As
already been known, after the attack to Pearl Harbor, the road was opened for
Japan to make invasion to the South, and this was conducted simultaneously and in high speed. From the
month of January to February 1942, almost simultaneously together
Japan maneuvered in two battle fields at the same time. Its sea force moving through the South China Sea spread the invasion and amphibian landing directly to several targets. Samuel Eliot Morison, the author of The Rising Sun in The Pacific, called the Japan’s maneuver from the South China Sea was just like Western Octopus Maneuver.
Also,
after succeeding in controlling the Philippines, Japan made a maneuver from
Davao to the South passing through Makassar Strait and Molucan Sea, and Morison
called it as Eastern Octopus Maneuver .
After
the success of its maneuver in Malay, Philippines and Netherlands East Indies,
Japan tried to expand “Command of the
Sea” and “Sea Control” through
its maneuvers directed to the regions of Papua
New Guinea and Australia.
The
advanced base used was Rabaul, located at New Britain Island that had successfully been seized earlier. The
concept of maneuver plan was to seize and control the important bases of the
enemy with the main target was Tulagi
in Solomon Islands and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.
In
order to materialize the aforesaid maneuver concept, the leadership was relied on
to Vice Admiral Sigeyoshi Inouye who
had a post at the cruiser ship Kashima
in Rabaul. His Fleet consisted of
several task forces.
The
Air Task Force was led by Rear Admiral
Yamada, having a post in Rabaul. The Striking Force was led by Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi with its main
power consisting of two carriers: Zuikaku
and Shokaku, two heavy cruiser ships: Myoko
and Haguro, and six destroyer ships.
Takagi also controlled the task units to
attack Tulagi and Port Moresby, the task force of transport ships and unit of its supporting
ships and the task force of covering group as well as the unit of submarines
for spying.
The
Covering Group was led by Rear
Admiral Goto, consisting of light carrier Shoho and four heavy
cruiser ships. The total amount of battle ships mobilized was not less than 60
ships. The concept of Japan’s maneuver to Port Moresby or known as “MO” Operation covered the plan to carry
out the air raid to four targets in Queensland, Australia, namely: Townville, Cooktown, Coen and Thursday.
From
the plan of Japan’s maneuver to the region of Papua New Guinea as stated in
“MO” Operation, the war strategy and tactics played by Yamamoto were quite
obvious, namely to paralyze the enemy’s power available at the base in order “to open the road” for further movements.
Such war strategy and tactic repeated the success in Pearl Harbor and Kuantan
waters.
As already been
known, the battle occurred in Coral Sea
on May 7-8, 1942, in which for the
first time in the history of sea war, a carrier directly confronted with
another carrier.
About Samuel Eliot Morison : Samuel Eliot Morison, son of John H. and Emily Marshall (Eliot) Morison, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 9 July 1887. He attended Noble’s School at Boston, and St. Paul’s at Concord, New Hampshire, before entering Harvard University, from which he was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1908. He studied at the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, Paris, France, in 1908-1909, and returned to Harvard for postgraduate work, receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1912. Thereafter he became Instructor, first at the University of California in Berkeley, and in 1915 at Harvard. Except for three years (1922-1925) when he was Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford, England, and his periods of active duty during both World Wars, he remained continuously at Harvard University as lecturer and professor until his retirement in 1955. ( Naval History & Heritage )
About Samuel Eliot Morison : Samuel Eliot Morison, son of John H. and Emily Marshall (Eliot) Morison, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 9 July 1887. He attended Noble’s School at Boston, and St. Paul’s at Concord, New Hampshire, before entering Harvard University, from which he was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1908. He studied at the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, Paris, France, in 1908-1909, and returned to Harvard for postgraduate work, receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1912. Thereafter he became Instructor, first at the University of California in Berkeley, and in 1915 at Harvard. Except for three years (1922-1925) when he was Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford, England, and his periods of active duty during both World Wars, he remained continuously at Harvard University as lecturer and professor until his retirement in 1955. ( Naval History & Heritage )
