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

by Ian W. Toll

  370 “Port Moresby attack”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 403.

  371 “picking potatoes from the soil”: Miyashita account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 81.

  371 “bloody handprints”: Frank Boo account in “Veterans’ Biographies,” p. 7.

  372 “hands grasping me”: Buell, Dauntless Helldivers, p. 77.

  Chapter Eleven

  373 “First enemy attack completed”: Layton, “And I Was There,” pp. 402–3.

  373 “We don’t know how badly”: Ibid., p. 403.

  373 “At present stage of our carrier”: “CINCPAC to COMINCH,” May 10, 1942; CINCPAC Grey Book, Bk. 1, p. 463.

  373 “they need all the communications”: Buell, Master of Sea Power, p. 199.

  374 “merely the first round”: King and Whitehill, Fleet Admiral King, p. 378.

  374 Captain Sherman judged: Sherman, Combat Command, p. 387.

  375 “the real safeguard”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 404.

  375 “outstanding material defect”: Nimitz to King, “Naval Action in Coral Sea Area, 4–8 May 1942” (CINCPAC endorsement of Fletcher’s after-action report), p. 5.

  376 The Douglas TBD Devastator: Though the TBD had fared well at Coral Sea, scoring several hits on the Shoho, Nimitz concluded, “Obsolescent torpedo planes reduce effectiveness of VT squadrons”—Ibid., p. 7.

  376 “Gain plenty of altitude”: Flatley quoted in Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 72.

  377 Tokyo also announced: Kokusai Shashin Joho (International Graphic Magazine), June 1, 1942.

  377 “After this new defeat”: Morison, Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, p. 62.

  377 “The truth of the matter”: Okumiya, Horikoshi, and Caidin, Zero!, p. 148.

  377 “A dream of great success”: Entry for May 7, 1942, Ugaki, Fading Victory, p. 122.

  378 “If the sons of the concubine”: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 64.

  378 “carry out the occupation”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 98.

  378 “Taken together”: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 51.

  379 “considerable turnover in personnel”: Nagumo’s Midway action report, June 15, 1942. Part II, Sec. 3, “Preparations for the Operation,” in “The Japanese Story of the Battle of Midway,” OPNAV P32-1002. Office of Naval Intelligence, Washington, DC, June 1947.

  380 The disparaging term: Agawa, The Reluctant Admiral, p. 301.

  380 “the morale of the Main Body”: Entry for March 3, 1942, Ugaki, Fading Victory, p. 100.

  380 “If the premise is accepted”: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 55.

  380 shoribyo, or “victory disease”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 406.

  380 “The whole ship was aglitter”: Agawa, The Reluctant Admiral, p. 302.

  381 “Wait,” he said: Ibid., p. 303.

  382 “This kind of supervision”: Quoted in ibid.

  382 “Gaishu Isshoku!”: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 63.

  382 “were so sure”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 128.

  382 it would “not be easy for Japan”: Adm. Nobutake Kondo, “Some Opinions Concerning the War,” in Goldstein and Dillon, eds., The Pacific War Papers, p. 312.

  383 “I could not help being”: Entries for May 4 and May 5, 1942, Ugaki, Fading Victory, p. 120.

  384 “My job was to fill it in”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 423.

  384 “I’ve got something so hot”: Ibid., p. 411.

  385 “We knew that AH”: Ibid., p. 412.

  386 “The amazing part”: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, 1983, p. 203.

  386 “one Japanese unit”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 426.

  386 “Japs may be practicing deception”: Ibid.

  386 “It was a mess”: Ibid., p. 413.

  387 “No one who has not experienced it”: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, p. 5.

  387 “Desire you proceed”: “CINCPAC TO CTF 16 INFO COMINCH,” May 16, 1942; CINCPAC Grey Book, Bk. 1, p. 469.

  388 “against Midway-Oahu line”: “CINCPAC TO COMINCH,” May 16, 1942; ibid., p. 471.

  388 “Unless the enemy”: CINCPAC War Diary, May 16, 1942; ibid., p. 482.

  388 “I have somewhat revised”: “COMINCH TO CINCPAC,” May 17, 1942; ibid., pp. 489–90.

  388 “by applying the rule”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 429.

  389 “disheveled and bleary-eyed”: Ibid.

  389 “Of course it may turn out”: CINCPAC War Diary, May 27, 1942; CINCPAC Grey Book, Bk. 1, p. 545.

  389 “Of course,” he later said: “The Reminiscences of Captain Joseph J. Rochefort, U.S. Navy (Retired),” p. 220.

  389 “All I can do”: Ibid., p. 221.

  390 “I have a difficult time”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 430.

  390 “All right then, Admiral”: Layton quoted in Potter, Nimitz, pp. 102–3.

  390 “attempt the capture of Midway”: “Operation Plan 29-42,” U.S. Pacific Fleet, CINCPAC File A16-3/(16); 27 May 1942.

  390 “crossed his Rubicon”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 430.

  390 “If we get ready”: Ibid., p. 431.

  390 Hypo had one more crowning victory: Holmes, Double-Edged Secrets, pp. 95–96.

  392 “was felt as a personal blow”: Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 52.

  393 “There’s something fishy”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, p. 351.

  393 “It seemed to us”: Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 52.

  393 Halsey and his flag lieutenant: Potter, Bull Halsey, p. 77.

  393 He was gaunt: Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 55.

  393 “the most grievous disappointment”: Potter, Nimitz, p. 84.

  393 “He is in the best of spirits”: Hoyt, How They Won the War in the Pacific, p. 93.

  395 “saluted a trim”: “Reminiscences of Admiral Spruance as related by Dr. David Willcutts, Fifth Fleet Medical Officer.” MS item 297, U.S. Naval War College Archives, Newport, RI, pp. 3–4.

  396 “We saw with satisfaction”: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, p. 137.

  397 “did a humongous amount”: Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 243.

  398 “All liberty cancelled”: Rose, The Ship That Held the Line, p. 109.

  398 “the strategy and tactics”: Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 53.

  398 “had it on good authority”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, p. 361.

  398 “As usual we seem to be holding”: Ibid., p. 365.

  399 “a profound feeling of doom”: Scott McCuskey account in Hammel, Aces Against Japan, pp. 38–39.

  399 “It’s hard to describe”: Fisher, Hooked, pp. 73, 76.

  400 “Quite a few of us”: “Narrative by Lt. George Gay,” debrief recorded October 12, 1943, at Navy Department; Office of Naval Records and Library, Washington, DC, p. 1.

  400 “After asking a question”: Mears, Carrier Combat, p. 59.

  401 “Then,” wrote Mears: Ibid., pp. 60–61.

  401 “just in case”: Ibid., p. 61.

  401 “In carrying out the tasks”: “Letter of Instructions,” covering “Operation Plan 29-42,” U.S. Pacific Fleet, CINCPAC File A16-3/(16); 27 May 1942.

  401 “That man of ours”: Layton, “And I Was There,” p. 432.

  401 feeling “amazed”: Mears, Carrier Combat, pp. 54–55.

  402 “We are going out”: Ibid., p. 54.

  402 “An attack for the purpose”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, p. 369.

  Chapter Twelve

  403 “I myself will devote”: Agawa, The Reluctant Admiral, p. 309.

  403 “I personally felt angry”: Ens. Takeshi Maeda account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 117.

  404 The crews were working: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 140.

  404 “Instinctively, I felt that”: Hara, Japanese Destroyer Captain, p. 90.

  404
“Since the carriers were undergoing”: Nagumo’s action report, June 15, 1942. Part II, Sec. 3, “Preparations for the Operation,” in “The Japanese Story of the Battle of Midway,” OPNAV P32-1002. Office of Naval Intelligence, Washington, DC, June 1947.

  404 “Sortie as scheduled!”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 25.

  405 “military marching songs”: Maeda account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 118.

  405 “Through scattered clouds”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 26.

  405 The officers enjoyed other: Agawa, The Reluctant Admiral, p. 310.

  405 “White clouds drifted lazily”: “Prisoner statement,” in NHC, Morison Papers, b. 22, “No. 4, Action at Midway,” cited in Prados, Combined Fleet Decoded, p. 330.

  406 “At 1200 hours, change to course”: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 106.

  407 The Japanese crews watched: Hara, Japanese Destroyer Captain, pp. 90–91.

  408 “We were well aware”: Ibid., p. 91.

  409 “The sound of engines”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 183.

  410 “Many planes heading Midway”: Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 90.

  410 “the accuracy is excellent”: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 202.

  411 radioed back to Nagumo: Nagumo’s action report, June 15, 1942. Part III, “Description of the Operation,” in “The Japanese Story of the Battle of Midway.”

  411 “There were so many of them”: Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 91.

  412 “Planes in second attack wave”: Smith, Carrier Battles, p. 116.

  412 “Sighted what appears to be”: Nagumo’s action report, June 15, 1942. Part III, “Description of the Operation.”

  414 “their flying altitude was”: Lt. Cdr. Iyozo Fujita account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 237.

  414 “Geysers of water”: Hiroshi Suzuki account in ibid., p. 92.

  415 “Frankly,” Fuchida said: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 196.

  415 “We were very impressed”: Maeda account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 119.

  416 “The enemy is accompanied”: Nagumo’s action report, June 15, 1942. Part III, “Description of the Operation.”

  416 “There was utter confusion”: Kaname Shimoyama account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 194.

  416 “It was very difficult”: Suzuki account in ibid., p. 92.

  417 “Speed up the loading”: Maeda account in ibid., p. 119.

  417 He had sighted: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 198.

  417 “I knew our limitations”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, p. 370.

  418 “The approaching battle”: Gay, Sole Survivor, p. 108.

  418 “We have had a very short time”: Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 96.

  418 “a little bit nervous”: “Narrative by Lt. George Gay,” debrief recorded Oct. 12, 1943, at Navy Department; Office of Naval Records and Library, Washington, DC, p. 2.

  418 “faint vibration of machinery”: Tom Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 93.

  418 his “odds of survival”: Clayton Fisher account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 112.

  419 “feast for condemned men”: Lloyd Childers account in “Veterans’ Biographies,” published for the Battle of Midway Celebration, Marines Memorial Club, San Francisco, 2009, p. 11.

  419 “grease-penciled”: Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 95.

  419 “Some were quiet”: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, pp. 140–41.

  419 “From that moment”: Mears, Carrier Combat, p. 52.

  419 “Pilots, man your planes!”: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, p. 142.

  420 “It would seem that”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, p. 377.

  421 “Proceed on mission assigned”: Lundstrom, The First Team, p. 335.

  421 “The visibility was excellent”: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, p. 145.

  423 black smudges against the sky: Mears, Carrier Combat, p. 79.

  423 “not to worry about our navigation”: “Narrative by Lt. George Gay,” p. 2.

  424 “My greatest hope is that”: Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 96.

  424 “The Zeros that day”: “Narrative by Lt. George Gay,” p. 3.

  424 “all attention was fixed”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 209.

  424 “pea shooter” . . . “could see the little Jap”: “Narrative by Lt. George Gay,” pp. 5, 7.

  427 Sharp-eyed pilots and gunners: See Dickinson, The Flying Guns, pp. 143–46.

  427 “Sometimes the carrier stack”: Mears, Carrier Combat, p. 93.

  427 “thin, white lines” . . . “Among those ships”: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, pp. 148–49.

  427 “This is McClusky”: Smith, Midway: Dauntless Victory, p. 140.

  428 “A number of them were coming”: John S. Thach account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 56.

  429 “Their climbing ability”: Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 100.

  429 “That first attack on us”: Thach quoted in Astor, Wings of Gold, p. 97.

  429 had deranged their favored box formation: See diagrams and text in Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, pp. 218–21.

  429 “I was making”: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, p. 153.

  430 a “glint in the sun”: Thach account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 58.

  430 “one of our machine gun commanders”: Ens. Haruo Yoshino account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 142.

  430 “The results were cataclysmic” and the details that follow: See Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, pp. 234–36.

  430 “It is dangerous here”: Maeda account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 120.

  431 “the deck rippling”: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, p. 155.

  431 “I remember looking”: Thach account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 60.

  431 The first bomb struck: For a description of this attack, see Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, pp. 237–38.

  433 “a huge hole in the flight deck”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 213.

  433 “It all happened so quickly”: Shimoyama account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 194.

  433 “Due to the intense heat”: Suzuki account in ibid., p. 92.

  434 The third bomb: Lt. (jg) Kiyoto Furuta account in ibid., p. 24.

  434 a “brilliant orange flash”: Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 102.

  435 “Group rendezvous!”: Ibid., p. 103.

  435 Each pilot had to make: Maeda account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 118.

  436 Dickinson turned his Dauntless home: Dickinson, The Flying Guns, pp. 164–66.

  436 a “faint streak of white”: Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, pp. 105–6.

  437 “An information officer”: Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 58.

  437 was shocked to learn: Fisher, Hooked, p. 81.

  437 “When I entered”: Roy Gee account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 116.

  437 One of the returning TBD pilots: See Kernan, Crossing the Line, p. 50.

  438 “They were shouting and laughing”: Ibid., p. 64.

  438 “There were three carriers”: Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 106.

  439 vulnerable to bomb or fire damage: For the vulnerability of Japanese carriers to fire, see Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, pp. 244–47.

  439 “the water evaporated quickly”: Lt. Takayoshi Morinaga account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 163.

  440 “Numerous explosions”: Yoshino account in ibid., p. 142.

  440 The temperature climbed quickly: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 252.

  440 Within fifteen minutes: Nagumo’s action report, June 15, 1942. Part III, “Description of the Operation.”

 
; 440 Her fires quickly overpowered: Ibid.

  440 “Firefighting parties”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 216.

  441 “our fire extinguishing pump”: Furuta account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 24.

  441 “It is not time yet”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 214.

  441 At 10:46 a.m.: Nagumo’s action report, June 15, 1942. Part III, “Description of the Operation.”

  441 “a giant daikon radish”: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 264.

  442 “The enemy is in position”: Prange, Goldstein, and Dillon, Miracle at Midway, p. 277.

  443 “Red 17, arrow 265 from your present position”: Commanding Officer, USS York-town, to CINCPAC. Battle of Midway after-action report, June 18, 1942. Enclosure: fighter control transcript.

  444 “With my six .50-caliber wing guns”: Scott McCuskey account in Hammel, Aces Against Japan, p. 62.

  444 “Get back in the ready room!”: Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, pp. 80–81.

  445 “I can’t fight a war”: Chief Radioman Richard Brown account in “Veterans’ Biographies,” p. 9.

  446 “Gasping and teary eyed”: Cheek account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 81.

  446 “Fires raging aboard”: Fuchida and Okumiya, Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan, p. 243.

  446 “bent their heads together”: Prados, Combined Fleet Decoded, p. 331.

  447 “What was I reading?”: Hara, Japanese Destroyer Captain, pp. 91–92.

  447 “There are three enemy carriers”: Ens. Taisuke Maruyama account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 182.

  448 a “sense of desperation”: Ibid.

  449 “The whole left wing”: Thach account in Wooldridge, ed., Carrier Warfare in the Pacific, p. 62.

  449 “The ack-ack was ragged”: Casey, Torpedo Junction, p. 381.

  450 “wave of extreme patriotism”: Fred Dyer account in “Veterans’ Biographies,” p. 18.

  450 hail falling on a metal roof: Parshall and Tully, Shattered Sword, p. 315.

  450 “the tail of our aircraft”: Maruyama account in Werneth, ed., Beyond Pearl Harbor, p. 182.

  450 “I could see the pilot”: Bill Surgi account in Russell, ed., No Right to Win, p. 239.

  450 “a sickening thud”: Oral history: Lt. Joseph P. Pollard, medical officer; online at www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq81-8.htm.