Battle of the Philippine Sea
Copyright © Henry J. Sage
2006
“The Marianas Turkey Shoot”
The irreverent name given to the Battle of the Philippine Sea in the Marianas reflects the fact that by the end of the battle in June, 1944, Japanese naval air power had been virtually neutralized, a process that had begun at Midway in 1942.
Japanese losses throughout this Pacific campaign had been growing greater ever since the latter days of the Guadalcanal campaign.
By the spring of 1944 Japan had rebuilt its navy with newly trained pilots and felt prepared to embark upon an operation designed to re-gain the balance of power vis-à-vis the American Navy. Japanese Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, in command of six aircraft carriers, five battleships, seven heavy cruisers in addition to destroyers and support vessels, headed for the Marianas. Ozawa had certain advantages over the Americans, including the fact that his aircraft had a much greater range than those of the U.S. Navy. Since Admiral Spruance’s naval forces had the primary mission of protecting the American troops involved in the invasion of Saipan, Spruance was limited in his ability to maneuver to intercept the Japanese.
The Battle of the Philippine Sea took place on June 19-21, 1944, and June 19 became memorable date in U.S. naval history. Admiral Ozawa was planning to get assistance from land-based aircraft from the island of Guam, still under Japanese control, and on the morning of June 19 his carrier-based aircraft were launched for their first mission against the U.S. fleet. By about 10 o'clock on June 19 U.S. Navy radar located the Japanese fleet and launched interceptor aircraft. As the Japanese warplanes approached the American fleet for their attack, the Americans pounced on them and immediately destroyed over 50 aircraft. None of the attacking Japanese planes ever reached the American aircraft carriers, their primary objective.
While the air battle was going on, two United States submarines, the Albacore and the Cavalla, sank two of the Japanese aircraft carriers, the Shokaku and Taiho, the latter of which was the largest and newest Japanese aircraft carrier.
The second Japanese air raid involved 130 Japanese airplanes, and the American defenders shot down 98 of them. About 20 Japanese planes got through and closed on the American battle fleet, but most were destroyed by antiaircraft fire from destroyers and battleships. A third raid resulted in no Japanese losses as the pilots failed to locate the American fleet. Later that morning the Japanese launched a fourth large raid consisting of 82 aircraft, but only nine of them survived. Meanwhile U.S. naval aircraft attacked the Japanese facilities on Guam.
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the largest aircraft carrier battle of the World War 2 and was significantly larger than the Battle of Midway. In the “Great Marianas turkey shoot” Admiral Ozawa’s forces lost 346 aircraft and two aircraft carriers; 30 American planes were shot down and one battleship was struck by a bomb which did minor damage.
All of those first four raids occurred on the first day of the battle, and now the American Navy was in pursuit of the Japanese. In the ensuring fights the Japanese lost 65 more of the aircraft which had survived the first day's fighting. By June 22, when the Japanese fleet retreated to the anchorage in Okinawa, they had only 35 aircraft left out of the 430 with which they had started the assault on the American Navy. Three aircraft carriers had been sunk and, most important, over 400 new aviators had been lost and could not be replaced in time for the next battle, which was that of Leyte Gulf.
The Battle of the Philippine Sea solidified the Allied hold on the Marianas Islands. Once Saipan was secured Marines quickly captured Guam and Tinian. The 77th Infantry Division of the United States Army also participated in the invasion of Guam. Those terrible losses of the Marianas and a major portion of the Japanese Navy led to the resignation of General Tojo and his cabinet on July 18, 1944. Although the invasions of the Philippines, Okinawa the home islands of Japan lay ahead, it was clear that the momentum was overwhelmingly on the side of the Allies.