Wake Island, despite a gallant defense by the Marines has been captured and the planned relief had been called off December 22.
The fact that Wake Island had been abandoned by Admiral Pye lit a fire under Nimitz to strike back.
Morale was extremely low in the fleet due to the fact that Wake had been abandoned.
Capt McMorris, Pye’s Chief of staff, said that retreating from Wake would be “unduly cautious” and a retreat would “destroy service and public confidence. It is an opportunity unlikely to come again soon. We are in great need of a victory.”
Talk about the effect of Pye’s retreat order on the Carrier Force
Aubrey Fitch withdrew to his cabin so he would not hear the mutinous talk on the bridge.
Fliers on Saratoga threatened to ignore the order and launch anyway.
Intel officer Edwin Layton said, “To lose to an enemy that fought you and you fought well was one thing. But to lose because your own Admiral was a nervous Nellie was another.”
January 1942 was probably the worst month of the war in the Pacific as far as public knowledge and morale went.
Admiral King wants to strike back
In a cable dated January 2, 1942 King told Nimitz that he was not pleased with the “half-hearted” deployment of the CVs.
He desired “Hit and Run” raids in the Marshalls and Gilberts.
Talk about surprise raids to hit the outlying Japanese bases.
Even though King wants to strike back, Nimitz’s advisers say don’t do it
What can Nimitz strike back with?
Talk about the carriers and their availability
CV experience or lack thereof
What are the risks of utilizing the CVs at this juncture?
Who is expressing doubt?
Admiral Bloch 14th Naval District responsible for defending Hawaii
What were the arguments against a raid or raids?
Bloch said that deploying the CVs on raids would leave Hawai’i dangerously exposed to further Jap assaults or invasion
Intelligence on the Marshalls and Gilberts was scarce
Little was known about the targets
Didn’t think it was worth the risk
Why take the risk?
CVs were all we had
Why raid in the first place and why the outer ring?
Morale boost
Japan focused on going south. – this would hit them in their “rear area”
“Turning Movement” not the same as flank attack
Possibly may divert Japanese attention from Australia and the Coral Sea
Hitting the outer ring of islands was easier as there would be less of a threat from heavy Jap fleet units
Would also protect Samoa and Australia by weakening the Jap airfields there
The Marshall and Gilbert Islands Raid
Nimitz confers with Admiral Halsey about the upcoming strike.
Halsey is enthusiastic (no surprise here)
Says that CVs should strike like General Nathan Bedford Forrest said about cavalry, “get to the other fellow first with everything you have and as fast as you can and dump it on him.”
Halsey says he will take Enterprise to the Marshalls himself
What strike isn’t with risk?
Halsey says it’s important for the Navy’s self-respect
Nimitz pulls the trigger
Cryptanalysts state to Nimitz that radio traffic indicated a large Japanese fleet movement south, thereby putting the proposed targets out of range of major enemy fleet units
Set for Feb 1
Will comprise Task Force 8 built around Halsey and CV6 and TF 17 under Fletcher and CV5.
TF8 will strike the Marshalls in the am and if possible strike again that afternoon with targets on Kwajalein, Wotje and Taroa (Moelap)
TF17 will strike the Gilberts area with targets on Mili, Makin and Jaluit
Task Force 8
Due to radio intercepts, Nimitz ordered Halsey to strike deep into the Marshalls at Kwajalein and hit the targets as much and as often as practical.
Halsey told his pilots on CV6 that they would stay all day and “raise a little hell in the Marshalls”.
Pilots were elated
First combat for Halsey & Spruance
Weather was clear, moon was high, no wind, no rain…perfect for flying
Aircrews awakened at 0300
Takeoff at 0445
CV6 launches 37 SBDs and 9 TBDs armed with bombs
VS6 to attack airfield
VB6 to freelance and attack targets of opportunity
As VS6 approached Roi island, Japs scramble fighters, Type 96 Claudes and AAA starts sprouting up as the SBDs go into their glide bombing runs
VS6 CO Halstead Hopping’s SBD is jumped by Claudes and is hit by AAA. He drives directly into the drink.
Emergence of Earl Gallaher and Dusty Kleiss. Wade McCluskey & Dick Best
John Snowden gets an aerial kill on the Claude that shot down Hopping
VS6 makes secondary runs on targets on the island with good success
VB6
They were held up and told to attack any shipping in the area
Attacked several ships, mostly cargo ships and hit several of them, including a minelayer.
Second attack of VS6
They gain altitude and circle to come around on the shipping initially hit by VB6
Instead of glide bombing as they did on the airfield, the scouts come in high and dive in 70-degree dives on the shipping
Dusty drops his 500 pounder on a large vessel thought to be a cruiser
Drills the cruiser dead center (the beginnings of an Dauntless dive-bomber deadeye)
Roars across Kwajalein strafing the airfield as he goes, Snowden blasting away from the rear cockpit
Other aircraft hit many of the ships in the harbor including a sub tender and a sub
VT6 attacks
First TBD attack of the war, some success
Harbinger of things to come
Second attack of EAG
Big E only 95 miles from Taroa, left her exposed to retaliatory strikes from Japs
The attack on Taroa was hotly contested by Japanese fighters and AAA
Very heavy AAA, although not accurate and fighters who were all over the SBDs
Halsey launches a 3rd attack
Third attack is met by more Japanese fighters, many of the SBDs get shot up.
Dusty Kleiss scores a hit on a hangar and is jumped by fighters on his way out.
SBD gets shot up but he manages to force the fighters to disengage
Stands up in his cockpit to wipe the oil from his windscreen. SBD leaking fuel from his wing tanks.
4th attack
Wotje is hit by EAG SBDs and TBDs
Hit a ship in the harbor and other installations
Halsey advised to “Get the hell out of here”
As CV6 is pulling away at flank speed she is attacked by Japanese Nell level bombers
Big E’s AAA guns start to bark at the incoming bombers
CAP engaged but made no discernable impact
Japs release ordnance from around 3000 feet and Captain George Murray handles the Big E like a speedboat, expertly dodging the incoming ordnance
One last Nell, damaged by Enterprise AAA, turns around and heads back towards the ship. Pilot Lieutenant Kazuo Nakai intends on crashing his Nell into the Big E.
Bruno Gaido
Bomber cuts the tail off of Gaido’s SBD as it falls into the sea
Combat Results
1 sunken transport, the Bordeaux Maru
Auxiliary sub chaser No 2 Shonan Maru sinking
Sub I-23 damaged
Sub tender Yasukuni Maru damaged
5 other ships damaged to varying degrees
5 SBDs lost and 2 F4Fs
Psychological Results
Admiral Ugaki furious “we’re worse than the Americans—they didn’t have warning we did”. Made us look ridiculous.
Yamamoto: “They have come after us after all”. (We were supposed to negotiate a peace.)
Historians downplay significance.
Reinforce their forces everywhere
Morale within the fleet skyrockets…finally a tangible retaliation to Pearl Harbor.
Dawn February 5, Enterprise and Task Force 8 enter Pearl harbor to a hero’s welcome
Halsey had Enterprise’s crew man their battle stations in whites
Big E pulls into Pearl flying her battle colors
Horns blowing, sailors waving, bands playing
Nimitz comes aboard CV6 via bosun’s chair and congratulates Halsey, who breaks down in tears.
The man truly loved his ship, his crew and his Navy
The actual results of the Feb 1 raid were not much in terms of actual damage, but the pysch results were undeniable.
True battle tested pilots in EAG
Japanese Results
Ugaki, Yammamoto’s Chief of Staff says, “They have come after all.”
Forces Shokaku and Zuikaku to detach from Kido Butai and patrol Japanese home island waters for fear of a strike on the home land.
Japanese move bombers closer to the outlying islands
Diverted Japanese strength
Planted the seeds for Yamamoto’s Midway operation
Other Raids
While EAG hits the Marshalls on Feb 1, CV5 and Task Force 17 hit Jaluit in the Gilberts the same day.
Feb 24 EAG hits Wake
March 4 EAG hits Marcus
March 10 TF 17 hits Lae and Salamau
Wrap up
Overall importance
Want to check another podcast?
Enter the RSS feed of a podcast, and see all of their public statistics.
This website doesn't track the visitors or use any cookies. Made by Alex Barredo. Send your feedback to alex@barredo.es.