were parts of an aerial offensive launched by

Imperial Japanese The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to 19 ...

forces against Allied forces staging around

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

area during the

Solomon Islands Campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major military campaign, campaign of the Pacific War during World War II. The campaign began with the Empire of Japan, Japanese seizure of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, B ...

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 the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 (IJNAS) was the 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 its first aircraft in ...

( 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 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-capable fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1940 to 1945. The ...

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 northwe ...

). 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. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...

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 his ...

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 Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

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 (Navy designation "Type 99 Carrier Bomber"; World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft, Allied reporting name "Val") is a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber. It was the primary dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Na ...

dive bombers from the 582nd Air Group under the command of Lieutenant Tamotsu Ema. 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 Lieutenant Commander 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 campaigns in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Taking place from 1–16 April 1943, Japanese aircraft—pri ...

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

''), Lieutenant Miyano.

References

; Notes ; Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:SE, Operation Conflicts in 1943 Pacific Ocean theater 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 in Oceania