Combat Report
January 8, 1942
It has been a near sleepless night for Rr-Adm Kaku of CARDIV1. The evening before he committed his motley assortment of carriers to potential battle. Throughout the night he second-guessed his decision. SHOULD he commit CVs Akagi and Kaga who were down to the last of their ordinance? COULD he depend on the wallowing CVE's Hosho and Taiyo. Not exactly the Front-line of Japan's carrier aviation. Little CVL Zuiho had an experienced group of pilots, however, he longed for the large decks of Shokaku or Zuikaku. His major hope rested on the enhanced fighter complement on board his carriers and the iron determination of his pilots. Still...a sleepless night...
0410 CV Ryujo finishes a high speed run that brings into the Task Force just prior to dawn. Add another 42 planes (24 Zero and 18 Kate) to the strength of the carrier air groups.
0425--0435 Search aircraft begin taking off from the Chitose, BCs Hiei & Kirishima, as well as CAs Tone and Chikuma. All floatplanes are set for an arc of 110* from 330-080. Everything the Japanese have for Strike Aircraft begins to be arrayed on the decks of the carriers.
0520-0548 Despite heavy storm clouds, contact is made with a variety of American TF. DMS are spotted at Johnston, a pair of CLs just NE of the atoll, still another TF about 125 miles NNE of Johnston, and, finally, the PRIZE. Tone Scout-3 spots the USS Enterprise with at least 4 CA, and DDs steaming west.
0600-0617 Kaku wastes no time. All six carriers turn into the wind and the TF heads directly towards the enemy. Are there other carriers present? No one knows, There is one CERTAIN target and the Rr-Adm launches 67 Zero, 37 Val, and 44 Kate to destroy it.
CAP begins to lift off the decks immediately after the strike leaves the Task Force. Within minutes the CARDIV1's CAP begins to encounter and shot down SBDs searching for their ships. Two get off contact reports before being shot down.
0712 CDR Hamano commands the Japanese strike. He looks to the elite Daitai of Akagi Vals he oversees. The wakes of the American Task Force are spotted and Hamano spends several minutes searching for additional carriers. There are none. He orders the entire strike to concentrate on Enterprise 14,000 Ft underneath him.
0717-0738 The Japanese strike sweeps aside 18 of the American Wildcats with contemptible ease. The Sea Eagles protect the incoming bombers flawlessly. Not a single Val or Kate is shot down by enemy fighters.
The tone of the fight is immediately set when the first group of 4 Vals to drop their bombs at Enterprise hits her twice. A classic Hammer-and-Anvil attack occurs with the Kates simultaneously. Enterprise's speed begins to fall as a 3rd and then 4th bomb hits her. This substantially helps the 18 Kate carrying torpedoes. Two fish slam into the burning carriers side and she goes dead in the water.
Hamano has held back Akagi's Vals to this point and now he orders them to hit other enemy ships. Very quickly CA Chester takes pair of bombs as well as a Torp that missed Enterprise, CAs Northampton and Salt Lake City take hits as well. A fast moving DD (Ellet) gets smacked by a bomb as well.
Having lost only a single Zero, Val, and Kate, the Japanese planes head for home.
Many pilots did notice that Enterprise's decks were clear of all attack aircraft. Her strike must have already been launched.
0758-0819 Having been adding to the CARDIV1's CAP all morning nearly 70 Zeros are staged at altitudes of 13,000---23,000 Ft. The American strike comes in as 16 F4Fs, 13 SBD, and 8 TBD. It is swarmed over by the Zeros. Despite staggering losses, 6 SBD and 2 TBD manage to make their drops on Japanese targets. CVE Taiyo dodges several bombs while BB's Hiei and Kirishima receive all of the attention from the remaining aircraft. For their great bravery, the Americans manage a solitary hit on BC Hiei. No real damage. For their temerity, the Zeros wait until the surviving Americans get through the AA and pounce back upon them. NONE survive the attack.
Amid worsening weather, CDR Hamano's planes return to their carriers.
0848-0919 All aircraft manage to land as it begins to rain.
While what little ordinance left is placed onto strike planes, the full force of the storm front hits the Japanese Fleet. It quickly becomes apparent that this is the end of the first ever CV vs. CV clash in history.
Decisions:
1. During the afternoon Kaku finds out that Akagi has NO sorties left while Kaga is down to less then 80. He reluctantly decides to withdraw by moving due west. If there is shipping at Johnston tomorrow then he will still be in range to hit it.
2. While this is being done, Kaku makes the decision to unleash his Battlecruisers in an attempt to smash more American Warships. Hiei, Kirishima, CA Furutaka, and 4 DDs are detached and ordered to advance 240 miles NE looking for the enemy. If they find nothing then they are to retire to Palmyra.
3. Nearly a dozen I-Boats are on patrol in the area and they are all vectored in to, hopefully, add to the victory already achieved this day.
