The Battle of the Coral Sea: The History and Legacy of World War II’s First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures*Includes accounts of the battle written by participants*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contentsThe growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi island at 8:20 AM on May 4th, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships. Six Japanese Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplanes also rested on the gentle, deep blue swell, marking Tulagi's future as an IJN floatplane base. The men on the beach, at inland construction sites, or aboard the Japanese ships, looked up towards the huge white cumulus clouds sailing on the ocean wind. Taken completely by surprise, the Japanese stood and stared as 13 sturdy-looking dive bombers dropped through the cumulus layer at 6,000 feet, plunging towards the IJN ships. As they streaked lower, the white star on a black disc insignia of American aircraft grew visible on the underside of each wing. As the dive bombers roared low, drowning out the soft clacking of palm-fronds agitated by the steady sea breeze, the dark capsule shapes of 1,000-lb bombs broke away from their undersides and hurtled towards the anchored ships. Amid the sudden thunder of explosions, huge fountains of white foam gushed upward, sparkling in the tropical sunlight before collapsing back into the sea. Only as the American Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers began climbing out of their attack did the Japanese finally open fire with the four anti-aircraft guns set up on the Tulagi shore. As Lieutenant Commander William Burch, leader of Scouting Five from the carrier USS Yorktown, later reported, “We took them by surprise, and they didn't start shooting at us until we pulled out […] We hopped back over Guadalcanal, and landed aboard. […] Only one plane had been hit by anti-aircraft. Its sway braces on the bomb rack were damaged. A couple of the dive bombers were attacked by a fighter on floats, but they shot him down. It was the only enemy plane we saw. What's more, I didn't see a ship sink.” (Ludlum, 2006, 70).The Japanese, attacked throughout the day, radioed this information to the IJN task forces operating in the area. The unmistakable US carrier aircraft meant an American aircraft carrier sailed nearby, surprising the Japanese, who had not expected any enemy “flattops” in the Coral Sea near Australia at that time. In fact, the airstrikes on Admiral Shima's Tulagi invasion force marked the start of the strategically important Battle of the Coral Sea. While the Battle of the Coral Sea is not as well known as other battles across the Pacific, it set a precedent by pitting enemy aircraft carriers against each other, a battle in which the rival navies themselves never sighted each other or fired a gun at each other. Instead, the fighting was done with the carriers’ aircraft, something that would become more common over time and would result in decisive actions at places like Midway just months later. Furthermore, while it was in a sense a tactical victory for the Japanese, it would end up helping blunt their aggressive push east in the Pacific, making it a crucial strategic victory for the Allies. The Battle of the Coral The History and Legacy of World War II’s First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers analyzes the historic battle and the strategic importance it had in the Pacific. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Battle of the Coral Sea like never before.

Genres: History

56 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2016

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[David W Musal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The forgotten battle that made the success at Midway possible!

Even after watching several documentaries of the early days of the war in the Pacific, the Battle of the Coral Sea never seems to get the same level of scrutiny and analysis as Midway does. Without the strategic success at Coral Sea, Midway may not have been the all-important game changer that it turned out to be for the U.S. and our allies.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, short concise read on the overall battle, the mistakes made, what was done right, along with the resulting future outcomes resulting in this dust-up, without getting into the minutia of detail.

[Naresh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precise and informative

There are thousands of Books on WWIi but none has given a good explanation of how a minor sea battle changes the course of war. Authors of this short volume told good stories that got etched in my mind. Next I will read about Midway from the same authors.

[Fred Dameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, this is a short, 50 some pages, history for kids, but worth the 30 minutes. One, Coral sea is the most glossed over sea battle in history, but because of the coral sea instead of six carriers at Midway there were only four. For more in depth on why read Shattered Sword. Second it was the first carrier battle in history. Both sides made mistakes, but the U.S. learned the lessons better than Japan. SO more information on Coral Sea was wanting in my head. In this work the reading is simple, but for those unfamillar lots of great information is had. Also In the front piece alone I saw a series of pictures I had never seen before, the Soho in three pictures being hit by U.S. bombs and the famed, "Scratch on flat top." There are also many other nuggets in this 50 + pages worth the ILL.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Battle of the Coral Sea

A nice, short concise account of the Coral Sea Battle. This battle is often over looked or ignored but as it turns out was important to our victory at Midway.

[D. Richard Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read

I found the book though short was straight to the point and was very good in explaining the different conflicts. I just wish there had been more maps to show the movement of the battle. This is the one thing books on different naval battles lack.

[Bill hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice lead up to Midway

I just finished "Midway" when I saw this. It's a nice book that sets the stage for the battle of Midway a short time later.

[Jim Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief narrative of the battle. At times a little too embellished with flowery speak. All in all, a good read.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sterling naval action

I enjoy reading of the exploits and actions of the brave men that represented our naval service during world war two

[Mike Heatherly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but effective. It provides a good foundation for understanding the future Battle of Midway. I recommend reading it if you are interested in the World War Two naval battles.

[mickey mutti · Rating 5 out of 5]

More info on this battle

This is the first book on this battle of world war II that I have read. Just filled with INFO.

[Al Menaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, short (very short) summary of this key WWII battle.

[Thomas Clouser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing!

This (book) is more a Cliff Note than a detailed researched book. It gives only basic and little researched facts. Very disappointing.

[David L. Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Story

This was a very quick read. A great synopsis of the battle and well worth your time. I would recommend you follow up with the book “Miracle at Midway.”

[Nishant Pappireddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short book about the Battle of the Coral Sea and its effect on the Battle of Midway.

[7$MartyQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

Apart from this book being a very detailed account of the battle of The Coral Sea, it gives the reader more information than merely a summary of the events and men who were in the battle. This was a very confused engagement, however it resulted in a decisive American advantage at the battle of Midway.