Battle of the Coral Sea order of battle
The Battle of the Coral Sea, a major engagement of the Pacific Theatre of World War II, was fought 4–8 May 1942 in the waters east of New Guinea and south of the Bismarck Islands between elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States (U.S.) and Australia.
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To extend their empire in the Pacific to the conquest of Australia, the Japanese first had to capture the naval and air center of Port Moresby on the southeast coast of New Guinea. In order to extend the reach of their air searches for Allied naval forces, they resolved to simultaneously establish a seaplane base at Tulagi in the lower Solomon Islands. The U.S. learned of the Japanese plan, known as Operation Mo, through signals intelligence and sent two United States Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force to oppose the Japanese offensive.
The result was a strategic defeat for the Japanese, since their principal goal of landing troops at Port Moresby was thwarted, but a tactical defeat for the Allies, who suffered more significant ship losses.
Because the Japanese assumed the tactical initiative, their forces are listed first.
Forces deployed
Losses in parentheses
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![]() An explosion on the US Navy aircraft carrier Lexington, damaged by a Japanese carrier air attack on 8 May, blows an aircraft off the deck into the sea.
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Japanese Forces
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Task Force MO
Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue, Commander, Fourth Fleet in light cruiser Kashima anchored at Rabaul[1]
Carrier Striking Force
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Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi in heavy cruise Myōkō[2]
- Carrier Division 5 (Rear Adm. Chūichi Hara, Officer in Tactical Command in Zuikaku)[1]
- 2 fleet carriers
- Shōkaku (Capt. Takaji Jōjima)[3]
- Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Kakuichi Takahashi)[lower-alpha 1][4]
- 21 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Takumi Hoashi)[lower-alpha 2][5]
- 20 Aichi D3A Type 99 "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Masao Yamaguchi)[5]
- 19 Nakajima B5N Type 97 "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Tatsuo Ichihara)[4]
- Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Kakuichi Takahashi)[lower-alpha 1][4]
- Zuikaku (Capt. Ichihei Yokogawa)[6]
- Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Shigekazu Shimazaki)[lower-alpha 3][4]
- 25 Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters (Lt. Kiyokuma Okajima)[lower-alpha 4][4]
- 22 Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers (Lt. Tamotsu Ema)[4]
- 20 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Yoshiaki Tsubota)[4]
- Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Shigekazu Shimazaki)[lower-alpha 3][4]
- Shōkaku (Capt. Takaji Jōjima)[3]
- 2 fleet carriers
- Cruiser Division 5 (Vice Adm. Takagi in Myōkō)
- 2 heavy cruisers
- Destroyer Division 5
- 2 destroyers
- Destroyer Division 7
- 4 destroyers
- All Hatsuharu / Shiratsuyu-class: Ariake, Yūgure, Shiratsuyu, Shigure[lower-alpha 7][9]
- 1 oiler: Tōhō Maru[2]
- 4 destroyers
Invasion Forces
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Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō in heavy cruiser Aoba
- Tulagi Invasion Group
- Rear Admiral Kiyohide Shima in minelayer Okinoshima[10]
- 1 transport: Azumasan Maru[10]
- Embarking 400 troops from the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) plus a construction detachment from the 7th Establishment Squad.[11]
- 2 minelayers: Okinoshima,[lower-alpha 8][12] Kōei Maru
- 2 destroyers: Kikuzuki (sunk by air attack 5 May), Yūzuki[lower-alpha 9][13]
- 5 minesweepers: Wa #1 (sunk), Wa #2 (sunk), Hagoromo Maru, Noshiro Maru #2, Tama Maru (sunk)[lower-alpha 10][14]
- 2 subchasers: Toshi Maru #3, Tama Maru #8[lower-alpha 11][15]
- 1 transport: Azumasan Maru[10]
- Support Group/Close Cover Force
- Rear Admiral Kuninori Marumo in light cruiser Tenryū[16]
- Cruiser Division 18 (Rear Adm. Marumo)
- 2 light cruisers
- Both Tenryū-class: Tenryū, Tatsuta[17]
- 2 light cruisers
- 2 seaplane tenders[lower-alpha 12][18]
- Kamikawa Maru[19]
- Air group: 12 aircraft[20]
- Kiyokawa Maru
- Air group (attached)
- Kamikawa Maru[19]
- 3 gunboats: Keijo Maru, Seikai Maru, Nikkai Maru[lower-alpha 13][10]
- Cruiser Division 18 (Rear Adm. Marumo)
- Covering Group/Main Body Support Force
- Rear Admiral Gotō in heavy cruiser Aoba[lower-alpha 14][21]
- Cruiser Division 6 (Rear Adm. Gotō)
- 1 light carrier Shōhō (sunk by air attack 7 May)[21]
- Air Group (Lt. Kenjirō Nōtomi)[4]
- 8 Mitsubishi A6M Zero and 4 Mitsubishi A5M "Claude" fighters (Lt. Nōtomi)[4]
- 6 Nakajima B5N Type 97 "Kate" torpedo bombers (Lt. Michitarō Nakamoto)[4]
- Air Group (Lt. Kenjirō Nōtomi)[4]
- 1 destroyer: Sazanami[23]
- Port Moresby Invasion Group
- Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka in light cruiser Yūbari[lower-alpha 16][24]
- Transport Unit (Rear Adm. Kōsō Abe)
- 5 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) transports: Mogamigawa Maru, Chōwa Maru, Goyō Maru,[lower-alpha 17][25][lower-alpha 18][26] Akiba Maru, Shōka Maru.[27]
- Embarking approximately 500 troops from the 3rd Kure SNLF plus construction specialists from the 10th Establishment Squad[28]
- 6 Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) transports: Asakasan Maru, China Maru, Mito Maru, Matsue Maru,[29] Taifuku Maru, Hibi Maru[27]
- Embarking South Seas Detachment of approximately 5,000 troops[lower-alpha 19][30]
- 5 minesweepers: W-20 (Wa #20), Hagoromo Maru, Noshiro Maru #2, Fumi Maru #2, Seki Maru #3.[lower-alpha 20][31]
- 1 minelayer: Tsugaru (Capt. Inagaki Yoshiaki)[lower-alpha 21][32]
- 1 salvage tugboat: Woshima[33]
- 2 oilers: Hoyo Maru, Irō[lower-alpha 22] [34]
- 5 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) transports: Mogamigawa Maru, Chōwa Maru, Goyō Maru,[lower-alpha 17][25][lower-alpha 18][26] Akiba Maru, Shōka Maru.[27]
- Screen
- Transport Unit (Rear Adm. Kōsō Abe)
Submarine Force
Captain Noboru Ishizaki
Air Forces
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- 25th Air Flotilla[lower-alpha 27][40]
- Rear Admiral Sadayoshi Yamada
- 4th Air Group (based at Rabaul)
- 17 Mitsubishi G4M Type 1 "Betty" land attack bombers[41]
- Tainan Air Group (based at Lae and Rabaul)
- 18 Mitsubishi A6M Zero "Zeke"
- 6 Mitsubishi A5M "Claude" fighters (Capt. Masahisa Saitō)[42]
- Yokohama Air Group (based at Rabaul, Shortland Islands, and Tulagi)
- 12 Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" reconnaissance seaplanes
- 9 Nakajima A6M2-N "Rufe" seaplane fighters[lower-alpha 28][43]
- Genzan Air Group (based at Rabaul)
- 25 Mitsubishi G3M Type 96 "Nell" land attack bombers[lower-alpha 29][44]
- 4th Air Group (based at Rabaul)
Allied Forces
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Task Force 17
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Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher in Yorktown[45]
- Carrier Air Group (TG 17.5)
- Rear Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch, Officer in Tactical Command (OTC)[lower-alpha 30][45]
- 2 fleet carriers
- Yorktown (Capt. Elliott Buckmaster)[46]
- Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Oscar Pederson)[47]
- VF-42: 17 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Charles R. Fenton)[47]
- VB-5: 18 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Wallace C. Short)[47]
- VS-5: 17 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. William O. Burch, Jr.)[47]
- VT-5: 13 TBD Devastator torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Joe Taylor)[47]
- Air Group (Lt. Cmdr. Oscar Pederson)[47]
- Lexington (Capt. Frederick C. Sherman) (scuttled 8 May following severe damage from air attack)[46]
- Air Group (Cmdr. William B. Ault)[lower-alpha 31][47]
- VF-2: 21 F4F Wildcat fighters (Lt. Cmdr. Paul H. Ramsey)[47]
- VB-2: 18 SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Weldon L. Hamilton)[47]
- VS-2: 17 SBD Dauntless scout bombers (Lt. Cmdr. Robert E. Dixon)[47]
- VT-2: 12 TBD Devastator torpedo bombers (Lt. Cmdr. James H. Brett, Jr.)[47]
- Air Group (Cmdr. William B. Ault)[lower-alpha 31][47]
- Yorktown (Capt. Elliott Buckmaster)[46]
- 4 destroyers
- All Sims-class (4 × 5-in. main battery)[lower-alpha 32]
- 2 fleet carriers
- Attack Group (TG 17.2)
- Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid[45]
- 5 heavy cruisers
- 3 Astoria-class (9 × 8-in. main battery)
- New Orleans (Capt. Howard H. Good)
- Astoria (Capt. Francis W. Scanland)
- Minneapolis (Capt. Frank J. Lowry)[lower-alpha 33]
- 1 Portland-class (9 × 8-in. main battery)
- Portland (Capt. Benjamin Perlman)
- 1 Northampton-class (9 × 8-in. main battery)
- Chester (Capt. Thomas M. Shock)
- 3 Astoria-class (9 × 8-in. main battery)
- Screen (Capt. Alexander R. Early)
- 5 destroyers
- 1 Porter-class (8 × 5-in. main battery)
- Phelps (Lt. Cmdr. Edward L. Beck)
- 4 Farragut-class (5 × 5-in. main battery)
- 1 Porter-class (8 × 5-in. main battery)
- 5 destroyers
- 5 heavy cruisers
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- Support Group (TG 17.3)[lower-alpha 35]
- Rear Admiral John Gregory Crace, RAN[45]
- 2 heavy cruisers
- 1 Northampton-class (9 × 8-in. main battery): Chicago (Capt. Howard D. Bode)[lower-alpha 36]
- 1 County-class (8 × 8-in. main battery):
Australia (Capt. H. B. Farncomb, RAN)
- 1 light cruiser
- 1 Leander-class (8 × 6-in. main battery):
Hobart (Capt. H. L. Howden, RAN)[49]
- 1 Leander-class (8 × 6-in. main battery):
- 2 destroyers[lower-alpha 37][49]
- 1 Mahan-class (5 × 5-in.main battery): Perkins (Lt. Cmdr. Walter C. Ford)
- 1 Sims-class (4 × 5-in. main battery): Walke (Lt. Cmdr. Thomas E. Fraser)
- 2 heavy cruisers
- Fueling Group (TG 17.6)
- Captain John S. Phillips[45]
- 2 oilers
- Neosho (sunk by air attack 7 May), Tippecanoe[50]
- 2 destroyers
- Sims (sunk by air attack 7 May) (Lt. Cmdr. Willford M. Hyman†), Worden[50]
- 2 oilers
- Search Group (TG 17.9)
- Commander George H. DeBaun[45]
- 1 seaplane tender
- Tangier[lower-alpha 38][51]
- Patrol Squadron 71 (VP-71): 6 PBY-5 Catalinas
- Patrol Squadron 72 (VP-72): 6 PBY-5 Catalinas
- Tangier[lower-alpha 38][51]
- 1 seaplane tender
South West Pacific Area
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General Douglas MacArthur[52]
- Allied Naval Forces
- Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary[lower-alpha 39][52]
- Task Group 42.1 (Capt. Ralph Waldo Christie in submarine tender USS Griffin at Brisbane)[lower-alpha 40][53]
- Task Force 44 – temporarily assigned to Task Force 17, see Task Group 17.3 above
- Allied Air Forces
- Lieutenant General George Brett[54]
United States Army Air Forces
- 8th Pursuit Group: 26 P-39 Airacobra fighters at Archerfield, Brisbane[55]
- 35th Fighter Squadron at Port Moresby[56]
- 36th Fighter Squadron at Port Moresby[56]
- 49th Pursuit Group: 90 P-40 Tomahawk fighters at Darwin[57]
- 7th Fighter Squadron at Darwin[56]
- 8th Fighter Squadron at Darwin[56]
- 9th Fighter Squadron at Darwin[56]
- 3rd Light Bombardment Group[56]
- 8th Light Bombardment Squadron: A-24 Banshee dive bombers at Port Moresby[58]
- 13th Light Bombardment Squadron: B-25 Mitchell bombers[56]
- 90th Light Bombardment Squadron: B-25 Mitchell bombers[56]
- 19th Bombardment Group: 17 Boeing B-17 bombers at Townsville (Lt. Col. Connally (first name unknown))[59]
- 22nd Bombardment Group: 48 Martin B-26 Marauders[64]
- 8th Pursuit Group: 26 P-39 Airacobra fighters at Archerfield, Brisbane[55]
- Royal Australian Air Force[65]
- No. 11 Squadron: Consolidated PBY Catalinas[65]
- No. 20 Squadron: PBY Catalinas[65]
- No. 24 Squadron: 3 CAC Wirraways at Townsville
- No. 32 Squadron: Lockheed Hudsons at Port Moresby[66]
- No. 75 Squadron: 3 Curtiss P-40s at Port Moresby[65]
Port Moresby garrison
- Major General B. M. Morris
- Approximately 5,000 troops[67]
- 30th Infantry Brigade[68]
- 39th Infantry Battalion[lower-alpha 41][69]
- 49th Infantry Battalion[70]
- 53rd Infantry Battalion[71]
- 13th Field Regiment[72]
- 23rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery[lower-alpha 42][72]
- Detachment, 1st Independent Company[68]
- 30th Infantry Brigade Signal Section[68]
- 30th Infantry Brigade HQ Defence Platoon[68]
- Moresby Fixed Defences[68]
- 1st Army Troops Company[68]
- 7th Field Company[68]
- 1st Section, 1st Mechanical Equipment Company[68]
- 8th Military District Survey Section[68]
- 8th Military District Bomb Disposal Section[68]
- 8th Military District Signals[68]
- 8th Military District Defence and Employment Company[68]
- New Guinea Volunteer Rifles[73]
- Papuan Infantry Battalion, [lower-alpha 43][72]
- 8th Military District Section Intelligence Corps[68]
- 15th Supply Personnel Company[68]
- 8th Military District Bulk Issue Petrol and Oil Depot[68]
- A Section, 8th Military District Mechanical Transport Company[68]
- Base Hospital[68]
- 3rd Field Ambulance[68]
- 113th Convalescent Depot[68]
- 8th Military District Dental Centre[68]
- 15th Optical Unit[68]
- 8th Military District Depot of Medical Stores[68]
- 16th Field Hygiene Section[68]
- 8th Military District Ordnance Depot[68]
- 19th Ordnance Ammunition Section[68]
- 109th Infantry Brigade Group Field Workshop[68]
- 109th Infantry Brigade Group Ordnance Field Park[68]
- 30th Infantry Brigade Provost Platoon[68]
- 8th Military District Accounts Office[68]
- 8th Military District Postal Unit[68]
- 8th Military District Records Office[68]
- 8th Military District Stationery Depot[68]
- 8th Military District Printing Section[68]
- 8th Military District Graves Registration and Inquiries Unit[68]
- 8th Military District Laundry and Decontamination Unit[68]
- 8th Military District Army Field Bakery[68]
- 8th Military District Base Depot[68]
- 8th Military District Marine Section[68]
- 8th Military District Canteen Services[68]
- 8th Military District Training Centre[68]
- Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit[68]
- 30th Infantry Brigade[68]
Notes
- Flew in an Aichi D3A dive bomber.
- Three aircraft were reserved for delivery to the Tainan Air Group.
- Shimazaki flew in a Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber.
- Five of the fighters were reserved for delivery to the Tainan Air Group.
- From Cruiser Division 5.
- From Destroyer Squadron 7.
- From Destroyer Squadron 27.
- Commanded by Captain Nomi Minoru and was flagship of Mine Division 19; sunk by US submarine S-42 10 May 1942 during Operation RY.
- From Destroyer Squadron 6 (Bullard, p. 56 says Destroyer Squadron 23).
- The latter three ships were from the 14th Minesweeper Flotilla.
- From the 56th Submarine Chaser Squadron.
- Kiyokawa Maru was under repair at Yokohama, Japan but its airgroup was at Rabaul and assisted Kamikawa Maru'ss airgroup in the invasion of Tulagi. When Kamikawa Maru departed Santa Isabel on 4 May to support the Port Moresby invasion from Deboyne, the Kiyokawa Maru aircraft remained at Santa Isabel and Tulgai and/or were attached to Kamikawa's airgroup for the Deboyne deployment.
- Nikkai Maru and oiler Iro helped establish a Japanese port and seaplane base in the Shortland Islands on 28 April 1942 prior to participating in Mo.
- Gotō was in tactical command of the Mo invasion forces.
- On 8 May Furutaka and Kinugasa were attached to Carrier Division 5 and helped escort Zuikaku back to Truk. Aoba and Kako helped cover the Port Moresby invasion convoy's return to Rabaul.
- Also commander of Destroyer Squadron 6.
- Goyo Maru was later converted into an oiler.
- Apparently, the Azumasan Maru was supposed to join from the Tulagi Invasion Group but did not, perhaps as a result of battle damage
- The South Seas Detachment was primarily from the 55th Division commanded by Major General Tomitarō Horii and included troops from the 55th Infantry Group, centered on the 144th Infantry Regiment, as well as the 47th Field Anti-Aircraft Battalion and attached medical and water supply support units.
- All the minesweepers from Shima's Tulagi Invasion Group were to have joined the Port Moresby Invasion Group. Only Hagoromo Maru and Noshiro Maru #2 survived the Yorktown's airstrikes to do so.
- Member of Mine Division 19 with Okinoshima.
- Iro and gunboat Nikkai Maru helped establish a Japanese port and seaplane base in the Shortland Islands on 28 April 1942 prior to participating in Mo. Iro and destroyer Uzuki remained at the Shortlands to refuel Gotō's Covering Group after it completed its support mission of the Tulagi invasion.
- Flagship of Destroyer Squadron 6.
- Oite and Asanagi were from Destroyer Squadron 29, Mutsuki, Mochizuki, and Yayoi from Destroyer Squadron 30, and Uzuki from Destroyer Squadron 23.
- From Submarine Squadron 8. I-28 was sunk by the US submarine Tautog on 17 May as I-28 returned to base at Truk.
- From the 21st Submarine Group.
- Also called the 5th Air Attack Force; aircraft numbers are of 1 May 1942.
- Six Kawanishi deployed from Rabaul to the Shortlands on 28 April.
- Crave states the Genzan had 27 aircraft.
- Both carriers together were designated Task Unit 17.5.1 under Fitch.
- Ault flew an SBD not assigned to either of the SBD squadrons.
- Task Unit 17.5.4 under Captain Gilbert C. Hoover.
- Minneapolis and New Orleans were designated Task Unit 17.2.1 under Kinkaid and the other three cruisers were Task Unit 17.2.2 under Rear Admiral William W. Smith.[48]
- Task Unit 17.2.4 under Captain Alexander R. Early
- From Task Force 44
- Committed suicide after learning he would be held partially responsible for the debacle at the Battle of Savo Island.
- Task Unit 17.3.4 under Commander Francis X. McInerney.
- Based at Noumea
- Reassigned because of difficult relationship with MacArthur.
- Only S-38, S-42, S-44, and S-47 were involved in the battle.
- Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel H. M. Conran.
- Consisted of four 3.7 inch stationary guns and three mobile 3 inch guns.
- Commanded by Major W. T. Watson.
References
- Lundstrom (2006), p. 138.
- Willmott, p. 87.
- Lundstrom, p. 140; Willmott, p. 87.
- Lundstrom (2005), p. 188.
- Gillison, p. 525; Lundstrom (2005), p. 188.
- Lundstrom (2006), p. 140; Willmott, p. 87.
- Gill, p. 40; Willmott, p. 87; Bullard, p. 52.
- Willmott, p. 87; Bullard, p. 52.
- Willmott, p. 87; Bullard, p. 52; Dull, p. 135.
- Willmott, p. 84.
- Bullard, p. 56; Jersey, pp. 58–60.
- Hackett, Okinoshima.
- Willmott, p. 84; Dull, p. 136.
- Lundstrom (2005), p. 188.Bullard, p. 56; Willmott, p. 84.
- Bullard, p. 56; Willmott, p. 84.
- Hackett, Tenryu.
- Gill, p. 40; Bullard, p. 52; Hackett, Tenryu and Tatsuta.
- Hackett, Tenryu and Kiyokawa Maru.
- Dull, p. 136.
- Hackett, Tenryu; United States Army Center of Military History, p. 135.
- Willmott, pp. 85–86.
- Bullard, p. 52; Willmott, pp. 85–86; Hackett, Furutaka; Gill, p. 40.
- Dull, p. 136; Willmott, pp. 85–86.
- Hackett, Yubari.
- Willmott, p. 86; Bullard, pp. 56–57.
- (Bullard, pp. 56–57). Willmott spells Akihasan Maru as Akibasan Maru.
- Iwashige (2009), p. 78–79
- Bullard, pp. 56–57.
- Bullard, p. 58, 64; Willmott, p. 86; Dull, p. 135; Hackett, Tsugaru. Asakayama Maru was equipped with extra anti-aircraft guns (Bullard). The IJA commander was on Matsue Maru (Bullard).
- Rottman, p. 84.
- Bullard, pp. 56–57; Willmott, pp. 85–86; Hackett, Tsugaru. Hackett does not list Seki Maru #3 as part of Abe's force.
- Hackett, Tsugaru.
- Bullard, pp. 56–57; Willmott, p. 86; Hackett, Tsugaru. Some sources spell this ship's name as Oshima. Her ship's side name is をしま, not おしま おじま.
- Hackett, Ojima; Willmott, pp. 84, 86; Hackett, Tsugaru.
- Willmott, p. 86; Dull, p. 135; Hackett, Yubari.
- Bullard, p. 56; Willmott, p. 86.
- Hackett, Ojima.
- Willmott, pp. 84–85.
- Bullard, p. 57.
- Bullard, pp. 47, 61.
- Bullard, pp. 47, 53, 61.
- Bullard, pp. 47, 53–54, 61.
- Lundstrom (2006), p. 138; Bullard, pp. 48, 52, 61.
- Bullard, p. 61; Crave, p. 447.
- Willmott, p. 190; Lundstrom (2006), p. 519.
- ONI, p. 11; Lundstrom (2006), p. 519.
- Lundstrom (2005), p. 190.
- Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), p. 10; Lundstrom (2006), p. 519.
- ONI, p. 10; Lundstrom (2006), p. 519.
- Lundstrom (2006), p. 519.
- Dull, p. 136; Hoyt, p. 13; Willmott, p. 190; Lundstrom (2006), p. 519; Morison, p. 20.
- Willmott, p. 191.
- Gill, p. 42; Morison, p. 20; Willmott, p. 191.
- Willmott, p. 192.
- Willmott, p. 195; Crave, pp. 424–425.
- Willmott, p. 195.
- Willmott, p. 195; Crave, pp. 411, 416.
- Willmott, p. 195; Crave, p. 425.
- Willmott, p. 195; Crave, p. 416; Salecker, p. 177.
- Bowman, p. 85.
- Salecker, p. 177.
- Bowman, p. 85; Salecker, p. 177.
- Crave, pp. 425, 448.
- Willmott, p. 195; Crave, pp. 414, 425.
- Willmott, p. 196.
- Willmott, p. 196; Gillison, p. 519.
- Willmott, p. 143; McCarthy, p. 112.
- ""Order of Battle – Port Moresby Garrison", War Diary, New Guinea Force Headquarters, March–April 1942, AWM52 1/5/51" (PDF). Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- McCarthy, p. 44.
- McCarthy, pp. 43–44.
- Willmott, p. 143.
- McCarthy, p. 45.
- McCarthy, p. 42, 45.
Bibliography
Printed sources
- Bowman, Martin (2003). B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Pacific War. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-481-7.
- Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
- Hoyt, Edwin Palmer (2003). Blue Skies and Blood: The Battle of the Coral Sea. I Books. ISBN 0-7434-5835-4.
- Jersey, Stanley Coleman (2008). Hell's Islands: The Untold Story of Guadalcanal. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-616-2.
- Lundstrom, John B. (2006). Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-475-2.
- Lundstrom, John B. (2005). The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway (New ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-471-X.
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