The Battle of the Coral Sea lasted for four days (May 4th-8th, 1942) and was fought between Japanese and American forces. This battle was significant because it marked the first air-sea battle in history, and it started with Japan wanting to gain control over the Coral Sea. To do this, Japan planned to invade Port Moresby and establish bases there. However, the information was leaked to the Allies, and they quickly responded by sending a task force led by Frank J. Fletcher to disrupt the Japanese forces. On May 4th, Japanese naval units clashed with Fletcher's forces, and the battle began.
Through May 5th and 6th, the opposing carrier groups fought against each other, and on May 7th, the Japanese carrier-based planes sunk one of the US's destroyers and an oiler. American naval forces were able to sink the aircraft carrier Shoho and a cruiser. However, on May 8th, the Japanese aircrafts sank the US carrier Lexington and also damaged another carrier, Yorktown. On the other hand, the US also severely injured the Japanese carrier Shokaku. In the end, because so many Japanese airplanes were lost due to inadequate air cover, they were forced to retreat.
As a result of the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Allies successfully prevented Japan from taking over the Coral Sea. The battle resulted in the loss of 66 planes and Lexington for Fletcher's forces, and for Japanese forces, they lost 73 aircrafts and Shoho. Thus, the invasion of Port Moresby was quite unsuccessful for the Japanese. In addition, it would also foreshadow that there would be other aircraft-carrier battles to be fought in the future.
It is also important to note that the carrier Yorktown was able to survive through the battle because it actually played a major role in the Battle of Midway, which occurred just one month ensuing the Battle of the Coral Sea. During this time period, Yorktown was sent back to Pearl Harbor for some repairs and quickly returned back to the Pacific. This brings up the question that if possibly the carrier had been sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea, could the Allies have possibly lost the Battle of Midway?
Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-coral-sea
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Coral-Sea
http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/political-science-and-government/military-affairs-nonnaval/battle-coral-sea
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1734.html
Kevin, great post about the Battle of the Coral Sea that, unlike the Battle of Midway, not many people know about. Considering that this battle may have had a great impact on the Pacific War as a whole, it is surprising that it so unheard of. To answer your question at the end of your article, I believe that it could definitely have changed the tide of the battle, considering that the US only had 3 carriers to the Japanese 4. If the Yorktown had not been able to contribute to the battle, it would have meant that the Japanese would have outnumbered American troops by almost 2:1, making it considerably more unbalanced than a 4:3 advantage. Also, given that during the Battle of Midway, 147 American airplanes were destroyed, this would mean that with only 2 aircraft carriers of around 70 ships each, the Americans would have been running low on planes and could easily have lost the battle.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway
Great post, Kevin. I thought it was really interesting that you brought up the issue with the carrier Yorktown. Most historians credit the victory at Midway as the sea battle that turned war but your post makes us, was it really the battle for the Coral Sea? I mean if the US had lost the battle and lost the prized Yorktown, could they really have won the Battle of Midway? Based on the numbers McKinley provided over head, I think we can get that answer. In other words, the Battle of the Carol Sea was as important, maybe even more important, than the Battle of Midway Island.
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