The Battle of the Philippine Sea June 18 - 20, 1944

The Battle of the Philippine Sea in the Marianas in June 1944 was marked by the destruction of huge numbers of Japanese aircraft with low losses to the United States Navy. The Americans had set up an extensive program, including building a carrier that had no hangar deck, to train both aircrew and deck handlers. American pilots were entering combat with some 600 hours in the air. In contrast, the Japanese were sending green pilots into combat with only 50 hours of flight time and little combat training.

In addition, the Americans had numerical and technological superiority. The Japanese were replacing their aging B5N torpedo bombers with a more advanced version, the B6N Tenzan. It still lacked self-sealing fuel tanks or crew armor. In contrast, the Americans were continually introducing new aircraft. The F4F Wildcat was in service throughout the war, but after 1942 it was used as a ground attack aircraft. It was replaced in the front line carrier squadrons with the F6F Hellcat, which had more powerful armor and could dogfight with the Japanese Mitsubishi Type 00. The Marines were given the F4U Corsair, which was not rated for carrier duty. Flying from forward airstrips, it was very effective against Japanese aircraft.

Nevertheless, the Japanese sent 500 aircraft on the new Taiho, the Pearl Harbor veteran Shokaku, and the hybrid battleships Ise and Hyuga. They were all that was left of the First Air Fleet after three years of continuous operations. Ozawa's pilots did not have night landing training, and they were given a single order: sink the enemy carriers.

On June 18, 1944, as the Americans were landing all over the Marianas, Ozawa's search planes discovered the American Fleet. A more aggressive commander would have advanced on the Americans, but Ozawa was not Yamamoto. Cautious and slow, he chose to launch the next day when his pilots would have light to see.

The Americans were alerted to his presence by then. During the day of June 19, 1944, 429 of Ozawa's planes were shot down for the loss of twenty-nine US Navy planes. The one-sided engagement was the end of Japanese carrier-based air power. The Americans called the battle the ”Marianas Turkey Shoot.”

The coming fight for the Philippines would depend on the battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy in a war that was defined by airpower. The Americans would have 1200 aircraft on their carriers; the Japanese would have ninety. The few optimists left in Japan found their faith severely shaken.

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Battle of the Philippine Sea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

::The Battle of the Philippine Sea::
The Battle of the Philippine Sea took place between June 19th and June 20th, 1944. This battle was said to be the last great carrier battle of World War Two. The Battle of Midway in 1942 had done a great deal to damage Japan’s carrier force, but even into 1944, Japan statistically had a larger carrier force than America. Despite America’s huge military capability, the Japanese Navy still represented a threat to her – especially in America’s desire to advance to the Marianas.

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Personal account of Philip Schneider, diary.

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Bibliography From Amazon.com

 

 

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