The Kriegsmarine Gets Wings

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Prologue

December 29, 1944

The Atlantic Ocean, 150 miles southeast of New York City

Konteradmiral Erich Bey watched the Ju-87s and Bf-109s come up from the hangar. The deck of the Peter Strasser was alive with sailors and aircrew. Everybody knew the future of the Reich hung on this operation. This was the last chance to destroy the Western Allies' will to fight before they overwhelmed Germany. The crew of Strasser had braved impossible odds just to get within striking distance of the American East Coast.

One by one, the planes lifted off from the deck of the carrier, heading towards New York City. The Stukas carried a special payload, one Bey hoped would shock the United States enough that it would lose its stomach for the war. The pilots knew their chances of successfully carrying out their strike-let alone coming back-were 100 billion to one, but it was a small price to pay for the preservation of the Reich.

As soon as the last Stuka disappeared over the horizon, Strasser's air search radar picked up a large strike moving in from the north.

The Peter Strasser's time had run out.

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Chapter One

The mid-late 1930s

Nazi Germany.

The Graf Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers had their roots in the Anglo-German naval treaty of 1935. The Kriegsmarine was limited to 35% of the tonnage of the Royal Navy. The Germans hoped that the treaty would be the beginning of an alliance between the United Kingdom and Germany, while the British hoped the treaty would act as a check on German rearmament. In the end, both sides proved to be wrong, and German rearmament continued.

The treaty allowed Germany to build aircraft carriers with a maximum total displacement of up to 38,500 tons. Shortly afterwards, plans for such vessels began.

The lead ship of the Graf Zeppelin class was laid down on December 28, 1936. Her sister ship, the Peter Strasser, was laid down on February 15, 1937. The original design included 8 5.9-inch guns, but these were deleted from the final design as the designers felt they were superfluous. [POD]

Graf Zeppelin was officially commissioned on January 1, 1940. Her airgroup consisted of 10 Messerschmitt Bf-109T fighters, 20 Fieseler Fi-167 torpedo bombers, and 13 Junkers Ju-87C dive bombers. Peter Strasser would follow on February 29.

In the meantime, World War 2 begins as OTL...

Up next, the first naval battles of WWII.

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Chapter Two

In response to the construction of the Graf Zeppelin class, the Royal Navy ordered two extra Illustrious-class aircraft carriers, the HMS Indomitable and HMS Inflexible, in July 1937. These carriers were designed with an additional half-length hangar deck below the main hangar deck, allowing them to accommodate larger air wings compared to the standard Illustrious class then under construction.

Meanwhile, the run-up to and beginning of WWII happens as OTL...

On September 17, 1939, the German submarine U-29 was sunk by the destroyers HMS Inglefield and HMS Ivanhoe after sinking HMS Impulsive. U-29's real target, the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous, was able to escape.

On the morning of December 13, 1939, the German "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee, which had been conducting operations against Allied shipping since the start of the war, was brought to battle by the British cruisers HMS Exeter and HMS Ajax and the Kiwi cruiser HMNZS Achilles. From 06:18 to 07:40, the two sides exchanged gunfire. Graf Spee managed to inflict heavy damage on Exeter, but sustained moderate damage herself from the guns of the three cruisers. At 07:40, Graf Spee disengaged and retreated towards Montevideo-and right into a trap. HMS Ark Royal, lying in wait 300 miles south of Montevideo, launched 12 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. The planes found Graf Spee at 09:00 and began their attack. Graf Spee managed to shoot down three Swordfish, but the remaining nine managed to put their torpedoes into the German pocket battleship. Admiral Graf Spee sank at 09:10 after taking five torpedoes in her port side and two in her starboard, taking 774 men with her, including her skipper, Captain Hans Langsdorff.


A Fairey Swordfish climbs away after dropping a torpedo aimed at Admiral Graf Spee.

In the United States, the Two-Ocean Navy Act was passed on January 31, 1940. Among the ships authorized for construction were the Montana class, the largest battleships ever designed by the US Navy. To make room for the Montanas, the Alaska-class cruisers were nixed from the final draft of the Act. USS Montana, BB-65, was laid down on November 20, 1940 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Her sister USS Ohio was laid down January 1, 1941 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The third ship, USS Maine, was laid down February 19, 1941 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

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Chapter Three

The biggest obstacle in getting Graf Zeppelin operational was Herman Göring, who was unwilling to have German pilots in a service other than his. As a compromise, the aircrew of the Zeppelin and the Peter Strasser was placed under the joint control of the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe.

Graf Zeppelin got her first taste of action in April 1940. The Germans launched Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Denmark and Normay. Planes from Graf Zeppelin bombed ground targets in Norway and helped sweep aside Norway's meager air force. On May 1, Graf Zeppelin's air group attacked HMS Ark Royal. Zeppelin's Stukas managed to plant one bomb on Ark Royal's flight deck. In return, a Swordfish from Ark Royal managed to nail Zeppelin with a torpedo. It wasn't enough to sink her, but she was forced to return to Germany for repairs.

One month later; on June 8, 1940, the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were attacked by Swordfish from the HMS Glorious in the Norwegian Sea. The two battlecruisers survived the attack, but were forced to turn back towards Norway due to torpedo damage. In return, the German AA gunners were able to shoot down three Swordfish.

Meanwhile in Japan, the third Yamato-class battleship Shinano was laid down on May 4, 1940 at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.

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Chapter Four

When Graf Zeppelin finished her repairs in August 1940, the Battle of Britain was raging over the skies of the United Kingdom. The Kriegsmarine had a plan for its contribution to the campaign-a raid on the Royal Navy anchorage at Scapa Flow.

Graf Zeppelin and Peter Strasser set out from Hamburg on September 1, with three destroyers on screening duty. They reached striking distance on the morning of September 3. The two carriers launched a total of 36 Fi-167s, 20 Bf-109s, and 22 Ju-87s. Before loading the bombs, the crew painted Rache für Scapa Flow-"Revenge for Scapa Flow"-on the bombs, referring to the sinking of the German fleet in Scapa Flow 21 years earlier. The fact that the ships were scuttled by the Germans and not the British apparently never occurred to them.

However, the British were well prepared, and the German pilots found themselves flying into a storm of Spitfires. The British managed to shoot down 30 Fi-167s, 15 Bf-109s, and 18 Ju-87s. In return, the Germans managed to down four Spitfires. AA fire claimed a further two Fi-167s and one Ju-87.

The German assault was not entire fruitless, however. A Ju-87 managed to plant a 550 lb bomb on the destroyer HMS Acasta. The bomb hit detonated the magazine for her B turret, causing her to break in two and sink, taking 120 men with her. Also, the old battleship HMS Revenge took two torpedoes in her port side and sank with the loss of 600 men. In addition, the battleship HMS Nelson took one bomb to her bridge, and the heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk took one torpedo to her bow.

In the end, the two carriers's air wings were almost totally annihilated, and all they had to show for it was a destroyer and an old and obsolete battleship. The raid on Scapa Flow was judged an operational failure.

[lordroel]

Nice timeline silentrunner.

[silentrunner]

Chapter Five

The failure to break Britain's air and naval forces led Hitler to postpone Operation Sealion indefinitely. In the mean time, Germany turned its attention to North Africa and the Mediterranean.

On November 11, the Royal Navy launched Operation Judgement, an attack on a Regia Marina anchorage at Taranto by Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers from HMS Illustrious. The bombers attacked at night with the aid of radar. One Italian battleship was sunk and two more were severely damaged, along with two heavy cruisers.

On May 18 1941, the Kriegsmarine began Operation Rheinübung, their latest plot to destroy British shipping and force the UK into surrender. Under the command of Admiral Günther Lütjens, the battleship Bismarck would sail into the Atlantic with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen to conduct raids on Britain's merchant marine. Because the primary purpose of the mission was commerce raiding, the crew of the Bismarck was instructed not to engage enemy warships unless they absolutely had to. Bismarck sailed from Gotenhafen in the early morning hours of May 19, joining Prinz Eugen at 11:25. On the afternoon of May 20, the Swedish cruiser Gotland spotted the two ships in the Kattegat. The crew of Gotland relayed their find to the Swedish Navy command. Their transmission was intercepted by the British Embassy, who relayed the information to the Admiralty.

On May 21, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen made a stop in Bergen for Eugen to take on more fuel. As Bismarck was sitting at anchor, a Royal Navy Spitfire flew overhead and took pictures of her. The pictures were sent to Admiral John Tovey, who ordered the battlecruiser HMS Hood and battleship HMS Prince of Wales under the command of Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland to the Denmark Strait to intercept Bismarck.

On the night of May 23, the British cruisers HMS Norfolk and HMS Suffolk spotted Bismarck northwest of Iceland and began shadowing her. Admiral Lütjens, realizing his force was being tailed, gave the order to open fire. Bismarck unleashed her 15-inch guns upon Norfolk, scoring three hits. Norfolk returned fire and managed to straddle Bismarck before a shell took out her radar. Now essentially blinded, Norfolk made smoke and disengaged, heading back to England for repairs, leaving Suffolk to continue tailing the Germans. As Norfolk retreated, a complication arose-the blast from Bismarck's guns had disabled her radar. As a result, Prinz Eugen was ordered to take the lead so her radar could take up the slack of scouting for enemies.

On the morning of May 24, Hood and Prince of Wales made contact with the German force. Because Prinz Eugen was in the lead and looked similar to Bismarck from a distance, Hood opened fire on her first at 05:52 at a range of 28,000 yards, while Prince of Wales opened fire on Bismarck. Lütjens-in accordance with the orders given at the start of the operation- did not give the order to return fire, hoping he could outrun the British ships. This did not sit well with Bismarck's captain, Ernst Lindermann, who ordered the Bismarck's First Gunnery Officer to open fire at 05:55, saying "I will not let the British shoot my ship out from under my ass!" Bismarck fired her first salvo at Hood, followed by Prinz Eugen. The first hit on Hood was scored by Prinz Eugen, causing a large fire on her deck. To keep both of his opponents under fire, Lütjens ordered Prinz Eugen to shift her fire to Prince of Wales. Meanwhile, Hood had switched her fire to Bismarck, but had been unable to score any any hits. To maximize their chances of scoring a hit, Vice Admiral Holland ordered Hood to turn to port to unmask her aft guns. As Hood began her turn, a shell from Bismarck struck her deck just aft of her mainmast. The shell penetrated Hood's thin deck armor and exploded in one of her magazines, igniting 112 tons of cordite propellant. The resulting explosion destroyed everything aft of her funnels except for the rearmost 125 feet of her stern. The remainder of Hood sank in less than three minutes. Out of a crew of 1,419, only thee survived.


HMS Hood explosion photographed from Prinz Eugen.

Prince of Wales now found herself alone against the two German ships. The lone British battleship continued to fire gamely at Bismarck, but soon problems begin to develop with the ship's guns, seriously affecting her fighting ability. Finally, at 06:13, Prince of Wales put up a smoke screen and retreated. Lindermann wanted to give chase, but Lütjens demurred, not wanting to put his flagship in any more danger than he already had.


With Prince of Wales gone, Admiral Lütjens assessed the damage to his force. Bismarck had suffered three hits during the engagement. The most serious was a hit to the forecastle that opened up her forward fuel tanks to the sea and reduced her speed. Lütjens decided the best course of action was to head to occupied France for repairs. Prinz Eugen, which had come through relatively unscathed, was sent off to continue commerce raiding alone.

When the British learned of the outcome of the Battle of Denmark Strait, there was widespread shock. HMS Hood was considered to be the Royal Navy's most powerful ship, and the seemingly effortless manner in which Bismarck sank her cemented the German battleship as an extremely serious threat. Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave the order to all available Royal Navy ships to sink the Bismarck by any means necessary. The battleship King George V led the chase.

Bismarck proved to be an elusive quarry. On the evening of May 24, a group of Swordfish from HMS Victorious found Bismarck and launched an attack. Only one torpedo actually hit Bismarck, and it only did minor damage. In the early morning hours of May 25, Bismarck managed to throw off her pursuers by turning 270 degrees to starboard. Just when it looked like Bismarck had escaped for good, the British intercepted a message from Lütjens to Kriegsmarine HQ. The British were able to get a rough estimate of Bismarck's position.

Force H; consisting of the aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal, HMS Courageous, and HMS Glorious accompanied by the battlecruiser HMS Renown and light cruiser HMS Sheffield, had set sail from Gibraltar under the command of Vice Admiral James Somerville on May 23. First contact was made at 13:00 on May 26. when a Swordfish from Glorious spotted Bismarck roughly 300 miles west of Brest. The lone torpedo bomber went in for the attack. The torpedo struck Bismarck on her starboard stern, severely damaging her starboard rudder shaft. With the rudder damaged, Bismarck found herself stuck in a perpetual turn to starboard. The three aircraft carriers launched the first wave of aircraft, consisting of 14 Swordfish. As they prepared for launch, the carrier crews inscribed "For the Hood!" on the torpedoes as they were loaded onto the Swordfish. The aircraft reached Bismarck and began their attack at 14:30. Bismarck's AA gunners opened fire, but their guns' fire control systems proved ill-equipped to deal with the slow-moving biplanes, the shells exploding harmlessly far in front of the attacking aircraft. Unable to dodge due her damaged rudder, the Bismarck absorbed five torpedo hits-three in her port side, two in her starboard side-along with eight 500-pound bombs, setting fire to her superstructure. The battleship began listing to port, as her bilge pumps had lost power. When the second wave arrived at 14:50, Bismarck's speed had been reduced to 12 knots. The second wave consisted of 12 Swordfish and managed to put five more torpedoes into the battleship's port side and three more in her starboard side, along with four bombs. This proved to be too much, and Bismarck capsized to port and sank at 15:02. Out of a crew of nearly 2,300, only 180 survived. Captain Lindermann was not one of them, having chosen to go down with the ship. Admiral Lütjens chose to escape, and was pulled from the water along with the other survivors by the crews of HMS Renown and HMS Sheffield.


Aircrew from HMS Ark Royal pose for a photo after returning from the sinking of Bismarck.

With the sinking of Bismarck, the officers and men of Force H became celebrities in the Royal Navy. The Fleet Air Arm found its prestige massively increased. But more importantly, the death of the Bismarck at the hands of the Fleet Air Arm marked the beginning of a paradigm shift in naval warfare...

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Chapter Six

The loss of Bismarck came as a massive shock to Germany. Bismarck was considered the most powerful warship ever built by a European navy. Determined to match Britain's naval air arm, the Kriegsmarine made plans to expand its carrier fleet. The heavy cruiser Seydlitz, having been left incomplete since mid-1940, was chosen for conversion into a light carrier under the name Weser. The ocean liner SS Europa was also acquired for conversion.

In Britain, the demonstration of the power of aircraft carriers against battleships led to a reevaluation of shipbuilding priorities. The planned Lion and Vanguard classes of battleships were cancelled, and greater priority was given to the construction of the Implacable-class and Audacious aircraft carriers.

In the United States, the US Navy responded by ordering more Essex-class carriers, along with what would become the Midway class. To free up resources for carrier construction, construction on USS Ohio and USS Maine was discontinued, with Montana only surviving due to pressure from pro-battleship admirals.

In the meantime, Hitler turned his attention to the Soviet Union. On June 22, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the USSR. The Germans were able to make great gains against the unprepared Soviet Forces.

Despite his personal distaste for communism, Churchill agreed to help the Soviets in their war against the Nazis. The British sent out convoys to Russia carrying supplies given to Britain by the United States via Lend-Lease.

On October 13, 1941, Convoy PQ-2 departed Liverpool bound for Arkhangelsk. The convoy consisted of six merchant ships escorted by the aircraft carriers HMS Courageous and HMS Glorious, the cruiser HMS Norfolk, the destroyers HMS Icarus and HMS Eclipse, and the minesweepers HMS Seagull and HMS Bramble.

The Kriegsmarine sent out Graf Zeppelin, together with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and three destroyers for screening, to stop the convoy. On the morning of October 15, Fi-167s from Graf Zeppelin spotted the convoy east of the Shetland Islands. Graf Zeppelin launched her first strike at 11:22, consisting of eight Stukas and twelve Fi-167s escorted by five Bf-109s. The Germans hoped to neutralize the carriers and rest of the escorts with air attacks, allowing Prinz Eugen and the destroyers to close in and finish off the merchant ships. Courageous, having been fitted with radar as part of her 1940 refit, detected the incoming aircraft and launched a CAP of 15 Hawker Sea Hurricanes. The German strike met the British CAP at 12:22. The Hurricanes managed to shoot down six out of ten Bf-109s, five out of eight Stukas, and eight out of twelve Fi-167s. However, one Stuka and four Fi-167s managed to get through and put three torpedoes and one bomb in Courageous. The old battlecruiser-turned carrier capsized to port and sank at 12:39, carrying 320 men with her.

Glorious, now alone, launched a strike of ten Swordfish escorted by nine Hurricanes. The fighters plowed their way through way through Graf Zeppelin's CAP, shooting down three Bf-109s in exchange for three Hurricanes and two Swordfish. The Swordfish managed to put four torpedoes into Graf Zeppelin. The destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen also caught a torpedo, causing her to blow up and sink with the loss of all but one of her crew. Graf Zeppelin followed her, capsizing to starboard and and sinking at 13:52, with the loss of 519 men. The destroyers Z5 Paul Jakobi and Z6 Theodor Riedel picked up the survivors before heading back to Norway. With the Germans taken care off, the convoy resumed its journey to Arkhangelsk.

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Chapter Seven

The sinking of Graf Zeppelin was yet another heavy blow to the Kriegsmarine. To compensate for her loss, the Kriegsmarine acquired the passenger liners Gneisenau and Potsdam for conversion into carriers. Privately, Hitler was beginning to lose faith in the Kreigsmarine surface fleet.

With the threat of Graf Zeppelin neutralized, the Royal Navy turned its attention to the Far East. Imperial Japan had invaded northern French Indochina in September 1940, followed by an invasion of the southern half in July 1941.

On December 7, 1941, six Japanese aircraft carriers launched an assault on the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, where the US Navy's Pacific Fleet had been stationed in response to Japanese aggression. Having the element of surprise, the Japanese aviators were able to inflict heavy damage. The battleships USS Pennsylvania and USS Tennessee were damaged beyond repair, and the rest of the battleships sustained heavy damage. Fortunately, none of the US Navy's aircraft carriers were present in the attack. The United States declared war on Japan on December 8th. In return, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

While this was going on, the Royal Navy had sent a squadron of ships to Malaya to counter the threat of Japanese invasion. Force Z consisted of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable, and four destroyers. The force was commanded by the newly-promoted admiral Tom Phillips.

Force Z deployed from Singapore on the afternoon of December 8 in search of the Japanese invasion fleet. The next day, they were spotted by the Japanese submarine I-65. The submarine shadowed the force for five hours, radioing their position back to Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa. In response, Ozawa gathered up a force consisting of two Kongo-class battleships, three Takao-class cruisers, and eight destroyers to meet the British.

At 1830, reconnaissance aircraft from the Japanese cruisers were spotted by lookouts on Prince of Wales. Realizing that the Japanese knew he's coming, Phillips decided to turn back towards Singapore. In addition, word reached Force Z later that night of a Japanese attack on Kuantun.

At 11:13 on the morning of December 10, lookouts on Indomitable spotted enemy bombers inbound. Eight Mitsubishi G3Ms were inbound from the north. Five Hawker Sea Hurricanes rose up to meet them. Five G3Ms went down in flames in return for one Hurricane. One G3M managed to get close enough to release a bomb on Indomitable, but missed.

At 11:40, 17 Mitsubishi G4Ms armed with torpedoes approached Force Z. They were met by six Hawker Sea Hurricanes. In the resulting melee, nine G4Ms were shot down in exchange for two Hurricanes. Of the eight that got through, four went for Prince of Wales. Two of these were brought down by the battleship's AA guns. The remaining two managed to launch their torpedoes at Prince of Wales, scoring one hit on her port side amidships. The remaining three went for Indomitable. One G4M was lost to AA fire, the rest managed to drop their torpedoes, which the carrier dodged.

The third and final attack came at 12:20. Four G4Ms made an attack run on Repulse, which had so far been ignored. The old battlecruiser took one bomb hit on her superstructure. The bombers were then jumped by three Hurricanes, shooting down two of the bombers.

As the surviving bombers disappeared over the horizon, Prince of Wales and Repulse limped back to Singapore. They had taken some licks, but they would live to fight another day.

[lordroel]

So the British mange to beat a Japanese attack of, this is going to help them in the future.

[silentrunner]

Chapter Eight

As HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse steamed into Singapore harbor for temporary repairs, the Japanese swept into Malaya.

In America, the order for the first ship of what would become the Midway class aircraft carriers was made on January 28. She would be laid down on October 27 at Puget Sound in the dock formerly occupied by PCU Maine.

By the end of January 1942- at which point Force Z had departed for Australia for permanent repairs-they stood poised to invade Singapore itself. And they may have succeeded had it not been for a fortuitous accident.

On January 30, a vehicle carrying Lt. Gen. Arthur Percival, the General Officer commanding of forces in Malaya lost control and flipped over on the streets of Singapore. Percival survived but ended up comatose. With his incapacitation, command fell to Lt. Gen Lewis "Piggy" Heath.

Heath's first act as commander was to station a large force on the northwest shore of the island, where the Japanese forces were most likely to land. He also turned Singapore's coastal guns to the North. Force Z had left behind several batches of HE shells, and Heath intended to use them.

When the Japanese launched their invasion on February 8, they found themselves walking into a meat grinder...

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Chapter Nine

On February 19, 1942, the IJN mounted a raid on Darwin, Australia to deny the Allies a base from which to oppose their invasion of Indonesia. The raid managed to inflict heavy damage on the air and naval forces stationed in Darwin. In return, however, the Allies made a valuable discovery.

During the raid, an A6M Zero fighter piloted by Lt. Saburo Shindou, a veteran of the Pear Harbor raid, suffered damage to its engine and he was forced to put his aircraft down on the shore. Shindou was killed in the resulting hard landing, but the plane itself suffered only moderate damage.

The RAAF found Shindou's Zero and decided to repair it so they could test-fly it and examine its flight characteristics. Within four weeks of its discovery, the captured Zero was airworthy again and ready to divulge its secrets.

Test flights revealed several weaknesses with the Zero. First of all, its rate of roll-the key to victory in dogfights-was superb at speeds below 200 knots but much slower at higher speeds. At speeds above 250 knots, the ailerons froze altogether. Also, it rolled to the right much slower than to the left. In addition, the float-type carburetor made the engine cut out when undergoing negative acceleration.

The data from the Darwin Zero would prove to be vital in the war against Imperial Japan.

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Chapter Ten

On February 15, aircraft from HMS Indomitable sortied with a combined British-Australian-Dutch fleet to intercept a Japanese invasion force bound for Sumatra. In response, the Japanese light carrier Ryuujou launched four A5M fighters and seven B5N torpedo bombers. Indomitable's fighters managed to shoot down three fighters and five torpedo bombers, however one bomber managed to put a torpedo in Indomitable, forcing her to turn back and head for Freemantle for repairs.

On March 1, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse completed their repairs and departed Fremantle. By that time, the Allies' situation in the Pacific was dire. Indonesia was securely in Japanese hands, and time was running out for Heath's men in Singapore. The Japanese were formulating a plan to finish off British sea power in the Far East.

On March 26, the Kido Butai strike force-minus Kaga, which was undergoing repairs after a collision with a reef in February-set out from Celebes for the Indian Ocean. The commander of the Royal Navy's Eastern Fleet, Vice Admiral James Somerville, caught wind of the attack and retreated to Addu Atoll in the Maldives to prepare.

On April 5, the Japanese fleet launched a strike on Colombo, sinking the destroyer HMS Tenedos and auxiliary cruiser HMS Hector. The cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire, cruising 200 miles southwest of Colombo, were also sunk after being found by Japanese scout planes.

That evening, as the Japanese attack wound down, two Fairey Albacores spotted the Kido Butai. The two planes were able to relay a sighting report to Somerville before being shot down. With that information, Somerville began preparing a strike from his carriers-HMS Formidable, HMS Inflexible, and HMS Glorious. 45 Fairey Albacores equipped with ASV radar took off and headed for the Japanese Fleet at 19:30, arriving at their targets around 21:00.

The aircraft carrier Akagi, the flagship of the Kido Butai, ended up being the primary target of the British strike force. Four bomb-equipped Albacores from Formidable dived on the carrier. Akagi's AA gunners managed to shoot down one, but the other three successfully released their payloads. Two 500-pound bombs pierced the flight deck and exploded in the hangar, starting major fires among the stored aircraft. A third bomb impacted the bridge, killing the Kido Butai's commander, Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, along with her captain, Kiichi Hasegawa, and many of the ship's officers. At the same time, the light carrier Ryuujou was struck by three torpedoes launched by Albacores from from Inflexible and sunk at 21:15, taking 400 men with her. The carriers Hiryuu was and Souryuu also took a single bomb hit each. Only Shoukaku and Zuikaku managed to avoid taking damage. The destroyers Shirakumo and Asagiri were also targeted and sunk by torpedo bombers from Formidable.

In total, the British lost five Albacores to AA fire. The remaining 40 returned to the carriers, which in turn retired back to Addu Atoll.

Despite the heroic efforts of Akagi's crew, the fires from the bombs reached her magazines and caused a massive explosion at 21:45. The surviving crew abandoned the mortally wounded carrier, and she was scuttled by the destroyer Yuugiri at 22:30, taking 780 men with her. The remainder of the Kido Butai retreated back east to Japan for repairs.

The successful strike on the Japanese carriers did much to raise morale in the Royal Navy. For the first time, they had managed to strike a heavy blow against the IJN's supremacy. The good news was tempered, however, by the fall of Singapore on April 12.

On the Japanese side, the IJN higher-ups did their best to cover up the disaster, going so far as to continue issuing orders to the deceased Admiral Nagumo and forbidding his family from speaking of his death. Only the Emperor and the highest IJN command personnel were made aware of the truth.

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Chapter Eleven

On April 18, the US Navy launched the Doolittle Raid against Tokyo. 16 modified USAAF B-25 bombers were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. The raiders bombed targets in and around Tokyo and other cities in southern Honshu. After the raid was finished, the bombers flew on to land in bases in China. Only half of the planes actually landed safely in China, the rest ran out of fuel and ditched on the coast. Although the raid itself did relatively minor damage, it showed that the Japanese heartland was vulnerable to Allied attack.

Despite this, the Japanese went ahead with the latest phase in their plan for victory over the Allies: Operation MO, the seizure of Port Moresby. The capture of the port would sever supply and communication lines between America and Australia, compelling the Australian government to drop out of the war.

To cover the invasion forces, the IJN deployed the aircraft carriers Shoukaku and Zuikaku, the light carrier Zuihou, nine cruisers, and 15 destroyers.

Unbeknownst to the Japanese, the US Navy had caught wind of their plan by intercepting and decoding their transmissions. To counter the Japanese force, the Americans deployed the carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown, accompanied by nine cruisers and 13 destroyers. The Royal Navy sent the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable, fresh out out of repairs in Fremantle, escorted by HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse and two destroyers.

On May 3rd, US Navy aircraft struck Japanese forces landing on Tulagi in the Solomon Islands, sinking a destroyer and some auxiliary vessels.

On May 7th, the two opposing carrier fleets finally made contact in the Coral Sea. The Japanese started the action at 08:00 AM by launching a strike on the Allied fleet consisting of 20 A6M fighters, 32 D3A dive bombers, and 35 B5N torpedo bombers. They were met by 20 Sea Hurricanes and 52 F4Fs. By this point, Allied pilots had shaped their tactics based on data gathered from the Darwin Zero. 12 fighters, 14 dive bombers, and 15 torpedo bombers were shot down in exchange for eight Hurricanes and 22 F4Fs. In spite of this, a few bombers managed to get through and release their payloads. The destroyers USS Dewey, USS Morris and USS Anderson were sunk, and the cruiser USS Astoria was damaged-the Japanese pilots erroneously reported her as sunk after the battle. The Allies responded with their own strike, consisting of 18 F4Fs, 10 Hurricanes, 53 SBDs, 22 TBDs, and 12 Albacores. The light carrier Zuihou found herself the first target of the Allied strike. Her CAP of six A6Ms and two A5Ms mounted a fierce defense, shooting down two F4Fs in exchange for three A6Ms and both A5Ms. However, pilots from Lexington managed to hit Zuihou with two 1,000-pound bombs and four torpedoes-though only one torpedo actually detonated. The bomb hits ignited her aircraft, which were being fueled for a second strike against the Allied fleet. The light cruiser Tenryuu was also struck by two torpedoes from Yorktown's TBDs and a single bomb from one of Lexington's SBDs, going down with 20 of her crew. Three more torpedoes from Indomitable's Albacores struck the struggling Zuihou, and she went down at 08:50, taking nearly 600 men with her. Her three surviving A6Ms landed on Shoukaku. Two more Albacores managed to nail the heavy cruiser Myoukou with two 500-pound bombs. One bomb hit detonated the ship's torpedo tubes, resulting in a massive inferno. The ship's surviving crew members abandoned her quickly, and she was scuttled by the destroyer Sazanami at 08:57. After the Allied carriers recovered their pilots, their was a lull in the action. The Japanese invasion convoy retreated north. Both sides found themselves losing contact with each other.

The battle started again the following morning. The Japanese launched a another strike against the Allied ships. Again, the British and American pilots put up a spirited defense, but they couldn't keep all of the planes from getting through. Lexington got the worst of it, being hit with two torpedoes and two bombs. Yorktown was also targeted, but the smaller and more nimble carrier was able to dodge the torpedoes launched at her. As she dodged the torpedoes, however, Yorktown was hit by a single 550-pound bomb which exploded amidships, causing severe damage. The second clash claimed 15 fighters, 10 dive bombers, and 12 torpedo bombers on the Japanese side, and seven fighters on the Allied side. Indomitable also took two bomb hits just aft of her forward elevator, but the armoured flight deck minimized the damage. According to an apocryphal account, the captain's response to the hit was "Sweepers, man your brooms."

At this point, Indomitable launched the final strike of the battle, 15 Sea Hurricanes and 10 Albacores. The Albacores managed to plant three bombs on Shoukaku, causing heavy damage. The heavy cruiser Aoba took one bomb hit amidships, and the destroyers Oite and Asanagi were sunk. Five Albacores and six Hurricanes were lost in exchange for ten A6Ms.

Faced with the lost ships and mounting losses in aircrew, the Japanese retreated and the Operation MO was canceled.

As both sides recovered their aircraft, gas vapors from Lexington's avgas stores-let out by the torpedo hits-ignited, resulting in a massive inferno. Lexington's crew abandoned ship, and she was scuttled by the destroyer USS Phelps at 19:15.


Lexington's final moments

[silentrunner]

Chapter Twelve

Despite having suffered a strategic defeat at Coral Sea, the Japanese remained convinced that they could defeat the Allies. After all, they had sunk the USS Lexington and were convinced that they had sunk the USS Yorktown.

To knock the United States Navy out of the war, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto formulated Operation MI. The IJN would assault Midway Island, an important USN base, to lure out the USN's carriers. The Japanese would then strike and sink the American carriers before invading and occupying Midway. It was hoped that victory at Midway would remove the US as a threat, allowing Japan to focus on defeating the other Allies.

The Japanese plan began to go awry when Allied intelligence deciphered their codes and learned of the plan. Also, USS Yorktown had not sunk as the Japanese had thought, and the Navy had managed to get her back in working condition in just three days. All three Yorktown-class ships were sent to defend Midway.

The Royal Navy pitched in with the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable, battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse.

In the early morning hours of June 4, the Kido Butai-consisting of the carriers Kaga, Hiryuu, and Souryuu; under the command of the newly-promoted Vice Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, the commander of the Kido Butai's Second Carrier Division, on his flagship Hiryuu-began their attack on Midway Island with 27 D3A dive bombers and 27 B5N torpedo bombers escorted by 27 fighters. At the same time, aircraft from Yorktown began their search for the Japanese carriers. An hour after the Japanese launched their strike, a PBY reconnaissance plane from Midway spotted two of the Japanese carriers. At 06:00, a Fairey Albacore from Indomitable spotted Kaga.

The first Japanese strike arrived over Midway at 06:20. They were met by seven F4Fs and 21 F2As. The American fighters utilized tactics learned from the Darwin Zero against the Japanese fighters. Six A6Ms were shot down along with five D3As and seven B5Ns in exchange for three F4Fs and ten F2As. Four more Japanese aircraft were lost to AA fire. The remainder managed to release their bombs on key targets on the island.

At 07:05, six TBF torpedo bombers from USS Hornet made an unsuccessful attack on the Kido Butai. Five of the six aircraft were shot down before they can release their payload. The single torpedo that was launched passed harmlessly under Hiryuu Aircraft from Midway also made attacks on the carriers to little effect.

At 07:55, reconnaissance seaplanes from the cruiser Tone spotted Yorktown. The information was relayed to VADM Yamaguchi, who decides to cancel the second strike against Midway in favor of a strike on the American carriers. A flight of 18 D3As escorted by 15 A6Ms headed off in Yorktown's direction at 08:25.

Not long after the bombers departed, as the Kido Butai recovered aircraft from the strike on Midway, a flight of 12 Albacores accompanied by 18 Sea Hurricanes from Indomitable arrived. The Japanese CAP did their best to repel the British aircraft, but the strike on Yorktown had left them somewhat short of aircraft, and the returning fighters from the Midway strike were short on ammo. Six Hurricanes and four Albacores were lost for five A6Ms. The remaining Albacores launched their payload. Souryuu and Hiryuu managed to dodge all of the torpedoes launched at them. Kaga, having been based on a converted dreadnought hull, was not quite as nimble, and took three torpedoes in her port side, along with a 500-pound bomb hit on the bridge, killing her captain and most of the senior officers. One torpedo struck directly on the area damaged by her collision with a reef in February. Rapid flooding set in, compelling her crew to abandon her. Kaga sank at 08:56.


One of the Albacores that sunk Kaga, photographed in flight shortly before dropping its torpedo.

The sudden appearance of the British strike aircraft presented Yamaguchi with a dilemma. He could send off a strike against Indomitable, but the aircraft recovered from the strike on Midway had not yet finished re-arming.

At 09:25, TBD torpedo bombers from Hornet made an attack on the remaining Japanese carriers. Without proper fighter escort, the slow bombers proved easy meat for the Japanese CAP, and all of the TBDs were shot down without scoring a single hit.

At 10:00, six TBDs from USS Enterprise made another unsuccessful attack. While they didn't get massacred like Hornet's bombers, none of the torpedoes hit their targets.

At the same time, Yamaguchi's strike reached Yorktown. Her CAP managed to shoot down eight D3As and eight A6Ms in exchange for six F4Fs. Yorktown's AA gunners claimed two more D3As. However, Yorktown ended up taking three bomb hits. One bomb exploded near her rear elevator, the second landed on her fourth deck, near her avgas storage-fortunately, the gas had been rendered inert with carbon dioxide, preventing an explosion. The final bomb exploded in her funnel, causing all but one of her boilers to stop working. Yorktown slowed to six knots before coming to a complete stop at 10:22.


Smoke pours from Yorktown's funnel following the hit on her boiler.

As Yorktown's damage control worked to get back in fighting shape, her torpedo bombers made another unsuccessful attack on the remaining Japanese carriers. Again, the Japanese CAP made short work of the slow TBDs. Unfortunately, with the fighters preoccupied with the TBDs, no one was watching for threats from above.

As the Japanese fighters fell upon the TBDs, SBD dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown discovered the Kido Butai and went in for the attack at 10:20. Enterprise's bombers targeted Souryuu, while bombers from Yorktown attacked Hiryuu.

Both carriers suffered heavily. Souryuu took two bombs and one near-miss that damaged her rudder, while Hiryuu took three bombs. avgas systems were running. The bomb hits caused raging fires in the hangar decks.


Hiryuu burning after hits from American dive bombers.

The strike aircraft sent out against Yorktown returned at 11:45 to find their ships ablaze from stem to stern. Seconds later, the second strike from Indomitable arrived, consisting of 10 Albacores and 12 Sea Hurricanes. The remaining seven A6Ms did their best to fight off the British planes, but their efforts were for naught. Four A6Ms went down in exchange for two Hurricanes and one Albacore. The British bombers zeroed in on the burning carriers. Souryuu took four torpedoes in her port side, while Hiryuu took three in her starboard. Both carriers sank shortly after noon with only a small portion of their crews surviving. Their surviving aircrew ditched their planes and were picked up by screening destroyers.

Word of the carriers' loss reached the main Japanese fleet under Admiral Yamamoto. Faced with the loss of all three of his fleet carriers, Yamamoto considered withdrawing, but decided to make one last strike in a last-ditch attempt to clear the way to invading Midway. The light carrier Houshou launched her full air wing of seven A5Ms and eight B4Y torpedo bombers. Believing Yorktown to already be sunk-she had in fact got moving again an hour after the Japanese struck her-and still unaware of Enterprise and Hornet's presence, Houshou's aircraft searched for Indomitable. They made contact with the British carrier, guarded by HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, at 02:00. Indomitable had a strong CAP, and PoW's AA fire was deadly accurate. All seven fighters and six out of eight torpedo bombers were shot down by either Hurricanes or AA guns. Two B4Ys managed to release their torpedoes. Both hit, but only one actually detonated, and one of the torpedo bombers were shot down after releasing their payload. The remaining bomber managed to land on Houshou, ending her only offensive action in the war.

With the failure of Houshou's attack, the Japanese fleet finally retreated at 03:00. As they withdrew, the fleet was struck by SBDs from Hornet, sinking the cruiser Mogami and severely damaging her sister ship Mikuma. Yorktown and Indomitable were both sent to Pearl Harbor for repairs.

On the Japanese home front, the government did its best to cover up the defeat, claiming to have sunk two Allied carriers. The surviving crew members of the three sunken carriers were forbidden from speaking of the battle, and the wounded were sequestered in isolation wards to keep them from disclosing the defeat to fellow patients and family members. Like Nagumo, the IJN continued to issue orders to the deceased Yamaguchi, who had chosen to go down with Hiryuu.

[silentrunner]

Chapter Thirteen

After the disaster at Midway, the IJN found itself down to two fleet carriers, Shoukaku and her sister ship Zuikaku. To make up for the loss, the 30% complete hull of Warship No. 111-the planned fourth Yamato-class battleship-was re-purposed as the basis for an aircraft carrier. Work began on June 15. Also, priority was given to the Unryuu-class aircraft carriers and the armoured-deck Taihou. Also the WW1-era Fusou-class and Ise-class battleships were selected for conversion to battleship-carrier hybrids, their two rearmost turrets being removed to make room for a 230-ft flight deck with catapult for launching seaplanes. The Fusou class began conversion in November 1942, followed by the Ise class in February 1943. Shinano was also slated for conversion into a carrier hybrid, with her third turret and superstructure being cleared for a 500-ft flight deck and island. Her designed aircraft capacity was eight fighters and eight torpedo bombers. Conversion began on June 18th.

On June 12, Operation Harpoon-a mission to supply Malta, which was under siege by the Axis-departed from Gibraltar. The convoy consisted of six merchantmen with the escorting force consisting of the aircraft carriers HMS Argus and HMS Eagle, the cruiser HMS Cairo, nine destroyers, and one minelayer. Distant cover was provided by the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the battleship HMS Malaya, three cruisers, and eight destroyers. The convoy first came under attack on the 14th by Regia Aeronautica torpedo bombers. Sea Hurricanes from Argus and Eagle managed to fight off the attacking bombers, but not before they damaged one cruiser, HMS Liverpool, forcing her to turn back to Gibraltar. The next day, another wave of Italian aircraft attacked. While the CAP from the carriers engaged the aircraft, an Regia Marina surface force consisting of the cruisers Raimondo Montecuccoli and Eugieno di Savoia, accompanied by five destroyers, closed in on the convoy. The were met by a wave of 12 Fairey Swordfish. In return for four Swordfish, the British were able to sink Montecuccoli and the destroyer Oriani and forced the rest of the RM force to retreat. In the meantime, the RA force managed to sink the cruiser HMS Kenya and the tanker SS Kentucky. In return, the British managed to shoot down 29 aircraft. The remaining five merchantmen reached Malta on June 15. Another convoy to Malta launched out of Egypt, Operation Vigorous, ended in disaster when the convoy encountered a superior Italian force led by the battleship Littorio. The ensuing battle saw the British lose two cruisers and five destroyers, while sinking four Italian destroyers and damaging Littorio. In the end, both sides withdrew, and the operation was canceled, though the British could take comfort in the fact that they had drawn blood from the Regia Marina.

On August 8, Allied forces invaded the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific. The incomplete Japanese airfield on the island was seized by the Americans, who renamed it Henderson Field and set to work on completing it.

To take the island back, the IJN deployed the light cruisers Tatsuta and Yuubari, the heavy cruisers Choukai, Aoba, Furutaka, Kako, and Kinugasa, and the destroyer Yuunagi under the command of Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa. In the early morning hours of August 9, Mikawa's force managed to get the jump on a force of six Allied heavy cruisers near Savo Island. Three heavy cruisers; USS Astoria, USS Vincennes, and USS Quincy; were sunk, and a fifth, the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra, was damaged so badly it was later scuttled. Flush with success, Mikawa decided to press on and attack the Allied invasion transports. As his force approached the anchorage, they spotted what looked a cruiser. Mikawa's force closed in, the mystery ship opened fire. Mikawa recognized the distinctive quadruple turrets and realized he was not facing a cruiser but the battleship HMS Prince of Wales under the command of Admiral Tom Phillips. The cruisers Tatsuta, Choukai, Kako, and Yuubari were all hit several times by 14-inch shells and severely damaged. Tatsuta and Yuubari were so badly damaged that they were scuttled by their crews at 02:50. In return, Prince of Wales took just three 8-inch shells, two of which failed to explode. Mikawa's force retreated with Prince of Wales firing at them until they were out of gun range. Kako was sunk the next morning by USS S-44.

The crew of Prince of Wales and Admiral Phillips were praised for turning back the Japanese force and turning a threatened Allied defeat into a strategic victory.

[silentrunner]

Chapter Fourteen

HMS Prince of Wales entered Darwin for repairs on the morning of August 16. The repair crew were ordered to fix the damage to the battleship as soon as possible. Fortunately, the damage was only cosmetic, and Prince of Wales was combat-ready again within 48 hours.

Meanwhile in Europe, HMS Eagle was torpedoed by a U-boat on August 11 while escorting a convoy to Malta. Fortunately, only one torpedo actually struck the carrier. Eagle survived, but was forced to turn back to Gibraltar for repairs.

Back in the Pacific, the Japanese prepared their second attempt to take back Guadalcanal. On August 19, a small Japanese invasion force managed to land on Guadalcanal. Three days earlier, the IJN sent a naval force to back up the invasion. The aircraft carriers Shoukaku and Zuikaku, the light carrier Shouhou, and a screening force of one cruiser and eight destroyers made up the main body of the force. The rest of the force consisted of the battleships Hiei and Kirishima, 15 cruisers, and 25 destroyers. According to the plan, Shoukaku, Zuikaku, and Shouhou would launch strikes to destroy or otherwise cripple the Allied carriers. With the carriers out of the way, the rest of the force would engage and defeat the remaining Allied warships, clearing the way for the IJN surface units to bombard Henderson Field and cover the landing of a larger invasion force.

On August 23, the Japanese fleet was spotted by a PBY reconnaissance aircraft, forcing them to briefly turn back.

On August 24, the light carrier Shouhouwas detached from the main fleet with the cruiser Tone and and destroyers Amatsukaze and Tokitsukaze to launch a strike on Henderson Field. A PBY scout plane spotted the carrier and her escorts at 09:35. At 12:20, Shouhou launched six B5N bombers escorted by 15 A6M fighters. The strike aircraft reached Henderson Field at 14:23, where they were met by USMC F4Fs. The American fighters downed three B5Ns and three A6Ms in exchange for three F4Fs. In the meantime, the American carrier USS Saratoga launched 31 SBDs and seven TBFs against Shouhou and her escorts at 13:40.

At 14:25, a scout floatplane from the cruiser Chikuma spotted Saratoga along with USS Enterprise and HMS Indomitable. In response, Shoukaku and Zuikaku launched 27 D3As and 15 A6Ms.

At 16:00, Shouhou was attacked by Saratoga's strike aircraft. The American pilots managed to hit the carrier with five bombs and one torpedo. 120 of Shouhou's crew died in the attacks, and the carrier was crippled by fires and flooding. Amatsukaze and Tokitsukaze rescued Shouhou's surviving crew-including the returning pilots, who ditched near the destroyers-and scuttled the burning carrier at 16:50.


A 1,000 bomb striking Shouhou, photographed by a pilot from Saratoga.

At 16:29, the first wave of Japanese aircraft reached the Allied carriers. The Japanese pilots focused their attacks on Enterprise, hitting her with three bombs. Enterprise's damage control crews managed to minimize the damage done. Nonetheless, the Japanese pilots reported her as sunk.

At 18:15, a second wave of aircraft from Shoukaku and Zuikaku attacked Indomitable. 27 D3As and nine A6Ms went after the British carrier. Her CAP managed to shoot down 5 A6Ms and nine D3As. Prince of Wales was also on hand, and her AA fire shot down six more D3As. The battleship put up such an intense barrage of AA fire that the captain of Indomitable radioed her crew to ask if she was on fire.

At 18:30, Indomitable launched a wave of 10 Albacores escorted by 10 Sea Hurricanes to find the Japanese fleet. The British pilots found the vanguard force at dusk. They managed to put three torpedoes into the cruiser Nagara, and she sank at 20:38. At this point, the Japanese retreated northward.

The next morning, the Japanese again closed in Guadalcanal, but were attacked by USAAF B-17s. The destroyer Mutsuki was sunk, along with the troop transport Kinryuu Maru. After that both the Japanese and Allied forces withdrew from the area.

The sinking of Nagara caused a small amount of consternation in the US Navy's submarine arm, who had attempted to sink the cruiser twice, but failed due to defective torpedoes. As a result, the Bureau of Ordinance came under increasing pressure to fix their torpedoes.

[silentrunner]

Chapter Fifteen

On August 23, the German Sixth Army placed the Soviet city of Stalingrad under siege, beginning the most important battle of the Eastern Front.

On August 31, USS Saratoga was damaged by the Japanese submarine I-26 and forced to return to the United States for repairs. Two weeks later, the aircraft carrier USS Wasp was sunk by submarine I-19 while escorting USMC transport ships to Guadalcanal.


USS Wasp on fire and sinking after being torpedoed by I-19

On October 11, the IJN sent a supply and reinforcement convoy to back up the IJA troops on Guadalcanal. At the same time, the cruisers Aoba, Kinugasa, and Furutaka and the destroyers Fubuki and Hatsuyuki were sent out under the command of Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotou aboard Aoba to bombard Henderson Field.

As Gotou's force neared Guadalcanal just before midnight, they were jumped by an American force consisting of the heavy cruisers USS San Francisco and USS Salt Lake City, the light cruisers USS Boise and USS Helena, and five destroyers at Cape Esperance. In the ensuing melee, Furutaka and Fubuki were sunk by gunfire and torpedoes, and Aoba and Kinugasa were heavily damaged. In return, the Japanese sank the destroyer USS Duncan and heavily damaged Boise. As the bombardment force retreated, it was struck by Albacores from HMS Indomitable, which succeeded in sinking Aoba. The next morning, the remnants of Gotou's fleet was assisted by destroyers from the supply convoy. In the process, the destroyers Murakumo and Natsugumo were sunk by aircraft from Henderson Field. The last two ships, Kinugasa and Hatsuyuki, finally reached safety in the Shortland Islands at 10:00 on August 12.


Kinugasa steaming into harbor in the Shortlands after the battle.

While the American victory at Cape Esperance did little to change the strategic situation, it did help restore American morale after the Savo Island fiasco.

[orvillethird]

This is an excellent and detailed history.

[silentrunner]

Apr 23, 2016 22:50:35 GMT orvillethird said:

This is an excellent and detailed history.

Thanks for the praise.

[silentrunner]

Chapter Sixteen

Despite the defeat at Cape Esperance, the Japanese remained confident that they could dislodge the Americans from Guadalcanal.

On October 23, IJA forces assaulted the USMC force guarding Henderson Field, beginning a three-day battle for the airfield.

To assist the IJA soldiers, the IJN deployed the aircraft carriers Shoukaku, Zuikaku, Hiyou, and Jun'you, backed up by the four Kongou-class battleships, 10 cruisers, and 22 destroyers, for another assault on Henderson Field.

On the Allied side, the US Navy had the carriers Yorktown, Enterprise, and Hornet, escorted by the battleship USS South Dakota, 10 cruisers, and 14 destroyers. The British had HMS Indomitable, with HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulsestill faithfully serving as her escorts.

The two opposing fleets first met on the morning of October 26 near the Santa Cruz Islands, when USN scout aircraft sighted Shoukaku and Zuikaku at 06:45. 13 minutes later, a Japanese scout plane sighted Yorktown's task force. The Japanese launched their first strike against the Americans at 07:40, consisting of 21 D3As, 22 B5Ns, and 21 A6Ms. At the same time, Hiyou was struck by two 500-pound bombs launched by SBDs, leaving her unable to launch aircraft-but not before she was able to launch nine A6Ms. Shoukaku and Zuikaku each lauched additional strikes at 08:10 and 08:40 respectively. The first American strike, consisting of 15 SBDs, six TBFs, and eight F4Fs, was launched by Hornet at 08:00. Yorktown launched her strike at 08:10, followed by Enterprise and Indomitable at 08:20.

At 08:40, the Japanese strike aircraft came within sight of their American counterparts. Hiyou's A6Ms attacked Yorktown's strike group, shooting down three F4Fs and two TBFs in exchange for four A6Ms.

At 08:50, the strike from Hornet spotted and attacked Shoukaku. A6Ms from Hiyou distracted the escorting F4Fs while 20 A6Ms from Shoukaku's CAP attacked the SDBs. Four SBDs were shot down in exchange for four A6Ms-the remainder managed to plant three to six bombs on Shoukaku, causing heavy damage. The TBFs, having been separated from the rest of the strike, attacked the heavy cruiser Tone. Out of six torpedoes launched at the cruiser, only three actually hit and only one actually detonated. Tone withdrew from the battle and limped back to Truk for repairs. TBFs from Yorktown, unable to find the Japanese carriers, attacked the heavy cruiser Kumano, hitting her with a single torpedo amidships and forcing her to retreat from the battle. The planes from Enterprise and Indomitable managed to hit the heavy cruiser Chikuma with four bombs and one torpedo, forcing her to follow Tone and Kumano back to Truk.

At 08:52, pilots from the first Japanese strike spotted Yorktown and her escorts. Yorktown's CAP did their best to fight off the attackers, but 20 B5Ns and 16 D3As got through. Between 09:12 and 09:20, Yorktown took three bombs, two torpedoes, and two aircraft which deliberately crashed into the carrier after being damaged by AA fire. When the attack was finished, Yorktown was left dead in the water and on fire. In return, 25 Japanese planes were lost to either AA fire or fighters.


A fatally damaged D3A explodes as it crashes into Yorktown's island superstructure.

At 10:08, the second wave of Japanese aircraft attacked Enterprise, hitting her with two bombs. 12 out of 19 aircraft involved in this attack were shot down-two by F4Fs, nine by AA fire. Twenty minutes later, 16 B5Ns from Zuikaku arrived and put four torpedoes in Hornet's starboard side, three of which miraculously failed to explode. In return, four B5Ns were shot down by Enterprise's CAP. One mortally wounded B5N deliberately crashed into the destroyer USS Smith, starting a large fire. The destroyer's crew extinguished the fire by steering the ship into the wake of South Dakota. B5Ns also targeted South Dakota and the heavy cruiser USS Portland, but all torpedoes fired at those ships either missed or were duds. Five more B5Ns were shot down by AA fire.

At 11:21, Hornet was attacked again by 17 D3As from Jun'you. The bombers scored three hits and one near-miss on Enterprise, one hit on South Dakota, and one hit on the light cruiser USS San Juan. In return, 11 D3As were destroyer either by the CAP or AA fire. Hornet was withdrawn at 11:35, leaving Enterprise and Indomitable to continue the fight.

At 12:08, Indomitable launched her second strike of 11 Albacores and 15 Sea Hurricanes. At 13:06, Jun'you launched her second strike, consisting of seven B5Ns and eight A6Ms, while Zuikaku launched seven B5Ns, two D3As, and five A6Ms. At 15:20, Jun'you's aircraft found Yorktown, being towed by the heavy cruiser USS Northampton and being worked on by damage control crews. The B5Ns hit Yorktown with two more torpedoes, prompting her surviving crew to abandon ship. Northampton disconnected the tow line, leaving Yorktown adrift and continuing to take on water. She was later found and sunk by the destroyers Akigumo and Makigumo. Meanwhile, Zuikaku's strike found Indomitable 15:28 and managed to hit her with one torpedo and two bombs, one of which pierced the aft elevator and exploded, leaving it unusable. The other struck her bridge, killing her captain and most of her senior officers. In return, Indomitable's CAP shot down four B5Ns, both D3As, and three A6Ms in exchange for three Sea Hurricanes.

At 14:15, Indomitable's strike reached Jun'you and went in for the attack. The carrier was struck by one bomb near her forward elevator and another struck her bridge but failed to explode. In return, five Albacores were shot down either by AA or A6Ms, while two A6Ms were shot down by the British fighters.

At 15:35, Jun'you's crew managed to restart flight operations, and launched the last strike of the battle, consisting of four D3As and six A6Ms. The strike found Enterprise at 17:20, and hit her with a single bomb on the forward elevator, rendering it inoperable and starting a small fire that was quickly extinguished. Enterprise's CAP shot down two D3As and three A6Ms.

With one carrier sinking and three others heavily damaged, the Allied fleet retreated at 17:40. The Japanese, low on fuel, having suffered heavy losses in planes and aircrew, and convinced that they'd sunk all of the Allied carriers present. elected not to pursue them and turned back towards Truk that night after being attacked by torpedo-equipped PBYs from the Santa Cruz Islands. Hornet and Indomitable were sent to Bremerton and Sydney respectively for repairs. Enterprise, having been damaged the least, was given quick temporary repairs in Nouméa, New Caledonia before returning to action on November 11, leaving her as the sole operational Allied carrier in the Pacific. As she steamed out, her crew hung up a banner on the flight deck that read ENTERPRISE VERSUS JAPAN.