Coral Sea Campaign: Part 1

This is the first Report of Proceedings I submitted to my superior officers in the Guildford Wargamers recent Coral Sea campaign

Scouting Force Report Under way in the Coral Sea 5 May 1942

Air Searches Conducted

D1: Dawn position was R37. Six LR Search aircraft successfully launched at 0600 (dawn)

Search zones were completed as follows:

	07:00:00	09:00:00	11:00:00	13:00:00	15:00:00
Plane 1	X30	BB27	EE24	II21	LL16
Plane 2	Y35	BB32		FF29	II26
Plane 3	Y40	CC37	FF34	JJ31	MM28
Plane 4	V43	CC42	CC42	JJ36	JJ36
Plane 5	R46	Z45	GG39	GG39	MM33
Plane 6	W47	W47	Z45	Z45	Z45

Landing position was X30, all aircraft were successfully recovered.

Air Search Data

Plane 2 experienced adverse weather conditions which delayed the establishment of its search zone at FF29, and prevented it from pushing its search out to the full depth planned. Otherwise the searches were executed as planned, and I consider the crews executed their mission well.

The requirement for surface assets of this command to rebroadcast sighting reports from our aircraft created unnecessary risk to surface assets, and delay to the prompt receipt of reports by you. Arrangements should be put in place for our LR search frequencies to be monitored directly in your flagship.

Plane 6 at Z45 encountered enemy LR search planes flying NW through its search zone at 1200 hrs and NE to SW shortly after 1600 Hours. Plane 4 reports shooting down a LR search plane transiting S through its search zone JJ36 at about the same time. I conclude that enemy seaplane carriers may have established a dusk landing-on position to the S or SE of our final search positions at JJ36/MM33.

Plane 3 made contact with enemy SR search planes SW of JJ31 and Plane 2 made contact with enemy SR search S of FF29 shortly before 1400. Plane 2 then established a search zone at II26 and made contact in hex GG26 with two large cruisers and 5 destroyers heading NW speed 15knts. I consider that the previously reported SR search contacts are consistent with the presence of this surface task force on a course NW or NNW. There is no indication from these search data of any other surface force (such as the enemy carriers) being also present.

Radio DF data

We detected brief radio transmissions at 1700 hours on a line from Hex X60 to Hex NN12 and at 1000 on a line from HEX T33 to NN39. Neither of these contacts appears to be consistent with the course and speed of the enemy surface task force sighted.

Air Searches Planned

Six LR Search aircraft launched at 0600 (dawn) today search zones are assigned as follows:

	07:00:00	09:00:00	11:00:00	13:00:00	15:00:00
Plane 1	BB32	EE34	HH36	KK38	LL41
Plane 2	Y35	BB37	EE39	HH41	HH44
Plane 3	U38	X40	AA42	DD44	EE48
Plane 4	R41	U43	X45	AA47	AA50
Plane 5	M42	Q46	T48	W50	W50
Plane 6	Z27	FF29	II31	LL33	LL33

These constitute the previously ordered search zones, with an additional aircraft (Plane 6) deployed on the southern end of the planned search area.

Landing position has been ordered as X30. We expect to remain in company with your flag during the day and meet this rendezvous, subject to your further orders.