OPERATIONS ORDERS: South Pacific Area - 1 May 1942

VADM "Bull" Halsey's successful delivery of Jimmy
Doolittle's raiders has had a greater impact than 
providing a morale boost on the home front.  The
Combined Fleet's pursuit of TF 16 and the resultant 
heavy signals traffic has added the final pieces to
the puzzle and the JN 25 code is now decipherable.

Intelligence estimates indicate a high probability of
a major Japanese thrust into the Coral  Sea area, with
Port Moresby (code named MO) Tulagi (code named RZ)
priority targets.  This new Japanese advance constitutes
a major threat to the lines of communication to Australia 
and to Australia itself.

Port Moresby is essential to Allied strategic planning in
this theatre and is being developed as a major air base.
Currently, Port Moresby is all that lies between Rabaul
and the north eastern approaches to Australia and must be
denied to the enemy.

"HYPO" has determined that the 5th Carrier Division 
(Shokaku and Zuikaku) and a new CVL we believe to be
Ryukaku (Shoho) will augment the land based air 
concentrated at Rabaul in support of the invasion forces.
Fletcher's TF 17 (Yorktown) and Fitch's TF 11 (Lexington) 
are in the area and under your overall command.  The
cruisers of TF 44 are also at your disposal.  The time
to draw a line in the sand is upon us.
 

