Battle of the East Solomon Islands

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Battle of the East Solomon Islands
Map of the battle
Map of the battle
date August 23, 1942 to August 25, 1942
place Off the islands of the Eastern Solomon Islands
output American victory
Parties to the conflict

United States 48United States United States

Japanese EmpireJapanese Empire Japan

Commander

Frank Jack Fletcher

Nagumo Chūichi

Troop strength
2 aircraft carriers ,
1 battleship ,
4 cruisers ,
11 destroyers ,
176 aircraft 		3 aircraft carriers,
2 battleships,
16 light cruisers ,
25 destroyers,
1 aircraft mother ship ,
4 patrol boats ,
3 cargo ships
losses

1 aircraft carrier badly damaged,
90 dead,
25 aircraft destroyed

1 light aircraft carrier,
1 destroyer,
1 cargo ship sunk,
1 light cruiser,
1 aircraft mother ship badly damaged,
approx. 290 dead,
75 aircraft destroyed

Battle of Guadalcanal (1942–1943)
Bomb hit on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise

The Battle of the East Solomon Islands lasted from August 23 to 25, 1942 and was part of the Battle of Guadalcanal during the Pacific War .

course

A Japanese fleet under Admiral Nagumo Chūichi attempted to lure Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher's task force into a trap by sending the light Japanese carrier Ryūjō ahead to provide the Americans with a worthwhile target and thus induce them to use all of their aircraft to attack the Ryūjō and leave their aircraft carriers unprotected by fighter planes . At the same time four troop transports with 1,500 men set out to reinforce the crew of Guadalcanal .

In a first attack on August 23, the American warplanes missed the enemy. On the morning of August 24, American scouts sighted the Ryūjō 450 kilometers northwest of their carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Saratoga . The Wasp, on the other hand, had released Fletcher to refuel the day before.

As expected from the Japanese, the carrier squadrons attacked Enterprise and Saratoga , the Ryujo 61 Dauntless and Avengers to. First the 38 machines of the Saratoga under Harry D. Felt reached the carrier and hit him with at least four, possibly even ten, 450-kilogram bombs. Then five Avengers appeared, one of whose torpedoes hit. The bait sank while not a single American plane was lost.

Only a quarter of an hour after the launch of his own attack force on the Ryūjō , Fletcher was informed that the larger Japanese porters Zuikaku and Shokaku were nearby. All attempts to redirect his aircraft to these destinations failed due to poor radio links.

As planned by the Japanese, the American fleet was now attacked by Japanese fighter planes that had taken off from the carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku . At 4:02 p.m. the American radar observers reported the approach of a formation of unidentified aircraft. However, Fletcher had withheld part of his squadrons to protect the fleet and could also count on the anti-aircraft support of the battleship USS North Carolina . The Grummans , who were already ready to go , rose and, together with the patrol flying fighters, formed a defense of 53 machines. Fierce aerial battles broke out between the Grummans and the Japanese Zeros , but the Japanese dive bombers known as Vals flew steadfastly toward the Enterprise with few losses .

While the Saratoga, 16 kilometers away , remained undisturbed, at 4:41 p.m. the first Val started to dive onto the Enterprise . It was followed by two dozen other machines, seven seconds apart. At least six Vals were shot down by the carrier's flak and its escort ships during this phase. The Vals, in turn, scored three bomb hits on the USS Enterprise , which set the stern on fire. Of the 80 attackers, only ten returned to their porters.

The fires were quickly brought under control on the Enterprise . The flight deck, which was hit by bombs, was temporarily repaired with metal plates. Just an hour after the last explosion, the Enterprise turned at 24 knots into the wind to pick up its planes.

On August 25, American bombers attacked the Japanese supply convoy from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and from Espiritu Santo . The largest of four transporters and the destroyer Mutsuki were sunk, and the light cruiser Jintsū was also hit. The Japanese then broke off the operation and withdrew with the rest of the convoy without having landed their troop contingents on the island. In addition, they had lost the Ryūjō , which was designed as a bait , without weakening the Americans and thus being able to gain air superiority over Guadalcanal.

Fletcher, who had only lost 20 planes, also retired. The Enterprise's combat squadrons were relocated to Henderson Field Airfield on Guadalcanal, where they consolidated American air control.

literature

Web links

Commons : Battle of the Eastern Solomon Islands  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Frank, Guadalcanal , pp. 166-174.
  2. ↑ Frank, Guadalcanal , pp. 191-192.