Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory

368 pages

Dr James Bosbotinis

In early 1942, when the US launched its first carrier raid of the war in the Pacific, it could muster 52 aircraft from the two aircraft carriers involved. By early 1944, Task Force 58, the US Navy’s Fast Carrier Force, in contrast, had 16 aircraft carriers and over 1,000 aircraft, as well as battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, to project power across the Central Pacific. Evan Mawdsley, formerly professor of international history at the University of Glasgow and author of The War for the Seas: A Maritime History of World War II (reviewed in the NR, Vol. 109, No. 2, Spring 2021, page 276), sets out to provide an account of the campaign across the Central Pacific, commencing in January 1944 with Operation FLINTLOCK, through to Operation FORAGER, the invasion of the Marianas in the summer of 1944. The latter ultimately securing the airbases from which US Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress bombers prosecuted the devastating strategic air campaign against Japan, culminating in the dropping of the two atomic bombs.

In Supremacy at Sea, Mawdsley examines the background to the establishment of Task Force 58, Operations FLINTLOCK, HAILLSTONE, DESECRETATE and FORAGER, as well as the February 1944 Marianas raid. Operation FORAGER and the Battle of the Philippine Sea is covered in three chapters. The book concludes with ‘Supremacy at Sea’, which discusses the conclusion of the war against Japan, the post-War careers of key figures such as Nimitz, Spruance and Mitscher, and the 80 years of US naval supremacy that followed. Whilst as the author explains, the book “is the story of American operations, told from the viewpoint of the U.S. Navy in 1944”, appendix II considers ‘The Other Side of the Ocean: Japanese Forces and Strategy’; appendix I is a list of the carriers that served in Task Force 58 from January to June 1944. Detailed endnotes and a bibliography are also included.

Alongside the account of the Central Pacific campaign, the author also provides a detailed discussion of the development of the foundations of US maritime power so ably demonstrated in the Pacific. This includes, for example, Pacific war strategy, the chain of command, personnel policy, the Two-Ocean Navy Act, an overview of the ships and aircraft that formed Task force 58, as well as a brief comparison with Japanese types. Moreover, Mawdsley draws particular attention to the logistic system supporting the US Navy and enabling the projection of power across the Pacific, and the contribution of intelligence (see, pages 133-141). In this regard, whilst the author’s focus is on the Fast Carrier Force, he also discusses the contribution of the US Navy’s submarine force to the Central Pacific campaign, highlighting “The Philippine Sea battle is often seen as a triumph of carrier aviation but was actually very much a “combined arms” battle…with the submarine playing a crucial role in both reconnaissance and attack.”

In Supremacy at Sea, Mawdsley provides an excellent, detailed, yet highly engaging account of the US Navy’s Central Pacific campaign and sets it in a wider discussion of naval strategy. This book provides a most valuable and informative read, with two photographic plates and a selection of detailed maps also included. At £20.00, it is great value too. For all those with an interest, whether professional, academic, or enthusiast, in seapower, this book is strongly recommended.