THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
THE BATTLE OF CORAL SEA
(Taken from "I gladiatori del mare" di Angelo Solmi, Rizzoli 1980)
But suddenly, on April 18, it happened to Tòkyò a new fact, such to not only throw a cold shower on the excitements nipponici, but also to modify the plans of conquest and Japanese expansion: the American colonel Doolittle bombed Tòkyò.
It was a coup de theatre to the classical way, to make to remain of I stucco the Japanese, which would not have certain believed in the news if not aves seen with their own eyes the American airplanes to unhook the bombs on their capital.
The operation, bright because for the first time 16 two-engined bombardiers of the army were made to depart from the bridge of an aircraft carrier (the Hornet), it was driven, in his/her whole, from the viceammiraglio " to three stars " William F. Halsey, said " Bull " (the Taurus). Halsey was one of the most skilled commanders whose star was lifting himself/herself/itself on the Pacific, but it was also expert in to make himself/herself/themselves publicity through the press and the radio, with the most uninhibited declarations. To the first ones of April the Hornet, commands ta from the captain of vessel Marc A. Mitscher another character destined to enter the narrow olimpo of the " destroyers " of the Japanese harbor you/he/she had departed from Sa Francisco escorted by the cruisers Nashville and Vincenes.
8 April was gathered with the aircraft carrier Enterprise that beat the insignia flagship of Halsey, and you/he/she had constituted her/it "Task Force 16", that understood (among 1'2 tros) a division of four cruisers, to the orders d rear-admiral Raymond A. Spruance, also him future great protagonist of the nippo-American duel in the pacific one.
The raid, at least from the point of view psychological real damages were not big that), he/she fully succeeded even if the Japanese discharged their impotent anger shooting three aviators American imprisoned facts: a de more atrocious and uncivil actions of the second world war After this let-down the attacks f Figi was postponed and to Samoa and the two was confirmed to instead the operations: New Guinea and Midway (with attached Aleutian).
To the first objective, less main point of the second had to provide the fourth fleet of the viceammiraglio nouye, per second Yamamoto in person. L 'attack to the New Guinea already than for if you couple complicated: the fourth fleet would have had to conquer first Tulagi, in the Salomones, and then Port Moresby southern n New Guinea (Papuasia). The fourth line (you/he/she was strengthened by a light aircraft carrier, the Shoho, two heavy aircraft carriers, the Zuikaku and the Shokaku, and from cruisers, the all withdrawn by the team aircraft carrier the admiral Nagumo. Made the hit, Inouye had to return as soon as possible the ships to Yamamoto and Nagumo the operation of Midway. The two strengths of invasion vem set to rear-admiral Shima's orders (Tulagi) and the rear-admiral Kajioka (Port Moresby): them where, the to be protected from a " group of coverage ", to the com2 of the deputy admiral Goto (with the Shoho and with the quattrls heavy crociatori Aoba, Furutaka, Kako and Kinugasc from one "strength of attack", to the command of the viceammiraglio Takeo Takagi. This last had to his/her orders the aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku, the heavy cruisers Hagura and Myoko and six destroyer.
What the Japanese didn't leastly suspect was that their " violet code" you/he/she had been decrittato from the Americans, which, therefore, they were able to know for now now their movements. And to say that the researchers, which had elaborated the code to Tokyo, had sworn to the emperor that nobody, would have been able never to understand us void,.. Yet William Friedman, to Washington, it had us: l started only few weeks deciphering him/it and, for full of " shamelessness, after the war you/he/she had declared that the key of the code was simple: even if you/he/she had been him of precious help the mechanical criptoanalisi of Thomas Dyer.
In sight of the offensive toward the New Guinea I'ammiraglio Chester Nimitz that, after the disaster of Pearl Harbour, you/he/she had taken the command (to admiral Kimmell's place) of the naval operations in the Pacific, it gathered to the first of May in the sea of the Corals, offshore the north-oriental coasts of Australia, a naval strength (the " Task Force 17") consistent in two aircraft carriers, six heavy cruisers (Minneapolis, Chester, Portland, Chicago, Australia and Aunt, Hobart), two light and eleven destroyer, posts ta under rear-admiral Frank's command l, Fletcher, :1 to that it lifted its insignia on the great aircraft carrier Yorktown (the other to its orders was the twin Lexington). Fletcher u ~ it was a shrewd and audacious commander at the same time, that was not afraid indeed of the Japanese and, despite king - all of their victories, sconfiggibili.Mentre the strength of invasion of Inouye held them it already had lascìato Rabaul with 14 transports escorted by a light cruiser and six fighters, and, more from far, from the light aircraft carrier, Shoho, from four heavy cruisers and a fighter, Fletcher launched from the Yorktown 99 airplanes on this complex and of ships. Contemporarily the viceammiraglio Takal, with the two heavy aircraft carriers (Zuikaku and Shokaku), two heavy cruisers and six fighters, it directed him to south for you discover and to hock the unknown American fleet from which those unexpected offenses departed. In the night, every ignored the presence of the other, the two fleets passed near, to few more than 60 miles.
The morning of May 7 the scouts it already sets an isolated American oil-tanker they were individualized Neosho) and a destroyer (the Sims), and the bombardiers of the aircraft carriers of Takagi sank them: but Fletcher was discovered. To the precise IIs, while the airplanes of Tak! they got busy him around these modest objectives, The airplanes of the Yorktown and the Lexington they roused the Soho of the deputy admiral Goto, and in few minutes they strained her/it to peak with 500 men of his/her crew. It was the first time that, in the Pacific, a similar thing and the Japanese happened they were puzzled. Inouye ordered to the transports to return back. The night passed without I am it gets back, but the morning later, 8 May, at 8.15 o'clock the scouts of the Lexington discovered her/it "strength of attack" of Takagi at 10.57 o'clock, 39 airplanes of the Yorktown were thrown on Zui kaku and Shokaku, seriously striking this last: mezz'ora after the attack was repeated from 24 instruments of the Lexington and the Shokaku it was still stricken and left flames.
The Japanese didn't know really what to think. However they reacted: 70 airplanes, lifted above all him Zuikakus, discovered Lexington and Yorktown: this was struck, but slightly, while the Lexington was mortally hurt by two torpedos.
In the afternoon a violent fire made the situation of the Lexington unbearable, they started him to put in sea floats and shallops. ) to the 20 an American destroyer still sank the wreckage in flames: the great ship perfectly sank horizontal, without overturning himself/herself/themselves. (You/he/she has gone to tall head they commented his/her officers). In total the Japanese had lost an aircraft carrier gera, a fighter and three small ships and you/they had suffered serious damages to a big aircraft carrier; the Americans had lost a fighter, an oil-tanker and a heavy aircraft carrier, over the hits you don't burden joints to sign on the Yorktown.
This was the " battle of Coral Sea ", that did from prologue to that of the Midway. Who had won? The newspapers and the Japanese bulletins divulged, as usual, science fiction things: according to them two battle ships had been sunk (what there were not) and two aircraft carriers, besides the damage of about ten battleships, aircraft carrier and cruisers.
To characters cubitali the Asahi Shimbun wrote: " Signs of imminent collapse of the United States ". Power of the prophecies! After all also Hitler was given to unrestrained demonstrations of joy and you/he/she had textually said: " After this new disaster, the war ships of the United States will hardly dare to face the Japanese fleet, because the war ship of the United States that accepts the fight with the Japanese is practically lost." the you/he/she had been in substance Instead an American strategic success, that had shown, among the other, the cleverness of the pilots of the United States, their cold courage and one shiny - conducted tactic of the admirals, particularly of Fletcher: without counting that the objective to which you/they contemplated the Japanese, the bases of the New Guinea you/he/she had not been reached.
MIDWAY SEEN BY JAPANESE
BATTAGLIA DI MIDWAY: FINAL SENTENCE OF THE SHINANO