Showing posts with label Takagi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Takagi. Show all posts

Sunday, April 18, 2021

May 9, 1942: Manstein on the Attack in Crimea

Saturday 9 May 1942

Captured U-352 crewman, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"German U-boat, U-352, May 1942. 33 German prisoners were brought ashore at the Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, by US Coast Guard cutter Icarus (WPC-110) after the sinking of the German submarine, U-352, off the Atlantic coast on 9 May 1942. The Executive Officer of the German submarine repeats in German the instructions given to him by US Navy officers as the crew eat “chow.”" Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-41304.
Battle of the Pacific: Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher takes Task Force 17 out of the Coral Sea on 9 May 1942, ending the Battle of the Coral Sea. With only one fleet carrier, USS Yorktown left, Fletcher proceeds south of New New Caledonia and proceeds toward Tongatabu to refuel. Australian Rear Admiral John Crace, in charge of Task Force 44, keeps his cruiser force in the area throughout the day to guard Port Moresby.

The Japanese fleet is short of fuel, so Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi's Carrier Strike Force, also down to one carrier (Zuikaku), spends the day refueling. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto has ordered him to pursue and engage the Allied warships again. In the evening, Takagi heads southeast with his refueled ships, then turns southwest toward the Coral Sea. The invasion of Port Moresby remains on hold unless and until Takagi can eliminate the Allied forces.

The Japanese recently set up a seaplane base in the Deboyne Islands during the opening stages of Operation Mo in order to assist with the invasion of Port Moresby. Today, the Allies begin a series of air raids on the base that damage seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru and eventually force the Japanese to leave.

Having taken the US island fortress of Corregidor, the Japanese seek complete control of the Philippines by taking Dalirig on Mindanao.
Manila under Japanese occupation, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Manila, the Philippines during the Japanese occupation, 9 May 1942.
Battle of the Indian Ocean: The Burma Corps continues withdrawing west across the Chindwin River. Today, the divisional headquarters and the 13th Indian Infantry Brigade makes the crossing. Their destination is the border town of Tamu, which is not that far but will require traversing some rough, roadless terrain
USS Albacore, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
USS Albacore in Measure 9 camouflage (dull black) off Groton, 9 May 1942.
Eastern Front: It is day two of the German offensive in Crimea and everything is going the Wehrmacht's way. General Franz Halder's war diary entry is short and succinct: "Breakthrough on the southern wing. The attack is making good progress. All quiet on the rest of the front."

General Erich von Manstein's attempt to clear the Kerch peninsula, Operation Trappenjagd ("Bustard Hunt"), continues on 9 May with great success. In some ways, the operation resembles the opening days of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, with crushing German domination sweeping aside all opposition. Where the Germans attack, the Red Army gives way, and casualties are light.

German engineers have successfully created an opening through the Soviet anti-tank ditch in the south. Manstein uses it to commit the 22nd Panzer Division in a move east, then north to the Sea of Azov coast. This maneuver eventually traps the Soviet 51st Army in a pocket, isolating about one-third of the Soviet strength. The 44th Army in the south is in disarray, and the 47th Army in reserve at Kerch is slow to react, hampered by Luftwaffe attacks on the roads.
Manstein and Richtofen, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Colonel-General Erich von Manstein, left, and Luftwaffe commander Wolfram von Richthofen in Crimea, May 1942 (Cherry, Federal Archive Image 183-B18908).
The Red Army counterattacks with its armor, but the Luftwaffe has complete aerial superiority and, with little tree cover, an open field of fire on the roads. Luftwaffe General Wolfram von Richthofen has assembled overwhelming power from units that have returned from the Reich after being refurbished over the winter. German planes down 25 Soviet planes over the breakthrough point and wreak havoc on the counterattacking Red Army tanks. The Luftwaffe launches 1700 sorties during the day, not far under the 2100 sorties on the first day of the offensive. Overall, the Luftwaffe claims 52 Soviet planes shot down during the day for only two losses. A rainstorm during the evening effectively ends operations for the day.

General Hans Zorn, the commander of the breakout attempt from the Demyansk pocket that ultimately led to its relief (in conjunction with Seydlitz's advance to Ramushevo), visits Fuhrer Headquarters in East Prussia. Halder writes that he looks "Quite worn!"

European Air Operations: After 12 Boston bombers attack Bruges oil storage tanks and Hazebrouck railway yards, it is a quiet night. The only activity by either side is a mission by 20 RAF bombers to lay mines off Denmark and Germany. There are no losses.
Captured crew of U-352, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
German U-boat, U-352, May 1942. 33 German prisoners were brought ashore at the Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, by US Coast Guard cutter Icarus (WPC-110) after the sinking of the German submarine, U-352, off the Atlantic coast on 9 May 1942. US Marines, with fixed bayonets, stand guard as prisoners are lined up in front of the Coast Guard cutter (Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-41302).
Battle of the Atlantic: U-352 (Kptlt. Hellmut Rathke), on its send patrol out of St. Nazaire, is depth-charged and sunk near Morehead City, North Carolina by US Coast Guard ship Icarus. There are 15 deaths and 33 survivors. The submarine ends its career with no victories.

U-162 (FrgKpt. Jürgen Wattenberg), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 1905-ton Canadian freighter Mount Louis south of Trinidad. There are 13 deaths and 8 survivors, who are rescued by Canadian freighter Mona Marie.

U-564 (Kptlt. Reinhard Suhren), on its fifth patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 7138-ton Panamanian tanker Lubrafol three nautical miles off Delray Beach, Florida. There are 13 deaths and 31 survivors, who are rescued by US Coast Guard ships. Lubrafol does not actually sink today, but it is a burning wreck with no hope of salvage until it finally does go under on 11 May.
German soldier in North Africa, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Near Bir Hacheim in North Africa, a German soldier wearing a pith helmet mans a 7.92mm machine gun MG15 with tripod on a motor vehicle, May 1942 (Zwilling, Ernst A., Federal Archive Image 101I-443-1551-06A)
U-69 (Oblt. Ulrich Gräf), on its eighth patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 6825-ton Norwegian tanker Lise northeast of Aruba. There are 12 deaths and 33 survivors, many of whom are rescued by two Dutch ships while others make it to shore in lifeboats. Some sources place this sinking on 12 May.

U-125 (Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 11,941-ton Canadian tanker Calgarolite 50 nautical miles (93 km) southwest of Grand Cayman Island. Folkers surfaces when the tanker does not sink right away and uses his deck gun to finish the job. All 45 crewmen survive.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 928-ton Norwegian freighter Douro midway between Iceland and Scotland. There are ten deaths and ten survivors, who are rescued by Icelandic trawler Gyllir.

German 125-ton minesweeper R-45 collides with a minesweeper tender off Dunkirk, France, and sinks. Also sunk in the collision is 508-ton M-533.
USS Wasp, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
British Spitfire V fighter taking off from carrier USS Wasp for Malta, 9 May 1942 (US National Archives).
Battle of the Mediterranean: The US Navy and Royal Navy mount another carrier ferry mission to Malta today. This is Operation Bowery. USS Wasp and HMS Eagle launch 64 Supermarine Spitfires, with 58 actually making it to the island. Despite the losses, this is much more successful than Operation Calendar, when a similar ferrying mission resulted in disaster when the fighters were quickly attacked and mostly destroyed by the Luftwaffe. Operation Bowery is a successful mission that builds on the learning experience of Operation Calendar. 

This mission leads Prime Minister Winston Churchill to comment, "Who said a Wasp couldn't sting twice?" The presence of the Spitfires essentially ends the daylight bombing campaign against Malta.
Internee waits for the evacuation bus, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
An internee awaiting the evacuation bus, 9 May 1942.
American Homefront: "Tangerine" by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra with Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell becomes the No. 1 song on the Billboard chart. It knocks off "Moonlight Cocktail" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Ray Eberle and the Modernaires after ten weeks. Ray Eberle and Bob Eberly are brothers despite the slight differences in their last names, Bob just changed his for professional purposes.

Thoroughbred Alsab wins the Preakness, spoiling the chance of Shut Out to win the Triple Crown.

Future History: John David Ashcroft is born in Chicago, Illinois. He becomes a politician from Missouri who becomes Governor of that state, a US Senator, and the US Attorney General from 2001-2005.
Saturday Evening Post, 9 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com

May 1942


2021
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Thursday, April 15, 2021

May 8, 1942: Lexington Sunk in the Coral Sea

Friday 8 May 1942

USS Lexington on fire and sinking, 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"A mushroom cloud rises after a heavy explosion on board the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), 8 May 1942. This is probably the great explosion from the detonation of torpedo warheads stowed in the starboard side of the hangar, aft, that followed an explosion amidships at 1727 hrs. Note USS Yorktown (CV-5) on the horizon in the left center, and destroyer USS Hammann (DD-412) at the extreme left." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-16651.
Battle of the Pacific: The Battle of the Coral Sea ends on 8 May 1942 with a classic tactical victory but strategic defeat for the Japanese. The Japanese Navy inflicts more damage on the Allies, but the Allies prevent it from accomplishing its main objectives and, by so doing, completely alter the course of the Battle of the Pacific.

Japanese Rear Admiral Chūichi Hara, on Zuikaku, is in tactical command of the carrier air forces aboard that ship and Shōkaku. He knows the US carrier force known to be nearby must be eliminated for the invasion of Port Moresby, which has been halted, to proceed. With his force about 100 nautical miles (120 miles, 190 km) east of Rossel Island, Hara sends out search planes at first light to locate the enemy force. About twenty minutes later, Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher does the same. A USS Lexington pilot is the first to spot the enemy's position, quickly followed by a Shōkaku search plane sighting US Task Force 17. After the violent maneuvers of 7 May, the two opposing carrier forces are about 210 nautical miles (240 miles, 390 km) apart - close enough to attack.

The Japanese get their planes aloft by 09:15, and the Americans by 09:25. The carrier groups both head for each other's position at flank speed. The stage is set for a decisive carrier battle.
US Navy fighters taking off worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The USS Yorktown's dive bombers (William O. Burch) reach their target first, at 10:32, but pause to await lagging formations to catch up before launching a coordinated attack. The Japanese have 16 Zero fighters patrolling over the two carriers, which are about 10,000 yards (9100 meters) apart. The weather is mixed, with low-hanging clouds and rain squalls. The attack begins at 10:57 and quickly scores two 1,000 lb (450 kg) hits on Shōkaku. Each side loses two planes.

Lexington's dive bombers attack next, at 11:30. They hit the Shōkaku with another 1000 lb bomb but miss the Zuikaku. The Japanese shoot down three Grumman F4F Wildcats without loss. Takatsugu Jōjima, the Shōkaku's captain, then withdraws his battered ship at 12:10 to the northeast.

While the attack on the Japanese carriers is in progress, Task Force 17 detects the incoming Japanese bombers on their CXAM-1 radar. A Close Air Patrol of six Wildcats is sent up, but it stations itself too low, completely missing the Japanese planes above. Some Yorktown SBDs, however, have better luck. The commander of the torpedo planes, Lieutenant Commander Shigekazu Shimazaki, directs 14 to attack Lexington and four to target Yorktown. The Japanese lose three planes to the SBDs and another to the Wildcats at a cost of four SBDs to the bombers' Zero escorts.
USS Lexington on fire and sinking, 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
" Japanese Type 97 Shipboard Attack Plane (Kate torpedo bomber) is hit by anti-aircraft fire during attacks on the U.S. aircraft carriers, late in the morning of 8 May 1942." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-16638.
The Japanese torpedo attack begins at 11:13 against the two US carriers, which are stationed about 3000 yards (2700 meters) apart. While no hits are scored on Yorktown, it is a much different story regarding Lexington.  Coming in from both sides, the torpedo bombers get their first hit at 11:20, which punctures the port aviation gasoline stowage tanks and releases gasoline vapors. A second hit soon after destroys the port water main, forcing the three forward boilers to be shut down. The Japanese lose an additional four torpedo planes during this attack.

A few minutes after the torpedo planes attack, the Japanese dive bombers begin their attacks from 14,000 feet, with 19 aiming for Lexington and 14 diving on Yorktown. They score two hits on Lexington, starting numerous fires, and one on Yorktown. The hit on Yorktown is particularly damaging, causing 66 casualties and putting the superheater boilers out of action. A dozen near-misses also deform Yorktown's hull. The Japanese lose two dive bombers during this attack.

The Japanese dive bombers largely escaped the defending fighters during the attack, but once they are at sea level wild air battles ensue. The US loses three Wildcats and three SBDs, while the Japanese lose three torpedo bombers, a dive bomber, and a Zero. After this, the planes from both sides turn toward their own carriers at around 12:00.

Lexington and Yorktown, despite both receiving heavy damage, both remain operational. However, the plane recovery process goes poorly and they lose an additional five SBDs, two TBDs, and a Wildcat. The Japanese on Zuikaku suffer similar issues and lose five dive bombers, two Zeros, and a torpedo plane. Due to damage and lack of deck space due to the damage to the inability of Shōkaku to recover its planes, the Japanese push five recovered torpedo planes, four dive bombers, and three additional Zeros overboard.
USS Lexington on fire and sinking, 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"USS Lexington (CV-2) under Japanese dive bomber attack, shortly before Noon on 8 May 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-19100.
At 14:22, Fletcher decides that he has had enough and withdraws. Hara reports to Takagi that he has lost all but a dozen of his bombers, and Takagi, worried about his fuel situation, withdraws at 15:00.

Attention now shifts in both fleets from offensive operations to saving their own damaged ships. At first, it appears that Lexington can handle her multiple hits. The crew puts out the worst fires and she becomes operational again. However, at 12:47, sparks from electric motors ignite the gasoline vapors released from the first torpedo strike, causing a huge explosion that kills 25 men. There is another explosion at 14:42, and a third at 15:25. At 15:38, the fires are out of control and the crew realizes the situation is hopeless. Captain Frederick C. Sherman orders the crew to abandon the ship, and at 19:15 escorting destroyer Phelps pumps five torpedoes into the flaming hulk of "Lady Lex." It sinks at 19:52, with 216 deaths from the 2951-man crew. It also takes 36 aircraft with it.

On the Japanese side, Takagi sends Zuikaku with her escorts to Rabaul, while the badly damaged Shōkaku heads for Japan. The Port Moresby invasion remains off, though Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is still determined to continue when the time is right. The Japanese have sunk a US fleet carrier, a destroyer, and an oiler, along with the destruction of dozens of US planes, while the Americans have sunk only a Japanese light carrier. This is a close but clear Japanese tactical victory. But the Allies' ability to prevent the invasion of Port Moresby and blunt the Japanese military's heretofore unchecked advance south represents a much more important and lasting strategic victory. The Battle of the Coral Sea also is renowned as the first sea battle where no ship sights an enemy ship or fires at one.

US Navy submarine USS Skipjack torpedoes and sinks 4804-ton Japanese freighter Bujun Maru in the South China Sea.

USS Navy submarine USS Grenadier torpedoes and sinks 14503-ton Japanese naval transport Taiyo Maru 92 nautical miles (170 km) southwest of Me Shima, Nannyo Gunto, Kyushu, Japan. There are 816 deaths and 15 survivors, who are picked up by several nearby ships and a fishing vessel.
USS Lexington on fire and sinking, 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Battle of the Coral Sea, May 1942. Abandoning of USS Lexington (CV-2) following the Battle of the Coral Sea, 8 May 1942. Small explosions amid-ship is visible." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-16637.
Battle of the Indian Ocean: An attempted mutiny in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands by Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) troops against the British fails. As illustrated by the final words of one of the mutineers - "Loyalty to a country under the heel of a white man is disloyalty" - there are elements of nationalism and racism to the uprising.

The mutineers, 30 men of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on Horsburgh Island, attempt to arrest their commanding officers and turn the islands over to the Empire of Japan. The mutiny fails because the mutineers turn out to be completely incompetent soldiers who have difficulty firing their guns accurately, though they kill one loyal (Indian) British soldier and wound an officer. Once the mutiny is put down, three mutineers are executed and four others imprisoned for life. While completely unsuccessful, the Cocos Islands Mutiny provides fodder for anti-British agitation throughout the region, particularly in Sri Lanka.

Operation Ironclad, the British invasion of Madagascar, ended in a British victory on 7 May 1942, but the Vichy French retain some powerful but scattered assets. One of those assets, submarine Monge, launches an attack on Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable but misses. Two escorting destroyers, Active and Panther, leap into action and sink the French submarine (all 69 crew perish). All other undefeated Vichy French forces withdraw to the south, where they are annoying but pose no real threat to the British occupation. Italian freighters 2315-ton Duca Degli Abruzzi and 2669-ton Somalia are scuttled at Diego-Suarez.

Japanese troops driving north from Bhamo enter Myitkyina, Burma, which the British evacuated on 7 May. The Allied forces in northern Burma withdraw into China or India via the Hukawng Valley to the east and north of the city, depending on their preference. The retreating Allied forces do a good job of destroying the area's numerous bridges, which slows down any Japanese pursuit toward Sumprabum.

The 1st Burma Infantry Brigade leaves the 1st Burma Infantry Division and heads to India. It leaves Tigyaing on the Irrawaddy River today and heads west to the road junction at Indaw. The objective is to go to Pantha on the Chindwin River, cross it, and head west to India. This path involves difficult cross-country travel but it is the shortest route and free of enemy troops who are not far to the north on the Irrawaddy at Myitkyina.
USS Lexington survivors being rescued, 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Survivors of USS Lexington (CV-2) are pulled aboard a cruiser (probably USS Minneapolis) after the carrier was abandoned during the afternoon of 8 May 1942. Note man in the lower part of the photo who is using the cruiser's armor belt as a hand hold." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-7392.
Eastern Front: General Franz Halder sums up the day with the brief entry, "Kerch offensive has opened with good initial successes. Rest of the front quiet."

At 04:15, General Erich von Manstein opens Operation Trappenjagd on the Crimean peninsula. The objective is to clear the eastern Kerch peninsula of Red Army troops so that the German 11th Army can concentrate all of its assets to subdue the Soviet pocket at the western port of Sevastopol.

Manstein has promised that the offensive will have "concentrated air support the like of which has never been seen." He describes his plan as a ground attack that will have its main strength in the air. The planes would "pull the infantry forward" because Luftwaffe General Wolfram von Richthofen has the strength of an entire air fleet - which usually accompanies an entire army group - to support the advance.

The attack opens with massive Luftwaffe VIII Air Corps raids on Soviet airfields and communications. Soviet 44th Army, holding the southern section of the Parpach Narrows front, loses touch with its headquarters, while the commander of 51st Army, holding the northern half of the front, is killed. The Germans mount 2100 sorties during the day, shooting down 57 of 401 Soviet aircraft and destroying their airfields.
Manstein at the front in Crimea ca. 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
General Manstein directs the attack on the Kerch peninsula from his command truck ca. 8 May 1942 (Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe 2-768).
When Manstein launches his ground attack after a quick 10-minute artillery barrage, the stunned Red Army defenders in the south quickly give way despite outnumbering the Axis units (19 Soviet divisions and four armored brigades to five German divisions, 2 1/2 Romanian divisions, and the 22nd Panzer Division). A German seaborne invasion by the 902nd Assault Boat Command of the 436th Regiment, 132nd German Infantry Division, lands behind the Soviets and helps to pierce the defensive line. The 28th Light Division and 132nd ID advance six miles by nightfall, a massive distance when previous gains have been measured in meters. General of Artillery Maximilian Fretter-Pico, commander of the 30th Corps, asks for and receives the 22nd Panzer Division to exploit the breakthrough. He also brings forward his only reserve, the Grodeck Brigade composed of a Romanian motorized regiment and two German truck-mounted infantry battalions.
Lord Gort inspects bomb damage in Malta on 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Lord Gort, the new Governor of Malta, and Vice Admiral Leatham inspect the dockyard area, 8 May 1942 © IWM A 8767.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe ends a four-day lull in operations with a Baedeker Blitz attack on Norwich. While 70 bombers participate, the raid causes little additional damage to the city, which the Germans previously attacked on the night of 27/28 April 1942.

After a daylight mission to Dieppe by 6 Boston bombers without loss, the night's mission is to Warnemünde, Germany. The 193 bombers make a "moderately successful" attack and lose 19 aircraft for a very poor 10% loss rate.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-564 (Kptlt. Reinhard Suhren), on its fifth patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 6078-ton US Design 1015 freighter Ohioan ten miles (19 km) off Boynton Beach, Florida. There are 15 deaths and 22 survivors, who are rescued by US Coast Coast Guard ships.

U-507 (KrvKpt. Harro Schacht), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 2424-ton Norwegian freighter Torny in the Gulf of Mexico west of Tampa, Florida. There are two deaths and 24 survivors, who are rescued by US Navy seaplanes.

U-136 (Kptlt. Heinrich Zimmermann), on its second patrol out of St. Nazaire, spots the 325-ton three-masted Canadian schooner Mildred Pauline off the coast of Nova Scotia. It surfaces and shells the ship, sinking it. All seven crewmen perish.
HMS Olympus, sunk on 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
HMS Olympus, sunk on 8 May 1942.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Olympus (LtCdr H.G. Dymott) hits a mine and sinks while leaving Grand Harbour, Malta. It is carrying survivors from submarine Pandora, P.36, and P.39. There are 89 deaths and only nine survivors - three from Olympus and six from P.39 - who manage to swim ashore.

German/Spanish Relations: The German military attache to Madrid, Colonel Krabbe, tells General Halder that "Spain is manifestly racked by economic and political strains. Likelihood of British invasion." Things actually are not quite that bad in Spain, and the British have no intention of invading. However, Spanish leader Francisco Franco does not mind the Germans thinking that Spain is in bad straits because he does not want to join the Axis.

American Homefront: Warner Bros. releases "In This Our Life," directed by John Huston/Raoul Walsh and starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, and George Brent. It is a classic "women's film" and involves issues of racial discrimination, personal responsibility, and marriage issues. It is based on a popular novel by Ellen Glasgow that dealt much more sharply with these issues and raised even more disturbing ones, such as incest. Huston is called away by the United States Department of War midway through production and the studio replaces him with Raoul Walsh, which causes problems with the cast, particularly Bette Davis. The film is notorious for its portrayal of African-Americans, though Davis personally finds Ernest Anderson, a waiter at the studio commissary, to play a key role for which he receives much critical praise and which kickstart his acting career. Due to its negative portrayal of African-Americans, the wartime Office of Censorship refuses to certify "In This Our Life" for foreign distribution. Despite all the issues, particularly some wildly diva-ish behavior by Davis, the film makes money.
USS Lexington torpedo damage, 8 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
View on the port side of USS Lexington (CV-2), looking aft and down through torn flight deck life nettings, showing damage from the aftermost of the two torpedo hits received during the Battle of the Coral Sea, 8 May 1942. This hit was centered at about Frame 85, and blew some of the ship's hull blister plating up and out, as seen at the waterline in this photo. Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-16804.

May 1942


2021
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May 7, 1942: Scratch One Flattop!

Thursday 7 May 1942

Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho burning, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
U.S. Navy planes bomb Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō in the Coral Sea on 7 May 1942. 
Battle of the Pacific: At daybreak on 7 May 1942, Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher decides to split his forces. He sends Australian Rear Admiral John Crace and his Task Force 44 (now redesignated Task Group 17.3), led by Cruisers HMAS Australia, Hobart, and USS Chicago, to block the Jomard Passage. Fletcher knows that the Japanese invasion force would have to traverse this channel to invade Port Moresby. With this "back door" secured, Fletcher feels free to engage the Japanese carrier force.

Fletcher's problem, however, is that he doesn't know where Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi's two fleet carriers, Shōkaku and Zuikaku, are. He sends 10 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers to look for the carriers to the north, but they find nothing. The Japanese, on the other hand, figure the US carriers are to the south. Takagi sends out a dozen Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers and four Kawanishi E7K2 Type 94 floatplanes to find Fletcher's carriers.

Takagi gets good news first when his Kate bombers report, beginning at 07:22, that they have spotted a carrier to the southwest. Seizing the moment, Takagi orders a full-scale attack by 18 Zero fighters, 36 Aichi D3A dive bombers, and 24 Kate torpedo bombers. Altogether, 78 Japanese planes set out at 08:15 to destroy the sighted US carrier. It is an impressive feat of instantaneous reaction and leaping into action with a true warlike spirit.

There's only one problem: the Kate scout planes have misidentified the US oiler Neosho and destroyer Sims for much larger ships. At 8:20, with the attacking planes in the air, Takagi learns from headquarters at Rabaul that another scout, a floatplane from cruiser Kinugasa, has sighted the carriers to the west, not to the southwest.

Takagi thus must reconcile completely contradictory sightings. He decides to believe the first sighting, confirmed by two scout planes, rather than the second sighting by only one plane. He allows the 78 attacking planes led by Lieutenant Commander Kakuichi Takahashi to continue southward rather than turn west.
Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho burning, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
U.S. Navy planes bomb Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō in the Coral Sea on 7 May 1942. Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-17024.
Meanwhile, on the American side, Fletcher receives word from one of Yorktown's SBD pilots, John L. Nielsen, that he has spotted advanced elements of the Japanese Port Moresby Invasion Force to the northwest. Due to errors in Nielsen's coded message, Fletcher concludes that he has located the Japanese carriers, not the invasion transports and escorts. He launches 93 planes - 53 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers, 22 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers, and 18 Grumman F4F Wildcats. The planes are on their way by 10:13. Fletcher then gets another report of the carriers being 30 nautical miles (35 miles, 56 km) south of Nielsen's sighting, i.e., still to the west but not as much to the north.. Unlike Takagi, Fletcher decides to accept the second report and redirects his attackers.

This all becomes an illustration of the fog of war. Takagi's planes heading south, and Fletcher's planes heading northwest, are all heading in the wrong directions. Though there are targets in those directions, they are not the ones the admirals want to attack at this time. In fact, the Japanese carriers are 300 nautical miles (350 miles, 560 km) east of Fletcher's carriers, and both sides are looking in the wrong directions.

When Takagi's planes reach their destination, all they find is the 7470-ton fleet tanker Neosho and its destroyer escort Sims. Unable to find the desired US carriers (which are far to the northwest), the Japanese pilots basically shrug and decide the targets they do have. This results in the cataclysmic obliteration of the Sims, which breaks in half and sinks immediately (177 dead, 15 survivors), and the Neosho. Not only is the Neosho hit by seven bombs, but one of the dive bombers is hit by anti-aircraft fire and the pilot decides to crash into it. This is an early example of an unplanned kamikaze strike. Due to its watertight, compartmentalized construction, Neosho does not sink right away, but it loses power and is headed for the bottom. Neosho's radio operation, however, is able to get off a quick message to Fletcher that lacks any detail. While the Neosho stays afloat for several days, it is a wreck and is scuttled by USS Henley on 11 May.

At 10:40, Fletcher's planes also sight an unintended target, but it is more appetizing than a tanker and destroyer. It is Shōhō, a light aircraft carrier, not a large fleet carrier. Unfortunately for the Japanese carrier's crew, they only have a light combat air patrol aloft while they prepare other planes for a strike on the US carriers. The US planes score quick hits that disable the carrier, and after that, it is relatively easy to destroy the stationary ship. It sinks at 11:35 just northeast of Misma Island, with 631 deaths and 202 survivors.
Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho burning, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho under attack by U.S. Navy carrier aircraft in the late morning of 7 May 1942. Photographed from a USS Yorktown (CV 5) torpedo plane. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-17046.
Lieutenant Commander Robert Ellington Dixon, a Yorktown squadron commander, radios the news in eloquent fashion:

Scratch one flat top.

This prearranged signal (meaning, Dixon was told to send it) becomes a catchphrase for the war in the Pacific. Dixon wins his second Navy Cross for leading his squadron in one of the attacks that sank the Shoto. It pays to go viral during World War II.

After his planes land, Fletcher decides one "flat top" is enough for the day. He adopts a defensive posture for the rest of the day and turns to the southwest, unknowingly heading away from Takagi's carriers.

Takagi, however, thirsts for revenge of the sunken Shōhō. He orders the invasion convoy to withdraw to the north while he finds and defeats the enemy carrier. Instead of the carriers, though, he gets a report at 12:40 of the cruisers that Fletcher has sent to guard the Jomard Passage. Once again, the message suggests that the ships are carriers when they are not. These ships, though, are too far away for Takagi's planes to reach. Instead, he radios the base at Rabaul to attack them. This attack proceeds, but without result. The US cruisers then withdraw to the southeast.
Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho burning, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
 "Japanese aircraft carrier Shoho under attack by U.S. Navy carrier aircraft in the late morning of 7 May 1942. A TBD Devastator is visible in the lower right center, and another plane can be seen in the top center. Photographed from a USS Yorktown (CV 5) torpedo plane. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-17047.
Takagi sends out one more attack late in the afternoon, once again going on faulty reports about the US carriers' location. By sheer chance, this is close to the actual direction. Fletcher's crew spots the incoming planes on the radar and launches 11 Wildcats to intercept them. The Japanese quickly lose seven torpedo bombers and a dive bomber while the US loses three Wildcats. After the Japanese strike leaders call off the attack, their planes get lost and find the US carriers and, mistaking them for their own carriers, attempt to land. Only 18 of the original 27 planes make it back to the Japanese carriers.

After dark, Fletcher decides to head west, away from the Japanese carriers. Takagi, on the other hand, receives orders to destroy the US carriers on the 8th. Pending that, the Port Moresby invasion is postponed. Takagi then heads north in order to cover the invasion convoy. 

Basically, both sides are determined to destroy the other but all of their actions on 7 May 1942 are a confused mess based on over-aggressiveness, false sitings and reports, and wishful thinking. At times, the main carrier forces are only 70 miles apart but keep searching for their opponents in the wrong directions. It is one of the most confused sequences by both sides of the war.

Japanese submarine I-21 shells and sinks 4641-ton Greek freighter Chloe 20 miles (32 km) west of Nouméa, New Caledonia.
General Wainwright broadcasting surrender, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
General Jonathan M. Wainwright, in captivity, broadcasts over Station KZRH on 7 May 1942 telling all forces in the Philippines to surrender.
Battle of the Indian Ocean: The British executing Operation Ironclad decisively crack Vichy French resistance in northern Madagascar. The deadlock at the Vichy French port of Antisarane is broken in the early hours of the morning of 7 May 1942 when British troops swarm into the city. They take the Governor's House around 01:00, though Governor-General Annett is nowhere to be found. By 02:00, Welsh Fusiliers enter the French Defense Headquarters and arrest army commander Colonel Pierre Clarebout and navy commander Paul Maerten. Other men of the Fusiliers link up with Captain Martin Price's marines holding a perimeter at the docks after being landed late on 6 May by destroyer HMS Anthony.

At daybreak, British ground commander Major General Robert Sturges, Royal Marines, enters Antisarane and negotiates a cease-fire with the two French commanders. Clarebout and Maerten also order nearby coastal batteries and Forts Caimans and Bellevue to surrender. Later in the morning, Royal Navy Rear Admiral Edward N. Syfret accepts the surrender of all Vichy forces in Northern Madagascar.

 In other action, RAF Martlets shoot down three French Moranes at the cost of their own, mean 12 Moranes and five Potez 63 fighters have been eliminated out of the 35 aircraft the French began with. Swordfish torpedo bombers attack the 1547-ton French submarine Le Héros and force its crew to abandon ship. After today's events, the British effectively control the sea, the northern part of Madagascar, and the air.
Senegalese prisoners at Diego Suarez, Madagascar, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
French troops, mainly Senegalese, marching into captivity after surrendering to British troops at Diego Suarez on 7 May 1942. © IWM A 8872.
While French Governor-General Annet continues French resistance to the south, Operation Ironclad concludes today as a smashing success. While there will be more fighting, British victory is assured. During the three-day campaign, the British had 105 dead, four missing, and 284 wounded, while the French lost 145 men and 336 wounded.

In Burma, the British evacuate their main base in the north at Myitkyina. Japanese troops advancing up the road from Bhamo and are meeting little opposition. The British are beginning to find making a stand anywhere in Burma is difficult and perhaps impossible. Anyone associated with the Allies is escaping either to India or China. There are many suspension bridges in this area and the retreating soldiers make sure to blow up every suspension bridge to slow the Japanese down. 

Ranging far into the Indian Ocean, Japanese submarine I-30 launches its reconnaissance seaplane and flies over Aden, Yemen.
USS Neosho burning after a Japanese raid, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
US Fleet tanker Neosho on fire after the 7 May 1942 Japanese attack.
Eastern Front: In Crimea, German General Erich von Manstein makes his final dispositions for his offensive to clear the Kerch peninsula of Soviet troops. Operation Trappenjagd ("Bustard Hunt") depends on surprise and heavy Luftwaffe support. The Front is short, heavily defended, and carefully watched, with few opportunities for finesse, so Manstein needs to catch the Red Army off guard. He chooses a swampy area that seems an unlikely place to launch a major offensive. the plan is for infantry to breach the Red Army lines at the swamp and open a breach for the 22nd Panzer Division to blast through. Operation Trappenjagd is scheduled to begin before dawn on 8 May.

General Franz Halder's war diary begins taking a different tone than in recent weeks as the spring thaw ("Rasputitsa") fades and the ground hardens, allowing for more troop movements. The Red Army is beginning to stir in select areas, and Halder notes that these attacks have been "repelled." General Italo Gariboldi, the Italian commander in chief, visits the Fuhrer Headquarters to discuss Italian participation in the projected summer offensive in the south, Case Blau. Mussolini promised Hitler at their recent summit meeting in Salzburg that he would commit troops to the Eastern Front.

Pursuant to Joseph Stalin's order of 6 May, the Red Army officially turns to the defensive today, thus ending the winter offensive that began on 6 December 1941. However, the Soviets are still developing plans for operations that are more in the nature of spoiling attacks than true offensives.
A Spitfire at RAF Hornchurch, 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"This image is part of a sequence of five photographs taken on 7 May 1942 at Hornchurch, and later released by the Ministry of Information to illustrate a typical offensive operation. In the bright spring sunshine, a No 64 Squadron Spitfire VB is readied for another sortie." © IWM CH 5772.
European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command sends a dozen Boston bombers to attack Zeebrugge coke ovens and the Ostend power station. All of the planes return.

After dark, the RAF sends 81 bombers from Nos. 3 and 5 Groups for minelaying from Copenhagen to Heligoland. Two bombers, a Hampden and Wellington, are lost. In other operations, five bombers attack the St. Nazaire U-boat pens and a Halifax droops leaflets, all without loss.
USS Sims, sunk on 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
USS Sims (DD-409), sunk by Japanese planes on 7 May 1942.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-162 (FrgKpt. Jürgen Wattenberg), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 4271-ton Norwegian freighter Frank Seamans north of Suriname. Everyone on board is picked up by Dutch freighter Koningin Emma.

U-507 (KrvKpt. Harro Schacht), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 3099-ton Honduran freighter Ontario in the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola. Everyone on board is rescued by the patrol yacht USS Onyx (PYc-5).

RAF Coastal Command planes bomb and sink 3622-ton Swedish freighter Ruth at Den Helder, North Holland.

Battle of the Mediterranean: At Malta, there is a change of command. Governor and Commander in Chief Sir William Dobbie is replaced by General Lord Gort, who arrives in the evening aboard a Lockheed Lodestar. There is minimal ceremony or celebration as explosions interrupt the change in command. After quickly briefing Lord Gort, General Dobbie gets on the same plane with his wife and daughter and flies away en route to England.

There are scattered air attacks throughout the day. Around sunset, Beaufighters and Hurricanes arrive from Egypt to bolster the defense.
US 82nd Infantry assembled on 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The first assembly of the 82nd Infantry Division at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, 7 May 1942 (Library of Congress 2007664556).
US Military: At Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, the 82nd Infantry Division has its first assembly of the division since its reactivation. World War I hero Sergeant Alvin C. York addresses the assembled men.

New Zealand Homefront: Lockheed 10A Electra ZK-AFE, far off course, crashes into Mount Richmond about 13 miles from Nelson, New Zealand. All five people on board perish.

American Homefront: In her syndicated "My Day" column today, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt complains that recent cuts at the National Youth Administration mean that "No aid is being given to young people going to college or high school." She argues for a "real democratization of education in this country" so that "good students" are not denied entry to professional fields due to lack of funds. Not providing student aid, she warns, will "cost us dear in the future."
RAF pilots relaxing at RAF Hornchurch on 7 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Groundcrew from No. 122 Squadron RAF play a game of draughts while waiting for their aircraft to return from an operation over France, Hornchurch, 7 May 1942." © IWM CH 5767.

May 1942


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