Hey Rube

Just reading the book, “Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of: American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II” and I’m at the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Did you know our code breakers got the info from the Japanese were their subs were waiting for us near Saipan and a few hunter-killer groups, like the U.S.S. England, sank them (the England sank six ‘I’ class subs in six days.) Seems the big Admiral told all the subs to shift over 60 miles, and then gave each one of them the co-ordinates he wanted them to be stationed. Of course, we gave that info to the anti-submarine forces.

And sadly, the Japanese airmen on the carriers tested all their radios at once on the flight deck just before takeoff. The radio intercepts detected all the mass signaling and from that knew they were taking off to attack TF 58. And even then, while in flight, the Japanese aircrews kept signaling back to the carriers and thus our radio intercepts kept track of their advance toward the carriers by measuring the strength of the signals.

That battle was lost before it even started.

Deaf

Japanese sub commanders were also under orders to surface at noon Tokyo time and report their positions.

Also several German U-boats operating in the Java Sea or Straits of Malacca had their routes broadcast by the IJN to assure they were not attacked by Japanese anti submarine units (which were non existent) thus tipping off waiting Allied submarines.

U-537 and U-859 were lost this way plus numerous Japanese vessels.

Sure is nice to be able to fight a war many times knowing the other sides game plan and having the resources to exploit it.

I’m sure the Japanese commanders were baffled yet never considered the idea we were reading their mail and pinpointing their locations with HUF/DUF.

Deaf