Santa Cruz 1942

Carrier duel in the South Pacific

Santa Cruz 1942 cover

Santa Cruz 1942

Carrier duel in the South Pacific

Description

A highly illustrated account of the fourth major carrier battle of the war in the Pacific.

Despite myth, the Japanese carrier force was not destroyed at Midway but survived to still prove a threat in the Pacific Theater. Nowhere was this clearer than in the battle of Santa Cruz of October 1942. The stalemate on the ground in the Guadalcanal campaign led to the major naval forces of both belligerents becoming inexorably more and more involved in the fighting, each seeking to win the major victory that would open the way for a breakthrough on land as well.

The Japanese were able to gain a tactical victory at Santa Cruz and came very close to scoring a strategic victory, but they paid a very high price in aircraft and aircrew that prevented them from following up their victory. In terms of their invaluable aircrew, the battle was much more costly than even Midway and had a serious impact on the ability of the Japanese to carry out carrier warfare in a meaningful manner.

Illustrated richly throughout, this volume examines the encounter at Santa Cruz and its significance.

Table of Contents

Origins of the campaign
Chronology

Opposing commanders
Opposing armies
Orders of battle
Opposing plans
The campaign
Aftermath
The battlefields today

Further reading
Index

Product details

Published 20 Sep 2012
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781849086066
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 64 b/w; 3 col
Series Campaign
Short code CAM 247
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Mark Stille

Mark Stille is the author of numerous Osprey title…

Illustrator

Howard Gerrard

Howard Gerrard studied at the Wallasey School of A…

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