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''Lexington'' sailed via [[Alameda, California|Alameda]], Calif., and Pearl Harbor for [[Majuro]], where Rear Adm. [[Marc Mitscher]] commanding [[Task Force 58]] (TF 58) broke his flag in her [[8 March]]. After a warm-up strike against [[Mille]], TF 58 operated against the major centers of resistance in Japan's outer empire, supporting the Army landing at [[Hollandia]] [[13 April]], and hitting supposedly invulnerable [[Truk]] [[28 April]]. Heavy counterattack left ''Lexington'' untouched, her planes splashing 17 enemy fighters; but, for the second time, Japanese propaganda announced her sunk.
A surprise fighter strike on [[Saipan]] [[11 June]] virtually eliminated all air opposition over the island, then battered from the air for the next 5 days. On [[16 June]] ''Lexington'' fought off a fierce attack by Japanese torpedo planes based on [[Guam]], once again to emerge unhurt, but sunk a third time by propaganda pronouncements. As Japanese opposition to the Marianas operation provoked the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]] 19 and [[20 June]], ''Lexington'' played a major role in TF 58's great victory "The Marianas Turkey Shoot". With over 300 enemy aircraft destroyed the first day, and a carrier, a tanker, and a destroyer sunk the second day, American aviators virtually knocked Japanese naval aviation out of the war; for with the planes went the trained and experienced pilots without whom Japan could not continue air warfare at sea. Gun crews actually shot down Japanese planes as they tried to land on the Lexington's deck when they had no where else to go.
Using [[Eniwetok]] as her base, ''Lexington'' flew sorties over Guam and against the Palaus and Bonins into August. She arrived in the Carolinas [[6 September]] for 3 days of strikes against [[Yap]] and [[Ulithi]], then began attacks on [[Mindanao]], the Visayas, the [[Manila]] area, and shipping along the west coast of [[Luzon]], preparing for the coming assault on [[Leyte (island) | Leyte]]. Her task force then blasted [[Okinawa]] [[10 October]] and [[Taiwan|Formosa]] 2 days later to destroy bases from which opposition to the Philippines campaign might be launched . She was again unscathed through the air battle fought after the Formosa assault.
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