- Aerial Battle of Taiwan–Okinawa
Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa
partof=World War II , Pacific theater
caption=Task Force 38 maneuvering off the coast of Japan.
date=October 12-16, 1944
place=East ofTaiwan
result=Decisive Allied victory
combatant1=flag|Empire of Japan
combatant2=flag|United States|1912
strength1=1251 fighters/bombers
strength2=17 aircraft carriers
6 battleships
4 heavy cruisers
10 light cruisers
58 destroyers
casualties1=312 fighters/bombers
casualties2=2 cruisers damagedThe Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa (Traditional Chinese : 台灣沖航空戰, Japanese: 台湾沖航空戦) took place between October 12 and 16, 1944, off the eastern coast of the island ofTaiwan , and was fought by theImperial Japanese Navy Air Service and the approachingTask Force 38 of theUnited States Third Fleet and was one of a series ofAir raids on Japan during thePacific War . The battle was one-sided, as the Americans practically dominated air warfare due to the superior training and weaponry that they possessed at that point. This battle virtually exhausted the remaining combat fighter units that the Japanese had in the region, and aided United States' success in theOkinawa Campaign .Background
Order of Battle
Imperial Japanese Navy
* Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service: 1251 fighters/bombers.
** First Aviation Fleet: based inManila ,Philippines , 144 fighters/bombers.
** Second Aviation Fleet: based in Takao,Taiwan , 358 fighters/bombers.
** Third Aviation Fleet: aircraft carriers based, 275 fighters/bombers.
** Third Fleet: based in Kisarazu, Chiba, 237 fighters/bombers.
** Twelfth Aviation Fleet: aircraft carriers based, 237 fighters/bombers.United States Navy
* Third Fleet
** Task Force 38: 17 aircraft carriers, 6 battleships, 14 cruisers, 58 destroyers.
*** First Aircraft Carrier Group: "USS Cabot", "USS Cowpens", "USS Hornet", "USS Monterey", "USS Wasp".
*** Second Aircraft Carrier Group: "USS Bunker Hill", "USS Hancock", "USS Independence", "USS Intrepid".
*** Third Aircraft Carrier Group: "USS Essex", "USS Langley", "USS Lexington", "USS Princeton".
*** Fourth Aircraft Carrier Group: "USS Belleau Wood", "USS Enterprise", "USS Franklin", "USS San Jacinto".Aftermath
The battle had exhausted Japan's air power in the region, given the American air superiority and weakened Japan's ability to defend
Okinawa Islands in the upcomingOkinawa Campaign . However, in an effort to boost morale and to cover up the defeat, Japanese headquarter claimed to have sunk 45 Allied ships including 11 aircraft carriers and four battleships.
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