Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942

  293 “plunged into activities”: Diary entry dated April 18, 1942, Ugaki, Fading Victory, p. 111.

  293 “Enemy task force”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 386.

  294 “You see”: Lawson, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, p. 61.

  294 “Everyone at our airfield”: Ens. Takeshi Maeda account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 116.

  294 “The sky was full”: Koiwa Kazuei letter in Gibney, ed., Senso, p. 203.

  295 “lower than the hills”: Lawson, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, p. 62.

  295 One of the B-25 pilots reported: War Department communiqué, April 20, 1943, in ibid., p. 194.

  295 When Admiral Yamamoto was told: Toland, The Rising Sun, p. 309.

  296 “Give your blood”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, pp. 308, 307.

  297 an “armada of Chinese”: Ibid., p. 309.

  298 “They had stocked the fantail”: Jurika account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 34.

  298 “I was the Statue of Liberty”: Harris, Mitchell, and Schechter, eds., The Homefront, p. 73.

  298 a reporter asked Roosevelt: Dallek, Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932–1945, p. 334.

  299 a “do-much” raid: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 97.

  299 “has brought about a tremendous change”: Sakai, Caidin, and Saito, Samurai!, p. 104.

  300 “Our homeland has been air raided”: Diary entry dated April 20, 1942, Ugaki, Fading Victory, p. 115.

  300 “provides a regrettable graphic”: Agawa, The Reluctant Admiral, p. 300.

  300 “Cease operations”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 387.

  300 “They never told the truth”: Diary entries dated April 19, 1942, April 21, 1942, and April 22, 1942, Ugaki, Fading Victory, pp. 113, 115.

  300 “The Japanese troops slaughtered”: Chiang Kai-shek to FDR, April 28, 1942, quoted in Gruhl, Imperial Japan’s World War Two, 1931–1945, p. 79.

  Chapter Nine

  302 “the dungeon”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 358.

  303 “I considered myself”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, 1983, pp. 45, 125, 126.

  303 “Not much attention”: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, p. 16.

  303 “gentlemen don’t read”: Ibid., p. 44.

  303 “because no one could accuse”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Thomas H. Dyer, U.S. Navy (Retired),” U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, 1986, p. 140.

  303 “Every time he goes”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” pp. 32–33.

  304 “You don’t have to be crazy”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Thomas H. Dyer, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 228.

  304 Rochefort went home: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 124.

  304 “I figured there were people”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Thomas H. Dyer, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 249.

  304 As each new draft: Ibid., p. 273.

  304 “a theory was advanced”: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, p. 38.

  305 “in the black”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 113.

  305 Hypo launched: “The Reminiscences of Captain Thomas H. Dyer, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 234.

  305 “had never occurred”: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, p. 21.

  305 “you see a whole lot of letters”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 34.

  305 “if you observe something”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Thomas H. Dyer, U.S. Navy (Retired),” pp. 227, 278.

  306 “persistence”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 35.

  306 “common sense, actually”: Ibid., p. 190.

  306 the “message externals”: For a discussion of this issue, see Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 27; see also Henry F. Schorreck, “Battle of Midway: 4–7 June 1942: The Role of COMINT in the Battle of Midway” (SRH-230). Department of the Navy monograph, online at NHC Web site; and Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, pp. 18, 59.

  306 “mixture of gobbledygook”: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, p. 18.

  307 “a concatenation of deductions”: Ibid., p. 24.

  307 had a standing invitation: Layton, “And I Was There,” pp. 356–57.

  307 stationed in Tokyo as language officers: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” pp. 145–46.

  307 “I want you to be the Admiral Nagumo”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 357.

  308 a routine forecast: Ibid., p. 373.

  308 “It is useless to obtain”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 25.

  309 Acting upon predictions: Schorreck, “Battle of Midway: 4–7 June 1942: The Role of COMINT in the Battle of Midway” (SRH-230).

  309 “cleared for Ultra”: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, pp. 23, 63.

  309 “This business of secrecy”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 25.

  310 Throughout the Pacific: Schorreck, “Battle of Midway: 4–7 June 1942: The Role of COMINT in the Battle of Midway” (SRH-230).

  310 hard-fought bureaucratic turf battle: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 20.

  310 “assume active coordinating control: Ibid., p. 368.

  311 “I would say with all modesty”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 105.

  311 their feud would very nearly spoil: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, p. 54.

  311 “estimates”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” pp. 115, 100.

  311 “may well be accompanied”: “COMINCH to CINCPAC” and others, Feb. 6, 1942; CINCPAC Grey Book, Bk. 1, p. 220.

  312 “recent enemy air and submarine”: “COMINCH to CINCPAC,” March 11, 1942; CINCPAC Grey Book, Bk. 1, p. 285; and Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 378.

  312 “No indication”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 380.

  312 One officer estimated: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, p. 59.

  313 “This is one reason”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” pp. 132–34.

  313 “needs only time”: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, pp. 53–54.

  313 “Physiologically”: Holland, ed., The Navy, p. 103.

  314 It took Jasper Holmes: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, pp. 17, 65.

  315 “an offensive in the southwest Pacific”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 382.

  315 “We were a little surprised”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” pp. 177, 174–75.

  315 By April 24: Schorreck, “Battle of Midway: 4–7 June 1942: The Role of COMINT in the Battle of Midway” (SRH-230).

  316 “reading today’s traffic”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 394.

  316 “There are many indications”: Ibid., p. 390.

  316 “5 carriers, 1 battleship”: “Running Estimate of the Situation,” April 23, 1942; CINCPAC Grey Book, Bk. 1, p. 409.

  316 “there were no signs”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 390.

  317 “Fairly accurate knowledge”: “Estimate of the Situation,” April 22, 1942; CINCPAC Grey Book, Bk. 1, p. 384.

  317 “accept odds in battle”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 391.

  318 a “very able man”: Buell, Master of Sea Power, p. 198.

  319 “check further advance”: Schorreck, “Battle of Midway: 4–7 June 1942: The Role of COMINT in the Battle of Midway” (SRH-230).

  Chapter Ten

  323 “The Lexington”: Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 43.

  324 “We knew radar”: Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, p. 162.

  324 “Beads of moisture”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 18.

  324 “eyeballs hardening”: Casey, T
orpedo Junction, p. 191.

  325 The Navy Yard had installed: Lt. Cdr. Paul D. Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 36.

  325 “the healthy rivalry”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 22.

  325 held live-firing drills: Casey, Torpedo Junction, p. 189.

  325 “Inside of two weeks”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 42.

  326 “crossing the line” rites: Ibid., pp. 4–9.

  326 A “Grand Inquisitor”: Ibid., p. 30.

  327 “This was before the popularity”: Otis Kight account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 70.

  327 “soapy oil-and-dirt”: Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, p. 155.

  327 They shaved with salt water: Kernan, Crossing the Line, pp. 40–41.

  327 heat rash . . . “endless nervous shifting”: Ibid., and p. 32.

  328 The Lexington and her screening ships: War Diary, USS Lexington, Flagship of Commander, Task Force 11; entry for April 19, 1942.

  328 “the blue of vast deeps”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 1.

  328 “flaming skies”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, pp. 328, 331.

  328 “the waves of this great ocean”: Michener, Tales of the South Pacific, p. 27.

  329 Fletcher concealed his presence: Lundstrom, The First Team, p. 167.

  330 That night: Ibid., p. 168.

  332 “As usual throughout the war”: Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 4: Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, p. 26.

  332 Johnston concluded: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 123.

  332 The SBD pilots complained: On the problem of fogging sights in the SBD, see Buell, Dauntless Helldivers, pp. 57–58.

  333 “Considering that there was”: Nimitz to King, “Naval Action in Coral Sea Area, 4–8 May 1942” (CINCPAC endorsement of Fletcher’s after-action report), p. 3.

  334 “destroy enemy ships, shipping”: U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS), “The Campaigns of the Pacific War.” Chap. 4, “The Battle of the Coral Sea” (1946); online at www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/USSBS.

  334 “deadly round”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 398.

  334 “If they can’t find you”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 153.

  334 “We simply drew”: Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 37.

  335 “Whatever they saw”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 98.

  335 “under a handicap out here”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 130.

  336 On the Lexington: Ibid., pp. 110–11.

  336 “Where is the Kawanishi?”: Ibid., p. 128.

  336 “A fine thing”: Ibid., p. 129.

  337 “Don’t forget now”: Ibid., p. 135.

  338 Assuming the Japanese carriers: Layton, “And I Was There,” pp. 389–404.

  340 “Fortunately,” Crace remarked: Ibid., p. 400.

  340 “two carriers and four heavy cruisers”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 99.

  340 “Young man”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 399.

  341 As it happened, however: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 142.

  342 “The Jap was exactly downwind”: Ibid., p. 143.

  342 “The ship was a flaming wreckage”: Hamilton quoted in Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 65.

  343 “just ploughed herself”: Buell, Dauntless Helldivers, p. 67.

  343 “The sight of those heavy”: Flatley quoted in Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 66.

  343 “It was a very successful attack”: Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 38.

  343 Two hundred and three men: Morison, Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, pp. 41–42.

  344 “We will join battle”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 399.

  346 a “colander”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 153.

  346 “280 degrees speed 20 knots”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 400.

  347 “insufficient daylight”: Ibid., p. 401.

  348 “These planes were in”: Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 39.

  348 counted nine planes: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 102.

  348 stationed on the Yorktown’s flight deck: Peter Newberg account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 21.

  348 “Have any of our planes”: Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 67.

  348 “In the last few seconds”: Newberg account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 21.

  348 “I know Japanese planes”: Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 39.

  348 “What are you shooting”: Dick Wright quoted in Lundstrom, The First Team, p. 216.

  348 “In the frenzy”: Buell, Dauntless Helldivers, p. 69.

  349 “In our enemy”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 157.

  349 At 5:40 a.m.: Buell, Dauntless Helldivers, p. 69.

  350 Crewmen crept down corridors: Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 32.

  350 “with no place to hide”: Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, p. 164.

  351 “Two carriers”: War Diary, USS Lexington, Flagship of Commander, Task Force 11; entry for May 8, 1942.

  351 “It was thrilling news”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 103.

  351 The aircrews copied down: Ibid., p. 107.

  352 “If they came in too close”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 164.

  352 The dive-bombers had to climb: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 104.

  352 “This loss of initiative”: Buell, Dauntless Helldivers, p. 71.

  353 High above: Ibid., and Lundstrom, The First Team, p. 230.

  353 Miyashita of the Shokaku was below: Maintenance Warrant Officer Hachiro Miyashita account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 81.

  354 “You couldn’t see much”: Gayler quoted in Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 69.

  354 “There was always one of them”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 166.

  355 “Have sighted enemy carriers”: Lundstrom, The First Team, p. 223.

  355 “This was a beautiful report”: Ens. Kenji Hori account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 67.

  355 the skipper had an intuitive sense: Sherman’s action report, “The Battle of the Coral Sea, 7 and 8 May 1942,” item 14.

  355 “I feel that at the present time”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 175.

  356 The Lexington’s fighter director officer: Sherman’s action report, “The Battle of the Coral Sea, 7 and 8 May 1942,” item 16.

  356 “Norma to carrier”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 180.

  356 “My wingman and I”: Willard Eder quoted in Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 69.

  357 The Lexington’s lookouts: Sherman’s action report, “The Battle of the Coral Sea, 7 and 8 May 1942,” item 15.

  357 “clusters of black dots”: Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, p. 166.

  357 “Here they come!”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 182.

  358 “Never in all my years”: Lt. Cdr. Shigekazu Shimazaki quoted in Okumiya, Horikoshi, and Caidin, Zero!, p. 104.

  358 “beautifully coordinated”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 109.

  358 “I had to fly directly”: Shimazaki quoted in Okumiya, Horikoshi, and Caidin, Zero!, pp. 104–5.

  359 “From my bridge”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 109.

  359 “Hard astarboard”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 182.

  359 “majestically and ponderously”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 109.

  359 “Their wicked noses”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 184.

  360 “Don’t change course, Captain!”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 110.

  360 at 11:20 a.m., the Lexington’s luck: Sherman’s action report, “The Battle of the Coral Sea, 7 and 8 May 1942,” item 18.

  360 “seemed to lift”: Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, p. 167.

  360 “They were curious”: Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 42.

  361 received a series of upbeat rep
orts: Details of damage control efforts drawn from Sherman’s action report, “The Battle of the Coral Sea, 7 and 8 May 1942,” items 19, 20.

  361 “She looked okay”: Gayler quoted in Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 70.

  362 “We felt like throwing out”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 112.

  362 From his post on the bridge: Ibid.

  362 “a gale of wind”: Lt. H. E. Williamson quoted in Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 203.

  363 the fire heated the bulkheads: See Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, pp. 169–70.

  363 “that sounded like a freight train”: Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 44.

  363 “The forward part”: Executive Officer to Commanding Officer, USS Lexington, May 14, 1942. “Action in the Coral Sea, May 8, 1942—report of” (A16-3/CV-2), item 27.

  365 “Let’s get the boys”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 114. Also see Johnston and Stroop.

  365 “Oh, I got a bit lonely”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 217.

  365 “I remember going across”: Stroop account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, pp. 45–46.

  365 “Little licking tongues”: Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, pp. 170–71.

  366 “duty and privilege”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 115.

  366 “I was just thinking”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 220.

  366 “heartbreaking”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 114.

  366 “She listed heavily”: Beaver, Sailor from Oklahoma, pp. 170–71.

  367 “bits and particles”: Johnston, Queen of the Flat-Tops, p. 224.

  367 “The stricken vessel”: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 116.

  368 “hard to starboard!”: William G. Roy account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 20.

  368 “The ship’s wake”: Ibid.

  368 “raised the whole stern of the ship”: Warren Willenburg account in “Veterans’ Biographies,” published for the Battle of Midway Celebration, Marines Memorial Club, San Francisco, 2009, p. 55.

  368 “There were parts and particles”: Kight account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 72.

  369 “Hell, no. We’ll make it!”: U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS), “The Campaigns of the Pacific War.” Chap. 4, “The Battle of the Coral Sea”—“Attack on the Yorktown,” p. 29. Online at www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/USSBS.

  370 “We were running scared”: Short quoted in Buell, Dauntless Helldivers, p. 75.