Battle of the Eastern Solomons

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BuNo02100
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Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#1

Post by BuNo02100 » 25 Jan 2023, 01:12

While not as well-known as some of the other battles in the Pacific, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons during the first month of the Guadalcanal Campaign was crucial. The majority of the action occurred on 24 August between the two carrier forces, but the action over RAdm Tanaka’s landing force the next day was just as important. One the last little details I have been trying to clear up deals with the report by Marine and USN aviators that they were attacked by a “small force of enemy float planes when withdrawing (MAG-23 War Diary). They even credited two radio-gunners, PFCs Edward L. Eades and Lewis P. Maclas, with shooting one down a piece.

I have not found this information referenced anywhere else. Tanaka’s account of this action has been published twice in English that I am aware of, once in 1956 (“Japan’s Losing Struggle for Guadalcanal” in USNI Proceedings) and again in 1986 (“The Struggle for Guadalcanal” in The Japanese Navy in World War II: In the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers). Neither of these accounts includes mention of float planes over his force.
I have reviewed the Japanese War History series, and Volume 49, page 486, covers this action but only mentions that five float planes from the Outer South Seas Force attacked Guadalcanal at midnight (August 24) then landed at Shortland, but makes no mention of any float planes providing cover during the attack that morning on Tanaka’s force.

The Outer South Seas Force was the operational title of the 8th Fleet, and each of the cruisers assigned carried at least one float plane, and often two. This unit was providing cover to Tanaka’s force and would be the most likely source of the float planes. In addition, the seaplane tender Kiyokawa Maru was assigned to the 8th Fleet and was operating in the area, but not directly engaged itself, however its aircraft may have been.
The following cruisers may have provided the aircraft that the Marine and Navy SBDs encountered:
Jintsu
Chokai
Kinugasa
Yura (one source lists it as sending float planes to bomb Guadalcanal, but she was assigned to the main force and not the Support Group thus the one source may be in error)
Aoba
Furutaka

I would greatly appreciate if anyone can shed some light on these reported float planes and if any records from the above mentioned cruisers or the seaplane tender reference this event.

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#2

Post by Eugen Pinak » 25 Jan 2023, 14:29

Interesting to note, that detailed "First Team And The Guadalcanal Campaign - Naval Fighter Combat From August To November 1942" by Lundstrom also says nothing of this fight.


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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#3

Post by cstunts » 25 Jan 2023, 19:19

1) Kiyokawa-maru's records [DER & WLB] for the period are extensive & largely intact at JACAR, but are of very poor quality & difficult to decipher. Lots of R code references to various Bismarcks locations, however.

2) Plenty of Sentai 6 records for the period also exist at JACAR if one cares to go through them.

3) Ditto 8th Fleet records.

HTH

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#4

Post by Lethl215 » 27 Jan 2023, 06:46

Frank briefly covers this in his book on Guadalcanal p.188-193.

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#5

Post by ijnfleetadmiral » 27 Jan 2023, 15:31

The TROMs for the listed vessels on combinedfleet.com make no mention of the action.
MSG, MS State Guard (Ret.) - First Always!

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#6

Post by ShindenKai » 27 Jan 2023, 20:35

BuNo02100 wrote:
25 Jan 2023, 01:12
“small force of enemy float planes when withdrawing (MAG-23 War Diary). They even credited two radio-gunners, PFCs Edward L. Eades and Lewis P. Maclas, with shooting one down a piece.

I have not found this information referenced anywhere else.
Sometimes people lie, for various reasons... OR maybe there was some sort of mix-up on the dates given...

Any records of IJN float plane losses for that day and area?

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fontessa
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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#7

Post by fontessa » 29 Jan 2023, 00:03

BuNo02100 wrote:
25 Jan 2023, 01:12
I have reviewed the Japanese War History series, and Volume 49, page 486, covers this action but only mentions that five float planes from the Outer South Seas Force attacked Guadalcanal at midnight (August 24) then landed at Shortland,
I found the above in Senshi Sosho Vol.49. According to it, five float planes took off at 2400 for the Guadalcanal attack. I don't think this is correct for the reasons given below.

Below is the composition of IJN fleets.
3rd Fleet
Main Force
1st Air Squadron: Shokaku, Zuikaku, Ryujo
10th Destroyer Division:
16th Destroyer Division
Attached Destroyer
Advanced Guard
11th Squadron: Hiei, Kirishima
7th Squadron: Kumano, Suzuya
8th Squadron: Tone Chikuma
10th Torpedo Squadron: Nagara / 19th Destroyer Division
Advanced Force
2nd Fleet
4th Squadron: Atago, Takao, Maya
5th Squadron: Myoko, Haguro
2nd Squadron; Mutsu
4th Torpedo Squadron: Yura / 9th and 27th Destroyer Divisions
Air Unit
11th Air Squadron: Chitose, Sanyo Maru
4th Destroyer Division

According to Sanyo Maru’s action report, below 2 seaplanes were active on 24th.
Pate x 1: Anti-air patrol
Pete x 1: Anti-sub patrol

According to Watanabe Hiroshi’s TROMs, the move of 4th and 5th Squadrons of the Advanced Force was:
Change course to 150 degrees, Speed 16 knots
0500-hour Seaplane took off for the south to search enemy at 0310S 16210E
1720-hour Merge with Advanced Guard
2200-hour Change course at the East of Sikaiana Atoll to 350 degrees, Speed 24 knots

2400-hour Reached the green point. According to Senshi Sosho, five float planes took off here. However, this point was over 400km away from Guadalcanal and even Kate was out of attack range. More, night flights can't measure drift, and on the return flight, float planes must have chased 'escaping' heavy cruisers. Navigation becomes more difficult. That's why I think the author of Senshi Sosho had some kind of misunderstanding.

ShindenKai wrote:
27 Jan 2023, 20:35
Any records of IJN float plane losses for that day and area?
No seaplane loss on that day.


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fontessa

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BuNo02100
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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#8

Post by BuNo02100 » 29 Jan 2023, 02:57

Fontessa,
Thank you for the very detailed response. I went back and checked the MAG-23 WD and it does not make mention of an air raid, only shelling by destroyers off-shore. ComAirSoPac WD doesnt list anything either so now I am wondering if the error in SS? I believe that it states that the float planes landed at Shortlands after their raid on Guadalcanal, so that makes the last leg of the flight easier than trying to locate cruisers.

I wonder if it is possible if Jintsu had a float plane airborne during morning attack on Tanaka's force? Or if Kiyokawa Maru air group had float planes operating from Shortlands that provided cover?

Like i stated, its a minor detail but one that I have not been able to nail down and its becoming more elusive it seems!

BW

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#9

Post by fontessa » 29 Jan 2023, 03:33

BuNo02100 wrote:
29 Jan 2023, 02:57
I wonder if it is possible if Jintsu had a float plane airborne during morning attack on Tanaka's force? Or if Kiyokawa Maru air group had float planes operating from Shortlands that provided cover?
According to Japanese Wiki, Jintsu was hit and was forced to inject water into the powder magazine, so I think it was impossible to fly a seaplane. And Kiyokawa Maru's action report says her following five seaplanes were in action near Rabaul.
Pete x 2: Anti-sub patrol
Pete x 1: Convoy escort
Jake x 2: Convoy escort
And according to Sanyo Naru's action report, he two seaplanes were active as below.
Pate x 1: Anti-air patrol
Pete x 1: Anti-sub patrol

fontessa

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#10

Post by ShindenKai » 30 Jan 2023, 01:43

Looks like the only losses left to check are Allied. Friendly fire happens.

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#11

Post by BuNo02100 » 31 Jan 2023, 17:41

ShindenKai: No friendly fire losses. I had considered that previously and that the radio-gunners fired at other SBDs, anything is possible, but float-planes are rather obvious.

Fontessa: Jintsu did get hit and had to flood her forward magazine and would have been too busy to launch her float-planes, unless they were already airborne and on patrol prior to the attack. Kiyokawa Maru aircraft operating around Rabaul pretty much rules them out, and I assume Sanyo Maru F1M2s were also far from the action.

Appreciate the interest in this,

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#12

Post by fontessa » 01 Feb 2023, 00:46

BuNo02100 wrote:
31 Jan 2023, 17:41
Fontessa: Jintsu did get hit and had to flood her forward magazine and would have been too busy to launch her float-planes, unless they were already airborne and on patrol prior to the attack. Kiyokawa Maru aircraft operating around Rabaul pretty much rules them out, and I assume Sanyo Maru
I feel personally Jintzu was not the answer. At that time, below seaplane units stayed in Shortland.
1st Air Unit: Chitose and Kamikawa Maru seaplane units commanded by Chitose Air Officer
2nd Air Unit: Sanyo Maru and Sanuki Maru seaplane units commanded by Sanyo Maru Air Officer

Sanuki Maru seaplanes were no action on August 1942.
According to Chitose TROM of Nihon Kaigun, Pates of Chitose were in the air…
24 August 1942: The Battle of the Eastern Solomons:
About 1015, three of CHITOSE's F1M2 “Pete’ float biplanes attack a USN PBY flying boat trying to locate the IJN carrier force. Another three Petes chase off a PBY trying to locate Rear Admiral Tanaka's Reinforcement Group troop convoy. A CHITOSE float plane locates Rear Admiral F. J. Fletcher's Task Force 61’s USS SARATOGA (CV-3) and ENTERPRISE (CV-6).
At 1820, two SBD dive-bombers of VB-3 from SARATOGA attack CHITOSE. Her port engine and hull plates are damaged by a near miss of a 1,000-lb bomb. Three Petes on deck are set afire by near-misses. CHITOSE takes on a 30-degree list to port.

fontessa

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Re: Battle of the Eastern Solomons

#13

Post by lucyoscar » 15 Feb 2023, 13:02

Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Pacific Fleece of the US Navy engaged in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons from August 23 to 25, 1942, in the seas east and northeast of the Solomon Islands.

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