HH104 AMERICAN NAVAL HISTORY

WAR IN THE PACIFIC

JAPANESE ADVANCE

Invade much of Pacific (Guam, Phillipines, Berma); USMC lose Wake Island 23 Dec ‘41

ACTION IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC

MALAYA – British surrender 130,000 men “greatest disaster in Brit military history”

BATTLE OF THE JAVA SEA – ABDA Force (US, Brit, Dutch, Australia) under Gen Archibald defeated ending ABDA

U.S. BRIGHT SPOT – Japs seize oilfields in Brit Borneo; 24 Jan ’42 USN 1^st battle; destroyers sink 4, damage 4, no losses

THE BATAAN “DEATH MARCH”

Ruthless march of US/Phillipine POWs to Jap prison camps; US surrender 80k and 10k die on march, 15k in camp

THE DOOLITTLE RAID – Embarasses Yammamoto; little damage; cause Japs to want Midway to expand perimeter

“DIVIDED AMERICAN COMMAND”

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC COMMAND – Army takes one piece, USN other; very inefficient

ADM CHESTER W. NIMITZ – USNA Grad; early submariner; Flt Adm 1944

THE BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA

GENERAL INFO – May ’42; 1^st CV vs CV; 1^st Allied victory vs. Japs

U.S. FORCES – LCDR Rochefort’s codebreakers predicted attack; TF17, USS Lexington

JAPAN’S PLAN – Operation MO; Port Moresby invasion

MISIDENTIFICATIONS – Japs scout IDs DD as carriers; US scout IDs ship as main fleet

“SCRATCH ON FLATTOP” – Shoho becomes 1^st carrier sunk

AN EVEN MATCH – Both have bad habits from inexperience

MAY 8, 1942 – York damaged, 2 Jap CVs damaged; Lady Lex sunk

A MAJOR LESSON LEARNED – US learned in needed to b eef up Pac airplane production