The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Savo Island - (8/9/1942) - Dec. 18th, 2003

www.microworks.net ^

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the links to the 20cm Japanese guns, Phil

[Iris7]

A story I read about the war with Japan -

Commander Rochefort was Nimitz's head of signal intelligence, the head of Station Hypo at Pearl. Rochefort was still in tremendously bad odor because of the Pearl Harbor debacle at the time I am talking about, May of '42. This was about to change.

Rochefort was working 24 hour days seven days a week, with time off only for naps in the code breaking room. Before Rochefort lay down he would give his subordinates detailed instructions about when to wake him; if thus and so, or this or that, or maybe this other thing happened, or the punched card machines stopped, or kicked out cards about this, that, or this other thing, then wake him immediately. Rochefort's work schedule was making him eccentric, for instance he wore a bathrobe instead of a Navy uniform at work. He was at work without even a minute off, remember. Rochefort kept cereal bowls of amphetamines around the room for general use.

The Japanese Naval codes had been changed just before Pearl Harbor, and decryption of JN25, as they cryptanalysts called the assembly of Japanese Naval codes, was being deciphered only a word here and there.

To make an amazing story short, Rochefort called the Japanese attack on Midway exactly, using almost only traffic analysis, that is, counting and timing the transmissions from various Japanese transmitters located by triangulation. There was also a famous cutie fed to the Japanese about a failed fresh water evaporator at Midway.

Rochefort figured out that the Japanese were going to attack Midway, and pretty much when and with what forces. He asked for a meetng with Nimitz.

Nimitz heard Rochefort out. Everyone else in the room thought Rochefort was nuts. Nimitz made the call.

Spruance, Enterprise and Hornet (as I recall) were on their way.

I have very great admiration for Admiral Nimitz.