sign in sign up
<<
Home , Doolittle Raid, Leyte Gulf, USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Shaw (DD-373)

The Eagle’s Webbed Feet

The Eagle’s Webbed Feet •A Maritime History of the

A Maritime History of the United States A Maritime History of the Uniteds The Second World War

“Scratch one flattop!”

“Damn it , they’re getting away!”

• China is the real bone of contention between the US and Japan • May 1941, Roosevelt orders the fleet to remain in Pearl Harbor • July 1941 – Oil imports to Japan halted • Japanese decision to go southeast for resources • The Soviet-Japanese Border Wars (1932-1939) o Battles of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan) (May-Sept 1939) o Neutrality Pact (April 1941) • The is the real target of the Pearl Harbor attack • Mahan’s influence on the IJN. “If you attack us, we will break your empire; before we are through with you …. we will crush you.”

Admiral Stark (CNO) to Ambassador Nomura (Nov 1941)

• What were the Japanese thinking? (Compromise Peace) Pearl Harbor (2)

• Destroyed or severely damaged 8 battleships, 10 /, 230 aircraft, & killed 2400 men. Cost was 29 planes, 5 midget subs. • A “short war” meant they could ignore fuel depots, repair facilities and the base. • Their air superiority meant they could ignore the US carriers • War declared on Japan the next day • On December 11th Germany declared war on the US (???) • One of the two stupidest decisions of World War Two USS USS Shaw War in the Atlantic

• The US Navy’s role in the Atlantic War was: • The U-Boat War (Priority #1) • Safely convoying troops, equipment, and supplies • Destroy the U-Boat fleet • Conduct amphibious operations of Army forces

• Because of Pearl Harbor, the Navy reluctantly supported the “Germany First” policy envisioned in Rainbow Five but it did not really believe in it. • Resource contest between the Atlantic & Pacific • Who won? The U-Boat War

• Jan 42 to Aug 42 – 2d “Glückliche Zeit”

• US enters the war • Operation Drumroll • “Shark” introduced • 500 ktons / month (GOAL!!) • By Sept. driven back into the “air gap” The Air Gap The U-Boat War(2)

• Aug 42 to Apr 43 – Slugging it out . Continue at 500 ktons / month . U-boat losses continue to be low (3 / month) . Donitz gets more boats (200+) . Allies make defeating the U-boat the primary war aim. (Casablanca)

• Late spring / early summer 1943 • The battle ends in complete U-boat defeat • ALLIED TECHNOLOGY • Why??? • ALLIED TACTICS • B-DEINST GOES BLIND PBY4 Hedgehogs Long-Range ASW Aircraft Huff Duff

Cavity Magnetron Jeep Carriers Allied ships and U-Boat Losses

300 250 200 Allied Ships (X10) 150 U-Boats 100 Losses 50 0 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Year The U-Boat War(3)

• Last 4 months of 1943: 9 ships vs. 62 U-boats • The campaign failed (never even close) • 500 kton/month goal did not adequately consider shipbuilding or cargos verses hulls. • Shipbuilding (5800 built vs. 3500 lost) • Technology • Tactics & training • However 80000 US/British seaman killed (23/ship) • Germans lost 700 boats and 30000 sailors (43/boat) • Highest loss rate of any service in the war (75%) Amphibious Warfare in the Atlantic • 6 major campaigns: • North (Torch) – November 1942 USS Frankford • Sicily (Husky) – July 1943 • Italy (Avalanche) – September 1943 • Anzio (Shingle) – January 1944 • Normandy (Neptune) – June 1944 • 6939 vessels (well over half were British) Invading the French Riviera • British planned assault • US destroyers at Omaha • Day 1 – 160,000 men landed (from 12 nations) • By 30 June, 850K men, 160K vehicles, and 600K tons of supplies landed • Southern France (Dragoon) – August 1944 • Army troops only ( reserved for the Pacific) • However, all six used Marine Corps Amphibious doctrine War in the Pacific

• Naval assignments: • Guerre de Course – (Unrestricted submarine campaign against Japan) • Fleet Actions (5 major battles + the Solomons campaign) • Amphibious Operations (78 landings) • Organization after Pearl Harbor • A compromise • MacArthur – Southwest Pacific • Nimitz – Central Pacific • Halsey – South Pacific initially and then MacArthur’s Naval Commander • In Washington • King as CNO and Leahy as Chief of Staff to the CINC King Nimitz Leahy

MacArthur Halsey

Japan Runs Wild • As Yamamoto predicted in the next six months Japan: • Conquered Thailand, , , , Burma, Dutch , Bali, Timor, Rabaul, Malay, Singapore, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines. • Sank the Repulse and the Prince of Wales (10 December ‘41) • Destroyed the ABDA naval forces at the Battle of Java Sea (March ‘42) • Bombed Darwin and other Australian targets (≈ 100 attacks) • Drove the Royal Navy out of the Western • Invaded the & • By May 1942, Japan had become a victim of “Victory Disease”. • She now ignored her own strategic plan. • Allies start to push back. Japan Runs Wild (Dec 41 – March 42 Japan Run Wild US Submarine Campaign

• Got off to a terrible start • Torpedoes didn’t work • Major doctrine to strategy mismatch

ART. 22 LONDON NAVAL CONF: “A submarine may not sink or render incapable of navigation a merchant vessel without first having placed passengers, crew, and ships papers in a place of safety.”

• This does not fit with: “conduct unrestricted submarine warfare against the Japanese Empire.” 1942 and 1943

• Got rid of most CO’s • Developed complementary doctrine, strategy & tactics • Introduced (American) wolf packs • Fixed the torpedoes (finally) • Slowly but steadily got better • By late 1943, the force was ready. (Adm Lockwood) 1944

• Japan was completely unprepared for this onslaught • Manning policy • Japanese submarine performance • US submarine performance • Racism • Results: • Airtight blockade • Japan’s merchant fleet destroyed • 1/3 of their navy sunk • Complete interruption of the Japanese ability to wage war. Japanese Losses To 1941 - 1945

700 1944 600

500

400 1943 1945 Tonage losses 300 (Ktons) 1942 200

100

0 Japanese Economic Collapse

INPORTS

1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Iron 5058 4880 3686 1668 143 (Ktons) Coal 9585 8748 6029 3135 188 (Ktons) Oil 8 11 14 5 0 (Mbls) Food supplies in 1945 were 32% of 1939 levels. Fleet Actions

• Five major sea battles were fought with the IJN after Pearl Harbor. • • Midway • • Gulf • Okinawa • The Solomon Islands Campaign: • Eleven naval battles • Eight amphibious landings • Almost daily air battles. • In aggregate, these battles transitioned from Japanese tactical superiority (especially in night fighting) to an overwhelming tactical and material advantage for the USN. Fleet Actions (2)

• Coral Sea (1st aircraft only battle in history) (May ‘42) • Strategic US Victory (Halted the Port Moresby invasion) • Loss of the Lexington for one small Japanese carrier (+ 2 damaged!) • Aircraft losses: Japanese – 92, US – 65. • Last battle where the US went after the IJN. • Midway (June ‘42) • (April ‘42) • Code breaking • 3 US carriers (2?) vs. 4 Japanese carriers (6?) • Plan: destroy US carriers and any remaining major fleet units • Losses: Japanese – 4 carriers, 248 aircraft, 3000 men US – 1 carrier, 150 aircraft, 307 men • These two battles reduced Japan’s ability to undertake further offensive actions and paved the way for the Solomon’s campaign Fleet actions

1. Coral Sea 2. Midway 3. Solomons 6 2 4. Philippine Sea 5. Leyte Gulf 5 4 6. Okinawa

3 1 The Solomon’s Campaign

• Japanese airfield on • US Marines lands in August 1942 and initiated a major combined arms campaign (Operation Watchtower) • Japan attempts to keep Guadalcanal supplied • 11 Naval battles (3 carrier battles and 8 surface actions) • Battle of the E. Solomons (lost 75 aircraft vs. 20 US plus one CVL) (Aug ‘42) • Battle of Santa Cruz (lost 91 aircrew vs. 81 US + USS Hornet) (Oct ‘42) • Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (Ended any hope of a Japanese victory) (Nov ‘42) • Japan loses 2 Battleships, 1 Heavy , 3 Destroyers, 11 combat transports, 64 aircraft and 5000 soldiers drown "This battle was a tactical win, but a shattering strategic loss for Japan. Considering the great superiority of our enemy's industrial capacity, we must win every battle overwhelmingly in order to win this war. This last one, although a victory, unfortunately, was not an overwhelming victory.“

Admiral Nugumo USS Enterprise takes a bomb hit during the Battle of Eastern Solomons. This will be the 2d of the three times she is “sunk”. The Solomon’s Campaign (2)

• Technically this campaign lasted until Nov ‘43 but fighting continued until the end of the war. • Launched Operation Cartwheel (Offensive operations in the Pacific) • Loses: • Japanese- 80,000 men, 50+ ships sunk, 1500 aircraft • US – 10,600 men, 40 ships sunk, 800 aircraft • Over ½ of the aviators who attacked Pearl Harbor were now dead • This was attrition warfare; something the Japanese could not possibly win. How the tide turned during the campaign

Battle of Salvo Island (August 1942)

Strength 5CA, 2 CL, 1 DD 6 CA, 2 CL, 15 DD

Losses None 3 CA, 1 CA + 2 DD Heavy Damage

Battle of Empress Augusta Bay (November 1943) Strength 2 CA, 2 CL, 6 DD 4 CL, 8 DD

Losses 1 CL, 1 DD, None 1 CL + 1 DD Heavy Damage

Philippine Sea

• Great Mariana’s Turkey Shoot (June ‘44) • Last major carrier vs. carrier battle of the war • Since the Solomon’s, the IJN was reconstituting it’s air groups and then planned to look again for a decisive battle. • Completely failed to recognize the speed with which the USN had been able to build up it’s forces both in quantity and quality of material and in training • 15 (7 fleet) carriers vs. 9 (5 fleet) carriers, 956 aircraft vs. 750 (300 of them land-based) • Plan A-Go (Destruction of the US fleet invading the Marianas Islands.) • Loses: Japanese – 3 fleet carriers sunk & 600+ aircraft lost US – 123 aircraft lost • Japanese naval air power was finished. The Surprises at the Philippine Sea Leyte Gulf

• Largest naval battle in history (23 – 26 October 1944) • Purpose was to repulse the invasion of the Philippines • Four separate engagements: • • • Cape Engano • • US – 34 carriers (1500 planes), Japan – 4 carriers (300 L/B planes) • Loses: US – 6 ships, 200 planes, 2800 men Japan – 4 carriers, 3 battleships, 300 planes, 12,000 men. • Japanese fleet finished as a fighting force • First use of the (Loss of the St. Lo) Leyte Gulf 3

1. Sibuyan 2. Surigao 3. Cape Engano 4. Samar 1 4 2

Musashi sinks after being hit with ≈ 10 torpedoes and 16 bombs Leyte Gulf (2)

• Battle of Samar • Odds • US – 6 “jeep carriers”, 3 DD and 4 DE. • IJN – 4 BB, 6 CA, 2 CL, and 11 DD. Kurita • The Damage • US – 2 carriers, 2 DD, 1 DE • IJN – 3 CA Sprague “In no engagement of its entire history has the shown more gallantry, guts and gumption than in those two morning hours between 0730 and 0930 off Samar” Samuel Eliot Morison Okinawa

• Naval battle lasted from 6 April to 30 April 1945 • Attacks by regular land based aircraft did no damage and 1100 were lost • 1900 kamikaze attacks sank 34 vessels and damaged 368 • 5000 sailors were killed • Operation Ten-Go • Suicide mission by the Yamato plus nine other Yamato blows up cruisers & destroyers • They were attacked over by 900 aircraft • 4 destroyers survived KAMIKAZI Attacks Fleet Actions (3)

Carriers Japan** United States 1941 9 9 • Why was the USN successful? 1942 9 (+6/-6) 23 • Building capacity (see chart) 1943 11 (+3/-1) 88 • ≈ 1M rounds of ammunition for 1944 4 (+8/-13) ≈120 every Axis man in uniform. 1945 5 (no fuel, pilots, or 151 (29 Fleet) planes) • Better training • Japanese simply could not replace loses in material or manpower fast enough • This is the likely outcome of taking on someone with an economy 8 ½ times bigger than your own!

** Important to keep in mind Japan’s strategic advantage of only having to fight in one theater. Midway at the critical moment

Fast KamikazeCarrier aboutBattle to hitGroup USS Missouri - 1944 Mogami Dauntless Avenger Questions or Comments?