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Osprey Campaign #392
Early Pacific Raids 1942: The American Carriers Strike Back
A fascinating exploration of how between February 1 and March 10, 1942, three small US task forces launched several unexpected raids across the Japanese defensive perimeter in the Central and South Pacific.
After the devastating Japanese blows of December 1941, the Allies found themselves reeling with defeat everywhere in the Pacific. Although stripped of his battleships and outnumbered 10:3 in carriers, the US Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Ernest J. King decided to hit back at Japan's rapidly expanding Pacific empire immediately, in an effort to keep the Japanese off-balance.
On February 1, 1942, Vice Admiral Bill Halsey led the US Pacific Fleet carriers on their first raid, using high-speed hit-and-run tactics to strike at the Japanese, at a time when most of the Japanese carrier fleet was in the Indian Ocean. Halsey's aggressive commitment inspired its American participants to invent the mythical “Haul Ass With Halsey” club. The last of the 1942 US carrier raids in March 1942 would form a defining moment in the Pacific War, prior to a new phase of high-seas battles between the opposing fleets.
This superbly illustrated book documents for the first time in a single volume this little-known but important World War II naval campaign. The fabulous illustrations, including maps and colour artworks, bring to life the US air and naval raids on the Japanese bases in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, Rabaul, Wake Island, Marcus Island, and Lae and Salamaua in northern New Guinea.
After the devastating Japanese blows of December 1941, the Allies found themselves reeling with defeat everywhere in the Pacific. Although stripped of his battleships and outnumbered 10:3 in carriers, the US Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Ernest J. King decided to hit back at Japan's rapidly expanding Pacific empire immediately, in an effort to keep the Japanese off-balance.
On February 1, 1942, Vice Admiral Bill Halsey led the US Pacific Fleet carriers on their first raid, using high-speed hit-and-run tactics to strike at the Japanese, at a time when most of the Japanese carrier fleet was in the Indian Ocean. Halsey's aggressive commitment inspired its American participants to invent the mythical “Haul Ass With Halsey” club. The last of the 1942 US carrier raids in March 1942 would form a defining moment in the Pacific War, prior to a new phase of high-seas battles between the opposing fleets.
This superbly illustrated book documents for the first time in a single volume this little-known but important World War II naval campaign. The fabulous illustrations, including maps and colour artworks, bring to life the US air and naval raids on the Japanese bases in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, Rabaul, Wake Island, Marcus Island, and Lae and Salamaua in northern New Guinea.
- GenresMilitary Fiction
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 22, 2023
About the author
Brian Lane Herder
18 books7 followersBorn in 1981, Brian Lane Herder graduated with a BA in History from the University of Kansas in 2003, and a Masters of Library Science from Emporia State University in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 2, 2023
(As an aside to my review below, who gives a book a one-star review without explanation? I think that is both cowardly and pathetic)
Between 1 February and 10 March 1942, the United States conducted raids in the Pacific to avenge the Japanese surprise attacks of December 1941 and keep them strategically off-balance. These were a remarkable achievement for a depleted US Navy and an ominous warning for the Japanese of what was to come. In this Osprey Campaign Series book, Brian Lane Herder follows the action.
The American reaction to Japan’s attacks was swift and aggressive. Herder notes the rapid American reorganisation of its Pacific fleet, both in ships and command, then turns to the opposing commanders. Here we meet, among others, Admirals Yamamoto, Shigeyoshi, and Goto for the Japanese, and Admirals King, Nimitz, and Halsey on the US side. What and who they commanded follows, with the Japanese Kido Butai leading the way, backed by defensive forces based at sea and on captured islands. The US in the wake of Pearl Harbor organised Carrier task forces to conduct operations, again with defensive support. A brief survey of respective strategies precedes Herder’s narrative of the campaign. This included the submarine attack on the USS Saratoga, the Japanese invasion of Rabaul, the aborted US attack on Wake Island, and the February 1942 raids on the Marshalls and Gilberts, attacks on Kwajalein, Wotje, and Taroa. The Japanese carrier force reacted, but they lacked any real purpose. Their invasion of Lae and Salamaua in March 1942 proved more useful, though they were hit hard by a US air raid shortly thereafter. Herder closes by noting that while this first US campaign was relatively minor compared to what was to come, it had positive strategic consequences for the American war effort.
Despite its uninspiring title, Early Pacific Raids 1942 is an enjoyable read that covers a lot of action. Herder writes well, managing to convey the sense of the US learning how to fight with Carriers, and Japanese indecisiveness playing out a strategy they hadn’t quite anticipated – they meant to sink the Carriers at Pearl Harbor. Herder is limited by the format to a surface level exploration of this fascinating campaign, but he adds a useful bibliography for further reading. As ever, Osprey supports their author with excellent maps and artwork. A good read for those interested in the Pacific theatre or Carrier warfare in World War II.
Between 1 February and 10 March 1942, the United States conducted raids in the Pacific to avenge the Japanese surprise attacks of December 1941 and keep them strategically off-balance. These were a remarkable achievement for a depleted US Navy and an ominous warning for the Japanese of what was to come. In this Osprey Campaign Series book, Brian Lane Herder follows the action.
The American reaction to Japan’s attacks was swift and aggressive. Herder notes the rapid American reorganisation of its Pacific fleet, both in ships and command, then turns to the opposing commanders. Here we meet, among others, Admirals Yamamoto, Shigeyoshi, and Goto for the Japanese, and Admirals King, Nimitz, and Halsey on the US side. What and who they commanded follows, with the Japanese Kido Butai leading the way, backed by defensive forces based at sea and on captured islands. The US in the wake of Pearl Harbor organised Carrier task forces to conduct operations, again with defensive support. A brief survey of respective strategies precedes Herder’s narrative of the campaign. This included the submarine attack on the USS Saratoga, the Japanese invasion of Rabaul, the aborted US attack on Wake Island, and the February 1942 raids on the Marshalls and Gilberts, attacks on Kwajalein, Wotje, and Taroa. The Japanese carrier force reacted, but they lacked any real purpose. Their invasion of Lae and Salamaua in March 1942 proved more useful, though they were hit hard by a US air raid shortly thereafter. Herder closes by noting that while this first US campaign was relatively minor compared to what was to come, it had positive strategic consequences for the American war effort.
Despite its uninspiring title, Early Pacific Raids 1942 is an enjoyable read that covers a lot of action. Herder writes well, managing to convey the sense of the US learning how to fight with Carriers, and Japanese indecisiveness playing out a strategy they hadn’t quite anticipated – they meant to sink the Carriers at Pearl Harbor. Herder is limited by the format to a surface level exploration of this fascinating campaign, but he adds a useful bibliography for further reading. As ever, Osprey supports their author with excellent maps and artwork. A good read for those interested in the Pacific theatre or Carrier warfare in World War II.
July 16, 2024
In the wake of the apparent success of their dazzling Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese set about taking all those "Southern" Resources they had gone to war to obtain. Strategically, they did not think they had to deal with the US Navy, except for its outgunned Far East Flotilla members already out in Asia or the South Pacific. The Americans, however, with their new main military centers of gravity being carrier groups- felt they needed to show their level of fight. As Brian Lane Herder tells us in this Number 392 of Osprey Publishing's Campaign series, the US Navy and its fast growing Naval Aviation Wings learned lesson raiding deep into the Pacific and stinging the Japanese that would lead to success at Coral Sea and Midway. The raids themselves were largely pinpricks, but they did grab Japanese attention, especially the speed at which these responses came.
All the monoplane aircraft that fought at Midway were still new to all the Squadrons that flew them. The speeds they flew were much higher than the Biplanes some US Pilots had been flying only last year. Forming up and holding formation- so attacks can be robust and escort fighters can do their job is not rocket science- but its requires training and repetition. The Japanese had been honing their craft in combat with the Chinese for almost a whole decade before bringing the US into the war.. American pilots entered the Pacific Raids as spirited trained amateurs- and finished it by getting results at Coral Sea. This was the finishing school the US Navy needed to be ready for its shining moment at Midway. Presented in the classic Osprey format with loads of maps, photos, and diagrams, this will inform both Military History Buffs and casual readers alike on a key US Campaign from WWII.
Without adult themes and graphic injury passages, this is a good book for the Junior Reader over 11/12 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this is a very useful resource. For the Gamer, each raid is a scenario, all of them form a campaign that can appeal to both Naval and Aerial gamers - or both. For the Modeler, this book probably needs a colour resource to go along with it - but there are many build/diorama ideas in the text. The Military Enthusiast gets a nice explanation of a key formative period in US Naval Aviation in WWII. The Casual reader will probably never have heard of these battles and will get a better understanding of WWII in the Pacific.
All the monoplane aircraft that fought at Midway were still new to all the Squadrons that flew them. The speeds they flew were much higher than the Biplanes some US Pilots had been flying only last year. Forming up and holding formation- so attacks can be robust and escort fighters can do their job is not rocket science- but its requires training and repetition. The Japanese had been honing their craft in combat with the Chinese for almost a whole decade before bringing the US into the war.. American pilots entered the Pacific Raids as spirited trained amateurs- and finished it by getting results at Coral Sea. This was the finishing school the US Navy needed to be ready for its shining moment at Midway. Presented in the classic Osprey format with loads of maps, photos, and diagrams, this will inform both Military History Buffs and casual readers alike on a key US Campaign from WWII.
Without adult themes and graphic injury passages, this is a good book for the Junior Reader over 11/12 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this is a very useful resource. For the Gamer, each raid is a scenario, all of them form a campaign that can appeal to both Naval and Aerial gamers - or both. For the Modeler, this book probably needs a colour resource to go along with it - but there are many build/diorama ideas in the text. The Military Enthusiast gets a nice explanation of a key formative period in US Naval Aviation in WWII. The Casual reader will probably never have heard of these battles and will get a better understanding of WWII in the Pacific.
January 2, 2025
Great detailed explanation of the 1942 US carrier offensive
Every day you can learn something new, I was raised on the belief that after Pearl Harbor, the only branch that continue the fight against the Japanese were the silent service. After reading this book I have a clear picture of the usage of the US carrier force during those preceding months, not only in terms of war doctrine of both contenders, but also the explanation of the personality of the admirals of both sides, great read, truly recommended it.
Every day you can learn something new, I was raised on the belief that after Pearl Harbor, the only branch that continue the fight against the Japanese were the silent service. After reading this book I have a clear picture of the usage of the US carrier force during those preceding months, not only in terms of war doctrine of both contenders, but also the explanation of the personality of the admirals of both sides, great read, truly recommended it.
June 15, 2024
Covers the American carrier raids starting in January 1942 and until Doolittle's action on Tokyo. Quite interesting as these actions are often relegated to a secondary role in history, but were quite relevant in causing the enemy to allocate and shift forces to respond.
Features Admiral Halsey in all his bravado, parking his carrier in sight of enemy positions and pounding them for six hours.
Features Admiral Halsey in all his bravado, parking his carrier in sight of enemy positions and pounding them for six hours.
February 14, 2026
Early Pacific Raids 1942 by Brian Lane Herder is a really solid and informative read about the lesser-known carrier raids in the early months of the Pacific War. I genuinely enjoyed it and felt like I learned a lot from it.
What I appreciated most is how clearly the book explains the strategic situation after attack on Pearl Harbor and how these early strikes shaped the momentum before the bigger, more famous battles. It does a great job showing how both sides were still figuring each other out, and how risky and experimental these operations really were.
I also found that it pairs perfectly with Pearl Harbor 1941 and Coral Sea 1942 by Mark Stille. Reading them together really helped me see the bigger picture of how the early Pacific campaign developed step by step.
Overall, it’s an accessible, well-structured book that adds important context to the early naval war in the Pacific. If you’re interested in that period, it’s definitely worth picking up.
What I appreciated most is how clearly the book explains the strategic situation after attack on Pearl Harbor and how these early strikes shaped the momentum before the bigger, more famous battles. It does a great job showing how both sides were still figuring each other out, and how risky and experimental these operations really were.
I also found that it pairs perfectly with Pearl Harbor 1941 and Coral Sea 1942 by Mark Stille. Reading them together really helped me see the bigger picture of how the early Pacific campaign developed step by step.
Overall, it’s an accessible, well-structured book that adds important context to the early naval war in the Pacific. If you’re interested in that period, it’s definitely worth picking up.
May 12, 2024
Most popular histories pretty much ignore US action in the Pacific from Pearl Harbor until Coral Sea and Midway. This volume fills that gap describing small single-carrier task force actions against newly acquired Japanese territories and remote holdings.
August 15, 2023
A good and very readable, brief overview of the often-overlooked naval operations of the USN in the first months of the War in the Pacific in WWII.
May 25, 2026
Two sides boxing blindfolded.
Japan was riding high. America was itching to show what it could do. It had a passage that staggered me.
Japan was riding high. America was itching to show what it could do. It had a passage that staggered me.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews