en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto
2 corrections found
The 11th Air Fleet caught the United States Fifth Air Force on the ground in the Philippines hours after Pearl Harbor
In December 1941 the U.S. air command in the Philippines was the Far East Air Force, not the Fifth Air Force.
Full reasoning
The U.S. air force in the Philippines at the time of the Japanese attacks was the Far East Air Force. The 5th Air Force history site states: “When war came to the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941, the Far Eastern Air Force…” and explains that it was redesignated as the 5th Air Force on Feb. 5, 1942. The Air Force Historical Research Agency fact sheet gives the same lineage: Far East Air Force on 28 Oct 1941; 5 Air Force on 5 Feb 1942. So calling the force in the Philippines “the United States Fifth Air Force” for the Pearl Harbor timeframe is anachronistic.
2 sources
- 5th Air Force | Fifth Air Force | World War II | History
When war came to the Philippines on Dec. 8, 1941, the Far Eastern Air Force... On Feb. 5, 1942, while the Philippine-Java phase of the war was still in progress, the Far Eastern Air Force was redesignated as the 5th Air Force.
- Fifth Air Force (PACAF) > Air Force Historical Research Agency > Display
Activated on 20 Sep 1941. Redesignated as: Far East Air Force on 28 Oct 1941; 5 Air Force on 5 Feb 1942; Fifth Air Force on 18 Sep 1942.
Following a nuisance raid by Japanese flying boats in May
The actual Japanese flying-boat raid on Pearl Harbor was in March 1942; the late-May Operation K mission was a canceled reconnaissance attempt.
Full reasoning
This misdates the event. The National WWII Museum explains that the bomb-carrying Japanese flying-boat attack known as Operation K was scheduled for March 4, 1942. It also notes that near the end of May 1942 the Japanese planned another sortie, but that follow-up mission was aborted before it even began after U.S. ships were found at French Frigate Shoals. Naval History and Heritage Command likewise says that on 29 May U.S. ships at French Frigate Shoals prevented the Japanese from refueling flying boats to reconnoiter Pearl Harbor. So the “nuisance raid” was not in May.
2 sources
- The Second Pearl Harbor Attack | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
In an effort to take advantage of a full moon, the attack was scheduled for March 4, 1942... Near the end of May 1942, when conditions were right for another sortie... As a result, the second Operation K mission was aborted before it even began.
- Battle of Midway: 4-7 June 1942
Meanwhile, on 29 May, seaplane tender (destroyer) USS Thornton (AVD-11) arrived at French Frigate Shoals... The presence of U.S. ships at French Frigate Shoals prevented the Japanese from refueling flying boats to reconnoiter Pearl Harbor.