A question regarding the Battle of Tassafaronga.

Some may have, but it's most likely that the majority did not, rendering the resupply mission a failure.

 

I agree with this statement. It has been a while since I researched this particular topic, but if memory serves, I believe that the supplies had actually hindered the use of the torpedo tubes aboard the Japanese vessels. Before firing off their salvos, the Japanese were forced to ditch the supplies.

 

Indeed, and while the struggle for Guadalcanal was pretty much decided by this point, every grain of rice and every bullet denied to the Japanese troops on the island is a victory in itself, shame though that we were unable to inflict greater damage on the IJN destroyers.

 

True, during the battle of Kula gulf, radar fire control had enabled the US cruiser force to inflict rapid damage on the IJN destroyers, I believe they lost 2 destroyers with another 4 being damaged while the USN only lost Helena, demonstrating that when properly used, radar gunnery can be deadly.

 

When dropping "supply drums" towards contested areas, whether by sea or air, you do not expect 100% retrieval, according to the Japanese sources at least two of the destroyers joined the fight after completing the drop in assigned area, the others probably jettisoned them in a hurry to "clear the decks for action" but were already entering the drop zone when forced to do so, so IMO while the US intervention certainly caused a smaller percentage of supplies to reach the troops stating it "prevented the resupply" is incorrect.

Back to Morrison, I have 9 of the 15 volumes, and there is a lot of interesting stuff there, pity that his inability to keep his personal likes and dislikes out of the pages makes it so hard to read. I'm not tempted by Two oceans war, it looks like "condensing" took out the good (the details) and left the bad.

 

TOS, that sounds like a remarkably apt description. I've put it down and I doubt I shall pick it back up. But the details in the larger history might make it worth consulting on particular points. In the meantime, I'm finishing up Tully's most recent adventure into historical reexamination and I am quite pleased to see what a comparatively dispassionate and careful historian can do. I've learned a few things. (And not just how to spell Surigao.)