Gamble in the Coral Sea: Japan's Offensive, the Carrier Battle, and the Road to Midway

Gamble in the Coral Sea provides an operational analysis of the Battle of the Coral Sea from the Japanese perspective, drawing on extensive Japanese primary sources. The battle, fought in May 1942 one month before Midway, was the first large-scale clash of aircraft carriers in history. Author Michał A. Piegzik examines Japanese leadership, tactics, and errors during this pivotal engagement. Operation MO was Japan's plan to seize Port Moresby using three carriers, including the Shōkaku and Zuikaku. American codebreakers had deciphered Japanese radio traffic revealing these plans, allowing U.S. forces to locate and engage the Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea. The resulting battle proved a Pyrrhic victory for Japan: while they sank the Lexington and crippled the Yorktown, severe damage to the Shōkaku and heavy aircrews losses forced Japan to abandon Operation MO. Using Japanese archival documents and testimonies from surviving Japanese crew members, Piegzik challenges established Western narratives and uncovers new dimensions to the battle. He explores the circumstances of Japanese failure and the battle's revised impact on Midway, while integrating Allied perspectives for a comprehensive understanding of this engagement that significantly shaped the Pacific War.