No wonder. The Japanese were attacking everywhere; trying to invade Australia, campaigning in Burma, with half of their army busy in China against the dual forces of the Nationalists and the Communists. Then they entertained almost a million men to watch the Soviets, notwithstanding all the troops they needed to conquer and hold the immensity of the Pacific. If the Allies mounted a determined resistance in any kind of strength, they had a chance. The Imperial Navy was also in the same predicament, with the Combined Fleet’s might in Hawaii to try and hold on to Oahu, and then more ships divided on both of Australia’s flanks. According to MacArthur's best intelligence assessments, the Japs didn’t even have the oil or the resources to use all their forces at the same time. The Allies only needed to resist everywhere until such time that America’s factories built them the military might that would sweep the Nippon forces away.

  And thus, MacArthur’s theory was tested in Broome and Derby on the 11th of July 1942. The Japs came with their multitudes of ships, with two battleships (the rest had already been ordered to the Coral Sea). The powerful Ise (Derby) and Tosa (Broome) thus shelled both cities, exploding buildings and creating great mayhem across the town’s infrastructures. They both dueled for a short while against the insufficient coastal defense guns that were able to hit the dreadnoughts but couldn’t penetrate their armored belts and decks.

  After several hours of destroying everything in sight with the battleships, the Imperial Army was deemed safe enough to move ahead with their amphibious landings. Hundreds of Daihatsu landing ships surged forward, transporting men from the Imperial Guard Division, the 64th Division, and a half-brigade of Type 95 medium tanks. The small Allied forces defending both cities put up one hell of a fight, and for most of the day on the 11th, Imperial troops were stuck on the beaches. By nightfall, the Japs were finally able to land their tanks, and a night attack was conducted in Broome, pushing the Australian forces back and finally taking hold in the city proper.

  In Derby, the Allies resisted the whole night but finally broke after the Japanese air force launched a devastating airstrike against their defensive positions.

  Both Australian forces remnants retired to the interior, and the Japanese did not follow them. Their losses were substantial, and they were exhausted.

  The Japanese landings in Milne Bay

  The Imperial Army attacks, July 11th, 1942

  Milne Bay was a sheltered 97-square-mile (250 km2) bay at the eastern tip of the Territory of New Guinea. It was 22 miles (35 km) long and 10 miles (16 km) wide and deep enough for large ships to enter. The coastal area was flat with good aerial approaches and, therefore, suitable for airstrips, although it was intercut by many tributaries of rivers and mangrove swamps. The bay was sandwiched to its north and south by the Stirling Mountains Range, which at points rose to 3,000–5,000 feet (910–1,520 m). The main area of firm ground suitable for construction and development was found directly at the head of the bay. In 1942 this area was occupied by plantations of palm oil, coconuts, and cocoa, as well as a number of jetties and villages, connected by a modest 'road' system that was, in actuality, only a dirt track 10–12 meters (33–39 ft) wide. The area was sparsely populated, although there were several villages along the track.

  The reason the Japanese found the place interesting was twofold. First, it had roads that led to the southern coast, so its troops could advance from there and then swing northwest toward Port Moresby. Second, landing in Milne Bay was a lot easier, as the Allies would not have time to react. Admiral Inoue’s plan, approved enthusiastically by Grand Admiral Yamamoto, was simple. He would sail a powerful battleship task force with troops transports and land an entire division there.

  The follow-up to the landing was to build up a supply base and then advance through the mountains and on the southern coast. From there, it was hoped that the advance would be smooth all the way to Port Moresby. The plan also called for some reinforcements (another division) to bolster the attack. But at that time, no more troops were available. So, the Grand Admiral promised Inoue that he would petition Hajime for another Kwantung division. The Admiral still had a few units scattered around (battalion-sized) on D’entrecasteaux, Woodlark, and Misima islands that he decided to eventually move to Milne Bay if it was necessary. In typical Japanese improvisation, Inoue agreed that he would make it work with a division.

  A powerful task force sailed out of Rabaul base on the early morning of the 10th of July. It was powerful because it contained the super-battleship Musashi, but it had few surface units. But the presence of the steel behemoth was deemed sufficient to face the potential Allied reaction.

  Admiral Inoue sailed out with the rest of its 2nd Fleet ships, staying near Normanby Island to provide air cover with his three light carriers (Unyo, Ryujo, Zhuiho). He was out of battleships to protect them, so he bunched together everything else available: Heavy cruiser Haguro, ten destroyers, and three light cruisers.

  Yamamoto had already ordered Admiral Ihaka’s 1st fleet to transfer several heavy units to the 2nd fleet (for example, the battleship Yamashiro and Hyuga). Still, they were not yet available for the Milne Bay operation. So, Musashi would have to do it alone, along with the heavy cruiser Atago, five destroyers, and two light cruisers.

  U.S. Navy Intelligence got advance notice of the Japanese operation, thanks to their Magic decoding setup with the OSS and thanks to the many British-Australian listening stations across the area. The Nipponese radio intercepts, duly decoded, were rapidly sent through the chain of command, and it didn’t take long for Douglas MacArthur to formulate an answer. He first ordered the Australian 10th Division in Abau, a scratch force of 10 000 men (Americans, British, Australians), to move toward Milne Bay with the utmost speed. He figured they would probably arrive too late to stop the Jap landing but would be in a position to counter-attack.

  After seeing what the Imperial Navy sent to protect the landing force, he ordered Admiral Leahy to move with the Allied 2nd fleet to intercept it and destroy the ships there. Unfortunately for the American commander, he was unaware that he was sending the poor Allied sailors to a world of trouble. Musashi was still an unknown entity to the American-British forces. They would soon get to see the super-dreadnought in all its glory. As the OSS reported from their decoded transmissions, it was not “just one battleship.”

  On July 11th, the Imperial Army forces of the 89th Infantry Division landed without opposition in Milne Bay and quickly overwhelmed the area, immediately setting up defensive positions. The Japanese ships didn’t even have to fire a shot, as no enemy was in sight.

  However, the 10th Australian Division would soon arrive in the area to challenge their enemies.

  Heavy guns duel

  Musashi VS Washington July 12th, 1942

  Both Allied and Japanese navies were again on a collision course for a duel. A duel that would make a story for the ages. A brave American fleet against a powerful adversary.

  Admiral Leahy’s 2nd Fleet, which was already sailing near Cairns as a quick-reaction force, immediately headed for Milne Bay on the 11th at the first signs movements from the Imperial Navy. Both MacArthur and the Admiral knew that they were risking it all again, that the fleet had insufficient air cover compared to the enemy aircraft’s multitudes. But they did have Ranger and Charger against three Japanese light carriers. Furthermore, several planes had arrived in Australia and were starting to make their way to Port Moresby to bolster the air defense.

  So, MacArthur ordered all available planes to concentrate either above Leahy’s fleet or find the enemy ships, especially the carriers, which were said to cruise between Rabaul and the Lousiades Archipelago. They even pressed the B-17s into the battle, even if the planes were not super-efficient against ships. They would still provide excellent air coverage and could search the area extensively to find the Nipponese carriers.

  The 2nd fleet entered the mouth of Milne Bay undetected on the early morning of the 12th since it sailed the whole night at full speed in the dark. Musashi also didn’t have any radar, scheduled to be installed only in September that year. But at first light, it didn’t take long for both sides to be aware of the other. Leahy had split his force in two in order first to intercept the landing force and protect his carriers.

  The ships that entered Milne Bay were deemed sufficient to sink the Japanese battleship and few other surface vessels reported to be there.

  Allied task force 1 contained two battleships, the mighty Washington and New York, flanked by heavy cruisers San Francisco and London, two light cruisers, and five destroyers. They faced the Musashi, heavy cruiser Atago, two light cruisers, and five destroyers.

  USS Washington (35 000 tons displacement) was the second and final member of the North Carolina class of fast battleships, the first vessel of the type built for the United States Navy. Made under the Washington Treaty system, North Carolina's design was limited in displacement and armament but still had nine 16 in (406 mm) guns. The ship was laid down in 1938 and completed in May 1941. Her initial career was spent training along the East Coast of the United States until after Japan attacked and invaded Pearl Harbor. Its armor was a respectable 305mm at the belt and 406mm on the gun turrets.

  The New York class was a pair of dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy between 1911 and 1914. The two ships of the class, New York and Texas, were some of the most potent dreadnoughts in the world at the time.

  Designed as a more heavily armed improvement over the previous Wyoming class, the New York class was the first American battleship to feature the 14-inch (356 mm)/45 caliber gun. It was one of the last battleship classes designed with a five-turret layout and coal for fuel. The class also suffered several deficiencies, such as a lack of anti-aircraft weaponry and armor layout, but the Americans made do with what they had in 1942.

  The main battery consisted of ten 14-inch/45 caliber guns (356mm) in five 2-gun turrets. The armor was a little lighter than Washington, with 305mm at the belt and 356mm for the turrets

  Facing them was the mightiest battleship afloat in 1942 (along with Yamato). The Yamato-class ships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing almost 72,000 tons fully loaded and armed with nine 460mm (18.1 in) main guns. Their secondary armament consisted of four 155mm (6.1 in) triple-gun turrets formerly used by the Mogami-class cruisers (so it was like it was two ships in one).

  Musashi opened the battle from its incredible, unheard-of 25 miles range (40 kilometers) with its unprecedented 460mm guns. Admiral Leahy on Washington, aware of the Japanese presence at the bottom of Milne Bay (the Japanese ships were bottled in), could only observe in horror that large explosions soon gushed heavy towering water by his ships.

  “What the hell is that thing firing at us, gentlemen,” said the American commander, seemingly awestruck. “Some brave deck officer opted for the logical answer: “Sir. We don’t know, Sir.” Leahy seemed uncertain for another second or two but quickly returned to his sense. “All ships ahead. We need to close the range.”

  And indeed, they needed to. The Musashi would simply murder them if they didn’t. “Also, call for an airstrike and notify MacArthur that we have encountered unexpected resistance and that we need every available help here,” finished the Admiral, pointing to the officer in charge of the radio room on Washington. “Yes, sir.”

  An air raid on the Japanese landing fleet was planned for about the same time, but it wouldn’t hurt for MacArthur and the other local commanders in Port Moresby and Cairns to know that something big and mean was in Milne Bay.

  The minutes that trickled by as the Allied ships steamed full speed were the most nerve-racking of Leahy’s career, and he’d started to feel like during his encounter with Kirishima earlier in June. The feeling that something big and powerful was closing in on him.

  The enemy sent a powerful salvo at a rate of two per minute and, so far, had missed with all their shots. No wonder since the Musashi’s crew was pretty raw. But that didn’t mean they were untrained. Finally, after two straddling shots hit the water on both sides of New York, the super battleships following broadside struck the U.S. dreadnought with all its fury. Five of its 460mm shells hit the superstructure just above the armor belt and on the conning tower.

  The results for the American vessel were nothing short of catastrophic. Two of the shells glanced out and so exploded outwardly, creating damage, but more like a spectacular blast than anything critical. A third one landed smack in between the forward-most main turret’s twin guns and the deck. The heavily protected gun platform splintered in a million pieces scattered on both sides of the ship and peppered the sea all around.

  But the most damning damage to New York were the last two shells that followed the two glancing hits a fraction of a second after. They entered the already weakened belt and impaled the battleship like a hot knife through butter, penetrating four decks below the armored exterior. The shells then exploded from the inside of the Texas-class battleship, snapping it like a popping bubble. The great ship opened from the inside and seemed to burst before a powerful explosion rocketed it, lifting it momentarily from the water’s surface. Fire, debris, and oily black smoke gushed out from the gaping holes, and just like that, New York was completely dead in the water, crippled. The amazing thing was that the ship still floated but was now just a platform on which a great fire burned. Everything went dead on the vessel, and almost half of its crew was either killed, injured, or stunned severely. The officer’s deck was gone, and so the captain and his deck officers as well.

  As Washington slipped right beside the burning New York, Leahy, open-mouthed, didn’t find anything to say or think apart from a vile panic that slowly took part of his inner guts. Yes, they’d boxed the Japanese fleet, and by all standard military logic, they should have made short work of the “small” task force of a battleship, heavy cruisers, and a few support ships, but the Americans had badly miscalculated. They’d cornered a rat (and a huge one at that), and the rat lashed out at them for it.

  For another half a minute, just the time for the next Musashi salvo to arrive over his ships, he was indecisive about what to do. Then Musashi’s broadside straddled Washington with eight of its shells, and the ninth hit the American Battleship on the bow.

  The resulting explosion shook Washington to its core, as even the Admiral and his officers were swept off their feet and fell on the ground. The Nipponese 460mm round hit right at the front of the ship and opened it like it had not even been armored. Luckily for Leahy and his men, it had been a partial hit, the shell hitting the water and the ship simultaneously, mitigating the impact. But that hit was enough for U.S. Admiral. “Lieutenant Darby!” he yelled. “Yes, Sir.” Order all destroyers full speed ahead. Every ship is to put up a smokescreen and turn about. We’re getting out of here.” “Yes, sir,” said an obviously relieved lieutenant. Leahy turned fiercely around toward the radio room officer, that was just tottering back into the main deck, his head covered in blood. The man had hit himself on a bulkhead. “And where’s my airstrike!” The officer, half-stunned, was still able to stammer an answer. “Th…e aisrt…..rike is but a mi….nute or so out. Theyyyy…. Should attack soon.”

  Everyone on the ship could feel the sharp turn that Washington was making. Fast maneuvers like that were not usual on big battleships. “Admiral. Reports from the bow. Water is gushing in at an alarming rate. Chief engineer says you won't be able to keep up that speed for long.” Leahy didn’t respond. He kept his eyes on the next enemy salvo.

  Allied air attack in Milne Bay

  Dauntless and B-17s make their attack July 12th, 1942

  As it happened, the Americans and the Japanese air force would get above Milne Bay almost simultaneously. But not quite. The American airmen of the 12th bomber squadron (B-17s) and the Ranger’s aircraft carrier (25 SBD Dauntless) arrived on the scene first.

  So, for a critical five minutes, Musashi and its escorts would have to fend for themselves while the aircraft plunged on them. They abandoned all pretenses of firing at the fleeing enemy ships and turned all their might toward the incoming angels of deaths upon spotting the enemy planes.

  The Musashi commenced firing; The nine 18.1-inch guns fired Sanshikidan “beehive” shells––projectiles that functioned like shotgun shells, scattering thousands of pellets and bits of shrapnel into the air when they exploded. Although these shells were designed to be fired from ships against attacking aircraft, the American planes flew straight through the shells' shrapnel. In short, the intended weapon didn’t work.

  The super battleships' main guns were joined in firing by six 6.1-inch guns, 24 5-inch antiaircraft guns, 150 25mm (0.98 inches) antiaircraft guns, and four 13mm (0.51-inches) machine guns. The Atago, five destroyers, and two light cruisers added their firepower. Still, this firing failed to produce any significant American losses; the gunners quickly learned that their curtain of anti-aircraft fire was far less effective than they had assumed it would be.

  It was impressive but insufficient to stop the Dauntless on their dives. The bombers started their run from the usual 20 000 feet and plunged toward their targets. Several went for the big bastard of a ship they saw at the bottom of the bay. Some others targeted Atago, and finally, a few went for the Light cruisers. On the way, nine were destroyed by Japanese flak, but the remaining sixteen ran the gauntlet and survived long enough to drop their bomb. It made for a spectacular scene from afar, as reported by the Japanese infantrymen in Milne Bay. A swarm of black planes swept down amidst a blossoming array of defensive fire, a multitude of red tracers that rose to the sky trying to shoot them down.