<P> The climax of the carrier war came at the Battle of the Philippine Sea . </P> <P> Taking control of islands that could support airfields within B - 29 range of Tokyo was the objective . 535 ships began landing 128,000 Army soldiers and Marines on June 15, 1944 in the Mariana and Palau Islands . The achievement in planning such a complex logistical operation in just ninety days, and staging it 3,500 miles (5,600 km) from Pearl Harbor was indicative of American logistic superiority . (The previous week an even bigger landing force hit the beaches of Normandy--by 1944 the Allies had resources to spare .) </P> <P> The Japanese launched an ill - coordinated attack on the larger American fleet; Japanese planes operated at extreme ranges and could not keep together, allowing them to be easily shot down in what Americans jokingly called the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot ." </P> <P> Japan had now lost all its offensive capabilities, and the U.S. had control of Guam, Saipan and Tinian islands that provided air bases within range of B - 29 bombers targeted at Japan's home islands . It was entirely an air battle, in which Americans had all the technological advantages . It was the largest naval battle in history to date, surpassed only by the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 . </P>

How many aircraft carriers did the us build during ww2