GLORY TO THE US NAVY ..JUNE 4 1942.... by Wxrisk (Notes) on Monday, June 3, 2013 at 9:35pm In the space of less than 30 minutes the entire course of the Second World War was forever altered by a catastrophic and disastrous defeat that was dealt to the Japanese navy by the carrier strike forces of the US Navy ( DT served in the USN 1977-1983) . Without getting too technical about the actual strategy and operational plans.. the Japanese navy realize that the American navy was still threat after the Doolittle raid on Japan of April 1942. So their goal was to draw the remains of the American navy into a final battle before the industrial might of America could come into play. The way to do this (the Japanese high command believed ) was to assault the Island of MIDWAY (which is technically part of the Hawaiian Island chain ). Once MIDWAY island was seized ... Japan can use the island as a large naval base to attack the Hawaiian islands. The breaking of the Japanese naval code and the deception of using a fake message about the water problems at Midway island confirmed to Admiral Nimitz that the main effort was going to be had Midway island. Not only the Japanese not realize that their Naval code was being intercepted... but they assumed that they can only be two American carriers available to defend Midway / Hawaiian Island chain. In fact there were three. This critical assumption and classic case of " tunnel vision" by the Japanese high command and admiral Nagumo was instrumental in setting up the series of disasters events for Japan and the historic naval victory for the U.S. The American SEARCH planes found the Japanese first. It should have been a simultaneous detection of both carrier fleets but one of the Japanese search/ scout planes broke down and had to be replaced. This left a hole or gap in the Japanese search patterns and it was in this gap where the American carriers where exactly located ! As a result the Japanese did not detect the Americans for several hours after the battle had already begun. A series of un coordinated strikes were launched from Midway island and from some of the various American Aircraft carriers (ENTERPRISE HORNET YORKTOWN). Although almost all of the American planes -- fighters and/ or torpedo bombers were -- shot down and destroyed... the constant barrage of a recorded American attacks caused admiral Nagumo to hesitate and engage in a series of contradictory orders. The Japanese attacked Midway island first .. but the US planes got off the ground and followed the Japanese planes back to their aircraft carriers. The Midway planes were almost totally wiped out but these attacks convinced the Japanese that ANOTHER strike was needed to silence Midway . So the Japanese reload most of their planes with ground based bombs -- not torpedoes and Bombs used to sink ships. 10 minutes after that order was given... the report came in from that delayed the Japanese scout plane that they have found an American Aircraft carrier. NAGUMO was caught in a conflict... Which should he attack? Miidway island ...OR ...go after the US aircraft carrier? He decided to go after the American Aircraft carrier but that forced him into changing all the are armaments / bombs on the Japanese planes on his aircraft carriers. At that very moment American torpedo planes from the US aircraft carriers attacked but without any fighter cover . This attack was also decimated but it pulled all the Japanese fighter cover down to the surface so they could attack the weakly defended American torpedo planes . The Japanese believe they had dodge the bullet because their carriers were completely exposed. It was at this very moment that the dive bombers from the Enterprise Hornet and Yorktown dropping straight out of the clouds dropped their bombs on Japanese aircraft carriers that were covered with fuel hoses and ammunition . The explosions which rocked three of the four big Japanese carriers were in a word catastrophic and awesome. By the time the fourth aircraft carrier was destroyed ... and sunk ... the entire elite Naval air force of the Japanese navy had been obliterated.Japan simply did not have the industrial capacity to compete with the U.S. over the long terms. In fact .. nobody did. So by losing its qualitative edge Japan was forced onto the defensive much sooner than they had anticipated. In addition this victory allowed the Germany first strategy to continue.... and set up the first American action in operation torch in northwest portions of Africa in November 1942.PEARL HARBOR WAS REVENGED
Posted on: Wed, 05 Jun 2013 02:12:55 +0000
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