The Early Air War in the Pacific by Ralph F. Wetterhahn

The Early Air War in the Pacific by Ralph F. Wetterhahn

Author:Ralph F. Wetterhahn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Published: 2019-12-11T16:00:00+00:00


17

* * *

The Philippines Falls

We’re the battling bastards of Bataan

No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam

No Aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no nieces

No pills, no planes, or artillery pieces,

And nobody gives a damn

Nobody gives a damn

—Journalist Frank Hewitt1

The message traffic pouring into MacArthur’s headquarters inside Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor was not all bad.

As early as January 1942, the Japanese code had been basically broken. The imperial staff’s every significant move was on the table in Admiral Nimitz’s office on Oahu. With solid intelligence about the disposition of Japanese naval forces, Nimitz began to flex his muscles where Japanese forces were thin.

On February 1, aircraft carriers Yorktown and Enterprise, operating in separate task forces, attacked the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, located halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The raid was the U.S. Navy’s first notable victory in the Pacific War. At Kwajalein, in the Marshalls, one Japanese transport and two smaller vessels were sunk by Yorktown planes. Another eight ships were damaged. Nine planes were destroyed on the ground at nearby Taroa and Roi Islands. Three A5M Claude fighters were shot down over the atolls at the cost of one Wildcat and five SBD Dauntless Dive Bombers. Numerous installations were destroyed throughout the northern Marshalls. Attacks by Enterprise aircraft on Jaluit, Mili, and Makin Islands in the Gilberts were inconclusive, despite significant losses of American aircraft. Few targets were found and bad weather hampered attacks on Jaluit.

The Japanese reacted to this incursion by scrambling Nagumo’s task force from Truk, some 1,200 miles away. By the time they neared the scene, however, word came that the American carriers had retired back to Hawaii.2

The Allied results, though touted in the American press, were less than spectacular, but valuable lessons had been learned by crews and flag officers about carrier operations, underway replenishment at night, and the shortcomings of Navy aircraft, submarines, and fleet maneuvers.3

Though encouraging in some respects, the rest of the news reaching MacArthur was all bad.

◆ ◆ ◆

By February 17, effective resistance to the Japanese invasion on Sumatra ceased. Two days later, Japanese troops from the Celebes came ashore on Bali. That same date, the 19th, Japanese began landings in Portuguese Timor, and Nagumo launched his massive strike toward Port Darwin, Australia. One hundred fifty aircraft, including shore-based bombers stationed in the Celebes, struck their targets on the north coast of the continent during midmorning with devastating effectiveness.

With the Australians reeling from the attack, the Japanese returned their attention to finishing off Java, the last hope the Allies had in halting the Japanese juggernaut. It was to Java via Australia that many of the aircraft originally promised to MacArthur were destined.

The Philippine defenders who were privy to the incoming news about the fate of the P-40s aboard the Langley and the Sea Witch knew with little doubt they were on their own.

By the end of February, MacArthur no longer sent hopeful messages to the front. He was no longer in denial. The promises made by Washington would not come to fruition. But MacArthur continued to send them a flurry of cables.



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