First Battle of the North Pacific

===Background=== As May of 1942 drew to a close, the Japanese Naval High Command realised that it would only be a matter of time before the Americans tried to retake the Hawaiian islands. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto saw this as his opportunity to finally destroy the US Pacific fleet once and for all, and force the US to sue for peace. At his disposal, were the fleet carriers, Akagi, Shokaku, and Zuikaku. Major Kuro Horikawa of the Army Air Force offered the use of the Army fighters and bombers stationed in Hawaii, effectively giving Yamamoto a fourth air craft carrier, but the Admiral turned down this offer, preferring to fight the battle as far forward from Hawaii as possible. All the high command were aware of the US Radar advantage, so a picket line of boats were established in order to detect the incoming attack.

The Battle
As June drew to a close, the Navy was alerted to the US presence by their picket boats and sailed into action. A flying boat spotted the American fleet consisting of three fleet carriers, Hornet, Saratoga, and Yorktown. This made the battle an even match. However, it would not be the surprise the Japanese hopped for as the Americans knew they had been spotted. Both sides launched their planes and the battle began.

The Japanese pilots had vast experience in aerial warfare, smashing up everything from Hawaii to Ceylon. The American pilots were unaccustomed to the Japanese but were armed with tactics created by Colonel Thach which would give them an edge of the Zero's superior manoeuvrability.

The Japanese Strike force launched first, taking a direct route to the American's who were still launching planes when the Japanese strike force arrived. The Zero's were ordered to defend the dive bombers and torpedo planes from the US Fleet's CAP as they made their attack, and not to go after the American's own strike force, which struck out for the Japanese Fleet.

The US Fleet used their destroyers and cruisers as screening vessels for their carriers, throwing up a wall of flak, but spaced their carriers too close together. This made it easier for the attacking planes to strike their targets. The Wildcats protecting the fleet pounced on the strike force, but far too many chose to engage the Zero's and not the attack planes. Although the Wildcats managed to confuse the Zero's with the Thach Weave, it was of to no avail, and many of the Wildcats were shot down, severely depleting the Fleet's air cover. This cleared the way for the attacking planes, who managed to land a devastating blow against the US Fleet, sinking the Saratoga, and Yorktown.

The US strike force didn't fare as well as their Japanese counter part. The Japanese task force had dispersed their carriers, making them harder targets and forcing the attacking planes to split up. They struck at the Japanese fleet but their torpedo's failed to do any damage.

Back at the US Fleet, the remaining attack planes struck for the Hornet. Although their final attack didn't sink her, she was crippled and unable to fight. Their job done, the Japanese strike force headed for home.

The US Strike force had been decimated, but their dive bombers were successfully, damaging Akagi, while crippling Zuikaku. Having down what they could, they headed back to the fleet, all their torpedo bombers had been lost.

The battle was over in a matter of hours. The US had lost two carriers and and third had been crippled. The Japanese had one carrier crippled and one damaged. Without any air power, the US was forced to withdraw back to the West Coast leaving the Japanese triumphant and in charge of Hawaii.

Aftermath
Although it was a major victory for the Japanese, they had lost many veteran pilots in the battle, while the battle it's self wasn't the decisive blow that Yamamoto had hoped for. While the battle had forced the US to retreat, it wasn't towards the negotiation table. Radio broadcasts from the mainland made it clear the US had no intention of giving up, meaning that the war in the Pacific would be a war of industrial might which Yamamoto knew Japan had no hope of winning. Also, the Crack Man First Policy of the Japanese Navy meant that there were no reserves for the depleted air crews of the Japanese fleet guarding Hawaii. This would mean that the one of the major advantages the Zero had over it's opponents, the highly skilled pilot, was gone. Although a major victory, it was indeed a hollow one.