The Conquering Tide (115 page)

Snowden, Ernest, 479

Soliloquy
(Hirohito), 536

Solomons archipelago, 11,
13
,
27
, 419, 514

air reconnaissance of, 62, 76

British protectorate of, xviii–xx, xxiii

daily life in, 190–92

disease and dangerous conditions in, xx

exotic beauty of, 191

geology of, xvii–xviii

headhunting and cannibalism in, xviii

illegal slave trade in, xviii

Japanese buildup in, 62

Japanese counteroffensive in, 147–48

Japanese I-Go aerial counteroffensive in, 202–3

Japanese pullback in, 182

Japanese underestimation of U.S. troops in, 68

KA-Go offensive in, 68–69, 75–83

Melanesian inhabitants of, xviii

white exodus from, xxiii, xxv

Solomons offensive, 14, 16–17, 190–91, 223–24, 313, 346

air war in, 222–23, 224–25, 242, 419–21

ammunition shortages and, 12

Bougainville landings in, 236, 340

CARTWHEEL
in,
see
CARTWHEEL
, Operation

chain of command in, 220

Espiritu Santo as base for, 14–15, 129, 142

fuel problems and, 12

Guadalcanal and Tulagi landings in,
see
Guadalcanal campaign

Japanese aircraft losses in, 242

New Georgia campaign in,
see
New Georgia campaign

political importance of, 158

submarine warfare in,
see
submarine warfare

Task Force 17 in, 107

Task Force 18 in, 107–8

Task Force 61 in, 107–8, 111–12

Torpedo Junction in, 108, 109–11

U.S. aircraft strength in, 127

Sommers, Sam, 482, 495

Sorong, 454

Soryu
, 9

South China Sea, 255

Japanese advances in, 11–12

South Dakota
, USS, 56, 81, 146, 151, 154, 160, 478, 480, 495

in Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 168–69, 170–72

Southeast Asia, Japanese conquests in, 114, 119

Southerland, James J., 31–32

in dogfight with Sakai, 32–33

Southern Amphibious Group, 333

Southern Attack Force, 395, 511

Southern Attack Group, 338

South Pacific,
13

Allied counteroffensive in,
see
Solomons offensive

South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT), 190

South Solomon Trench, xviii

Soviet Union:

Allied convoys to, 95

Nazi Germany and, 11, 94, 96, 308–9, 530

Special Naval Landing Forces, Japanese, 29, 345, 459

Sperry
, USS, 265

Spruance, Raymond Ames, 123, 198, 336, 361, 362, 367, 385, 386, 390, 398, 405, 433, 436, 458, 461–62, 463, 469, 471–72, 473, 474, 475–77, 478, 480, 488, 493–94, 497–98, 500, 511, 513, 515, 516, 530

appointed Fifth Fleet commander, 315, 325

carrier operations and, 341–42

central Pacific offensive overseen by, 315–16

command philosophy of, 316

as compulsive walker, 316, 336–37

GALVANIC
and, 325

Gilbert Islands invasion proposed by, 314

Kwajalein landing opposed by, 384

Nimitz and, 315

as Nimitz's chief of staff, 297, 298–300

Tarawa campaign and, 339

Towers's conflict with, 325

and Truk raid, 410–11, 413

“Spruance haircut,” 397

Stalin, Joseph, 95

Stalingrad, Battle of, 94, 443

Stark, Harold “Betty,” 143

Stassen, Harold, 198

Stearns, Chester M., 110

Stebbins, Edgar E., 377, 378

Sterett
, USS, 162, 163

Sterling, Forest, 260–61, 263, 266, 267, 269, 270, 273

Stevenson, Robert Louis, 319

Stimson, Henry L., 5, 91, 96, 434, 439

English Channel invasion as priority of, 308

Stingray
, USS, 475

Strategic Bombing Survey, U.S., 67

Stump, Felix B., 328, 329, 371

submarines, U.S.,
Gato
-class, 250, 252, 259

see also Wahoo
, USS

submarine warfare, 63, 233, 416

bad torpedoes in, 255

blockade of Japanese home islands in, 284

in central Pacific offensive, 368–69, 402, 413

crew cohesiveness in, 250–52, 256–57

“friendly” attacks in, 253

increased U.S. success in, 452–53

interwar doctrine of, 252, 254–55, 262, 277

Japanese inattention to antisubmarine warfare in, 259, 282–83

King on, 253

merchant shipping attacks in, 253–54

more aggressive tactics demanded in, 255, 262, 283

mounting Japanese shipping losses from, 283–85

Nimitz and, 255, 257

prospective commanding officers (PCOs) in, 260

shore leave and, 259

sinking of Japanese oil tankers in, 285

“skipper problem” in, 255, 256, 277

sonar improvements in, 284

surface-search radar in, 283, 284

in Torpedo Junction, 109–11

U.S. disappointments in, 277–78

U.S. dominance in, 417

U.S. losses in, 285–86

see also specific submarines

Sugiyama, Hajime, 417, 422–23

Sulu Archipelago, 405, 449

Sulu Sea, 447

Sumatra, oil fields of, 282, 285, 416, 448

Sutherland, Richard K., 125, 126–27, 216, 217–18, 219, 221, 439, 440

Suwannee
, USS, 327

Suzuki, Hiroshi, 448

Sydney, Australia, 211

Japanese submarine raid on, 114

Taft, Robert A., 87

Taiho
, 427, 447, 450, 471, 473, 484–85

Taiyo
, 531

Takahashi, Aiko, 443, 446, 513, 532, 535, 540, 541

Takanami
, 177

Takasaki
, 453

Takashina, Takeshi, 512

Takeyama, Michio, 542

Tales of the South Pacific
(Michener), 190–91

Tanaga Island, 227

Tanaka, Raizo, 68–69, 76, 77, 105, 133, 135, 155, 156, 167, 172, 174, 189

“drum method” resupply efforts of, 176–77, 178–79

Guadalcanal troop convoys of, 68–69, 76–77, 82, 105, 133, 135, 155–56, 167–68, 172–73, 174, 176

in KA-Go counteroffensive, 82–83

withdrawal from Guadalcanal urged by, 179

Tanambogo Island, 25, 53

Tanapag Harbor, 500, 510–11

Tanikaze
, 453

Tani, Masayuki, 180

Tapotchau, Mount, Saipan, 459, 465, 498, 500

Tarakan, 453

Tarawa, Battle of, 320, 322–23, 333–37, 338–68,
345
, 439, 440, 459, 502

aircraft carrier in, 356

air and naval support in, 335–36

banzai
attack in, 359

burial of dead from, 360

first day of, 347–53

Japanese losses in, 360, 367–68

landing craft in, 334–35

lessons of, 362–65, 367–68, 400–401

mopping up operations in, 360

operations plans for, 334–37

public response to losses in, 365–66

resupply operations in, 357, 358

second day of, 353–59

third day of, 359–60

U.S. ammunition and equipment shortages in, 354

U.S. losses in, 353–55, 360, 365–66, 367–68

U.S. naval and air bombardment in, 342, 355, 356–57, 364–65, 368

Tarawa Atoll, 319, 320, 322, 325, 389

Japanese troop strength on, 335

see also
Betio Island

Tasimboko, 105

Task Force 16, 33

Task Force 17, 107–8

Task Force 18, 107–8

Task Force 39, 236–37

Task Force 42, 264, 280

Task Force 50, 341, 368, 373

Japanese night attacks on, 371

in Kwajalein raid,
see
Kwajalein Atoll, U.S. carrier raid on

Task Force 51, 229–30, 457, 458

Task Force 58, 388–89, 398, 438, 439, 446, 457–58, 461–63, 464–65, 469, 472–78, 487, 489, 492–93, 494, 497

in Eniwetok battle, 399

in Kwajalein battle, 386–87

Mitscher appointed commander of, 383

size of, 386

in Truk raid, 403–4, 405–14,
409
, 441

Task Force 61, 33, 146

in Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, 148–54

in Battle of the Eastern Solomons, 77–78

in Guadalcanal campaign, 20, 23–24, 37, 43, 51, 57–60, 61–62

KA-Go counteroffensive against, 68–69, 75–83

in Solomons offensive, 107–8, 111–12

Task Force 62, 56

in Guadalcanal campaign, 20–21, 23–24, 43, 52–53, 60, 61, 107, 132–33

Task Force 64, 160

Task Force 67, 177

Task Force KING, 160

Task Force LOVE, 168

Task Group 50.1, 368, 369, 376

Task Group 50.2, 363, 373, 376

Task Group 50.3, 369, 399

Task Group 51.11, 399

Task Group 58.1, 463–64, 472–73

Task Group 58.2, 412

Task Group 58.3, 389–90, 477

Task Group 58.4, 399, 463, 478

Task Group 58.7, 478

Task Group 62.6:

in Battle of Savo Island, 44–51

in Guadalcanal campaign, 20, 42–43

Tassafaronga Point, Guadalcanal, 141, 156, 172, 174, 177, 185

Tavurvur volcano, 29

Tawi Tawi, Philippines, 405, 449, 453, 455, 456

Taylor
, 234

Tenaru plantation, 64

Tenaru River, 26, 28, 35, 64, 65, 71, 72, 121

Tenaru River, Battle of, 73–76, 104

Tennessee
, USS, 292, 392

Tenryu
, 41, 46

Tenshin
, 187

Teruzuku
, 179

Thach, Jimmy, 476–77

Theobald, Robert A., 226, 227

Third Amphibious Force, U.S., 231, 240, 242

Third Fleet, Japanese, 420, 421, 423, 428, 447

air strength of, 419

Third Marine Amphibious Corps, 511

3rd Marine Division, 236, 457, 512

Third Special Base Defense Force, Japanese, 345

37th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, 236

Thirty-Eighth Division, Japanese, 184

Thomas, Gerald C., 104

339th Fighter Squadron (USAAF), 205

Thresher
, USS (SS-200), 253, 281

Time
, 97, 414

Tinian Island, 307, 436, 437, 438, 452, 459, 464, 511, 513

Tobruk, British surrender of, 97

Togo, Heihachiro, 208, 415, 417, 472

Tojo, Hideki, 114, 180, 182, 418, 422, 530, 531

consolidation of power by, 422–23

fall from power of, 532–35

Hirohito and, 422–23

Tokitsukaze
, 76

Tokyo, 514

contrast of old and new in, 113

Tokyo Express, 133, 136, 155, 174

Tomlinson, W. J., 214

Tone
, 69, 76

Tonga, 11

Tonoas Island, 403

TORCH
, Operation, 97, 158, 308, 328

Torokina, 238

torpedoes, 251–52, 281

Japanese Long Lance, 42, 45, 77, 233, 235, 451

magnetic detonators for, 255, 256, 277, 279, 280

Mark 14, 281, 283

Mark 18, 284

mechanical failures of, 255–56, 277, 278–79, 280–82

Torpedo Junction, 108, 109–11

Towers, John Henry, 314, 323–24, 342, 383, 440, 477

background of, 323

GALVANIC
and, 325

Nimitz and, 435

Spruance's conflict with, 325

Toyoda, Soemu, 447, 449, 454, 455, 456, 488, 531, 533

Toyo Keizai
, 532

Transport Group XRAY, 24, 33, 49, 50

Transport Group YOKE, 24, 49, 50

Treasure Island, San Francisco, 246

Treasury Islands, 236, 238

Tregaskis, Richard, 24, 39, 49–50, 97

Trigger
, USS, 279

Trinidad, 330

Tripartite Pact, 118, 533

Trobriand Islands, 222

Truk Atoll, 69, 75, 76, 116, 120, 121, 122, 138, 181, 182, 201, 206, 224, 237, 242, 401, 418

geography of, 403

Japanese base at, 436

as Japanese fleet's major Southern anchorage, 403

Japanese troops on, 405

lack of U.S. intelligence on, 404

mediocre facilities on, 404–5

U.S. air raid on, 242

U.S. submarine patrols around, 257, 260, 277

Truk Atoll, carrier raid on, 399, 403–14,
409
, 441

dogfights in, 406, 409–10

Japanese caught off-guard in, 406–7

Japanese reporting of, 421–22

rescue of downed air crews in, 410

symbolic importance of, 413

Trumbull, Robert, 291

Truth
, 215

Tsushima Strait, Battle of, 415, 470, 472, 536

Tuananbogo Island, 36–37

Tucker, Joe, 331

Tulagi Harbor, 178, 179

Tulagi Island, xix, xxiii, 12,
13
, 19, 22, 24, 25,
27
, 42, 49, 61, 75, 77, 167, 168, 178, 179

food supplies of, 61

Japanese bombing of, xxi, xxiv, xxvi

Japanese invasion of, xxvi, 29, 66

U.S. airstrikes on, xxvi–xxvii

U.S. landings on, 26, 29, 35–36

Tunny
, USS, 452

Turner, Richmond Kelly, 22, 23, 125, 195, 231, 326, 333, 334, 361, 456, 458, 460–61, 465, 470, 474, 475, 497, 500, 510, 511

in Battle of Savo Island, 43–44, 51, 53, 55, 56

combative personality of, 20–21

as commander of Fifth Fleet amphibious fleet, 317

Fletcher's withdrawal criticized by, 57–58

in
GALVANIC
chain-of-command dispute, 318–19

in Guadalcanal campaign, 26, 30–31, 38, 39–40, 49, 60, 61, 103, 107, 126–27, 132, 133–34, 146, 160

H. Smith and, 318, 339–40, 433–34

Kwajalein landing opposed by, 384

and lessons of Tarawa battle, 363

on pilot fatigue, 137

Twelfth Naval District, 246

20th Bomber Command, 438

Twentieth Air Force, 438

21st Bomber Command, 438

22nd Marine Regiment, 399

27th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, 183, 434, 457, 458, 467, 468, 498–99, 505, 510