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BOXART STORY #8227
The Battle of the Philippine Sea, which took
place on June 19 and 20, 1944, during the American
landings on Saipan in the Mariana Islands,
was the largest carrier engagement in history.
The Japanese fleet fielded nine carriers, including
the Shōkaku and Zuikaku, while the American side
deployed fifteen. The Japanese also utilized naval
aircraft from bases in the Marianas. Since the last
carrier engagements in late 1942, the Americans
had significantly improved the organization of
their task forces and enhanced their defenses
with radar, anti-aircraft fire and, most importantly,
the early deployment of carrier-based fighter
units. The new F6F Hellcat, developed with insights
from testing captured Zero fighters, proved to be
a deadly adversary for Japanese pilots.
As the battle unfolded on the morning of June
19, the first wave of Japanese aircraft took off
before 9 a.m. from the carriers Chitose, Chiyoda,
and Zuihō. This initial group consisted of eight B6N
Jill bombers, sixteen A6M5 Zero Type 52 escort
fighters, and forty-five A6M2 Zero Type 21 fighter-
bombers. Two B5N Kate bombers led the Japanese
formation toward the enemy as pathfinders.
The aircraft from these three carriers were part
of the newly organized Kōkūtai 653, with carrier
air groups designated as Hikōkitai 331 (Chitose),
Hikōkitai 332 (Chiyoda), and Hikōkitai 333 (Zuihō).
Before the launch, the mood among the
airmen was optimistic, with one even remarking
that retribution for Midway was imminent. Their
confidence, however, was far removed from the
harsh reality that awaited them.
Thanks to radar and a well-organized air
defense line formed by Hellcat pilots and their
controllers , the Japanese formation was
intercepted long before reaching the U.S. Navy
task force. Over the next thirty minutes, it became
the target of relentless attacks. VF-15 was the
first to engage, followed by VF-2, VF-27 - known
for the shark-mouth designs on their Hellcats -
and other squadrons. Controllers directed about
fifty Hellcats against the attackers, and the
American pilots claimed around one hundred
victories. Although this number was roughly twice
the actual Japanese losses, the key achievement
was preventing a successful strike on the carriers.
Despite their efforts, the pilots from the first
Japanese attack wave did manage to hit only the
battleship USS South Dakota and only one of their
nine formation leaders survived and returned
from the mission.
U.S. fighter pilots were surprised to find they
couldn’t catch up with the B6N Jill bombers
once these had started their continuous descent
approach to launch their torpedoes. They were
also puzzled by the fact that a significant number
of Zeros did not engage in combat and continued
flying straight ahead. It became apparent that
these were A6M2 fighter-bombers, whose pilots,
showing strict discipline, remained focused on
their mission. However, some that managed to
reach the American fleet made bold attacks on
enemy vessels.
Antonis Karydis’ box art depicts the moment
when Ensign Gordon A. Stanley, flying a Hellcat,
shoots down a fighter-bomber from the carrier
Chiyoda. Stanley claimed four fighter planes
destroyed and two more as probably destroyed
during this engagement. On June 19, 1944, Stanley
achieved the highest number of kills among
VF-27 (USS Princeton) pilots.
The Japanese lost more than 600 aircraft from
both carrier and land-based units during the battle,
along with three aircraft carriers. The inexperience
of their newly trained airmen became painfully
clear. Another factor contributing to their defeat
was the seniority gap: compared to the carrier
engagements of 1942, many of the Japanese senior
officers in 1944 were about ten years younger and
lacked the same level of experience, with many
having no background in air operations at all.
The Achilles' heel of Japanese carriers remained
their inadequate passive protection and damage
control systems.
Although U.S. airstrikes on Japanese carriers
caused less damage than in previous battles,
American submarines compensated by sinking
two of the three carriers lost, leaving the Zuikaku
as the only operational fleet carrier in the Imperial
Navy. Barrett Tillman vividly recounts this battle
in his book Clash of the Carriers.
Following the defeat, the Japanese command
began searching intensively for a way to overcome
the sophisticated defences of the American task
force, which was difficult to penetrate due to
a combination of radar, fighter cover, and strong
anti-aircraft defences. This led to the development
of the kamikaze tactics.
Additionally, the U.S. occupation of Saipan
paved the way for the establishment of an airbase
for B-29 strategic bombers, which, thanks to this
new airfield, were now within range of Japan.
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Antonis Karydis
The First Wave
INFO Eduard38
November 2024