[Sherman Logan]

First, the Japanese Army wanted to invade the USSR, even in 1941.

It's interesting to speculate how the war might have turned out differently if they had.

Had the Japanese attacked Siberia instead of Pearl Harbor, Stalin would have been unable to shift the Siberian troops that stopped the German 20 miles outside Moscow in early winter of 1941. With the USSR fighting on two fronts, it's arguable they would have been defeated.

Had the USA gotten into the war after the collapse of the USSR, our task would have been infinitely more difficult. The invasion of Europe at D-Day would probably have been impossible. Of course, the Bomb would still have won us the war in 1945.

However, your claim that the Army wanted to invade Russia is at least debatable. They had fought a full-scale battle against the Red Army in 1939 at Nomonhan and got their head handed to them. They were very poorly equipped to deal with a fully mechanized force. They also were faced with an army led by Zhukov, the best Russian general of the time.

http://www.siberianlight.net/khalkhin-gol-battle-nomonhan/

[MattinNJ]

Interesting anecdote. The Soviets had a high level German spy in Tokyo (name escapes me). He was the one who informed the Soviets that the Japanese would not invade Russia. That enabled Stalin to shift his forces to the Western Front-some skiied most of the way. That turned the tide at Stalingrad

Anyway, the spy was sentenced to die in one of Stalin's purges. A General reminded Stalin of what the spy had done. Stalin slowly turned and an icy grin spread over his face as he said-"Gratitude is a disease for dogs". Dude died.

[Mike Darancette]

Of course, the Bomb would still have won us the war in 1945.

Of course it might have been Germany that had the bomb.

[Mike Darancette]

However, your claim that the Army wanted to invade Russia is at least debatable. They had fought a full-scale battle against the Red Army in 1939 at Nomonhan and got their head handed to them.

In 1939 the Germans weren't attacking from the west. In 1941 just a demonstration in the East would have held up the Soviet Army long enough that Stalingrad and Moscow might have been lost.

[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.