![]() On 20 February 1942, Lexington was operating in the waters off New Ireland. In memory of their truly magnificent service, self-sacrifice and ultimate victory, some of their individual contributions during the pivotal battles of 1942 are summarized below.īutch O’Hare was a fighter pilot assigned to VF-3 aboard USS Lexington, flying the F4F-3 Wildcat. Despite the long odds, they went to war with what they had, took the fight to the enemy, and won. Navy and Marine Corps were up to the task. To America’s good fortune, the young pilots and air crewmen of the U.S. The stakes could not have been higher and responsibility for the outcome fell squarely on their shoulders. #Fighter pilot salary professional#Second, those forces included an exceptionally capable group of professional naval officers with the skill, daring and determination to compensate for their numerical and qualitative disadvantages. leaders gained crucial information on Japanese operational plans and were able to deploy their limited forces to maximum advantage. First, due to the diligent efforts of code-breakers and some clever deception by intelligence analysts, U.S. In the face of these daunting challenges, America’s Navy had only two positive assets to rely upon. One of these carriers, USS Yorktown, was seriously damaged at Coral Sea and required major emergency repairs to remain in the fight for the Battle of Midway. Navy had given a good account of itself at the Battle of the Coral Sea, but had suffered the loss of the carrier Lexington, leaving only three operational carriers to defend U.S. carrier Saratoga had been withdrawn from service in January to repair serious torpedo damage inflicted by a Japanese submarine. In the aftermath of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan achieved an unbroken string of victories over allied forces in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific, including invasion and occupation of Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines. Many of the Navy’s carrier-based aircraft were obsolete or suffered serious performance deficiencies relative to their Japanese adversaries. Navy had only five aircraft carriers available for duty in the Pacific. Japanese navy pilots were dedicated, well trained and many had combat experience. #Fighter pilot salary full#It was equipped with ten aircraft carriers, each armed with a full complement of modern combat aircraft and weapons. Japan entered the Pacific war with the most powerful naval aviation force in the world. The outcome of these events put an end to Japanese expansion in the Pacific and set the stage for subsequent Allied offensives and the ultimate defeat of the Japanese Empire.ħ5 years later, it is difficult to comprehend the desperate situation confronted by American military leaders during the first six months of 1942. It also enabled regular American land-based air operations against Japanese strongholds in the Southwest Pacific region. The campaign for Guadalcanal and the Eastern Solomon Islands (beginning in August 1942) was the first major Allied offensive of the Pacific war and ultimately deprived Japan of bases that could threaten supply routes to Australia and New Zealand. Midway is often heralded as the “turning point” of World War II in the Pacific. forces, eliminating an imminent threat to the Hawaiian Islands and severely crippling Japan’s capability to conduct further carrier-based operations. The Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942) was an overwhelming victory for U.S. The outcome of the battle was not decisive, but proved to be a strategic victory for the U.S., preventing a sea-based occupation of Port Moresby that would have threatened Allied supply lines to Australia. The Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) was the first naval action fought entirely between aircraft carriers. During the epic battles fought in the first year of World War II in the Pacific, the large-scale application of naval air power was decisive, and the character of naval warfare was radically and permanently altered. During 2017, we mark the 75th anniversaries of some truly momentous events in the history of U.S. ![]()
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