The Battle of the Coral Sea

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Introduction

In the spring of 1942 the U.S. Navy and Japanese Imperial Fleet engaged in battle at sea on more than one occasion. The Battle of Coral Sea, however, was the first time that these too forces would engage one another at sea using only aircraft. This will be the first battle in history where ships from both sides would never see the other like most conventional naval battles; this one will be fought entirely by aircraft.

History

In the morning hours of December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked the Hawaiian islands at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had been feeling the pressures of World War II (WWII) as did many others. With the resources of the Japanese dwindling, the Japanese decided to attack the U.S. while simultaneously planning the attack during the negotiations of continued peace between our two countries. The Japanese were able to cover up there planning for nearly a year. Planning for the attack and ultimately war in the pacific, started in January of 1941, and was finalized during the war games in November of 1941. The U.S. on the other hand would become a reactive force after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The inability to crack the Japanese code lead, to a lack of intelligence during this time making the plan of attack for the Japanese a successful one. It would seem that the year of planning and the strategies laid out in the “Combined Fleet Operations Top Secret Order 1” of the Japanese navy would become a reality in the pacific, allowing for an easy sweep of the military targets for the Japanese fleet.

Planning and Preparation

In the early months of 1941 the world was at war. Not all countries where involved in combat since the war was primarily focused on Europe, but many countries outsi...

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...Battle of Coral Sea was seen by the Japanese as a win by sheer numbers for the loss of the U.S.S. Lexington, but the Americans would see it as a victory for stopping the Japanese from attacking and controlling Port Moresby and the failure of the Japanese in cutting off the Australians and controlling the south pacific.

References

Battle of Coral Sea, WWII Archives Foundation Inc, 2000-2010 http://wwiiarchives.net/servlet/campaign/4/0

Henry, Chris. Battle of The Coral Sea. US Naval Institute Press: Great Naval Battles, NOV 2003

MacArthur, Douglas. Reports of General MacArthur, 1994 http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/MacArthur%20Reports/MacArthur%20V1/index.htm

Stille, Mark. The Coral Sea 1942. Osprey Publishing, Nov 24, 2009

The Battle of Coral Sea, History Learning Site, 2000-2012 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_coral_sea.htm

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