and the historical background to put it all in place...
May 6, 1942, Imperial Japan stands triumphant in the Pacific. With the fall of Corregidor and the surrender of the Philippines, all of her pre war territorial goals have now been achieved. Although there were temporary setbacks at places such as Bataan and Wake Island, in the end, all pre war objectives are now under the Rising Sun.
And the second phase of conquest has already begun. Moves to isolate and possibly invade Australia are in motion. Tulagi Island near the south end of the Solomon Islands, has been captured to establish a seaplane base. And Imperial Japanese forces are enroute by sea to seize Port Moresby, the last Allied stronghold on New Guinea.
But not all of Japan’s military goals have been met, particularly the sinking of the US Navy’s Aircraft Carriers, which were not present at Pearl Harbor. Their presence has been felt across the Pacific. Most spectacularly with the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, but more recently with USS Yorktown striking at the Japanese invasion forces off of Tulagi, the day after their landings. But this raid has alerted the Japanese to the presence of US carriers in these waters and set the stage for the Battle of the Coral Sea. Both sides know each other is present, but neither knows their enemy’s location.
Dawn May 7, 1942. Both sides’ carriers launch scouts to locate their opponents. Scouts from each side locate enemy shipping, but through poor communications and scouting, miss their respective enemy’s carriers. Each side launches a major strike against a minor target. The Japanese launch against the fleet oiler USS Neosho and an escorting destroyer, USS Sims. The US launches against two cruisers and two destroyers that thru a coding error are received as “two carriers”. The Japanese strike quickly sinks USS Sims, and fatally damages USS Neosho, a Pearl Harbor survivor.
But luck smiles on the US strike force as they come across the Tulagi covering force, which includes the light carrier HIJMS Shoho. Two full US carrier are wings are about to fall upon her.
USS Lexington has launched first, and her wing is first to arrive and strike. Her Air Group consists of Scouting Two and Bombing Two with 28 SBD-3s, Torpedo Two with 12 TBD-1s, and an escort of 10 F4F-3s from Fighting Two. Yorktown’s Air Group, consisting of Scouting Five and Bombing Five with 24 SBD-3s, Torpedo Five with 10 TBD-1s, and an escort from Fighting Five with 8 F4F-3s, was approximately 15 minutes behind the Lexington’s. The strike delivered that morning is arguably the best co-ordinated and most successful strike against any Japanese carrier in 1942, and possibly World War II.
Shoho is sunk within 30 minutes after being hit by at least 13 bombs and 7 torpedoes delivered by both air groups. The strike commander broadcasts back to USS Lexington, “Dixon to carrier, Scratch one flattop!”.
The next day, May 8th becomes the showdown slugging match between the roughly equally matched off USN and IJN carrier forces- USS Lexington and USS Yorktown vs. HIJMS Zuikaku and HIJMS Shokaku in the world’s first true carrier battle. Both sides discover each location and launch strikes against their opposing number roughly simultaneously. But while the US carriers are in near idyllic weather conditions, the Japanese are in stormy conditions, which works to their advantage. The US air groups are not able to rendezvous and strike in a co ordinated manner as they had done the day before. And Zuikaku is able to hide in rain squalls and avoid air attack completely.
Both US air groups attack Shokaku piecemeal and the attacks are pressed home with great determination. At least 3 bombs hit Shokaku, damaging her severely. Unfortunately the TBD attacks are plagued by torpedoes that run wild or fail to detonate when they hit. Shokaku survives to fight another day. Meanwhile, the Japanese attacks on the US carrier force are pressed home with equal vigor and both Lexington and Yorktown are hit. At the end of the day, both sides carrier forces withdraw, and USS Lexington will succumb to her damage that evening, being scuttled after a series of fires and explosions due to a fuel vapor explosion.
At Coral Sea, the TBDs would perform adequately enough, losing not a single one to enemy action, being escorted well enough by friendly fighters to keep the Zeroes and Claudes away. Both Torpedo Five and Two were fairly well combat experienced by this point in the war having flown several hit and run raids across the Pacific and well led by experienced officers. The biggest shortcoming would be the Mk.XIII torpedo, as was so clearly seen against Shokaku.
Less than a month later, the mostly unescorted TBDs would fall by the dozen at Midway and no torpedo hits would happen. But on that sunny morning of May 7, the TBD would have its’ hour of glory, helping to send Shoho to the bottom of the Pacific, and as a result of that action forcing the Japanese seaborne Port Moresby invasion force to turn back. They would not return by sea.
and a few photos from the May 7 action
