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Battle Of The Philippine SeaThe Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19-20, 1944) was a naval battle fought during World War II off the Mariana Islands in the Pacific. It is arguably the largest single naval battle in history, being more focused than the Battle of Leyte Gulf. It is also the largest clash of aircraft carriers ever. It was an overwhelming American victory, becoming known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot". The new Hellcat fighter proved superior to the Japanese Zero, and the Japanese had already lost many of their most experienced pilots at Midway, the Coral Sea?, and in battles of attrition off Guadalcanal. In addition, the Americans had better radar. The Japanese lost three aircraft carriers and over six hundred airplanes. The battle cleared the way for the United States to set up airbases on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam, allowing the new B-29 bomber to reach Japan. It was a B-29 from Tinian that dropped the atomic bomb a little over a year later. |