Here Comes the Navy’s First New Torpedo in Decades

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel - You are most kind for overlooking my random indisgressions.

MAJ Ken Landgren - You created a monster. lol

THIS IS THE START OF THE PACIFIC WAR NARRATIVE
First the Pacific War was too large to narrate, and I am not a military history scholar. However, I will still make a jab at it.
The Japanese did the world a favor by attacking Pearl Harbor as Americans wanted to stay neutral of WWII. FDR was a visionary and true war president. I don't know if anyone in world history can equal FDR's martial accomplishments. Our POTUS who could barely stand was a puppet master and all the world was his stage. He did three critical thing correctly well:
- He assessed the Japanese and German threats in the 1930s.
- He planned and executed a program to give millions of tons of weapons, planes, tanks, and vehicles to Russia and England to keep them in the war.
- When the US entered the war, FDR used all of the national powers to support the war efforts.
Admiral Yamamoto, the top Japanese admiral, lived in the US for a few years and feared the industrial might of the US. His assessment was correct as at conclusion of WWII in the Pacific the US had 27 carriers to Japan's 1.
The Japanese Navy and Army had philosophical differences. The Army won out and got their wish to occupy many countries an islands. They created a huge footprint in the Pacific and the Navy fretted about logistically supporting the Army in such a large area of operations. Events and battles will unfold as proof of the navy's prescient strategic predictions.
The Pacific eventually became Russia for the Japanese military. It was too large to support and the US made them pay for this. Essentially most of the Japanese Army culminated their last actions in various countries and islands by executing banzai charges which we were ready for. I will make the strong assumption that American ground commanders knew about the banzai charges and arrayed defenses to cover most likely enemy avenues of approach with crew serve weapons to mow down the Japanese soldiers with the most hot steel as possible.
What our Soldiers and Marines went though, well all of them tried to forget what they experienced. It was said that in the Battle of Tarawa in approximately a square mile of fighting there were 1000 dead and 2000 injured Marines; and 4690 dead Japanese soldiers. It was hell on earth. Body parts littered the ground, there were charred bodies, many bodies with missing limbs, wounded and dead all over the place, and bodies on fire. Often units that experience such hellish fighting would say nothing as they quietly conducted battle handovers with relief units.
This is a tangent. A civilian pilot name Mark Noah conducted research at Tarawa and opined Marine MIAs could be found on that island. He collaborated with the head of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the US proponent agency to find POWs and MIAs. Mr. Noah's overture was not welcomed and was treated in a very caustic manner by the agency he was trying to assist. I believe 300 Marines were found in rows in makeshift graves. Mr. Noah personally found 200 Marines. I don't know why the head of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency was such an asshole.

The US first strategic goal in the East was to protect Australia and her shipping lanes. The US fleet fought the Japanese fleet in the South Coral Sea starting on May 4, 1942. It was a tactical stalemate but a strategic victory for us. It prevented the Japanese influence and support to various islands North of Australia. It shaped operations for retaking the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea from the Japanese after hard fighting.
The US broke the Japanese code and determined the Japanese Navy would attack Midway starting on June 4, 1942. Breaking the code allowed us to ambush and destroy Admiral Yamamoto's plane. We found their carriers first and conducted ineffective bombing runs because the planes were flying very high. Many Japanese Zeroes shot down our planes. We sent wave after wave of bombers with no impact to the battle. The Japanese admiral made a fateful decision. He sent planes to attack our fleet which prevented him from sending up fighters to protect the fleet. He could not conduct both operations simultaneously. Eventually our dive bombers destroyed all four of their carriers and we lost one. The Japanese Navy would never be the same again.
On June 19, 1942 the Battle of the Philippine sea commenced. We had an armada of 600 ships. Hundreds of Zeroes were shot down and the US destroyed 3 carriers. It was a tactical and strategic win for us as it set the conditions to successfully rest the Philippines from the Japanese Army. This is the methodology we used to get closer to Japan in order to attack. At this juncture the Japanese lost its capability to us naval aviation as all her aircraft carriers save one were destroyed.
The navy does not get enough credit. There is no mention that we lost More sailors than Marines in WWII. I will preview some heroic actions of sailors and captains. The US Army was conducting amphibious operations in the Leyte Gulf. Leyte is a large island in the Philippine archipelago and it marked the incipient operation to take back the Philippines from the Japanese. The Japanese Navy sent large cruisers and immense battleships to disrupt the amphibious landings. The only US Naval defense was a screen line of small destroyers. Observing the precarious situation, Commander Ernest Evans of the light destroyer Johnston took the initiative to charge the Japanese fleet. Other light destroyer commanders upon seeing such bravery joined the Johnston. Commander Johnston's destroyer was eventually sunk and he ordered abandon ship, but he was never to be found. For his actions Commander Johnston was awarded the Medal of Honor. It was said that a Japanese Naval Captain saluted the Johnston as she went down. My words do not do justice for the Navy's actions so I will copy and paste a better narrative.