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The Battle of the Philippine Sea – The Death of Japanese Naval Airpower
May 20, 2023
Sponsored By
History Presentation and F3A Flight Demonstration
The Battle of the Philippine Sea – The Death of Japanese Naval Airpower
Saturday, May 20 2023
Sponsored by Perkins Motors
Doors Open at 8am Presentation at 9am
The Battle of the Philippine Sea on June 19th and 20th, 1944, was the last of the great carrier battles of the Pacific War. It eliminated the Japanese Navy’s ability to conduct large-scale offensive carrier actions.
The battle pitted elements of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet against ships and aircraft of the Japanese Navy’s Mobile Fleet and nearby island garrisons. This was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history, involving 24 aircraft carriers, deploying roughly 1,350 carrier-based aircraft. The aerial part of the battle was nicknamed the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot by American aviators because of the large losses inflicted on Japanese aircraft by American pilots and anti-aircraft gunners. The victory was primarily due to highly trained American pilots with superior tactics and numerical superiority.
On Saturday, May 20th, museum lead docent and retired USAF fighter pilot Ashby Taylor will present the complete story of this important battle. The museum will open at 8:00 am and the presentation will begin at 9:00 am. Weather permitting, the presentation will be followed by a flying demonstration of the museum’s Brewster-built F3A Corsair, the only example that exists today.