Sep 30, 2022
(Bonus) The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II, at the
beginning of the Pacific War in December 1941, was the third most
powerful navy in the world, and the naval air service was one of
the most potent air forces in the world. During the first six
months of the war, the Imperial Japanese Navy enjoyed spectacular
success in inflicting heavy defeats on Allied forces, being
undefeated in every battle. The attack on
Pearl Harbor crippled the battleships of the
US Pacific Fleet, while Allied navies were devastated during
Japan's conquest of Southeast Asia. Japanese Navy aircraft
operating from land bases were also responsible for the sinkings of
HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse which was the first time that
capital ships were sunk by an aerial attack while underway. In
April 1942, the Indian Ocean raid drove the Royal Navy from South
East Asia. After these successes, the Japanese now concentrated on
the elimination and neutralization of strategic points from where
the Allies could launch counteroffensives against Japan's
conquests. However, at the Coral Sea, the Japanese were forced to
abandon their attempts to isolate Australia while the defeat at
Midway saw them forced on the defensive. The campaign in the
Solomon Islands, in which the Japanese lost the war of attrition,
was the most decisive; they had failed to commit enough forces in
sufficient time.