Japan’s World War blunder

Toronto Sun ^ | 3/14/2010 | Eric Margolis

[Saije]

Sixty-five years ago this month, three U.S. Marine Corps divisions were assaulting the heavily fortified volcanic island of Iwo Jima. In the bloody battle, 6,821 Americans and some 33,000 Japanese died or went missing.

My late father, Henry M. Margolis, fought at Iwo as a member of the renowned 5th Marine Amphibious Division. So frightful was the battle, he rarely spoke of it in later years.

The United States military faced a well-armed, courageous Japanese foe in the Pacific campaign and won decisive victories, such as Midway, the Marianas and Leyte, that rank among history’s most glorious battles.

A leading Japanese newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun, has been running a fascinating re-examination of Japan’s role in the Second World War based on a new book, From the Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor, which sharply contradicts the image of Japan’s supposedly efficient war machine.

This book and other new sources make it clear that Japan blundered into the Second World War without any real strategy, then made a total mess of its conduct.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned the Pearl Harbor attack, predicted in 1941, “We are going to war for oil, and we will lose the war because of oil.” He warned Japan could only fight for one year and called for peace talks with the U.S. soon after Pearl Harbor.

American P-38 fighters shot down Yamamoto’s aircraft in 1943, killing the Japanese officer best placed to overthrow the militarist regime.

Former prime minister Fumimaro Konoe also predicted disaster. In 1942, he wisely proposed Japan begin planning “how to lose the war.” Some officers plotted to kill war leader Hideki Tojo and other militarists — but, like Hitler’s foes, failed.

[driftless2]

"didn't have the bomb"

Hitler told his people that he would employ super weapons to win the war. And actually with the V-2 rocket and the M-262 fighter jet he had them. He just didn't have them in enough numbers or know how to use them.

[tcrlaf]

Yamamoto told the Japanese High Command that he could assure them of free run of the Pacific for six months. After that, he could assure nothing.

And he was right...

[PzLdr]

The Army/Navy meetings in 1941 were held to resolve the argument over what Japan’s move was to be, north [the Army], or south [the Navy]. Despite their losses to the USSR [and perhaps, to a degree, because of them-loss of face], the Japanese Army wanted to fight the U.S.S.R [to help the Germans, to get resources, and because they were violently anti-Communist]. The Japanese Navy insisted the wargo south, with the ultimate objective being Indonesia, and its oil fields. The Navy, which controlled most of the 90 day oil resrve that Japan had in December, 1941, and needed oil [along with the merchant marine and industry] to a far greater degree than the Army, won the argument.

[Tallguy]

I have read that Midway truly was a miracle. War colleges have re-enacted the battle on computers tens of thousands of times and they cannote generate a US victory.

I'm not sure that this is true. US carriers were tougher & could survive hits. OTOH, the IJN gave poor attention to Damage Control. At Coral Sea he Lexington was gutted by fire yet we had to sink her because she continued to float. The Yorktown survived to be quickly turned around to fight again at Midway. A little latter in the war the IJN carrier Shokaku was heavily damaged & it took a year for her to return to action. I'm not sure that a simple accounting of planes & ships available to both sides were a predictor of which side would be victorious in battle. The intangibles all seemed to favor the US in retrospect.

[Radagast the Fool]

Actually, I don’t think very many people give a crap about what these idiots think either, but the lamestream media does. Yet another reason why they’re all going out of business!!!!

[naturalized]

And this lack of respect is the racism that drove WWII in the Pacific. It caused the cannibalism and other sub-human conduct by the japanese, and it caused the no-quarter response by the Allied forces. The japanese reaped what they sowed. Thank God it was on our terms, not theirs.

[naturalized]

The reason why those computer models fail is that it's impossible to quantify traits such as improvisation and initiative that were (are) part of the American character and therefore exemplified by our servicemen.

Some recognize "improvisation and intiative" as inspiration or providenence. Thank God for those brave men.