbub, one of the Japanese war ships scored several hits
on the Gambier Bay, and soon
afterward, on the White Plains.
Both ships sunk after about an hour of burning. Fortunately, most of the
crew on each managed to abandon ships safely. During
this encounter Admiral Kurita made the biggest mistake of all in his
wartime career. He turned away and left Samar Island. Although there have
been many disputes over the countless reasons of Kurita’s withdrawal,
historians have finally agreed on something. When the Japanese commander
started attacking, and when American planes were reported in the vicinity,
he worried. He had lost a large number of ships from air raids on the
twenty-third of October, and when he saw other carriers, he assumed they
were heavy carriers. The
Admiral had been under much stress that he could hardly concentrate, he
had been without sleep for three days, and this fatigue was what made him
think he saw some American cruisers. Actually, they were three destroyers
charging in on the scene from the Leyte transports. At any rate, Kurita
feared losing any more ships, and turned away from the action.
Although
the action lasted several more days, it was minor, and the battle was
officially considered over on the twenty-fifth. This
ended the largest naval battle not only in world war two, but in the
history of mankind. Several
things became of the battle. The days of the “Big Ship” were over; in
this battle, aircraft carriers had displayed their superiority. The
Japanese would never sail again as a fleet, and so many planes were lost
that the remaining ones were to be used in defense of Japan its self.
The Battle for Leyte Gulf had
indeed played a significant role in World War Two. Had the Americans not
achieved victory, the Japanese could have taken over Leyte Island, and
further prolonged the war.
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