William T. Y’Blood - Red Sun Setting: The Battle of the Philippine Sea

Red Sun Setting

THE BATTLE OF THE
PHILIPPINE SEA

By William T. YBlood

BLUEJACKET BOOKS

Naval Institute Press
Annapolis, Maryland

This book has been brought to publication by the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402

1981 by the United States Naval Institute

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First Bluejacket Books printing, 2003

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

YBlood, William T., 1937

Red sun setting : the Battle of the Philippine Sea / by William T. YBlood.1st Bluejacket books print.

p. cm. (Bluejacket books)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-6125-1197-9

1. Philippine Sea, Battle of the, 1944. 2. World War, 1939-1945Naval operations, American. 3. World War, 1939-1945 Naval operations, Japanese. I. Title. II. Series.

D744.P5 Y37 2003

940.5425dc21

2002041062

SURPRISINGLY, the Battle of the Philippine Sea has been somewhat neglected in the annals of history. Certainly, it is mentioned in books on World War II, but there is no truly comprehensive account of this actionthe greatest carrier duel of the war. It is hoped this book will begin to rectify this omission.

This is not a study of the battle from the lofty perch of the strategic planners. Rather, this is the story of the battle from the viewpoint of the admirals, sailors, fliers, and ships officers who were on the firing line, with a glance at the strategy and planning that led to this huge confrontation. It is also the story of the controversy that erupted after the battle, a controversy that still simmers today.

A work of this type is never the work of just one person; it is based on the experiences of hundreds or thousands of individuals. A look at the bibliography will show just how indebted I am to these individuals, especially to the largely unknown authors of the Action Reports and War Diaries.

In particular, however, I am indebted to the following: Dr. Dean C. Allard and his assistants, primarily Mrs. Gerri Judkins, at the Operational Archives Branch of the Naval Historical Center in Washington, for their patience and expertise in guiding me through the maze of records there; Mr. John W. Taylor at the Modern Military Records section of the National Archives; the staffs of the photographic libraries of the National Archives and the United States Naval Institute for their help in finding the photographs to go into this book; Dr. Paul S. Dull for his valuable comments on the manuscript; the Air Micronesia pilots who took the time during my visit to those islands to acquaint me with that special experience that is Micronesia; finally, but certainly not last, I would like to thank three very important people in my lifemy wife, Carolyn, and my son and daughter, Kent and Laura. All three provided help, encouragement, and inspiration when I needed it.

NOTE: In this book the Japanese names are rendered in English order.

Aircraft Types

United States

Japanese