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Events leading up to the battle of the coral sea
Events leading up to the battle of the coral sea
Events leading up to 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
To begin, the attack on Pearl Harbour was devastating to U.S. naval capabilities in the Pacific at the onset of their entry into the war. Japanese officials had grown tired of the U.S. oil embargo, which was meant to limit their territorial expansion and aggression in South-East Asia as well as China, and as negotiations weren’t reaching any conclusions they decided that the only course of action was a first strike on the aircraft carriers at Pearl Harbour to cripple U.S. naval capability in the Pacific (Rosenberg 1). The attack, which lasted about two hours, had resulted in the sinking of four battleships, among ...
Thompson, Robert. "Battle of Cold Harbor." History Net: Where History Comes Alive. http://www.historynet.com/cold-harbor (accessed March 21, 2014).
In the early morning of 19 February 1945, United States Marines assigned to the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Division led the initial assault on the Japanese controlled island of Iwo Jima, with the objective of capturing and securing the island. This was the beginning of one of the fiercest and bloodiest; and more decisively, the most strategically important battles fought during World War II. After the dust had settled, and the smoke had cleared, the causalities and losses were astounding. 6,821 U.S. Marines along with 18,844 members of the Imperial Japanese Army had paid the ultimate sacrifice. A decisive US victory on the island of Iwo Jima later played a pivotal role in the overarching defeat of the Japanese Empire and its Armed Forces (Morison, 1945).
This battle was the start of America taking control of the war over the Pacific. This battle took place six months after Japan first struck Pearl Harbor. Many historians say this was the greatest air battle of all time. America not only proved that numbers didn’t matter, but showed that only leaders with clear eyes and soldiers with heart can win a battle of any size. Even before the battle started, America saw his attack coming.
"World War II." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd Ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 147-151. World History In Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
On December 7th 1941, Japanese Planes and submarines attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor. This event singlehandedly brought the U.S from its then neutral stance in World War Two to a fighting member of the “Allied Powers.” Pearl Harbor was the first of a long series of confrontations between the U.S and the Japanese in an effort to gain control of the Pacific. Unlike the “War in Europe” the Pacific strategy was dominated by naval and aerial battles, with the occasional land-based “Island Hopping” Campaign. As such, one of the most important factors in the war in the pacific was Fleet Size, the more ships a country could send to war, the better. Pearl Harbor was the Japanese’s way of trying to deal with the massive U.S Pacific fleet. However, Pearl Harbor was not the turning point of the war. After December 7th the United States began work on numerous technological developments which would ultimately help them in one of the most important battles of WWII, the largest naval confrontation of the war, The Battle of Midway. The battle, which took place from June 4th to June 7th , 1942 is widely considered the turning point of the Pacific Theater (James & Wells). Through the Post-Pearl Harbor desire for “Revenge” and various technological advantages including code breaking and radar, the U.S were able to outsmart the Japanese at Midway and ultimately win the battle, eventually leading to a victory in the Pacific.
Ibid, 50>> At the same time, “for Japanese, too, Port Arthur possessed importance beyond its strategic significance, fought for and won as it had been by their troops in the Chinese War and then wrestled from them by the Europeans.”<<4
“Early on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing more than 2,400 Americans. They destroyed or heavily damaged eight battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers, and almost two hundred airplanes (Henretta, p.732).” That day caught America off guard and by surprise. Nobody expected someone to attack us on our own soil. It is one thing to attack our Soldiers throughout the world, but to come to our country was a brazen act that almost certainly demanded
On the morning of December 7th 1941 at 7:55am (Hawaiian time) the first of two waves of Japanese aircraft began their attack on the stationary U.S Pacific fleet moored at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. This first wave of 183 planes, launched from the north of Oahu on Japanese aircraft carriers was an all out attack of the Fleet and military not specifically aiming for one certain type of vessel. Although a U.S radar base detected the incoming planes on the north of the island this post
The bombing of Pearl Harbor has always been considered a major Japanese victory. President Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 the “day that will forever live in infamy” because of the destruction following this assault. Japanese forces brutally impaired the American naval fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor and caused unimaginable horror for both the citizens of Hawaii and the United States as a whole. As a result of this attack, the United States entered World War II and four years later, was able achieve victory against the Axis Powers. However, was the bombing of Pearl Harbor truly a Japanese success? I will explore this question by studying journal entries written by Japanese officials involved in the attack, the writings of American military officials, informational texts, and an outlook by the American Department of Defense.
April 1945, signaled an end to a lasting Battle and continued a new beginning for the invasion of Japan’s homeland. This battle was the Battle of Okinawa or known as the Typhoon of Steel (Battle of Okinawa). The main cause of this tragic battle was the U.S military being able to use Okinawa as a base to reach or invade Japan (Wukovits). Therefore, bombs were fired towards Japans homeland. In early June half of a million men, soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen were sent to surround thirty miles of the ocean. (Miller) Many of these ships were loaded with bombs. Okinawa was one of the biggest battles of the Pacific, but also one of the last battles overseas that will not be forgotten. This battle’s intentions were to expand the American opportunities which concluded in an intense approach in US History. They wanted to prove to the Americans that they had the power to win the war. By the end of this battle, many soldiers were wounded or killed. During this war, one may see the major effects in the environment and also how many were affected. In addition, many people experiencing the battle such as Eugene Sledge, Eugene Smith and even civilians all have different point of views, giving us insight on the battle.
World War II consisted of many devastating battles in both the European and the Pacific Theater. The Battle of Okinawa was fought in the Pacific theater. In the beginning of the battle there was little opposition from the Japanese soldiers but as the American troops traveled more inland the more resistance they met. Eventually, the 10th Army came against the fierce challenge of the intricate defense lines the Japanese held up. Many caves and pillboxes in the hills created a formidable challenge for American troops. Slowly though the Allies gained ground and continued to push back the defensive lines of General Ushijima and his troops. The Japanese tried to use kamikaze air and land attacks as successful offensive measures, these continued to produce little effect and failed each time. Finally, the Allies started to gain ground quite quickly. The Japanese had to move their defensive lines several time because the Americans were boxing them in. At las,t General Ushijima ordered everyman to fight till the death and the fighting became very disorganized. On June 21, all the loss ends were tied up. America had won Okinawa.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a completely unexpected attack that caught America by surprise, which was the entire plan. But when this dragged us into World War two, the Japanese who had attacked us in the first place hadn’t meant to do so. Yamamoto Isoroku, the captain of the Japanese navy, had entirely different plans. He had spent a few of his years in America, so he thought his plan would have an entirely different effect.
This is how the battle of the coral sea began. Japan was fighting against Australia and America for their land and ports. This is what happens during the battle of the coral sea. It first began when japan tried to invade the land that Australia owned. The war started on may, 4th 1942 over the coral sea. Australia began to fight back and made an alliance with America. America began helping Australia fight against Japan. They were fighting for the land in the pacific. Both of the sides began to bomb their opponents boats and aircrafts. Australia also bombed the port of moresby on the edge of japan.
The battle of Midway on June 3rd-6th of 1942 was one of the decisive naval battles of history. The engagement was entirely decided by air power with no surface gun action. At Midway, the Japanese repeated the pattern at Coral Sea one month before. Approaching in widely separated groups, seeking to draw out the American forces, the Japanese commands accelerated into the Solomon’s and New Guinea. This was to capture Midway and the Aleutians. Many of the objectives have been set forth in previous plans.