The stupid part comes in through lining up our ships and planes as shooting ducks, aligned with not knowing our potential enemy. Thousands died.
1. The Japanese were incredibly lucky to pull off the Pearl Harbor raid. Many things could have gone wrong as, when combined with the attacks on the Philippines, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies, the Japanese were at the end of their logistical rope.
2. US forces were not just sitting in Hawaii. Hawaii was the staging area for re-enforcements going to the Philippines.
3. The ships were in port as they always are to this day. Ships have to be berthed when not at sea.
4. The principle failure was one of imagination. The US was trying to get to a war footing, but was simply too slow.
a. The radars in Hawaii were not manned properly.
b. The Army (which was responsible for defending the fleet while in port) did not have enough aircraft for proper dawn to dusk patrols.
c. Coordination between the Army and Navy was poor.
d. It took too long for the report from USS Ward about it’s encounter with a midget sub to reach Admiral Kimmel.
Locating the fleet in Hawaii was the least of our problems.