HM 22 2Nd Ed.: Major Fleet-Versus-Fleet Operations in the Pacific War, 1941–1945

U.S. Naval War College U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons Historical Monographs Special Collections 1-1-2016 HM 22 2nd Ed.: Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Operations in the Pacific aW r, 1941–1945 Milan Vego Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/historical-monographs Recommended Citation Vego, Milan, "HM 22 2nd Ed.: Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Operations in the Pacific aW r, 1941–1945" (2016). Historical Monographs. 22. https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/historical-monographs/22 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Historical Monographs by an authorized administrator of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE PRESS Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Operations in the Pacific War, 1941–1945 War, Pacific the in Operations Fleet-versus-Fleet Major Operations in the Pacific War, 1941–1945 Second Edition Milan Vego Milan Vego Milan Second Ed. Second Also by Milan Vego COVER Units of the 1st Marine Division in LVT Assault Craft Pass the Battleship USS North Carolina off Okinawa, 1 April 1945, by the prolific maritime artist John Hamilton (1919–93). Used courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C.; the painting is currently on loan to the Naval War College Museum. In the inset image and title page, Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance ashore on Kwajalein in February 1944, immediately after the seizure of the island, with Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Naval History and Heritage Command photograph NH62233. Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Operations 1941–1945in the Pacific War U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL EDITION NOTICE Use of ISBN Prefix This is the Official U.S. Government edition of this publication and is herein identified to certify its authenticity. ISBN 978-1-935352-44-0 is for this U.S. Government Publishing Office Official Edition only. The Superintendent of Documents of the U.S. Government Publishing Office requests that any reprinted edition clearly be labeled as a copy of the authentic work with a new ISBN. Legal Status and Use of Seals and Logos The logo of the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), Newport, Rhode Island, authenticates Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Operations in the Pacific War, 1941–1945, second edition, by Milan Vego, as an official publication of the College. It is prohibited to use NWC’s logo on any republication of this book without the express, written permission of the Editor, Naval War College Press, or the editor’s designee. For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-00001 ISBN: 978-1-935352-44-0 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE HISTORICAL MONOGRAPH SERIES NO. 22 2ND EDITION The historical monographs in this series are book-length studies of the history of naval warfare, edited historical documents, conference proceedings, and bibliogra- phies that are based wholly or in part on source materials in the Historical Collec- tion of the Naval War College. The editors of the Naval War College Press express their special gratitude to all the members of the Naval War College Foundation, whose generous financial sup- port for research projects, conferences, and printing has made possible the publication of this historical monograph. For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402-00001 ISBN: 978-1-935352-44-0 To the U.S. naval aviators who fought in the Pacific War, 1941–45, for their extraordinary courage and sacrifices. Major Fleet-versus-Fleet Operations in the Pacific War 1941–1945Second Edition Milan Vego NAVAL WAR COLLEGE PRESS NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND FIRST EDITION PUBLISHED 2014 SECOND EDITION 2016 The contents of this volume represent the views of the author. His opinions are not necessarily endorsed by the Naval War College or by any other agency, organization, or command of the U.S. government. Printed in the United States of America Historical Monograph Series Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data NAVAL WAR COLLEGE PRESS Code 32 Names: Vego, Milan N., author. Naval War College Title: Major fleet-versus-fleet operations in the Pacific war, 1941-1945 / 686 Cushing Road Milan Vego. Newport, R.I. 02841-1207 Description: 2nd edition. | Newport, Rhode Island : Naval War College Press, 2016. | Series: Naval War College historical monograph series ; no. 22 | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN 2016026042 | ISBN 9781935352440 Subjects: LCSH: World War, 1939-1945 —Campaigns—Pacific Ocean. | World War, 1939-1945—Naval operations, American. | World War, 1939-1945— Naval operations, Japanese. | Coral Sea, Battle of the, 1942. | Midway, Battle of, 1942. | Philippine Sea, Battle of the, 1944 (June 19-21) | Leyte Gulf, Battle of, Philippines, 1944. Classification: LCC D767 .V45 2016 | DDC 940.54/26—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016026042 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword, by Carnes Lord . .ix Preface. ��xi List of Acronyms. xiii List of Maps, Sidebars, and Figures . xv Introduction �� xvii I. The Port Moresby–Solomons Operation and Allied Reaction, 27 April–11 May 1942 . 1 II. The Midway-Aleutians Operation, 25 May–14 June 1942 . 81 III. Japanese A-Go Operation (Battle of the Philippine Sea), 13–22 June 1944: Situation and Theater . 167 IV. Japanese A-Go Operation (Battle of the Philippine Sea), 13–22 June 1944: Planning and Preparation . 209 V. Japanese A-Go Operation (Battle of the Philippine Sea), 13–22 June 1944: Execution �� 243 VI. Japanese A-Go Operation (Battle of the Philippine Sea), 13–22 June 1944: Conclusions and Operational Lessons Learned . 303 About the Author . 315 Titles in the Series. 317 FOREWORD In the fall of 2008, the Naval War College Press published Milan Vego’s Major Naval Operations as Newport Paper 32. The present work represents a sequel of sorts to that study, or perhaps more precisely, an elaboration on it in the form of detailed studies of three major naval operations of World War II. These three, initiated by imperial Japan, took place in the Pacific and resulted in the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway/Aleutians, and the Philippine Sea. All the cases provide ample background on the geographic and strategic context of the operations, as well as an account of the unfolding of the action utilizing much primary source material in, espe- cially, American and Japanese archives. Finally, and most valuably, Vego in each case identifies lessons learned from it for a proper appreciation of naval operational art. As Vego will argue, these lessons are of more than merely historical interest for today’s U.S. Navy. Dr. Milan Vego is a professor in the Joint Military Operations Department of the Naval War College. He is the author of Operational Art (2001) and Joint Op- erational Warfare (2008), an authoritative textbook currently in use as part of the department’s teaching curriculum, as well as numerous articles for military publi- cations in this country and abroad. Carnes Lord Director, Naval War College Press PREFACE The idea for this book came from Dr. Carnes Lord, director of the Naval War Col- lege Press, in the spring of 2012. He suggested that it would be a good thing to have a historical monograph on selected major naval operations. I agreed, because the new book would be a sequel to my Major Naval Operations, published as Newport Paper 32 in 2008. The book would provide an analysis from the operational-art perspective of selected major naval operations conducted in World War II. The plan was to include one of my articles (on the Port Moresby–Solomons operation) that have appeared in the Naval War College Review, plus two new case studies: the Midway-Aleutians and A-Go operations. The main purpose is to stimulate interest in the study of the theory and practice of major naval operations. This is an area that the U.S. Navy and other Western na- vies have given short shrift. Too much focus is given to “strike operations”—that is, tactics—while operational art is either ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. Yet major naval operations should form the very heart of a doctrine for operational war at sea. Another purpose of this monograph is to provide a source for studying major naval operations as part of the curriculum of the Joint Military Operations Department here at the Naval War College. The main body of this work comprises two parts. The first part deals with major fleet-versus-fleet operations conducted during the Pacific War, 1941–45. These clashes resulted from imminent amphibious landings on defended shores—the Port Moresby and Midway-Aleutians operations. The second part (chapters 3 through 6) describes an operation fought in defense (by one side, in each case) of ground forces that had already landed on an enemy-held shore (the A-Go operation). The internal organization of each chapter (and of part 2, taken together) is roughly identical. Any major operation is planned and executed within a much broader and more important framework determined by policy and strategy. Hence, the strategic setting for each major naval operation is described in some detail. For each case study there is a section on the physical features and weather/climate xii MAJOR FLEET-VERSUS-FLEET OPERATIONS IN THE PACIFIC WAR, 1941–1945 in the theater of operation. Another section analyzes the various elements of the theater’s geography (positions, distances, naval/air bases, lines of operation, lines of communications, etc.).

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