Battle of the Eastern Solomons -- 1942

Today is the anniverasry of the first day of the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the third in the series of carrier battles of 1942 between U.S. and Japanese forces.

Not as well known as the Coral Sea or Midway, it's an interesting battle to wargame because the two sides were pretty evenly matched. Usually counted an American victory, it had little long-term effect but it did continue the process of wearing down the Japanese Navy's elite pre-war cadre of pilots.

One notable image is this one capturing the moment of explosion of a Japanese bomb hit on the deck of the U.S.S. Enterprise.