At the airfield near Brisbane, nearly 200 US Army P-38 fighters were deployed. However, these aircraft were not gathered to defend Brisbane. The purpose of these P-38s was to protect the American fleet's airspace utilizing its long range. On the other hand, the defense of Brisbane's military facilities and the city was entrusted to the Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadrons equipped with P-40s. While there was a role division based on the endurance capabilities of both aircraft, even with the P-38's range, it couldn't linger indefinitely over the American fleet, and there were limits to the stamina and concentration of the crew.
Therefore, the P-38s were divided into four groups, with one remaining over the fleet for continuous vigilance. The remaining three groups were engaged in rotation for tasks such as movement, maintenance and supply, and immediate standby. Although theoretically around 50 planes could be constantly assigned to direct escort duties over the fleet, maintaining a 100% operational rate was impossible even for the US which was known for its high-quality management and maintenance capabilities. In reality, about 40 P-38s were the best that could be deployed to cover the airspace over Task Force 18, Task Force 19, and Task Force 1.
Still, having fighter support or not made a significant difference. Additionally, due to the large payload of the P-38s, if piloted by skilled crew members, it could also be expected to function as a bomber. The airfields around Brisbane prioritized deploying fighter planes, resulting in fewer bomber aircraft. Moreover, many of these bombers had to be allocated to reconnaissance missions because the enemy, unlike stationary land bases, was a moving fleet. In such a situation, the bombing capability of the P-38 was a valuable asset for the Allies facing tough conditions.
The battle over Brisbane began with numerous reconnaissance planes launched by both sides, and the presence of the opponent was already detected by both the Japanese and American forces.
"While one-sided preemptive discovery was not achieved, we were able to locate the main force of the Japanese fleet without falling behind the enemy. Well, as a start, it's commendable."
Admiral Halsey, in charge of TF 18 and TF 19, the aircraft carrier task forces, nodded in satisfaction at the report of discovering the Japanese fleet. In addition to the B-17s from the land base and Catalinas from the seaplane base, they had dispatched around 20 SBD Dauntless dive bombers each from TF 18 and TF 19 for reconnaissance. If the enemy fleet wasn't found after all this, something was wrong.
"As planned. First, launch a fighter sweep unit consisting only of fighter planes, followed by dive bomber and torpedo bomber squadrons. Also request reinforcements from the base air units deployed around Brisbane. The Japanese may be swift, but the planes on immediate standby should be able to reach the fleet in time for direct cover."
Following Halsey's orders, 48 F4F Wildcats from the aircraft carriers Yorktown and Ranger of TF 18, and Hornet and Wasp of TF 19, totaling 192 aircraft, took off from the flight decks and soared into the eastern sky. Additionally, 48 SBDs and 60 Avengers followed them. As a result, the hangars of the four American aircraft carriers were emptied, signifying a literal all-out sortie.
In the Battle of the Marshall Islands, they had only about 60 fighters aboard three carriers, and on top of that, they suffered losses in combat with the Marshall Islands base air force before engaging the Japanese fleet. With weakened anti-air capabilities at sea, they had been subjected to a fierce assault by carrier-based planes from the Japanese fleet, leading to the near-complete sinking of the Enterprise, Saratoga, and Lexington. Halsey himself had sustained serious injuries and fallen into a state of unconsciousness, enduring a long period of hospitalization. He had not forgotten the humiliation of that time. That's why the desire to sink the Japanese carriers in this battle was stronger in him than in anyone else.
However, if he were blinded by revenge, he would lose sight of the bigger picture. In this battle, the primary goal was to repel the Japanese fleet. The top-priority destruction target was undoubtedly the enemy aircraft carriers. However, aside from them, there were four other warships that should be hit as hard, if not more so. And if they achieved that, they could certainly defend Brisbane and deal a massive blow and impact to the Imperial Japanese Navy. Halsey sent a silent cheer to the friendly planes disappearing into the eastern sky.
"I'm counting on you. I won't ask you to sink those monsters, but if you can disable half of them, Nimitz himself will take care of the rest."