Early U.S. Navy carrier raids, February-April 1942 : five operations that tested a new dimension of American air power / David Lee Russell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Russell, David Lee, 1947- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Air power (Military science)--Case studies.

Air power (Military science).

Raids (Military science)--Case studies.

Raids (Military science).

World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, American.

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Area.

Aircraft carriers--United States--History--20th century.

Aircraft carriers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vii, 197 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2019]

Summary:

"After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, America's fast carrier task forces, with their aircraft squadrons and powerful support warships, went on the offensive. Under orders from the Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, the newly appointed Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, took the fight to the Japanese, using island raids to slow their advance in the Pacific. Beginning in February 1942, a series of task force raids led by the carriers USS Enterprise, USS Yorktown, USS Lexington and USS Hornet were launched, beginning in the Marshall Islands and Gilbert Islands. An attempted raid on Rabaul was followed by successful attacks on Wake Island and Marcus Island. The Lae-Salamaua Raid countered Japanese invasions on New Guinea. The most dramatic was the unorthodox Tokyo (Doolittle) Raid, where 16 carrier-launched B-25 medium bombers demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was open to U.S. air attacks. The raids had a limited effect on halting the Japanese advance but kept the enemy away from Hawaii, the U.S. West coast and the Panama Canal, and kept open lines of communications to Australia."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

War begins in the Pacific

Marshall and Gilbert Islands

Rabaul

Wake and Marcus Islands

Lae and Salamaua

Tokyo

Aftermath

Appendix A: Marshall and Gilbert Islands Raid, U.S. Navy Task Forces 8 and 17, February 1, 1942

Appendix B: Rabaul Raid, U.S. Navy Task Force 11, February 20, 1942

Appendix C: Wake and Marcus Island Raid, U.S. Navy Task Force 16, February 24, 1942

Appendix D: Lae-Salamaua Raid, Allied Task Force 11 (TF 11, TF 17 and ANZAC Squadron), March 10, 1942

Appendix E: Tokyo Raid, U.S. Navy Task Force 16, April 18, 1942.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-186) and index.

ISBN:

1-4766-3861-6