Free Republic University, Department of History presents
World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment:
New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view
Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our
general discussion thread Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War Southeast Asia, 1941: Japanese Centrifugal Offensive, December 1941
Malaya, 1941: Topography-Japanese Centrifugal Offensive, December 1941-January 1942
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – Operations of the Japanese First Air Fleet, 7 December 1941-12 March 1942
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – American Carrier Operations, 7 December 1941-18 April 1942
Micronesia, Melanesia and New Guinea: Japanese Centrifugal Offensive-Japanese Fourth Fleet and South Seas Detachment Operations, December 1941-April 1942
Luzon, P.I., 1941: Centrifugal Offensive, 10 December 1941-6 May 1942-Fourteenth Army Operations on Luzon
Netherlands East Indies, 1941: Japanese Centrifugal Offensive, December 1941-April 1942, Sixteenth Army and Southern Force (Navy) Operations
Southern Asia, 1941: Japanese Centrifugal Offensive (and Continued Operations), January-May 1942
North Africa, Auchinleck’s Offensive, 18 November-31 December 1941
Eastern Europe, 1941: Soviet Winter Offensive – Operations, 6 December 1941-7 May 1942
The Mediterranean Basin
General Short was 100% responsible for defense of the Naval Fleet when it was docked in Pearl Harbor, this was not Kimmel’s responsibility. Admiral Kimmel only got drawn into the defense when he volunteered to use Naval aircraft for long range search missions.
The reason for Kimmel doing this was because Washington had stripped Short of long range aircraft, which had been sent to the Philippines for MacArthur’s use (and where MacArthur let them be destroyed on the ground many hours after being informed of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and after hours of his senior air officer begging him to attack the Jap airfields on Formosa).
Kimmel would have been better off career-wise to have refused to use his aircraft to help out General Short, but Kimmel was a diligent officer who was concerned with the defense of the fleet. Even so, Kimmel didn’t have nearly enough aircraft to do a full search around Hawaii, and when the Jap planes came in from slightly northeast of Pearl, they were only detected by one of Short’s radar units.
Kimmel and Short actually demanded Courts Martial, which was their right, so all the facts would come out, but the requests were ignored and they were pressured into retiring. In Kimmel’s case it was particularly sad, because he had been an outstanding Naval officer who had been very diligent in everything he did.