>June 19th-21st Battle of the Philippine Sea
One of the few Japanese planes to get through
Nine Japanese carriers accompanied by battleships and cruisers attempted to attack an American force led by 15 carriers, covering the landings in Saipan. The battle became known as the "Marina's Turkey Shoot". The Japanese started the battle with 430 carrier aircraft. When it ended they had only 35 carrier aircraft left. Almost all were shot down by the American fighters and anti-aircraft guns, while attempting to attack the US force. In addition, two Japanese fleet carriers were sunk by submarines and one by air attack.On June 12, 1944, the United States commenced air strikes against the Marianas Islands, signaling its intention to invade the region. The Japanese had dedicated a year to rebuilding their fleet in preparation for a decisive confrontation with the American naval force. The invasion of the Marianas posed a significant threat to the Japanese home islands, prompting the Japanese to dispatch their entire fleet to defend the region.
The Japanese fleet consisted of nearly its entire force, comprising three fast carriers, two slower carriers, four light carriers, five battleships, 11 heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, 31 destroyers, and 24 submarines. In contrast, the United States fleet was larger, but the Japanese believed that their land-based aircraft and the greater range of their planes would compensate for the disparity in size.
The United States possessed two additional advantages. Firstly, it had developed a new secret proximity shell capable of swiftly disabling aircraft. Secondly, it was equipped with the Hellcat aircraft, which the United States Navy was employing, which outclassed the Japanese planes.
On the morning of June 19th, the Japanese detected portions of the United States fleet and commenced launching aircraft from Guam to engage in combat. Thirty Hellcats were dispatched to intercept the Japanese planes, resulting in the quick downing of 35 Japanese aircraft with only one Hellcat sustaining damage. Subsequently, the Japanese launched a raid with 68 aircraft from their carriers. They were met by American fighters positioned 70 miles away. Twenty-five Japanese planes were swiftly shot down, while only one American plane was lost. As the aircraft drew closer to the United States fleet, another 16 were downed, and six aircraft reached the fleet, causing only minor damage.
A second raid was soon detected, involving 107 aircraft. Of these, 97 were successfully shot down. The third raid, comprising 47 aircraft, resulted in fewer aircraft being shot down, but they still managed to inflict only minor damage. By the conclusion of the day, the Japanese fleet had suffered a significant loss of 350 aircraft.
Simultaneously, the submarine USS Albacore positioned itself in firing position towards the Japanese fleet carrier Taiho, the most recent Japanese carrier. Although only a single torpedo struck its target, inadequate damage control by the Japanese crew resulted in the carrier sinking later that day. Later that day, the submarine USS Cavalla launched six torpedoes at the Japanese carrier Shokaku, which swiftly sank.
The following day, the American forces located the Japanese fleet at the extreme of the flight operations of the attacking aircraft. Upon reaching the Japanese ships, they sank two oilers and a light carrier, inflicting damage on three other carriers. By the time the aircraft had returned to the US forces, they were running low on fuel. Admiral Mitscher ordered all of the ships’ lights to be illuminated and searchlights directed towards the sky, despite the potential threat of submarine attack. Notably, 80 of the returning aircraft were lost, but most of the pilots were successfully rescued.
By the conclusion of the battle, the Japanese suffered a significant loss of 433 carrier aircraft and 200 land-based aircraft. The American forces incurred a loss of only 23 aircraft. This action is commonly referred to as the Marianas Turkey Shoot. The superior performance of the US aircraft, coupled with enhanced training, ultimately proved decisive against the Japanese. This battle marked the demise of an effective Japanese naval-based air arm, and they were unable to recover from the losses sustained.