were parts of an aerial offensive launched by

Imperial Japanese The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

forces against Allied forces staging around

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

area during the

Solomon Islands Campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, du ...

in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The aerial offensive took place between 7 and 16 June 1943 and was aimed at destroying Allied air power and shipping. Operation SE involved airstrikes against Allied ships around Guadalcanal that were preparing for Invasion of New Georgia. It was preceded by the First and the Second Operation SO, which both involved fighter sweeps against Guadalcanal from several air groups of

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the Naval aviation, air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first air ...

( 251st, 204th and 582nd Air Group). The resulting battles from these operations were dubbed as by the Japanese.

Operation SO

The First Operation SO took place on 7 June 1943, where

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

Saburō Shindō of 582nd Air Group led a fighter sweep that included 81

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

fighters (21 from 582nd, 24 A6M from 204th and 36 A6M from 251st Air group) against a variety of targets around Guadalcanal area (including the new Allied airfield in the

Russell Islands :''See also Russell Island (disambiguation).'' The Russell Islands are two small islands (Pavuvu and Mbanika), as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of Solomon Islands. They are located approximately northwest of ...

). They were intercepted by a strong force of Allied fighters of various kind ( F4Fs, F4Us, P-38s and P-39s). The resulting air battles accounted for several aircraft lost on both sides, where

Petty Officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be superior ...

Hiroyoshi Nishizawa was a Japanese naval aviator and an ace of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II. Nishizawa was known to his colleagues as 'the Devil' for his breathtaking, brilliant, and unpredictable aerobatics and superb control of hi ...

claimed two Allied aircraft destroyed. The Second Operation SO took place five days later, on 12 June, where

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Zenjirō Miyano led 77 Zero fighters (24 from 204th, 32 A6M from 251st, and 21 from 582nd Air group) against the same targets. Similarly, as five days earlier, they were intercepted by a strong force of Allied fighters of various kinds and the ensuing air battles had a similar result. A6M3 Model22 UI105 Nishizawa

Operation SE

Unlike the First and the Second Operation SO, Operation SE also involved a strike against Allied ships off the coast of Lunga on Guadalcanal, in addition to the regular fighter sweep. The strike included 24

Aichi D3A The Aichi D3A Type 99 Carrier Bomber ( Allied reporting name "Val") is a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber. It was the primary dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and was involved in almost all IJN actions, including the at ...

dive bombers from the 582nd Air Group under the command of Lieutenant

Tamotsu Ema was a dive bomber pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. He led Aichi D3A dive bombers from the carrier ''Zuikaku'' during the Battle of the Coral Sea that damaged ''Yorktown''. Early career Tamotsu Ema enrolled in the ...

. The escort and fighter sweep was provided by 70 Zero fighters (24 from 204th, 30 from 251st and 16 Zeros from 582nd Air Group) and was led by

Saburō Shindō and Lieutenant Miyano. The strike took off from Buin on Bougainville at 10:00 on 16 June 1943. Lieutenant Ema's dive bombers reached Guadalcanal around 12:00 and attacked the Allied ships off Lunga, scoring hits on two Allied ships. The strike force was intercepted by a strong force of Allied fighters of various kinds, which resulted in air battles over the skies of Guadalcanal. Having noticed in previous missions that friendly dive bombers were often shot down after they released their bombs, Lieutenant Miyano of 204th Air Group devised a tactic that would involve fighters going to low altitude and provide fighter cover after the bomb release point. The escorting Zero fighters tested the new tactic during Ema's attack, and while it helped to better protect the dive bombers, Lieutenant Miyano was killed during the action.

Aftermath

As with the similar effort in April by

Operation I-Go was an aerial counter-offensive launched by Imperial Japanese forces against Allied forces during the Solomon Islands and New Guinea Campaign The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in A ...

, the success of Operation SE was limited as it did not impede the Allied advance up the Solomon Islands in any significant way. The dive bombers only managed to damage the cargo ship ''Celeno'' and the landing ship ''LST-340'', while only six Allied fighters were lost. On the other hand, the cost for the Japanese was high as they lost 13 dive bombers and 15 Zero fighters. Additionally, the preceding First and Second Operation SO accounted for nine and seven Zero fighters lost, respectively. Furthermore, 204th Air Group lost its experienced leader (''

Hikōtaichō The was a senior naval aviation position in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, normally held by a Lieutenant Commander or a very senior Lieutenant, who commanded all flight personnel in an air group. Administrative role On the ground, the '' ...

''), Lieutenant Miyano.

References

; Notes ; Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:SE, Operation Conflicts in 1943 Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II Military history of Japan during World War II Battles of World War II involving Japan Battles of World War II involving the United States Battles and operations of World War II involving the Solomon Islands Battles and operations of World War II involving Papua New Guinea South West Pacific theatre of World War II World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre June 1943 events