World Battlefronts: BATTLE OF JAPAN: Insult & Injury

Even the provocation of the bold, unprecedented strikes by Admiral William F. Halsey's Third Fleet against northern Honshu and Hokkaido had failed to lure out the remnants of the Japanese air force. The weather over Hokkaido was foul; the low overcast blocked the efforts of flyers from Vice Admiral John S. McCain's flagship Shangri-La (and her many sister carriers) to find the fields where the Jap planes were supposed to be skulking. Not a single Kamikaze roared over the fleet.

So with measured daring and high hopes, Halsey turned south (see map) with the greatest naval force ever assembled to...

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