Halsey's Surpise

It's November of 1943 and these are two Douglas SBD-5's from Squadron VB-12 of the USS "Saratoga." They are starting Operation Cherryblossom - a maneuver which signaled the beginning of the end of the war in the Pacific. Vice Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey was the commander and it was a masterful attack. While the Marines raided Choiseul, a nearby island, American bombers softened the defenses at Bougainville in preparation. Within two months, the Allies had turned Bourgainville's Empress Augusta Bay into a naval base. Although the fighting continued for six months, the Allies were victorious, paving the way for General Douglas MacArthur's return to the Phillippines.