Reference Entry
UNITED STATES CARRIERS RAID MARSHALL AND GILBERT ISLANDS
On February 1st, 1942, less than two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, American carrier task forces struck back across the Pacific. The carriers Enterprise and Yorktown launched waves of aircraft against Japanese bases in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, hitting airfields, shipping, and shore installations. The material damage to the enemy was limited compared with later campaigns, but the raid marked the first offensive use of United States carriers in the war.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
United States carriers raid Marshall and Gilbert Islands
On February 1st, 1942, less than two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, American carrier task forces struck back across the Pacific. The carriers Enterprise and Yorktown launched waves of aircraft against Japanese bases in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, hitting airfields, shipping, and shore installations. The material damage to the enemy was limited compared with later campaigns, but the raid marked the first offensive use of United States carriers in the war. For sailors and aviators still shaken by December losses, it proved that the fleet could reach out across thousands of miles and deliver a coordinated blow. Japanese commanders now had to divert attention and resources to defending their own outposts, and both sides gained valuable experience in carrier warfare. In hindsight, these early raids foreshadowed the central role that carrier task forces would play in Pacific strategy, from Coral Sea and Midway through the long push toward Japan.
Read the complete weekly DispatchTrackpads Source Register
