Battle of the Eastern Solomons - World War II Battle of the Eastern Solomons

Battle of the Eastern Solomons - World War II Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Conflict: The Battle of the Eastern Solomons was fought during World War II. Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Date: American and Japanese forces clashed on August 24-25, 1942. Fleets Commanders: Allies Vice Admiral Frank J. FletcherVice Admiral Robert Ghormley2 fleet carriers, 1 battleship, 4 cruisers, 11 destroyers Japanese Admiral Isoroku YamamotoVice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo2 fleet carriers, 1 light carrier, 2 battleships, 16 cruisers, 25 destroyers Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Background: In the wake of the Allied landings on Guadalcanal in August 1942, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the Japanese high command began planning Operation Ka with the goal retaking the island. As part of this counter-offensive, a troop convoy was formed under the command of Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka with orders to proceed to Guadalcanal. Departing Truk on August 16, Tanaka steamed south aboard the light cruiser Jintsu. This was followed by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumos Main Body, centered on the carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku, as well as the light carrier Ryujo. Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Forces: Both of these were supported by Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abes Vanguard Force consisting of 2 battleships, 3 heavy cruisers, and 1 light cruiser and Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondos Advance Force of 5 heavy cruisers and 1 light cruiser. The overall Japanese plan called for Nagumos carriers to locate and destroy their American counterparts which would allow Abe and Kondos fleets to close and eliminate the remaining Allied naval forces in a surface action. With Allied forces destroyed, the Japanese would be able to land reinforcements to clear Guadalcanal and retake Henderson Field. Opposing the Japanese advance were Allied naval forces under Vice Admiral Frank J. Fletcher. Centered around the carriers USS Enterprise, USS Wasp, and USS Saratoga, Fletchers force returned to the waters off Guadalcanal on August 21, to support US Marines in the wake of the Battle of Tenaru. The following day both Fletcher and Nagumo launched scout planes in an effort to locate each others carriers. Though neither had success on the 22nd, an American PBY Catalina spotted Tanakas convoy on August 23. Reacting to this report, strikes took off from Saratoga and Henderson Field. Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Exchanging Blows: Aware that his ships had been sighted, Tanaka turned north and successfully evaded the America aircraft. With no confirmed reports about the location of the Japanese carriers, Fletcher released Wasp south to refuel. At 1:45 AM on August 24, Nagumo detached Ryujo, along with a heavy cruiser and two destroyers, with orders to attack Henderson Field at dawn. As the light carrier and its escorts sailed away, Nagumo had the aircraft aboard Shokaku and Zuikaku prepared to launch immediately upon receiving word about the American carriers. Around 9:35 AM, an American Catalina spotted the Ryujo force en route to Guadalcanal. Through the rest of the morning, this report was followed by sightings of Kondos ships and a cover force sent from Rabaul to protect Tanakas convoy. Aboard Saratoga, Fletcher was hesitant to launch an attack, preferring to husband his aircraft in case the Japanese carriers were located. Finally at 1:40 PM, he ordered 38 planes from Saratoga to take off and attack Ryujo. As these aircraft roared off the carriers deck, the first strike from Ryujo arrived over Henderson Field. This attack was defeated by planes from Henderson. At 2:25 PM a scout plane from the cruiser Chikuma located Fletchers flattops. Radioing the position back to Nagumo, the Japanese admiral immediately began launching his aircraft. As these planes were taking off, American scouts spotted Shokaku and Zuikaku. Reporting back, the sighting report never reached Fletcher due to communication problems. Around 4:00 PM, Saratogas planes commenced their attack on Ryujo. Hitting the light carrier with 3-5 bombs and possibly a torpedo, the American planes left the carrier dead in the water and on fire. Unable to save the ship, Ryujo was abandoned by its crew. As the attack on Ryujo was beginning, the first wave of Japanese planes was detected by Fletchers force. Scrambling 53 F4F Wildcats, Saratoga and Enterprise began evasive maneuvers after launching all of their attack aircraft with orders to seek targets of opportunity. Due to further communication issues, the fighter cover had some difficulty intercepting the Japanese. Commencing their attack, the Japanese focused their assault on Enterprise. Over the next hour, the American carrier was struck by three bombs which caused heavy damage, but failed to cripple the ship. By 7:45 PM Enterprise was able to resume flight operations. A second Japanese strike failed to locate the American ships due to radio issues. The final action of the day occurred when 5 TBF Avengers from Saratoga located Kondos force and badly damaged the seaplane tender Chitose. The next morning the battle was renewed when aircraft from Henderson Field attacked Tanakas convoy. Heavily damaging Jintsu and sinking a troop ship, the strike from Henderson was followed by an attack by B-17s based at Espiritu Santo. This raid sank the destroyer Mutsuki. With the defeat of Tanakas convoy, both Fletcher and Nagumo elected to withdraw from the area ending the battle. Battle of the Eastern Solomons - Aftermath The Battle of the Eastern Solomons cost Fletcher 25 aircraft and 90 killed. In addition, Enterprise was badly damaged, but remained operable. For Nagumo, the engagement resulted in the loss of Ryujo, one light cruiser, a destroyer, a troop ship, and 75 aircraft. Japanese casualties numbered around 290 and included the loss of valuable aircrews. A tactical and strategic victory for the Allies, both commanders departed the area believing they had won a victory. While the battle had few long-term results, it did force the Japanese to bring reinforcements to Guadalcanal by destroyer which severely limited the equipment that could be transported to the island. Selected Sources CV-6.org: Battle of the Eastern SolomonsWorld War II Database: Battle of the Eastern SolomonsCarriers Meet Again: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

Profile of World War II Colonel General Ludwig Beck

Profile of World War II Colonel General Ludwig Beck Early Career Born at Biebrich, Germany, Ludwig Beck received a traditional education before entering the German Army in 1898 as a cadet. Rising through the ranks, Beck was recognized as a gifted officer and was tapped for staff service. With the outbreak of World War I, he was assigned to the Western Front where he spent the conflict as a staff officer. With the German defeat in 1918, Beck was retained in the small postwar Reichswehr. Continuing to advance, he later received command of the 5th Artillery Regiment. Becks Rise to Prominence In 1930, while in this assignment, Beck came to the defense of three of his officers who were charged with distributing Nazi propaganda on post. As membership in political parties was forbidden by Reichswehr regulations, the three men faced a court-martial. Angered, Beck passionately spoke on behalf of his men arguing that the Nazis were a force for good in Germany and that officers should be able to join the party. In the course of the trials, Beck met and impressed Adolf Hitler. Over the next two years, he worked to write a new operations manual for the Reichswehr entitled Truppenfà ¼hrung. The work earned Beck a great deal of respect and he was given command of the 1st Cavalry Division in 1932 along with a promotion to lieutenant general. Eager to see German prestige and power returned to prewar levels, Beck celebrated the Nazi ascent to power in 1933 stating, I have wished for years for the political revolution, and now my wishes have come true. It is the first ray of hope since 1918. With Hitler in power, Beck was elevated to lead the Truppenamt (Troop Office) on October 1, 1933. Beck as Chief of Staff As the Treaty of Versailles prohibited the Reichswehr from having a General Staff, this office served as a shadow organization that fulfilled a similar function. In this role, Beck worked to rebuild the German military and pushed to develop new armored forces. As German rearmament moved forward, he was officially titled Chief of the General Staff in 1935. Working an average of ten hours a day, Beck was known as an intelligent officer, but one that often became obsessed by administrative details. A political player, he worked to expand his posts power and sought the ability to directly advise the Reich leadership. Though he believed that Germany should fight a major war or series of war to restore its place as a power in Europe, he felt that these should not occur until the military was fully prepared. Despite this, he strongly backed Hitlers move to reoccupy the Rhineland in 1936. As the 1930s progressed, Beck became increasingly concerned that Hitler would force a conflict before the military was ready. As a result, he initially refused to write plans for the invasion of Austria in May 1937 as he felt it would provoke a war with Britain and France. Falling Out with Hitler When the Anschluss failed to cause international protest in March 1938, he quickly developed the needed plans which were dubbed Case Otto. Though Beck foresaw a conflict to eliminate Czechoslovakia and officially advocated for action in the fall of 1937, he retained worries that Germany was not prepared for a major European war. Not believing Germany could win such a contest prior to 1940, he openly began advocating against a war with Czechoslovakia in May 1938. As the armys senior general, he challenged Hitlers belief that France and Britain would allow Germany a free hand. The relationship between Beck and Hitler rapidly began to deteriorate aided by the latters preference for the Nazi SS over the Wehrmacht. While Beck lobbied against what he believed would be a premature war, Hitler chastised him stating that he was one of the officers still imprisoned in the idea of the hundred-thousand-man army imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Through the summer Beck continued to work to prevent a conflict while also attempting to reorganize the command structure as he felt it was Hitlers advisors that were pushing for war. In an effort to increase pressure on the Nazi regime, Beck attempted to organize a mass resignation of senior Wehrmacht officers and issued instructions on July 29 that as well as preparing for foreign wars the army should be ready for for an internal conflict which need only take place in Berlin. In early August, Beck suggested that several Nazi officials should be removed from power. On the 10th, his arguments against war were relentlessly attacked by Hitler at a meeting of senior generals. Unwilling to continue, Beck, now a colonel general, resigned on August 17. Beck Bringing Down Hitler In exchange for resigning quietly, Hitler had promised Beck a field command but instead had him transferred to the retired list. Working with other anti-war and anti-Hitler officials, such as Carl Goerdeler, Beck and several others began planning to remove Hitler from power. Though they informed the British Foreign Office of their intentions, they were unable to prevent the signing of the Munich Agreement in late September. With the beginning of World War II in September 1939, Beck became a key player in various plots to remove the Nazi regime. From the fall of 1939 through 1941, Beck worked with other anti-Nazi officials such as Goerdeler, Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, and Ulrich von Hassell in planning a coup to remove Hitler and make peace with Britain and France. In these scenarios, Beck would be the leader of the new German government. As these plans evolved, Beck was involved in two aborted attempts to kill Hitler with bombs in 1943. The following year, he became a key player, along with Goerdeler and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, in what became known as the July 20 Plot. This plan called for Stauffenberg to kill Hitler with a bomb at the Wolfs Lair headquarters near Rastenburg. Once Hitler was dead, the conspirators would use the German reserve forces to take control of the country and would form a new provisional government with Beck at its head. On July 20, Stauffenberg detonated the bomb but failed to kill Hitler. With the plots failure, Beck was arrested by General Friedrich Fromm. Exposed and with no hope of escape, Beck elected to commit suicide later that day rather than face trial. Using a pistol, Beck fired but only managed to critically injure himself. As a result, a sergeant was forced to finish the job by shooting Beck in the back of the neck. Selected Sources World War II Database: Ludwig BeckJVL: Ludwig BeckGerman Resistance Memorial Center: Ludwig Beck