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    You are at:Home»June»June 20»June 20, 1944: The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot (Battle of the Philippine Sea)
    June 20

    June 20, 1944: The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot (Battle of the Philippine Sea)

    Major DanBy Major DanJune 20, 2016Updated:April 11, 202028 Comments4 Mins Read
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    A Brief History

    On June 20, 1944, one of the greatest victories in the history of the United States Navy concluded, The Battle of the Philippine Sea, better known as The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.  A Turkey Shoot is a shooting competition where the turkeys or targets do not get to shoot back.  That is what US pilots compared this aerial battle to!

    Digging Deeper

    The Japanese had early in World War II enjoyed an edge over US Navy aircraft carriers by having better planes (longer range, a tad faster, and more maneuverable) and pilots with more training and experience.  After the crushing defeat at Midway, the balance of power in the Pacific shifted to the US Navy, and by 1944 the US enjoyed a notable superiority in quality of aircraft, numbers of planes, pilots and carriers, and higher quality pilots as well.  Japanese losses could not be replaced as quickly as Americans could build ships and planes, and the US had a much more efficient training program to produce many quality pilots more quickly than the Imperial Japanese Navy.

    A map of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater showing its component areas. The China-Burma-India Theater fell under the British-led South East Asia Command.

    As the US military progressed deeply into Japanese held territory in an “island hopping” campaign, the Mariana Islands (notably Saipan, Tinian and Guam) became a vital target.  The capture of these islands would give the US bases from which B-29 bombers could begin the destruction of Japan from the air.  Japan threw a mighty task force at the American assault, with 9 aircraft carriers, 5 battleships, 19 cruisers, 27 destroyers and 24 submarines.  Their carriers carried 450 airplanes and another 300 land based planes would fight in the battle.  The Americans not only had qualitative superiority (notably the F6F Hellcat over the A6M Zero) , they also had numbers, with 15 carriers, 7 battleships, 21 cruisers, 58 destroyers and 28 submarines.  The US fielded 956 carrier aircraft of the highest quality.

    The uneven battle that followed on June 19 and June 20, 1944 resulted in damage to an American battleship and the loss of 123 American planes.  The Japanese lost 3 full sized carriers (2 sunk by submarines), 2 oilers (tanker ships), and probably over 600 aircraft.  Other Japanese ships were damaged as well, and with these losses the Japanese could not stop the invasion and conquering of the Marianas, making an American victory in the war nearly inevitable.  Japanese losses meant a lack of aircraft carriers and aircraft for the upcoming gigantic naval battle at Leyte Gulf (perhaps the largest naval battle in history), leaving a brilliantly led Japanese surface fleet to defeat by the American fleet fully supported by carriers and aircraft (US enjoying a 1500 to 300 superiority in aircraft).

    The Battle of the Philippine Sea goes into history books as one of the greatest victories of the US Navy and a pivotal battle in the War in the Pacific.  Calling it a “turkey shoot” may be overstating the case, but it must have seemed like it to veterans of much closer battles.  Question for students (and subscribers): What are your favorite World War II naval/air battles?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

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    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Ledwell, Ronald.  World War 2 The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.  SA Press, 2013.

    Purnell.  History of the Second World War – Part 67 – The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.  Marshall Cavendash, 1974.

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    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

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    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="13754 https://www.historyandheadlines.com/?p=13754">28 Comments

    1. Mikayla Hutchings on August 14, 2016 9:56 pm

      The fact that Americans only lost 123 airplanes compared to the Japanese’s loss of 600 airplanes helps demonstrate the massive win for the US. As America did lose over 100 airplanes, I am not sure if I would call it a “turkey shoot,” but it is still an impressive victory.

      Reply
    2. Frank F. on August 16, 2016 12:38 pm

      This event of the “Turkey Shoot” just goes to show how the advancement in aircraft we have been reading about makes a huge difference in the war. The US made huge advancements and it showed in the number of casualties. Not exactly a perfect turkey shoot but for the US close enough.

      Reply
    3. Peyton Elliott on August 16, 2016 5:08 pm

      As we read more and more articles about the wars and the battles flown in the air, you can clearly start to see a huge jump in technology and aircrafts. As the planes begin to perform better the amount of American deaths declines and enemies’ increase.

      Reply
    4. Ellen Liebenguth on August 16, 2016 7:28 pm

      I think that the United States had a resolve to come back and show the Japanese that they were not to be messed with after Pearl Harbor. I think that another thing that stands out to me about World War II is that this was a two front war that we were fighting. The United States was able to be such a powerful force in not just the Pacific, but also Europe. We were a superpower then and now.

      Reply
    5. Claire Fraser on August 17, 2016 7:13 am

      As Peyton has pointed out, it is amazing to see how much technology had changed throughout the course of these battles and wars. I would be scared if another World War broke out today because so many countries are so technologically advanced that there would be a high potential for a lot of destruction.

      Reply
    6. Morgan price on August 17, 2016 11:55 am

      The American troops were ready for revenge after pearl harbor and the turkey shoot shows just how ready they were to show the Japanese they weren’t messing around. The Japanese struggled against Americas more advanced air force as well as their ability to produce men for war much faster and more efficiently than the Japanese. After the Americans won this battle, the Japanese were pretty much done for as they could not produce enough aircraft or soldiers to recover from the loss.

      Reply
    7. Amanda Lopuchovsky on August 17, 2016 12:52 pm

      Taking out 2 carriers would have been devastating to the Japanese Navy. The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the time that the US showed their full strength and naval and aircraft advancement.

      Reply
    8. Mike Andelbradt on August 17, 2016 3:10 pm

      After reading about how important aircraft carriers were in WWII, it must have been such a disaster for the Japanese to lose two. This battle really seems to have signaled the beginning of the end in the war.

      Reply
    9. Justin Puccetti on August 17, 2016 3:29 pm

      This battle goes to show the mistake that the Axis made by declaring war on the US. The US air force and navy were superior (at this point) to the Japanese, which made this battle much easier for them to win. Thus, it was nicknamed a Turkey Shoot for how easily it was won by the Americans.

      Reply
    10. Daniel Cora on August 17, 2016 3:34 pm

      The U.S. win in The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major turning point. Although the U.S. Navy was already stronger than the Japanese Navy, this win was the reassuring factor. It was such a devastating loss for Japan that the U.S. was now in full control of the war.

      Reply
    11. Lauren Synek on August 17, 2016 4:55 pm

      Japanese forces could not gain their footing back quickly enough. They were outnumber and out produced by the U.S. forces. The war was unevenly matched with the Japanese on the seemingly losing end. The U.S. lost a carrier and 123 planes, but Japan lost more.

      Reply
    12. Nikos Nacopoulos on August 17, 2016 7:35 pm

      A very devastating loss for the Japanese indeed. Them losing 3 aircraft carriers alone is a big loss. It definitely helped that our production of aircraft was far superior to theirs.

      Reply
    13. Joshua Dzurko on August 17, 2016 7:46 pm

      This crushing victory for the US was a turning point in the Pacific theater of WWII. With the US being able to outproduce Japan and being able to have a location to have B-29s take off, it was only a matter of time before the Japanese would get completely destroyed.

      Reply
    14. Erin Kochan on August 17, 2016 7:58 pm

      The great advantage that the U.S. had was that they were able to produce weaponry and machines faster than Japan could pull troops together. The American soldiers were better prepared/trained as well.

      Reply
    15. Dana Roman on August 18, 2016 12:12 am

      The US were fired up to win this battle as they were still upset over the attack on Pear Harbor. Not only was it a devastating loss for the Japanese, it was a major turning point in the war for the US.

      Reply
    16. Robert Kratman on August 18, 2016 12:53 am

      Proper training of pilots allowed the U.S. to maintain air superiority over their enemies which led to the victory of this battle. The US air force proves to be the most valuable asset to this war once. more.

      Reply
    17. Hannah Grazia on August 18, 2016 9:04 am

      Even though the US lost an American battleship and 123 American planes, Japan lost 3 full sized carriers, 2 oilers, and over 600 aircrafts. What a victory for the United States! This was a major turning point in the war for the US.

      Reply
    18. Nicholas Mog on August 18, 2016 10:55 am

      The victory was crucial for the United Sates. By winning this battle, it was now possible to bomb Japan directly. The marianas were close enough that the Americans could fly directly to Japan and bomb the country. Without these islands, bombing Japan directly would not have been successful.

      Reply
    19. Matt Grazia on August 18, 2016 12:46 pm

      The US used their anger from Pearl Harbor to help them win this battle. Although the US lost a decent amount during this battle Japan lost way more including 3 full carriers, 2 oilers and over 600 aircrafts.This was a big turning point in the war for us.

      Reply
    20. Alexander Correa on August 18, 2016 12:57 pm

      The more I read about all these aircrafts, the more I realize how crucial they were to this war. The amount of aircrafts and carriers the Japanese lost was detrimental and paved the way for the American win.

      Reply
    21. Alexandra on August 18, 2016 1:18 pm

      I truly never new that fighter jets played such a huge role in war and just how extensive and intricately designed they all were. I was under the impression there were maybe a few major models used and that was it, but these articles have shown me just how much I didn’t know!

      Reply
    22. Brandon Simpson on August 18, 2016 4:46 pm

      The anger and hatred from Pearl Habor was in full force during this war against Japan.

      Reply
    23. sarah on August 18, 2016 5:42 pm

      This battle played a large part in WW2 for the US. They were determined to fight back and win after the attack on Pearl Harbor and they did so with a successful victory.

      Reply
    24. Maria Ndini on August 18, 2016 6:20 pm

      I had never heard of the term “turkey shoot”, but I am grad I now know what it means. This article shows the tremendous power that the United States Navy had. The Japanese suffered a great loss especially with all the aircraft losses they had.

      Reply
    25. joe leary on August 18, 2016 9:42 pm

      Just a reason why you shouldn’t tick off america.

      Reply
    26. Christina Hickey on August 18, 2016 9:55 pm

      The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot is one for the books for the Americans. Since they won this battle that meant that they could take over some islands and be able to fight the Japanese if they decided to use aircrafts.

      Reply
    27. Matt E. on August 18, 2016 11:26 pm

      Such an overwhelming defeat should send a message to all adversaries that messing with America is a bad idea.

      Reply
    28. Mark Baniewicz on August 19, 2016 10:55 pm

      This battle was a huge win for America and a major turning point in WWII. America was angry and wanted revenge from Pearl Harbor and that fueled their fire to win.

      Reply

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