Guadalcanal 72 Years On

[kham]

The squall raises - exposing Enterprise. Cloud layer now at 1,500 ft. The Vals pass BB S. Dakota to get to Enterprise. BAD CHOICE! S. Dakota's AA shoots down 7 Vals! 1 gets a near-miss on Ent. A burning Val tries to crash on Ent. It is *vaporized* by a direct hit from an Ent 5" gun at point blank range. Radar fixed, Ent locates the rest of the incoming Vals 17 miles out. All the F4Fs are low on fuel. It's gonna be AA only. For all the excitement about the secret weapon proximity fuse, that might have been the only 5" shot Ent. got off that day.
Lt. Shiga, in a Zero escorting the Vals, encounters the Thach Weave
The last 9 Vals poke through the clouds 1,000 ft above the escort screen.
Ent's fwd 5" gun isn't working. It's radar director has the time to spectate. He's never seen an air attack before.
6 Vals pick on ANTI-AIRCRAFT LIGHT CRUISER San Juan. The Ants attack the Ant-Eater!

[kham]

A Val bombs the S. Dakota's #1 16" gun turret. (**Capt Gatch was almost killed, took shrapnel that nicked his jugular....)

Enterprise is able to dodge S. Dakota - the world's largest torpedo.
Attack on Enterprise over. Only 6 Vals from Junyo survive.
Towing Hornet at 4mph, Northampton's tow cable snaps.
CLAA San Juan's steering is fixed. 13 were injured in the attack.

(Over the next 5 minutes.) 9 SBDs have been waiting to land.
For the next hour or so, Lt. Robin Lindsey is the most important man in the USN.

[kham]

** this little bit is from F-16.net -- interesting to note the degree of Total Asshole, Kinkaid was.....

Great story about the original 1942 VF-10 'Grim Reapers' - "Mow 'Em Down".

Vintage Shootdown By Ted Edwards | Swede Vejtasa Bags Seven at Santa Cruz Islands


Naval Aviation News Summer 2012 NAN_vol94_no3_v14.pdf (9.5Mb)

“...By the time Swede finally made the groove, he was the last of 10 who had had only the no. 1 wire available to them. “I was the last to land. We had a lot of inexperienced new guys, and I figured it was best to let them in first. I gave the lead to my wingman. I saw how crowded the deck had become, and realized I might have to land on the water. I had complete confidence in Robin and in my ability to control my plane. I didn’t realize how little room there was until I came around. But Lindsey brought me in slow and low; how I missed the round down I don’t know.” Around 1750, Swede hooked that solitary lifeline. As there was absolutely no more room on the flight deck, his plane was chocked on the spot.

Swede recalled the moment. “At that point, the place went crazy. Everyone, pilots, crew, the whole ship waved and hollered at what Lindsey had just pulled off. They probably would have done the same if I’d crashed.”...

...Swede’s deck-edge trap signaled the end of the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands for Air Group 10, and initiated a petty and vindictive command discussion about how to recognize Swede’s astounding performance. Swede’s unprecedented sortie had made him an ace and more in a day. Flatley had not flown with the expendable strike group, nor had he witnessed any of Swede’s victories the next day, but he rightly understood the significance of Swede’s mission. Flatley noted on the margin of Swede’s flight log, “Greatest single combat Fight Record in the history of Air Warfare. Congratulations. J H Flatley.” Under remarks for the mission, Swede noted, “‘The Battle of Stewart Islands’ shot down (5) Mitsubishi VT planes, (2) Aichi Dive bombers, (1) probable VT jap (sic). Total: 7 confirmed, 1 probable.”

So impressed was Flatley that he wrote Swede up for a Medal of Honor. It was an unrequited gesture. Perhaps angered by Swede’s outburst on the 25th, which subsequent events vindicated, an ungrateful Kinkaid responded by downgrading Flatley’s recommendation to a Distinguished Flying Cross. Somewhere up the line, wiser heads prevailed. Swede was awarded a third Navy Cross.

Nearly 70 years later retired Rear Adm. Whitey Feightner still firmly believes Swede earned the Medal of Honor that day. During our interviews this past year, I asked Swede about these events and whether he thought he was a hero. He was quick to defer. “No way. That honor belongs to Robin Lindsey [LSO].”

CAPTION: "The VF-10 Grim Reapers are shown in 1942. Vejtasa is in the front row, fifth from the right. The squadron was formed in June 1942 and was disestablished in November 1945. (Photo courtesy of Swede Vejtasa collection)"

[kham]

est Some Hornet planes, seeing how full Ent. is, attempt to land on Hornet. Hornet is a mess. Can't accept planes. She flashes a signal lamp. "Go to Enterprise." The planes depart. So does, by mistake, CLAA Juneau! In the last hour and 43 minutes Enterprise has recovered 57 of the 73 airborne planes.

Surviving IJN pilots are PTSD'd out from the AA

All fires of DD Smith are out. 28 KIA, 29 MIA (mostly from jumping overboard), 12 wounded.

A new, thicker cable is setup by Northampton to tow Hornet at 4 mph.
est When Ent. is full of planes, she makes like a tree and leaves. The only working CV the US has in the Pacific can't be risked.

est Now that the damaged Shokaku and Zuiho are out of range of the USN CVs, Zuikaku turns back towards the USN CVs. Yamamoto: "The Guadalcanal Support Force will pursue and engage the enemy."

Junyo launches a 2nd strike. She uses what's left of her own planes and some from Zui/Sho. 9 Kates, 5 Zeros
Zuikaku sends another strike of 13 planes. (not sure what these planes did.)
est The 1st strike planes return to Junyo. They say Enterprise looked in pretty good shape - another strike is needed. Operations officer asks Shiga if they could return to Junyo at night. Shiga says it doesn't matter. He asks that Junyo active her homing signal. Warns that if she doesn't he'll come back anyway and be real mad! Shiga talks to Shunko Kato - who had just done his first combat mission. Kato was the only Val pilot of that attack to survive. Shiga tells Kato they'll be going out on another attack. Kato turns white.

An incoming strike is picked up by USN radar. Hornet asks Ent. for air cover. Ent. is still a mess. Has not been able to refuel/rearm *any* F4Fs. Hornet will have to do without CAP. The incoming strike is after the "crippled" Enterprise. They find Hornet (the same model ship) and think it's Enterprise.

[kham]

est A burial-at-sea aboard Hornet is interrupted by an air raid alarm. Wounded and non-essential personnel are now off Hornet. 6 Kates attack Hornet. Torpedo hits Hornet! Right side, in the middle. (Hornet) Capt. Mason orders *Prepare* to abandon ship. Some misunderstand and jump. 5 Vals from Junyo attack Hornet. AA gets none, Vals just 1 near-miss. (this is the 2nd strike that Shiga was escorting with the white-faced Kato) They were looking for Enterprise and couldn't find her. (Hornet) AA gunners told to leave guns - prepare to abandon ship.

[kham]

6 Kates, armed with 250kg bombs attack Hornet.
Hornet) Capt. Mason: "Abandon Ship"
(Hornet) Lt. Dodson goes back to the bridge to get his rare coin collection. When he gets there he wonders how he'll swim with all those coins weighing him down. He leaves them.
Capt. Mason is the last man to leave Hornet.
4 Vals attack Hornet. Exhausted after a 2nd long flight, the pilots only get 1 hit. A fire burns 15 minutes and then goes out.
Shiga leads the Vals and Zeros back in the direction of Junyo. It's dark. Will there be a homing signal? A homing signal! Shiga survives.

IJN surface warships are just 60 miles from Hornet. Their float planes fly over Hornet at sunset and report. They tell Adm. Abe that most of the USN TF is gone.
DD Mustin fires 8 torps at Hornet from a mile away. 2 fizzle out 3 are duds, 3 explode. Hornet absorbs the damage. Yamamoto tells Abe to go in and destroy the enemy. He expects to find major USN warships there rescuing survivors. DD Anderson fires 8 torps at Hornet. 1 fizzles, 1 blows up early, 6 hit and explode. Hornet: "Is that all ya got?" The rest of the TF retire to Noumea. DDs Mustin and Anderson stay behind to sink Hornet with gunfire. Many 5" shells set Hornet on fire. After firing over 350 rounds of 5", DDs Mustin and Anderson let the IJN take over the job of sinking Hornet and leave.
Adm. Abe's force arrive at Hornet. His staff work on a plan to tow her (Hornet is glowing red!) Adm. Kondo orders that Hornet be sunk. IJN learned the lessons from Midway better than the USN!
After near simultaneous sightings of opposing CVs, IJN launched TWO large strikes to the USN's one. First strike hit Hornet, 2nd Ent. Shokaku took 3-6 1,000 bomb hits. At Midway, that would have been fatal. IJN has caught up with USN on damage control - Shokaku able to sail away from the battle at high speed (Shokaku is out of action 9 months) The small CV Junyo was able to launch 3 strikes

IJA realizes their October offensive has been crushed. They decide another division, with all it's heavy weapons, will work (no more attacks without support!) The 38th divsion will go in carried by 12 of the IJA's fast transports. (the first draft of the plan has the 38th landing at Koli point) To attack H. from the E while the rest of 17th army, already W. of Matanikau, attacks from the W.

est Hypo still can't deliver *timely* JN25 decrypts.

[kham]

est DD Makigumo and Akigumo each shoot 2 long lance torps at Hornet. All 4 hit and explode.
Hornet sinks. Oct 27 Brit newsreel on loss of Hornet.(picture from Dec 1940)
Newsreel Pathe
(Santa Cruz Wrap Up later today.)
A Black Cat PBY *just misses* Zuikaku with a torpedo! Another Black Cat near misses DD Teruzuki (escorting Zuiho to Truk) Some hull damage - 7 dead

[kham]

Yamamoto is nagging Nagumo to hurry up and destroy the rest of the US fleet. Nagumo "looks" for them.

est Heading back to Noumea, the TF with Enterprise has a submarine alert! BB. S. Dakota and DD Mahan collide while taking evasive action. Mahan catches fire but survives. S. Dakota gets repaired in Noumea - except for that turret damaged yesterday. In case you haven't noticed yet, S. Dakota is not only a bad luck ship, it's dangerous to be in the same area as her. This will continue...
There might not have been a submarine there... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (** I was going to make a comment but the author beat me to it This will become even more apparent in the next few weeks culminating in near-epic failure..)

About 300 miles S. of 'canal, sub I-21 gets a shot at BB Washington! 6 torps fired... no hits! 1 explodes in the BBs wake so Cdr Matsumura thinks he has a hit. 3 torps jam in I-21's tubes and couldn't be fired. If I-21 was here it's unlikely that she was 100s of miles N. sinking DD Preston 19 hours earlier.

Widhelm and Stokely still bobbing along in their life raft.

[kham]

Nagumo gives up the chase and returns to Truk. Oct 25 - Nagumo has 242 Carrier Aircraft Oct 27 - 84....

Halsey tells Adm. Scott to take CLAA Atlanta, DDx4 and do a daylight bombardment of IJA postions W. of H. on Oct 28 and 29.
Halsey asks MacArthur for Maximum Effort bombing against J. shipping around Bougainville - where J. build up before going to 'canal.

est Despite the victory at Santa Cruz, Yamamoto doesn't think IJA can take 'canal since the Americans reinforced it so much. In this situation, it's still possible to beat the Americans but J. would have to blockade, lay siege to H. and beat them slowly. IJN will not expose their ships to the dangers of a long blockade.

Hyakutake's chief of staff is worried the US will exploit the disaster at Bloody Ridge, counter-attack, and drive the J. off the island.

Santa Cruz Wrap up follows.
(Ref AC numbers and losses. Every source has different numbers but agree on the big picture. Following quotes won't matching numbers!)
Japan won this battle - then did nothing to exploit their advantage.
One writer thinks Nagumo choked. (forgot who)
Lack of cooperation between IJA and IJN led to two *separate* battles at almost the same time.
USN noticing a drop in the quality of IJN pilots. It will take the IJN many months to replace the planes and air crew lost in this battle. (**I differ here, as do most --try NEVER. Their methods ensure they will never, ever be able to replace these catastrophic losses here)
A true pyrrhic victory.
DECISIVE BATTLE!!! (**when your entire premise for winning a war, is based on ONE SINGLE CONCEPT, that must ,must, MUST!!! happen....you are not a brilliant strategist. Or even a gifted one. You are a fucking imbecilic moron. To engage in war against an opponent who possesses 7 TIMES YOUR ECONOMIC POWER, and is still recovering from a depression is insane. To inflame them and commit every single barbarity known against them?? You are all going to die, messily...)

[kham]

IJN vs USN - Anti-Aircraft part 1
IJN vs USN - Anti-Aircraft part 2

est H. bombers and P-400s hit ammo dump at Kokumbona, an AA battery and bomb 150mm howitzer positions. Pistol Pete quiets down for awhile.