[DesertRhino]

“Had the Japs taken out the dry docks and oil storage at Pearl, the war may have had a different ending.”

Nope. The difference would have been negligible. That would have simply been another of those astonishing WWII US production/construction stories. Just a bump in the road at best.

The moment the first Jap bomb was dropped, they lost the war. Yamamoto knew they could never defeat the USA. Too many Jap leaders were smitten with the way they won wars against Russia with a single sea battle causing the other side to sue for peace.

[sparklite2]

Too many Jap leaders were smitten with the way they won wars against Russia with a single sea battle causing the other side to sue for peace.

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Exactly. Their early success gave Japan ‘victory fever.’ The shock of Doolittle’s raid solidified their need to do something bold.

They knew they could neither defeat nor occupy the US, and were planning, at best, for the US to sue for peace and get out of the way of their taking resources by force.

Yamamoto knew America, and was aware we could not be defeated long term.