Overview

Driven by extensive Japanese primary sources, Gamble in the Coral Seaoffers an operational analysis of thefirst clash of aircraft carriers at the pivotal Battle of the Coral Sea from the Japanese perspective, including leadership, tactics, and errors that brought a numeric victory but a strategic loss for Japan that halted their bold advance into the South Pacific and ultimately set the stage for Midway. The opening salvos of the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first large-scale carrier clash in history, were fired one month before Midway. Gamble in the Coral Sea recounts, for the first time in English, the story of this battle from the Japanese point of view. Based on extensive Japanese-language sources, author Micha A. Piegzik forcefully challenges established Western narratives surrounding this critical engagement in the Pacific War. Operation MO, the Japanese plan to seize Port Moresby, kicked off in early May 1942. By committing three carriers, including the famous Shkaku and Zuikaku, the Nippon Kaigun's command risked a critical part of their fleet just before the envisaged decisive battle at Midway in the Central Pacific, scheduled for early July. The operation was considered a vital part of Japanese strategy. Victory would isolate Australia and New Zealand and extend access to vital resources crucial to Japan's war effort. Victory, however, would prove elusive after American codebreakers deciphered Japanese radio traffic that revealed their plans in the weeks leading up to the launch of Operation MO. Using this intelligence to their advantage, U.S forces located elements of the Japanese navy as they steamed through the Coral Sea. Soon after, history's first carrier battle began. Piegzik combines expertise in military history with mastery of the Japanese language to provide a rare perspective on the Imperial Japanese Navy's operational choices during the battle. His use of Japanese archival documents and personal testimonies from surviving Japanese crew members uncovers new dimensions to the battle. The clash proved to be a Pyrrhic victory for the Japanese, who sunk the Lexington and crippled the Yorktown but were forced to call off Operation MO due to the severe damage inflicted on Shkaku and the heavy losses among their aircrews. Revealed here are the circumstances and actual reasons for the Japanese failure and the revised impact of the Battle of the Coral Sea on the Battle of Midway. Beyond tactical details, Piegzik offers insight into the broader consequences of the battle. He engages with sources previously underexplored and integrates them with Allied perspectives to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the events. A vital addition to any World War II collection, Gamble in the Coral Sea offers a nuanced and thorough exploration of a battle that significantly shaped the trajectory of the war in the Pacific.

Full Product Details

Author:   Michal A. Piegzik
Publisher:   Naval Institute Press
Imprint:   Naval Institute Press
Weight:   0.725kg
ISBN:  

9781682479964

ISBN 10:   168247996
Pages:   344
Publication Date:   01 January 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Contents   List of Abbreviations and Symbols   Introduction   Part One. September 1941 – 6 May 1942 Chapter 1. Japanese Navy Planning for Operation MO Chapter 2. Intercepting Japanese Naval Messages and Responses to Operation MO Chapter 3. The Invasion of Tulagi: First Japanese Move under Operation MO Chapter 4. The Yorktown Strikes on Tulagi and Gavutu Chapter 5. May 5 and 6 Searches by Each Side for Opposing Carrier Forces   Part Two. 7 May 1942     Chapter 6. Morning Search Missions for American Carriers and Movements of MO Kidō Butai in Response Chapter 7. Morning Reconnaissance Missions and Movements of Task Force 17 Chapter 8. Sinking of the Neosho and the Sims Chapter 9. Sinking of the Shōhō Chapter 10. The 25th Kōkū Sentai Enters the Fray Chapter 11. “Let’s go for it!”—Dusk Attack by the 5th Kōkū Sentai on TF-17 Carriers   Part Three. 8 May 1942 Chapter 12. “We Will Guide You”—Kan’no’s Selfless Decision Chapter 13. TF-17 Knocks the Shōkaku Out of Action Chapter 14. “To To To, Zegun Totsugeki Seyo” (“All forces attack!”): The Lexington Mortally Wounded, the Yorktown Hit Chapter 15. Aftermath: Damage Assessments, Recovery of Strike Aircraft, and Postponement of Operation MO Landing   Part Four. 8 May – 21 September 1942 Chapter 16. Final Movements in Operation MO Chapter 17. Conflicting Japanese Statements of Outcome of the Battle of the Coral Sea Chapter 18. What Failed on the Japanese Side? An Analysis   Appendix 1. Order of Battle, Japanese Forces Appendix 2. Order of Battle, Allied Forces Appendix 3. Zuikaku and Shōkaku Air Group Rosters Appendix 4. Shōhō Air Group Roster Appendix 5. List of Japanese Aircraft Appendix 6. Japanese Terminology Relating to the Battle of the Coral Sea Notes Bibliography Index    

Reviews

""A fascinating look at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Drawing extensively on Japanese sources, Piegzik sheds new light on the world’s first carrier battle and its place in Imperial Japanese strategy. Well worth the read!"" —Trent Hone, author of Learning War and Mastering the Art of Command ""Michal A. Piegzik’s excellent new work Gamble in the Coral Sea provides a unique look into the Japanese side of the battle, covering strategic and tactical levels, important personalities, command relationships, and incorporating many first-person accounts. It is indispensable in combination with the wealth of as yet unpublished U.S. aviator recollections for a future comprehensive study of the carrier actions."" —John B. Lundstrom, author of The First Team and Black Shoe Carrier Admiral ""In this superb study, Michal Piegzik exploits sources previously untapped by Western historians to illuminate the Japanese perspective on the Coral Sea campaign. He challenges traditional accounts, showing how and why the outcome was finely balanced, yet also exerted decisive influence on the next phase of the Pacific War."" —Andrew Boyd, author of The Royal Navy in Eastern Waters and Arms For Russia & the Naval War in the Arctic

Author Information

Micha A. Piegzik is a lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University with a PhD in Japanese private law. He was awarded the Japanese Ministry of Education scholarship for exceptional research results. The Pacific War is his life's passion. He has published in Poland, Japan, the UK, and the Netherlands. Gamble in the Coral Sea is his debut book in the United States.

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