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 Japan: Aircraft carriers: Akagi, Kaga, Suryu, Hiryu, and the big carrier Mikuma 250 planes 110 pilots and air crew 3,000 sailors Midway base lost approximately 70 pilots and air crew

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