Battle of Coral Sea
Battle of Midway

The Battle of Coral Sea

Took Place on May 7th and 8th, 1942Was SW of the Solomon Islands and E of New GuineaIt was the first Pacific War battle of 6 battles between opposing forces.The Battle of Coral Sea resulted from Japanese forces trying to capture Fort Moresby on New Guineas E coast, which would threaten Australias safety also.

Japanese Operations at the Battle of Coral Sea

The operation had 2 seaborne invasion forcesThe main force was aimed at Fort MoresbyThe smaller was aimed at TulagiThe battle was fought entirely by planesReason why: Neither ship saw each other to fire upon the other

The Battle Consisted of:

U.S.:Flight carriers: U.S.S Yorktown and U.S.S Lexington led by Admiral Fletcher122 planesRadarJapan:Flight carriers: Shokaku and Zuikaku led by Admiral Takagi121 planesNO Radar

Questions?

Why did Japan go for a Pacific War?They wanted to retrieve resources to be able to invade ChinaWhy was this bad for the U.S.?If Japan captured the Philippines for their resources, they wouldnt need the western nations anymore. This would hurt the American economy.Who did Japan attack and what did they do?They attacked the major power centers: Peral Harbor, Guam, Wake outposts, Philippines and Malaya, knocked Britain away, and invaded SE Asia to end Chinas resource supply

More Info on the Battle of Coral Sea

Why was the U.S.S Yorktown and the U.S.S Lexington not at Pearl Harbor?They were ordered out to sea to protect Port Moresby.The U.S.S Yorktown was first to attack in the battle and seriously damaged one of Japans destroyers and 3 of their minesweepers.Why was the Battle of Coral Sea considered a turning point?It was the first aircraft carrier war.There was no clear winner in the Battle of Coral Sea, but it was considered a tactical victory for Japan because the U.S.S Lexington had been lost.Damage was suffered and experience was gained by both opposing sides.This battle set the stage for the Battle of Midway a month later.

Losses of the Battle of Coral Sea

U.S.:1 aircraft carrier1 destroyer1 valuable fleet oilerDamage to the second carrierJapan:1 light aircraft carrier1 destroyerSome smaller shipsShokaku was damaged badly due to bombsThe Zuikaku air group was badly depletedForced to cancel the Moresby invasion

The Battle of Midway

It was fought over and near the tiny U.S. mid-Pacific base at Midway atollNow the U.S. and Japan were considered to be tactically equalWhy did Japan want to attack Midway?They wanted to draw the U.S. Navy out to the Pacific to destroy their aircraft carrier force.

Midway Information

Was the attack on Midway unexpected?No, the U.S. decoded a Japanese warning and Admiral Fletcher sent an ambush to Midway while the Japanese were rearming.Admiral Fletcher destroyed 3 of 4 Japanese big aircraft carriers.The surviving planes attacked and damaged the U.S.S Yorktown.The Yorktowns second strike sent down the remaining aircraft carrier.Then, a Japanese submarine sank the U.S.S Yorktown.

Details

The Pacific Fleet Commanders:U.S.:

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

Japan:

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

The Battle of Midway represented the strategic high water mark of Japans Pacific ocean war.Before this battle, Japan had been the superior in sea battles. Afterwards, the U.S. and Japan became equal in sea battles.After the battle, Midway base had only small damage and was still operationalThe U.S. was considered the winner, but by intelligence and sheer luck only

Battle of Midway Losses:

U.S.:Aircraft carriers: Yorktown and Hammann144 planes104 pilots and air crew258 sailorsJapan:Aircraft carriers: Akagi, Kaga, Suryu, Hiryu, and the big carrier Mikuma250 planes110 pilots and air crew3,000 sailors

Midway base lost approximately 70 pilots and air crew

Made for you by: Autumn Sanderson

A great site for information is: www.ww2pacific.com/coralsea.html & www.ww2pacific.com/midway.html