US Navy Strike Tactics - WW2

The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the largest aircraft carrier battle ever. In this video we look at the evolution of US Navy carrier bomber naval strike tactics.

Bibliography
Boyne, Walter J. “The Last of the Dive-Bombers.” Air & Space Forces Magazine, December 1, 2010.
Doll, Thomas E. The Douglas TBD Devastator. Leatherhead, England: Profile Publications, 1967.
Kleiss, Norman Jack, Timothy J. Orr, and Laura Orr. Never Call Me a Hero: A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway. New York, NY: William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018.
Newpower, Anthony. Iron Men and Tin Fish: The Race to Build a Better Torpedo during World War II. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 2010.
Prange, Gordon. Miracle at Midway. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1982.
Volo, James M. Slow but Deadly: The Dive-Bombers of World War II. 5. Vol. 5. Traditional American History. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.

[JvmCassandra]

The USN air power in WWII was scary towards the end. You had so many escort fighters not only brushing off enemy air combat patrols but you can harass ship borne AA guns before the attack. Then Torpedoes box them in followed by accurate diving bombing. It was like Kamikaze without the suicide.

[exharkhun]

The captain of that single Japanese Destroyer that was hit by a B-17 (7:15) refused to take evasive maneuvers because he didn't believe level bombers could hit a ship. Statistically he was right too.

[ArchonShon]

The one two punch of content from both channels is staggering!

[Hillbilly]

Just finished part 2 on the Operations. These two channels are brilliant. Well done. Cheers from Tennessee

[abdiganiaden]

I just want to say, I love how you release both Part 2 on the Operations and the Intel Report same time.
Keep this strategy please.

[johnmoore]

The aircrews also analyzed their attacks and changed their tactics. To sink the IJN Yamato, the torpedo bombers all attacked one side which caused her to capsize quickly unlike her sister ship which went down like a submarine bow first and took a lot of punishment.

[rinoz]

Finally, a Billy Mitchell we can look up to.

[MrHeavy]

It's no wonder why so many dive bombers missed. Holy shit. 280mph is about 410fps, which means if you release bombs at 2500 feet, you have six seconds until impact with the ocean.

[estellemelodimitchell]

Salute Col. Mitchell for having the foresight 20 years before the top brass in US Navy realised that air power is the backbone of naval power.

[jdotoz]

If you get embarrassed in a war game or a demonstration, you have a chance to embarrass the enemy when the real thing comes around. Good leaders embrace that sort of thing when it happens.

[dale]

My Uncle was a machine gunner on a Dauntless and was shot down in the battle of the Philippines Sea. The pilot was killed and Irv was picked up by a Japanese destroyer and spent the rest of the war as a POW on the Philippines islands. He was liberated at the end of the war when he was 20 years old. I am happy to say he lived into his late 80’s. Go Navy!

[anselmdanker]

Thank you for a great overview of the US Naval experience in WW 2.

[DaveSCameron]

Starting to gain traction this channel and I'm most grateful for your work and efforts uploading. 👍

[giwan]

I'm kinda surprised that there was no mention of rockets. When reading The Fast Carriers, it was driven home how effective rocket attacks vs ships could be, and how much the pilots loved "Holy Moses".

[ramal]

Having realized converting the two Lexington BCs to CVs that resulted in the best naval treaty carrier conversion of all the conversions in the world, the brass in the Navy already started to think of how carrier aircraft should be an advantage in naval warfare going forward. In Fleet Problems exercise in the pre war proves that carriers could control and interdict enemy shipping in much wider area than what the battleships could do.

Halsey and Fletcher were the first wartime carrier force commander, by that time Mitscher was still a CO of USS Hornet (CV-8) during trying times of early to mid 1942 these 3 commanders utilized their carrier force to strike back at the Japanese even with hit and run tactics (other than Coral Sea). This carrier mindset changed the whole ballgame for the USN by end of 1942 where they started to center their main striking force around the fleet carrier force, the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF58/38), using the Fast battleships as bodyguards of the new Essex class, instead of using them as the main striking force. The doctrine of USN changed in my opinion since the 1930s with the Navy realizing with having Lexingtons they could hammer the enemy far away from you, outside their naval gun range with an aircraft striking force, was the way forward, instead of risking your capital ships in a close quarters combat.

[yes_head]

7:15 The B-17s were obviously not *entirely* withdrawn from service in the Pacific, although they were largely replaced in the bombing role by B-24's, and then B-29's.

[randomlyentertaining]

4:47-4:50
"A straight vertical dive of 90 degrees was discouraged."
*shows plane model smashing into ship*

Don't know why but that one had me dying over here lol

[billotto]

I'm not a fan of animated war videos, but you do a stupendous job. A very good mix of animation & pictures. 🫡 🇬🇧 🇺🇸

[Yugdax]

Some of the best content on YouTube. Thank you all for what you do.

[theborg]

had an issue with being unable to load anything between 5:00 and 6:00, probably not on your end but figured youd want to be aware. good as always man