I voted Midway purely because of the impact it had on Naval AND amphibious ops in the Pacific. Might be wrong though - I usually am! Mike
I'm going to chime in with my choice as the Battle off Samar. My dad was there and he'd haunt me if I didn't vote for it............... Plus Mike L made his post on the 66 year anniversary of the battle. tom
I am going to throw Wake Island into the ring Wake Island was a courageous stand without support. It was always said that Tarawa/Betio was the first lesson learnt in the Island hopping campaign however it seems the US command forgot how difficult it was to dislodge the Wake force who were ill equipped and undermanned to fight a sustained attack yet repelled the Japanese but eventually lost the battle. Australian troops, US Artillery, (2) RAAF squadrons and the Navy working together were needed to repel a determined Japanese and give them their first defeat after gaining a bridgehead at Milne Bay. There were lessons from Wake Island, only they were in the reverse.
Wake Island was a courageous stand without support. It was always said that Tarawa/Betio was the first lesson learnt in the Island hopping campaign however it seems the US command forgot how difficult it was to dislodge the Wake force who were ill equipped and undermanned to fight a sustained attack yet repelled the Japanese but eventually lost the battle. The Battle for Wake was actually two separate battles over a two week period. After the intial landing attempt on 11 Dec. 41 in wich no less than 2 IJN destroyers were lost, a cruiser damaged and 2 patrol boats sunk the Japanese withdrew. Early on the morning of December 11, the garrison, with the support of the four remaining Wildcats, repelled the first Japanese landing attempt by the South Seas Force, which included the light cruisers Yubari, Tenryū, and Tatsuta; the destroyers Yayoi, Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Hayate, Oite, and Asanagi; two Momi class destroyers converted to patrol boats (Patrol Boat No. 32 and Patrol Boat No. 33), and two troop transport ships containing 450 Special Naval Landing Force troops. The U.S. Marines fired at the invasion fleet with their six 5-inch (127 mm) coastal artillery guns. Major Devereux, the Marine commander under Cunningham, ordered the gunners to hold their fire until the enemy moved within range of the coastal defenses. “Battery L” commanded by Sergeant Henry Bedell on Peale islet succeeded in sinking the Hayate at a distance of 4,000 yards with at least two direct hits to her magazines, causing her to explode and sink within two minutes, in full view of the defenders on shore. Yubari's superstructure was hit eleven times. The four Wildcats also succeeded in sinking another destroyer, Kisaragi, by dropping a bomb on her stern where the depth charges were stored. Both Japanese destroyers were lost with all hands, with Hayate becoming the first Japanese surface warship to be sunk during World War II. The Japanese force withdrew before landing. This was the first Japanese defeat of the war. ( Battle of Wake Island - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) Australian troops, US Artillery, (2) RAAF squadrons and the Navy working together were needed to repel a determined Japanese and give them their first defeat after gaining a bridgehead at Milne Bay. Japanese forces had experienced local setbacks before: their first attack on Wake Island was thrown back, and American Marines defeated the Japanese on Guadalcanal in the Battle of the Tenaru, four days before the Battle of Milne Bay began. But unlike Milne Bay, these actions did not result in complete Japanese withdrawal and the abandonment of the military campaign. ( Battle of Milne Bay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) I will not bore you with the differences between battles and campaigns anymore than I will extoll to you the greater interest, for me, in the Battle for Wake Island than that of Milne Bay. I applaude your interest in Milne Bay; but, you needn't disparage my interest in Wake Island. There were lessons from Wake Island, only they were in the reverse. The main lesson was: "Don't trifle with Marines!!"
As posted before: Not to be forgotten are the 96 captured (23 December 1941) civilian contractors on Wake Island killed by the Japanese on the 7 October 1943. Correct in that the first significant defeat of the Japanese was at Wake in December 1941 on there first landing.
I applaude your interest in Milne Bay; but, you needn't disparage my interest in Wake Island. If you feel I have attempted to disparage your interest in Wake Island you have totally misinterpreted my post. I was applauding it. The heroic stand at Wake Island is well known and documented. My reference to Milne May was the full chain of support that was required for them to be able to eventually repel the Japanese. Wake Island was eventually overcome because they did not have that availability or level of support.
If you feel I have attempted to disparage your interest in Wake Island you have totally misinterpreted my post. I was applauding it. The heroic stand at Wake Island is well known and documented. My reference to Milne May was the full chain of support that was required for them to be able to eventually repel the Japanese. Wake Island was eventually overcome because they did not have that availability or level of support. If you say so.....sorry I blew up
I am surprised that no mention was made of the Battle at TARAWA, any reason? rotherfield See posts #35 & 41 Cheers Geoff
Battle For Milne Bay. have only just started researching this battle and have a long way to go, but i remember conversations with my ex wifes grandfather before he passed away and his stories peaked my interest. Regards Oibert.
Combined air, land, and sea battles of Guadalcanal. I just read a great book by J.D. Hornfischer titled Neptune's Inferno. It really tied the whole campaign together for me. As a Marine, I'd bought into the stories of the USN abandonning the Marines ashore to their fate. While they did steam off with the transports and carriers at the credible threat of the IJN, they did everything in their power to support the Marines ashore and counter Japan's reinforcement efforts. The Hornfischer book along with Guadalcanal Diary, a Chesty Puller biography and a book on WW2 Marine aviation are my primary sources. Is this the first time in the Pacific that the Japanese suffered a major combined arms defeat?