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Operation I-Go: Yamamoto’s Last Offensive ̶ New Guinea and the Solomons April 1943
In early 1943 Japanese forces in the South Pacific had suffered three key strategic setbacks at Guadalcanal, Kokoda and the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. However Japanese strength in the theater was far from spent, and the commander of the IJN Combined Fleet Admiral Yamamoto sensed an opportunity.
By temporarily bolstering his air force at Rabaul with carrier-based airpower, Yamamoto assembled a strike force of hundreds of aircraft. With these he planned to overwhelm Allied defenses in a multi-day blitz against four crucial locations. Named Operation I-Go, it would be the largest IJN air operation ever launched in the region.
The odds favored the plan, but by 1943 I-Go was a huge gamble. Would it strike a body blow and give the Allies reason to pause their advance? Or would it cause irrecoverable wastage of IJN offensive air power?
The results of I-Go were surprising, although it only achieved a fraction of what the Japanese claimed. The greatest irony was that it led to the death of its architect, Yamamoto.
This is the first detailed account of I-Go written with reference to both Japanese and Allied sources, and it surely sets a new historical benchmark for this key chapter of the Pacific War.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Assembling the I-Go Air Force
Zeros, Vals and Bettys
Air Bases
Aircrew Morale and Health
Carrier Pilots
Reconnaissance Missions & Floatplanes
Command and Leadership
Admiral Kusaka’s Activities
3. Strike X – Guadalcanal Shipping
Allied Photo Reconnaissance
Japanese Formations
The Ships
“Condition Very Red”
Koli Point
Lunga Point
Nakagawa’s Adventure
Toyoda Misrepresented
Swett’s Medal of Honor
4. Strike X – The Allied Response
Missing Airacobra
Fightin’ Wildcats
Corsairs “Most Exciting Day”
Two Zero Pilots Captured
Retaliation Gone Wrong
Claims versus Losses
5. Strike Y – Shipping at Oro Bay
Strike Y Force – Oro Bay
Claims versus Losses
6. Strike Y1 – Port Moresby
First Combat
The Fighters
Allied Losses
Claims versus Losses
Damage from the Raid
7. Strike Y2 – Milne Bay
Gremlins
RAAF Kittyhawks
Sole Lightning
Dive-Bombers and Fighters
Claims versus Losses
8. Postscript
Myths Which Endure
Conclusions
Flaws and Controversies
Appendix 1 Allied Aircraft Losses
Appendix 2 Japanese Aircraft Losses
Appendix 3 Aircraft Profiles – Three Way
Appendix 4 Aircraft Profiles – Side View
By temporarily bolstering his air force at Rabaul with carrier-based airpower, Yamamoto assembled a strike force of hundreds of aircraft. With these he planned to overwhelm Allied defenses in a multi-day blitz against four crucial locations. Named Operation I-Go, it would be the largest IJN air operation ever launched in the region.
The odds favored the plan, but by 1943 I-Go was a huge gamble. Would it strike a body blow and give the Allies reason to pause their advance? Or would it cause irrecoverable wastage of IJN offensive air power?
The results of I-Go were surprising, although it only achieved a fraction of what the Japanese claimed. The greatest irony was that it led to the death of its architect, Yamamoto.
This is the first detailed account of I-Go written with reference to both Japanese and Allied sources, and it surely sets a new historical benchmark for this key chapter of the Pacific War.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Assembling the I-Go Air Force
Zeros, Vals and Bettys
Air Bases
Aircrew Morale and Health
Carrier Pilots
Reconnaissance Missions & Floatplanes
Command and Leadership
Admiral Kusaka’s Activities
3. Strike X – Guadalcanal Shipping
Allied Photo Reconnaissance
Japanese Formations
The Ships
“Condition Very Red”
Koli Point
Lunga Point
Nakagawa’s Adventure
Toyoda Misrepresented
Swett’s Medal of Honor
4. Strike X – The Allied Response
Missing Airacobra
Fightin’ Wildcats
Corsairs “Most Exciting Day”
Two Zero Pilots Captured
Retaliation Gone Wrong
Claims versus Losses
5. Strike Y – Shipping at Oro Bay
Strike Y Force – Oro Bay
Claims versus Losses
6. Strike Y1 – Port Moresby
First Combat
The Fighters
Allied Losses
Claims versus Losses
Damage from the Raid
7. Strike Y2 – Milne Bay
Gremlins
RAAF Kittyhawks
Sole Lightning
Dive-Bombers and Fighters
Claims versus Losses
8. Postscript
Myths Which Endure
Conclusions
Flaws and Controversies
Appendix 1 Allied Aircraft Losses
Appendix 2 Japanese Aircraft Losses
Appendix 3 Aircraft Profiles – Three Way
Appendix 4 Aircraft Profiles – Side View
158 pages, Paperback
Published December 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 27, 2024
Another installment in Michael Claringbould's ongoing campaign to debunk the received history of the air war in the Southwest Pacific, the emphasis here is on Adm. Yamamoto's efforts to mount a successful spoiling offensive against the burgeoning Allied menace. The impression one is left with is never was so much effort invested for so little return, as the main impact was to grind down Japanese carrier aviation assets that were effectively irreplaceable. Also, as one has come to expect from Claringbould's efforts, one finally gets an accurate box score of what damage the Allied and Japanese aviators were actually able to inflict on each other. Again, if one is interested in World War II in the Southwest Pacific, Claringbould's books really seem to be essential reading.
Displaying 1 of 1 review