Doolittle Raid, Coral Sea, and Midway Island
Three 1942 Military Successes Turning the Tide Against Japan
- Jan 12, 2009
- Michael Streich
The December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor unified Americans and ended the strong isolationist movement, but it also cast a cloud of melancholy among Americans, stunned that Imperial Japan could eviscerate not only the United States in the Pacific, but also Great Britain. President Roosevelt lost no time confronting the emergency, using executive power to organize the government into hundreds of boards and committees, giving the order to isolate potentially dangerous Japanese Americans, and giving the nod to the Manhattan Project. Yet it would be three 1942 military actions that would serve as the greatest morale boosters and provide the much needed turning point.
The Doolittle Raid
In April 1942, Lt. Colonel James Doolittle led a bombing mission against the home islands of Japan. Thought to be impervious to United States air attacks, the islands were suddenly vulnerable. Launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet, Doolittle’s B-25s bombed targets in Japan, including Tokyo, and flew on to China. More than anything, the Doolittle Raid raised American morale, although historians point out that the raid may have solidified Japan’s resolve to launch the Midway campaign.
Battle of the Coral Sea
One month after the Doolittle Raid, Japanese naval forces battled the Allies at the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The battle effectively stopped the southward advance of Japanese forces, enabling the survival of Australia which would prove crucial in future months. It was in Brisbane that General Douglas MacArthur established his headquarters and through Australia supplies would be funneled in the ensuring island-hopping campaign.
Battle of Midway
Without a doubt, Midway, occurring in early June 1942, was the turning point of the Pacific War. The elaborate Japanese plan, involving hundreds of ships, planes, and thousands of soldiers, was thwarted when US naval intelligence cracked the enemy code. Knowing that Midway was the intended target, Admiral Chester Nimitz ordered US carriers Hornet, Enterprise, and Yorktown to the region
The Japanese fleet, commanded by Admiral Yamamoto, was split into an attack fleet and an invasion fleet. A third group attacked the Alaskan Aleutian Islands as a diversion. The Japanese attack force was met by planes from the American carriers after launching its own attack on Midway Island. In the ensuring hours, American planes would destroy four enemy carriers, effectively ending Yamamoto’s plan and forcing the Japanese fleet to retire.
Effect of the Turning Point
Japan would never again have command of the Pacific. After Midway, Japanese forces were thrust into a defensive posture, fighting a war that would last three more long and bloody years. But the three military successes of early to mid 1942 helped to pave the way toward that ultimate victory and buy precious time for the Allies.
After Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto was to have said, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” American victory, particularly at Midway, allowed the US to recover rapidly from Pearl Harbor, galvanize the nation’s industrial might, and prevail in both Europe and the Pacific theater.
Sources:
Paul S. Dull, A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1941-1945) (Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, 1978)
John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1936-1945 (New York: Random House, 1970)
No comments:
Post a Comment