Blue Skies and Blood: The Battle of the Coral Sea

Hoyt has written several books about WWII. This is a rather short book and summarizes the battle. The Japanese lost the light carrier Shoho and the Americans lost the fleet carrier Lexington, plus a destroyer and an oiler. However, the Japanese were turned back from their objective of Port Moresby and lost the use of two carriers in the next battle Midway. So therefore the Japanese suffered their first setback and the effects of two additional carriers at Midway may have tipped the balance. After Midway, the Japanese were on the defensive.I would have liked a little more information about the battle, but Hoyt in this book is only summarizing the battle. I like his saga of the oiler Neosho and how this wreck drifted several miles before the crew were rescued. Also lacking was the Japanese perspective of the battle. Hoyt does give some info from this perspective, but I felt it was too little.Overall a good read, about a little written about battle. Everyone has heard about Pearl Harbor and Midway but few have heard about the Battle of the Coral Sea. The battle resulted in the loss of the Lady Lex, but checked the Japanese for the first time.

In May, 1942, the Japanese developed a plan to capture Port Moresby and Australia. A powerful Japanese fleet sailed into the bright blue waters of the Coral Sea. However, unknown to the Japanese, the Americans, through the efforts of their code-breakers, knew the number and types of ships in the Japanese force and they sent their own force to halt the Japanese advance. This was the first naval battle fought where the opposing sides never saw one another. The Americans, under the command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, stuck first at the Japanese, sinking a light aircraft carrier. An ironic note occurred here as the two air strike forces actually passed each other, but neither side sighted the other. The Japanese had greater success, sinking the carrier Lexington and damaging the Yorktown. In the end, this turned out to be a tactical victory for the Japanese due to the greater American shipping losses, but it was a strategic victory for the Americans because the Japanese forces were forced to withdraw, never threatening Port Moresby or Australia again.I enjoyed this book very much. The description of the battle is very good, and the author pays great attention to detail. Perhaps my favorite part of the book involves the struggle of the oiler Neosho and the destroyer Sims, both attacked by the Japanese because they were mistaken for aircraft carriers. The author devotes several chapters to the heroic struggle of these tiny ships and their survivors.This battle changed the outcome of the war for both the Japanese and Americans. After this battle, the Japanese never regained the offensive in the Pacific, while the Americans began the long road to Tokyo.