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To: BroJoeK

The Japanese force attacking Pearl Harbor did not include an invasion force. That alone makes the Midway force larger. That aside lets look at some particulars.

There were 6 front line carriers involved at Pearl. 4 of the same carriers were involved at Midway. Additionally, there were another 4 carriers of smaller caliber involved in this attack. All told, carrier compliments were about the same.

However, there was not nearly the surface compliment involved in Pearl Harbor as there was at Midway. Here we have sea tenders carrying midgets subs, a screen of submarines at about the same levels, 4 times as many cruisers, 3 times as many battleships, and a load of destroyers.

Pretty much the bulk of the Japanese fleet was committed to this attack, while when the Pearl Harbor attack took place the Naval General Staff still had enough sway over Yamamoto to keep some naval forces tied up in the southern advance. After the success of Pearl, Yamamoto pretty much had carte blanche.


18 posted on 05/30/2012 2:11:40 AM PDT by CougarGA7 ("History is politics projected into the past" - Michael Pokrovski)
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To: CougarGA7

The Midway operation has all the hallmarks of a Japanese naval operation.Too complex, too many ‘little’ units, too many objectives. Whatever sense of proportion the Japanese had at Pearl Harbor and the move south is long gone.


23 posted on 05/30/2012 6:53:30 AM PDT by PzLdr ("The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am" - Darth Vader)
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