how does admiral spruance explain the us victory at midway quizlethow does admiral spruance explain the us victory at midway quizlet

The battle commenced on the morning of June4; the first several waves of U.S. attack aircraft were badly beaten, both near Midway and at sea around the Japanese task force. It is still the largest warship built to date and survived the battle undamaged as it never came near the battlefield despite Yamamoto's protests. It faced a Japanese invasion fleet organized into two groups: the air-attack task force of four carriers with support ships under command of Admiral Chichi Nagumo, and the surface and occupation forces under Admiral Nobutake Kond and others. 6 (June 1955): 658-659. Spruance's achievements were acknowledged by the unique distinction of a special act of Congress awarding him Admiral's full pay for life. His next assignment was command of the destroyer Aaron Ward, and then USS Perceval. The Japanese planned to outwit the U.S. forces at Midway. Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 - December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. Maintaining a position offshore, the Fifth Fleet's ships were subjected to relentless kamikaze attacks by Japanese aircraft. During the attacks, the Japanese lost twelve warships, thirty-two merchant ships, and 249 aircraft. All four of Japans aircraft carriers were sunk, devastating Japans ambitions in the Pacific. Calm, collected, decisive, yet receptive to advice; keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. After his flagship, the IJN Hiryu, was fatally damaged, he and the Hiryu's captain Tomeo Kaku locked themselves in the bridge and went down with their ship. But they expected it to come at the obvious and exposed outer fringe, and when we struck at the heart of the archipelago with a huge fleet that had approached undetected, we enjoyed complete tactical surprise. [21] Buell quotes Spruance speaking with Morison: As a matter of tactics I think that going out after the Japanese and knocking their carriers out would have been much better and more satisfactory than waiting for them to attack us, but we were at the start of a very important and large amphibious operation and we could not afford to gamble and place it in jeopardy. Japanese Admiral in command of the second division of the carrier strike force based on Aircraft Carrier IJN Hiryu. Spruance, Raymond A. Spruance expressed his personal feelings on this matter as follows: So far as my getting five star rank is concerned, if I could have got it along with Bill Halsey, that would have been fine; but, if I had received it instead of Bill Halsey, I would have been very unhappy over it. On April 22, Task Force 58s guns and planes supported the U.S. invasion of Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea and Aitape in Australian New Guinea. Just before the planned invasion of Midway island in June 1942, Halsey suddenly became ill with shingles. During the operation, the Fifth Fleet burned up 630 million gallons of fuelmore than the entire Pacific Fleet used in 1943. World War II: Fleet Admiral William Halsey Jr. World War II Pacific: The Japanese Advance Stopped, M.S., Information and Library Science, Drexel University, B.A., History and Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. The US intelligence services could predict the way the Japanese carriers and planes would be approaching the battle. After another three-year tour at the Naval War College, Spruance was again ordered to sea aboard Mississippi. But their elation was short-lived, for too many Japanese fighters had descended to deal with the torpedo bombers, leaving a window of opportunity for any American dive bombers that arrived. The recipient of the letter below was his longtime friend and former chief-of-staff Captain Charles "Carl" J. Moore. [Admiral Spruance wrote this foreward for Mitsuo Fuchida's book, Midway, The Battle That Doomed Japan; The Japanese Navy's . Hickman, Kennedy. Besides, the Japanese only had 35 serviceable planes left, rendering her carriers toothless. 108 planes under Juichi Tomanaga bomb and strafe Midway. The defenders fought fiercely but were unable to inflict any damage on the U.S. vessels. Admiral William L. Calhoun saw him as a cold-blooded fighting fool. The following year, they made me executive officer of the transport Agamemnon, bringing troops home from France. The young, ambitious officer was then assigned to Bainbridge, U.S. destroyer No. Yet the decision is hailed by the series's narrator as instrumental in sealing the American victory. The victory at Midway, meanwhile, was a tonic for American morale, which had not yet recovered from the disastrous December 7, 1941, raid on Pearl Harbor. He was then 55. Japanese escort carrier that was mainly responsible for launching scouts attached to Combined Fleet main body. Naval Academy in 1906 and received further education in electrical engineering a few years later. For the main Midway assault, the Japanese force consisted of the main battle fleet under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, composed of three battleships, a light carrier and a destroyer screen; Admiral Chuichi Nagumos combined fleet of two battleships, two heavy cruisers, destroyers and four fleet carriers carrying more than 250 aircraft; and an invasion task force led by Admiral Nobutake Kondo, consisting of a dozen transport ships carrying 5,000 troops, closely supported by four heavy cruisers, two battleships and a light carrier; and a three-cordon submarine force intended to neutralize U.S. countermoves. He was modest and candid about himself. Meanwhile, Task Force 58 was busy in the forefront of clearing the Japanese from the 600-mile-long Marianas chain. At Midway, Spruance's force inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Navy its worst setback in 350 years. In the fighting, the Japanese lost three carriers and around 600 aircraft. By then 43 years old, Commander Spruance went to sea againaboard the battleship Mississippi from 1929 to 1931. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Admiral Spruance could have been right. Spruance himself directed a task group of battleships, cruisers and destroyers that left the main body to go after Japanese ships that were fleeing Truk, sinking the light cruiser Katori and destroyer Maikaze. From there, he went on to graduate from the U.S. Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command. Moving forward in mid-1944, Spruance embarked on a campaign in the Marianas Islands. But his service was not yet finished. For exceptionally meritorious service During the Midway engagement which resulted in the defeat of and heavy losses to the enemy fleet, his seamanship, endurance, and tenacity in handling his task force were of the highest quality., (Citation on Rear Admiral Spruances Navy Distinguished Service Medal, awarded for his conduct at the Battle of Midway). Born on 3 July 1886, Spruance graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. No matter what other people tell you, your decision was correct". Raymond Ames Spruance as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee - 1945 On June 14, while Mitscher led a diversionary attack on the Bonin Islands 800 miles to the north, U.S. Marines and infantrymen stormed ashore. Besides his family, he loved the companionship of his pet schnauzer, Peter. He held that post until the following February, when he was ordered back to the Naval War College at Newportthis time as president. He was a diligent, neat and gentle boy. Admiral Yamamoto commanded the combined invasion fleet from aboard his flagship Yamato. On April 28, the last day of the invasion, Spruances command was redesignated as the Fifth Fleet. He began attendance at the Naval War College in 1926, and graduated in 1927. During this period, Spruance served aboard USS Minnesota (BB-22) during the cruise of the Great White Fleet. Four days after the invasion, all immediate objectives had been taken, and by February 8, 1944, all organized resistance had ceased. This article was written by Michael D. Hull and originally appeared in the May 1998 issue of World War II magazine. His air group is credited with the sinking of 4 Japanese aircraft carriers during Midway. Spruance directed Operation Hailstone against the Japanese naval base Truk in February 1944 in which twelve Japanese warships, thirty-two merchant ships and 249 aircraft were destroyed. The combined American force consisted of three carriers, eight cruisers, 15 destroyers, 12 submarines and 353 aircraft, ranged against a grand total of 200 Japanese vessels and 700 planes. 1155 (August 1946): 144-157. Spruances naval guns started their bombardment two days later. And, off Okinawa, Spruance never faltered in face of the destruction wrought by the kamikazes. The Japanese were trying to tow Soryu to safety when she was torpedoed and sunk by the U.S. submarine Nautilus. >On March 29, 1944, Admiral Spruance took tactical command of a three-pronged assault against the Palau Islands, 550 miles east of the Philippines, and against Yap Island and Ulithi Atoll in the western Carolines. By shortly after 9 a.m., planes from Yorktown were also on their way. In July 1941, his responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of the Caribbean Sea Frontier. Captain George C. Dyer of the light cruiser Astoria, who served under both Spruance and Halsey, summed up the view of many ship captains: My feeling was one of confidence when Spruance was there. [22] Spruance later chose the battleship USSNew Jersey as his flagship, as the huge Iowa-class battleship had both room for his staff and the speed to keep up with the fast carrier task forces. Admiral Spruance commanded with deadly precision, reported an observer. Admiral Nimitz praised Spruance for a remarkable job. On August 1, 1941, he finished his tour in Puerto Rico. On February 26, 1940, Spruance reported as commandant of the 10th Naval District with headquarters at Naval Station Isla Grande in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Spruance was a dedicated sailorthorough in his absorption of all aspects of training and techniques. transmitted as a message) to Rear Admirals Frank Jack Fletcher and Raymond Spruance on the eve of the battle of Midway To quote a U S Navy website, "Nimitz clearly . In June 1931, Spruance returned to Newport, RI to serve on the staff of the Naval War College. Kwajalein was in American hands, but the rest of the Marshalls groupabout 30 islands and more than 800 reefs scattered over hundreds of miles of oceanremained to be dealt with. That is how the US navy could inflict great damage to the Japanese fleet and aircraft. Spruance is depicted as the controversial victor of Midway by G. D. Spradlin in the 1988 TV miniseries War and Remembrance. On 6 December 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese bombers and America was swept into World War Two. Admiral Spruance no.__!t to seek and destroy the Imperial Japanese Navy in a "decisive battle." Rather, Spruance chose to place highest priority on covering and defending the United States (U.S.) amphibious forces that were in the initial phase of the invasion of Salpan. Armed with this information, Fletcher ordered Spruance to launch a strike at the Japanese with Enterprise and Hornet while holding Yorktown in reserve in case the other Japanese carriers were discovered. Two years later, Spruance again received orders for the Naval War College and taught on the staff until April 1938. He managed to gain an appointment from Indiana to the U.S. The Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis has a meeting room named for Spruance as well as displays honoring his career and that of the USS Indianapolis. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser, How does Admiral Spruance explain the U.S. victory, The Brown case began what trend in American Raised in Indianapolis, IN, he attended school locally and graduated from Shortridge High School. The Iwo Jima and Okinawa actions lasted from January to May 1945, and in August the Japanese surrendered. Before the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7-8 May 1942, the Imperial Navy of Japan had swept aside all of its enemies from the Pacific and Indian oceans. [7], He commanded the Percival during the sea trials off the California coast and during the patrol cruises with the Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet until May 1922, when he was ordered to Washington, D.C., for duty in the Bureau of Engineering under Rear Admiral John K. Robison. He never did things the same way twice. He's one of the finest officers I know of. His work would bring him a gold star in lieu of a second Distinguished Service Medal. D. The Pope lived in Constantinople. The following year, the new admiral was ordered to the Pacific. At the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese won a tactical victory, but suffered an operational-level defeat: it did not invade Port . About us| The Turning Point in the Pacific. They were hurled back decisively, and the losses353 enemy planes downed, 21 U.S. aircraft lostamazed the Americans. He was fond of symphonic music, and his tastes were generally simple. [citation needed]. At the end of the Second World War Congress created a limited number of five-star ranks for the Army and the Navy, designated General of the Army and Fleet Admiral. I am lazy, and I never have done things myself that I could get someone to do for me. The carriers were on station on June 2, and the following day Japanese transport ships were spotted 600 miles west of Midway Island. On February 19, American forces landed and opened the Battle of Iwo Jima. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-raymond-spruance-2360511. United States airbase targeted by the Japanese in preparation to invade Hawaii. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison believed he was one of the greatest fighting and thinking admirals in American naval history. Most common sailors were proud to serve under Halsey; most higher-ranking officers preferred to serve under Spruance. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. This was said to be the first time that a four-star admiral took part in a sea action aboard one of the ships engaged. The attack fails to destroy any airfields or major targets. In the course of a two-hour interview, he stood or walked about all the timenot restlessly, but slowly and deliberately. After Midway, although the Japanese still held a temporary advantage in vessels and planes, the U.S. Navy and the nation gained confidence and, most critically, time. It was a cool, clear day. When you moved into Admiral Spruance's command, the printed instructions were up to date, and you did things in accordance with them.[19]. Shortly after the Midway battle, Spruance became chief of staff to Admiral Nimitz, and in September 1942 was appointed as Deputy Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance displayed outstanding leadership and command capabilities during the battle that turned the tide in the Pacific. Before Midway, a small and fractional U.S. Navy faced an overwhelmingly larger and battle-hardened Japanese Combined Fleet. [14][15] For his actions at the battle of Midway Rear Admiral Spruance was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and cited as follows: "For exceptionally meritorious service as Task Force Commander, United States Pacific Fleet. Japanese submarine I-168 torpedoes and torpedoes a damaged US aircraft carrier and its escorting destroyer. From the remaining enemy carrier, Hiryu, Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi launched bombers and torpedo planes against Yorktown. And with this battle the American forces gained, and afterwards continued to gain, hard combat experience; so the Japanese lost that crucial advantage as well. Spruance graduated from the U.S. He graduated from the U.S. Japanese naval force tasked with the invasion of the Aleutian Islands under Vice Admiral Kakuta with aircraft carriers Junyo and Ryuho. "Well, pick it up and put it back," was Spruance's measured response.[8]. He commanded U.S. naval forces during one of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: the Battle of the Philippine Sea. His chance would come. Bombs destroyed the bridge of Kaga and set her ablaze from stem to stern. Yamato class battleship that served as the Japanese Combined Fleet's Flagship, housing Admiral Yamamoto. I can thank heredity for a sound constitution, and myself for taking care of that constitution." After these victories, Spruance went back to Pearl Harbour to assist with planning Japans invasion. Midway Island sent a false message stating that its water distillation plant had been damaged and that the base needed fresh water. The score was 402 Japanese planes and six ships, with a loss of 122 planes from Mitschers flattops. This was followed by an assault on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands on January 31, 1944. . Arriving back in the United States, he underwent additional training in electrical engineering at General Electric before being posted to USS Connecticut (BB-18) in May 1910. No detail was too small to bring these American prisoners home. He loved to show them to visitors. The first Japanese airstrike was followed by another. After six furious minutes, the three carriers were left burning. Locating the Japanese carriers as they were rearming and refueling their aircraft, American bombers inflicted massive damage and sank three. His new duties involved planning rather than operations, and Spruance chafed for more action. Ambassador to the Philippines in 1952-55. catalogued as someone to watch; there was never any possibility that he would be passed over in the lists for promotion. In October 1946 he was awarded the Armys Distinguished Service Medal for his exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services during the capture of the Marshall and Mariana islands. However, his actions were both praised and understood by the main persons ordering and directly involved in the battle. The struggle by the U.S. Marine 2nd Division for Betio Islet on Tarawa Atoll was the bloodiest single action in the Corps long history. U.S. destroyer no finest officers I know of following February, when he was of. His air group is credited with the sinking of 4 Japanese aircraft of Kaga and set ablaze! Part in a sea action aboard one of the transport Agamemnon, bringing troops home from France of Japans carriers! The History Channel as a featured expert actions lasted from January to 1945. 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