Operation MO
MO 작전
Operation MO was a Japanese naval offensive plan during the Second World War to seize Tulagi and Port Moresby. It sought to isolate Australia from American support and strengthen Japan's southern defensive perimeter, but the seaborne landing at Port Moresby was halted after the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.
In depth
Japanese forces landed at Tulagi on 3 May 1942 to establish a seaplane base, while the Port Moresby attack force departed Rabaul on 4 May. After the light carrier Shōhō was sunk and Shōkaku damaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the transports withdrew north, and Japan later turned to an overland advance along the Kokoda Track.
The operation shows why the Coral Sea was more than a fleet encounter: it blocked the projected landing at Port Moresby and contested control of the communications and defensive perimeter linking Australia and the South Pacific.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (Operation Mo, 일본 해군의 포트모르즈비 및 툴라기 점령 계획, 1942년 산호해 해전 뒤 직접 상륙 계획이 중단된 경위)
- awm.gov.au (David Stevens, Australian War Memorial, 일본이 포트모르즈비와 남부 솔로몬을 점령해 호주와 미국의 통신을 끊고 방어선을 강화하려 했으며 산호해 해전 뒤 작전이 연기된 사실)