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6-17-44
Philliphines.
6-18-44 Air Attack of Rotta + Guam 20-shot down 0400
6-19-44 G.Q. all night. Jap
force 180 miles away. Many air attacks. 200 planes shot
down.
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She Joined TF 58 for the Battle of the Philippine Sea (19-20 June).
On 19 June the Task Force was subject to heavy raids.
From the log of the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17): "On 19 June 1944, during the opening phases of the battle, Bunker Hill was damaged when an enemy near miss scattered shrapnel fragments across the ship. Two men were killed and over 80 were wounded Bunker Hill continued to do battle and her planes aided in sinking one Japanese carrier and destroying a part of the 476 Japanese aircraft that were downed."
On June 19th the Japs made their all-out attack attempt on our outfit, but our fighters intercepted them before they could get in to us and had their famous "Turkey Shoot", destroying nearly every enemy plane in the air. A few of them snuck in however, but our combined AA batteries were ready and we saw many a "Zoke", "Oscar" and "Val" flame into the stream. The BOYD did some fancy shooting on its own that night and although we didn't get any "sures", we loused up several torpedo runs and gave them a pretty bad time. Later that night we were attracted by a flashing light off our beam and fished one of our pilots out of the sea who had been forced down and adrift for 8 hours. The next day,...
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The United States Navy
A Brief History of U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Part IIc - The War Years (1944-1945)
Jun. 19, 1944 - The Battle of the Philippine Sea began when USS Hornet (CV 12) launched strikes to destroy as many land-based Japanese planes on Saipan as possible before the carrier-based Japanese aircraft came in. The Japanese approached the American carriers in four massive waves. But fighter aircraft from Hornet and other carriers broke up all the attacks before the Japanese reached the task force. Nearly every Japanese aircraft was shot down in became commonly known as "The Marianas Turkey Shoot." Only 35 operational aircraft remained out of the 430 planes with which Japanese Adm. Ozawa had commenced the Battle of the Philippine Sea. U.S. air strikes also sank the Japanese carrier Hiji and so damaged two tankers that they were abandoned and scuttled.
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NAVY & MARINE CORPS WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE COMMITTEE
A service of Navy Chief of Information Office
(703)695-3161/DSN 225-3161
Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19-20, 1944)
Forces involved in the Battle of the Philippine Sea were three to four times the number engaged at Midway. Eight hours of action in the air demonstrated the skill and courage of American carrier-based pilots. The heart of the battle was "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot," in which 370 Japanese planes went down. Japanese losses, including aircraft destroyed on the ground, numbered over 400 planes; U.S. losses amounted to 26 planes. The U.S. victory was so decisive that the Japanese never again took the offensive in the air, except through kamikaze, or suicide, missions.
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06/19 Mon. Battle of the Philippine Sea (19-20 June) opens as Japanese carrier-based aircraft attack Fifth Fleet (Adm. R. A. Spruance) covering Saipan operation. Two United States battleships, two carriers, and a heavy cruiser are damaged. Japanese lose over 300 aircraft, and two aircraft carriers are sunk by United States submarines. United States naval vessels damaged: Battleship SOUTH DAKOTA (BB-57), by dive bomber, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 14 d. 10' N., 143 d. 15' E. Battleship INDIANA (BB-58), by suicide plane, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 14 d. 04' N., 143 d. 23' E. Carrier BUNKER HILL (CV-17), by dive bomber, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 14 d. 46' N., 143 d. 02' E. Carrier WASP (CV-18), by dive bomber, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 14 d. 19' N., 143 d. 48' E. Heavy cruiser MINNEAPOLIS (CA-36), by horizontal bomber, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 14 d. 11' N., 143 d. 09' E. Destroyer HUDSON (DD-475), accidentally by United States naval gunfire, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 14 d. 11' N., 143 d. 09' E. Motor minesweeper YMS-323, by coastal defense gun, Saipan, Marianas Islands, 15 d. 10' N., 145 d. 58' E. Japanese naval vessels sunk: Carrier SHOKAKU, by submarine CAVALLA (SS-244), Battle of the Philippine Sea, 11 d. 50' N., 137 d. 57' E. Carrier TAIHO, by submarine ALBACORE (SS-218), Battle of the Philippine Sea, 12 d. 22' N., 137 d. 04' E. I-184, by aircraft (vt-60) from escort carrier SUWANNEE (CVE-27), Central Pacific area, 13 d. 01' N., 149 d. 53' E.
JAPANESE LOSE 300 PLANES IN SAIPAN BATTLE, BIGGEST SINCE MIDWAY; ISLAND AIRFIELD TAKEN
FLEET IS ATTACKED
The New York Times, Tuesday, June 20, 1944
By GEORGE F. HORNE
By Telephone to THE NEW YORK TIMES.
Our Carrier Task Force Beats Off Swarms of Japanese for Hours
ONE U. S. SHIP IS HIT
But Damage Is Minor--We Cut Enemy Forces in Two on Saipan
PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUARTERS, Pearl Harbor, June 19--The greatest air-sea battle since Midway was fought off the Marianas yesterday, when the American carrier task force supporting the ground attack on Saipan shot down more than 300 out of swarms of Japanese planes, a number of which apparently came from Japanese carriers.
American fliers and ship gunners so successfully fought off the severe attack, lasting for hours, that, according to present information, only one of our ships was damaged, and this damage was minor. Our plane losses were not yet determined.
Meanwhile, on Saipan American marines and Army troops captured the Aslito airdome, 1,465 miles from Tokyo and 1,470 from Davso in the Phillippines, and Seabees are already putting the airfield's excellent 3,600-foot strips in condition.
Garrison Cut In Two
Coupled with this, our ground forces have cut off a number of enemy troops by fighting across the island to Magicienne Bay. We hold the wester shore of the bay now and are gradually moving up the island although the enemy continues to counter-attack fiercely.
There is no indication that we have found the Japanese carriers that sent planes in support of embattled Saipan and there is no information here on the strength of their force.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's communique does not state that the enemy planes came from carriers but that "it is believed a portion of the enemy planes were carrier based and used near-by shore bases as shuttle points."
Somewhere north or west of Saipan the enemy carrier force may have come within range of land and sent off the planes to land staging points.
"However," the communique said, "the effectiveness of this procedure was sharply limited by our systematic bombing and strafing of the airfields at Guam and Rota."
It is altogether possible for the enemy to stage planes from the Philippines via Palau and Yap or from Truk to the southeast. It is 516 nautical miles from Davao to Palau, 830 from Palau to Saipan. From Truk to Guam it is 559 and another 111 to Saipan. It is 474 miles from Woleai to Saipan.
Ninth Day in the Marianas
All the bases have air facilities but they are being closely watched by our forces and are kept busy with bombings and strafings.
For some gun crews the battle with the Japanese planes was the first major action in which they had participated and it was something for which they had been intensively trained.
Yesterday was the ninth day of action in the Marianas. It began on June 10 when our carrier forces opened a two-day assault on Saipan and other Marianas Islands, followed by surface craft bombardment and the landing of troops on June 14.
The Seabees were working feverishly on the Aslito airfield. This is work to which they are accustomed and it should not take long. Our own airfield on Saipan will make it possible to give closer support to ground troops and keep watch over other enemy islands.
We now hold between one-fourth and one-third of Saipan with the exception of enemy pockets.
There are two pockets of enemy
Continued on Page 10
end of copy, please contact downbythesea@snet.net if you have page ten.
War News Summarized
The New York Times, Tuesday, June 20, 1944
More than 300 Japanese planes were shot down in a furious battle off the Marianas when the enemy attacked the Pacific Fleet task force covering the landings on Saipan. It was the biggest carrier engagement since the Battle of Midway. Our air losses had not been tabulated when Admiral Nimitz announced the fight, but only one of our ships was hit and damage was minor.
American soldiers and marines on Saipan captured the Aslito airstrip, and Seabees immediately set to work to repair it. The drive carried to Magicienne Bay, the west shore of which is in our possession. A large body of enemy troops was cut off and nearly one-third of the island had been captured.
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6-20-44 Picked up pilot of LEX - 14 hours in water. 1530 Jap force sighted by planes 200 miles from us. Planes attack. Formation shot down a few Japs. Our planes still returning at 0000 formation lit up like a Christmas tree. We lost many pilots.
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Shortly after midnight 19 June a small flashing light was seen. On investigating it turned out to be in the hand of Lieutenant (jg) W. C. Birkholm a fighter pilot from LEXINGTON who had been adrift in a liferaft for about 8 hours. Later that day planes began the assault on an enemy Task Force in the 1st Battle of the Philippine Sea. The night of 20 June Boyd and CHARRETTE were, while planes were returning from attack, stationed 45 miles ahead of Task Force 58 in the direction of enemy acting as pickets for directing our planes, many of which were low on fuel, back to carriers.
From the log of the USS CHARRETTE (DD-581): "On the night of 20 June, she participated in the memorable night recovery of the last strikes, flashing beacon lights and rescuing aviators forced to ditch by lack of gasoline."
From the log of the USS Lexington (CV-16): "A surprise fighter strike on Saipan 11 June virtually eliminated all air opposition over the island, then battered from the air for the next 5 days. On 16 June Lexington fought off a fierce attack by Japanese torpedo planes based on Guam, once again to emerge unhurt, but sunk a third time by propaganda pronouncements. As Japanese opposition to the Mariannas operation provoked the Battle of the Philippine Sea 19 and 20 June, Lexington played a major role in TF 58's great victory. With over 300 enemy aircraft destroyed the first day, and a carrier, a tanker, and a destroyer sunk the second day, American aviators virtually knocked Japanese naval aviation out of the war; for with the planes went the trained and experienced pilots without whom Japan could not continue air warfare at sea."
Our planes went out after the enemy Task Force in their epic flight that was to be known as the First Battle of the Philippine Sea. That night, when it was learned most of our victorious planes were coming back on a prayer, and a practically empty gas tank, we were sent out a considerable distance from the Carriers to act as directional ship and guide for our returning aircraft. Behind us we could see dozens of powerful searchlights rip aside the dark, beckoning our airmen home. It was a thrilling sight, and it was great to know, too, that none of those guys were expendable. Here we were in Japanese waters, leaving ourselves plenty wide open, but there were lives to be saved. Many of our planes made water landings but nearly all their personnel were recovered and we spent the next 24 hours combing the area for the rest.
06/20 Tue. Battle of the Philippine Sea (19-20 June) continues. Aircraft from Fifth Fleet carrier task force (Vice Adm. M. A. Mitscher) strike Japanese fleet. One enemy carrier is sunk. In the 2-day Battle of the Philippine Sea the engaged Japanese Fleet loses 395 (92%) of its carrier planes, and 31 (72%) of its float planes. Only 35 carrier planes and 12 float planes remain operational. Besides the losses afloat, an estimated 50 land-based Japanese aircraft from Guam are destroyed. The United States Fleet loss is 130 planes and a total of 76 pilots and crewmen for the 2 days. [After the Battle of the Philippine Sea the Japanese high command thoroughly understood that the war was lost. Adm. R. A. Spruance and Vice Adm. M. A. Mitscher won a great victory.] Submarine NARWHAL (SS-167) and NAUTILUS (SS-168) land supplies and evacuate certain personnel from Negros and Panay, P. I. United States naval vessel damaged: Destroyer PHELPS (DD-360), by coastal defense gun, Marianas Islands area, 15 d. 10' N., 145 d. 58' E. Japanese naval vessel sunk: Carrier HIYO, by carrier-based aircraft, Battle of the Philippine Sea.
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