Why Did Spruance Ignore His Carrier Commanders and Anchor the Fleet at Saipan? скачать в хорошем качестве

Why Did Spruance Ignore His Carrier Commanders and Anchor the Fleet at Saipan?

Why Did Spruance Ignore His Carrier Commanders and Anchor the Fleet at Saipan? On the night of June 18, 1944, Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher and Captain Arleigh Burke begged Admiral Raymond Spruance to turn Task Force 58 west and destroy the Japanese Mobile Fleet. Spruance refused. He anchored fifteen carriers to the Saipan beachhead and let the enemy attack first. Every aviator in the fleet believed it was a death sentence. What followed was the most lopsided air victory in naval history — the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot — where American pilots destroyed over 350 Japanese aircraft at a kill ratio of 15:1. But six Japanese carriers escaped. Four months later, those same carriers became the bait that nearly destroyed the American fleet at Leyte Gulf. Was Spruance right to play defense? Or did his caution cost the Navy a chance to end the Pacific War sooner? This is the story of the deepest command divide in American naval history — black shoes versus brown shoes, battleship thinking versus carrier doctrine — and the decision that still splits historians today. If you enjoyed this video, check out our other deep dives into the untold stories of American superiority in World War Two. Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss the next one.