Udział japońskiej połączonej floty w bitwie pod Savo 8–9 sierpnia 1942 r.

The defeat of the Combined Fleet at the Battle of Midway halted the aggressive actions of Japan in the area of the central Pacific Ocean and caused the displacement of expansion towards the islands of the South Pacific. It was on one of them – Guadalcanal that was a real confrontation between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan. One of the results of landing of the United States forces on its banks on August 7, 1942, was the Battle of Savo, which took place on the night of 8/9 August 1942. In this challenge, the 8th Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi smashed the Allied forces. The confrontation demonstrated the superiority of the Combined Fleet over the forces of the enemy, for whom this was one of the biggest disasters in the Pacific War. However, Vice Admiral Mikawa winning the combat ships did not destroy the amphibious units whose elimination was defined as the overriding objective for the 8th Fleet.