The Planes That WON the War in the Pacific

Deleted. Post by mistake.

 

I edited that post while you were replying, to add a point.

 

Yes, early in the Gudalcanal campaign before Henderson was firmly established and Halsey's strike on Rabaul.

No, the carriers never did commerce interdiction until very late in the war. Halsey's South China Sea venture comes to mind. The subs were assigned more to high traffic areas, choke points for their patrols.

I was thinking more along the lines of destroyers and PT Boats interdicting Japanese barge traffic in the Solomons.

 

My internet and cell were slow...I thought I was typing, but in reality, I quoted you and it posted with just your quote, but nothing I had typed.

 

Also in Nov 43, when Saratoga and Princeton (if my memory serves) launched attacks on Simpson Harbor. This was well after the 'Canal was secured.

Yeah, I wasn't thinking of that at all, but you're dead right, shutting off the Tokyo Express. I suppose I was fixated on strategic resupply interdiction in the CenPac, appreciate the reminder to look outside my own thinking.

 

This was a one-off emergency. The Japanese had sortied a sizeable heavy cruiser force to attack the US invasion fleet at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. The US light cruiser & destroyer covering force was heavily engaged by both Japanese sea & air forces, and although they had suffered only light damage, they had to retire to refuel. Allied land-based air could they guarantee success against such pinpoint targets(they launched many large raids against Rabaul beginning in mid-October, but had minimal success against naval targets there). Thus, Halsey decided to use Saratoga & Princeton to take out the heavy cruiser threat. To do this all aircraft from the carriers would sortie on the attack, while USAAF land-based fighters would rendezvous over the US carriers to provide CAP while the carrier fighter were away attacking Rabaul. Here again, it was the divebomber that accrued the majority of the laurels in the attack, while the torpedo bombers achieved very little (2 hits, both duds).

That is what most folks know about the Pacific War, no harm, no foul, as, in a sense, it does apply. The submarines helped to cut the flow of supplies from major distribution point to major distribution point. The destroyers, PTs, etc. helped to cut the vines leading from the closest major distribution centers to individual islands.

 

Beyond that, I can't think of any other use of CVs in the Solomons after the battles of 1942. That rather supports what I'm saying, that island-hopping was about gaining island airbases for extending air coverage, for further offensive operations without using carriers.

Two different combat regimes, vastly different requirements, handled with aplomb. Not sure there's much if any disagreement between us.

 

No disagreement, just exploration of matters in detail.

 

Fo sho. Nimitz wanted those carriers in his back-pocket in case the Decisive Battle® broke out.

Even in CenPac, seeking islands which could support B-24s/PB4Y/PBY-5A ops was useful, and that was in TF38/58's back yard.