OPERATION MO BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA

Battle of the Coral Sea Battle of the Coral Sea ) was fought on 4-8 May 1942 and can be treated - post factum - as a kind of prelude to the Battle of Midway in June of the same year. The battle in question was an air-sea clash between the US Navy and its Australian ally, and the Imperial Japanese Navy in the course of the Pacific War (1941-1945). On the American side, the main command was admirals: Frank Jack Fletcher and Thomas C. Kinkaid. Under their orders, there were, among others, 2 aircraft carriers of the fleet, 9 cruisers and 14 destroyers. The Japanese side was commanded by admirals: Shigeyoshi Inoue and Takeo Takagi. They headed a fleet of, among others: 2 attack aircraft carriers, 1 light aircraft carrier, 9 cruisers and 15 destroyers. It is quite commonly assumed that it was the first "aircraft carrier battle" in the history of naval wars and the first in which the fighting parties did not make de facto eye contact with each other. The main goal of the Japanese fleet was to carry out the MO operation, i.e. the capture of Port Moresa in New Guinea and the capture of the island of Tulagi. Of course, the Allied side sought to thwart these plans. From a tactical point of view, the Japanese were victorious in this battle, which, among other things, managed to self-sink the USS Lexington aircraft carrier and seriously damage the USS Yorktown. On the other hand, they themselves suffered considerable losses (including the damaged aircraft carrier Shokaku), and most of all, they did not take control of Port Moresby. Thus, the so far unstoppable "Blitz in the Far East" was brought to a halt.