Sadly, he was the best hope for negotiating a peace rather than dragging out the war for a few more years. He had warned in advance that if a deal wasn’t struck within six months after Pearl Harbor, Japan would lose the war. He knew our industrial might would grind them down, and Japan had no chance of winning a war outright.
Six months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese fleet suffered a crushing defeat at Midway, and was ground down as he predicted.
It was war. I prefer ‘strategically eliminated’ over ‘assasination’.
I remember reading a book on this years ago. IIRC there was a lot of questions on whether the mission should proceed since it was feared that it might tip the Japanese that we broke their code. But they went ahead with it anyway.
The Americans knew where Yamamoto would be because they had broken the Japanese code. Quite risky in that the Japanese could have put 2 and 2 together, and realized that their code was compromised.
In a way, this was sad. Yamamoto was doing what he had to as a military leader, but he respected the US. In fact, I’d put money on the fact that Yamamoto was much much more of a friend of the Us than Dorkbama the Muslim eunuch.
Not to mention much more intelligent, honorable, educated, and capable.
Bin Laden’s death was meaningless. He was a sick old man watching porn. Yamamoto’s was a massive blow.
Why would there be? It was total war, and the USA used to be about winning wars. Our wars now are not existential wars, but tweaks to the empire and mostly domestic political contests.
As I remember the story, the P-38 was the only plane available with the range to intercept Yamamoto.
Too bad we didn’t expend that effort to get Tojo.
Of course they targeted Yamamoto.
He was a high value military target flying in a military aircraft on a military mission.
it wasn’t an assassination in a murderous sense. It was a military operation.
So, I guess Generals/Admirals are off limits now?
Jeez. Yamamoto was part of one of the most vicious imperialistic regimes in the world. He carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. He wanted Japan to rule the world as much as any Japanese did. He was afraid of our industrial might. He wasn’t our friend. Killing him was a great idea.
Glad they killed the damn bastard and wish they killed more of them. With “typical spleen”? What kind of judgementAl BS us that? Should be “righteous indignation”.
God bless America.
Glad they killed the damn bastard and wish they killed more of them. With “typical spleen”? What kind of judgementAl BS us that? Should be “righteous indignation”.
God bless America.
Wow...no one mentioning the Captain Lanphier and his wingman First Lieutenant Rex T. Barber controversy/fiasco yet? Fascinating story all the way around.
I learned of it just a few years ago and read alot on the net. Wikipedia has a really good coverage under Operation Vengeance
I can picture FDR’s “GET YAMAMOTO” directive
People actually go on tours to see the site, esp where Y’s wreckage still stands, deep in the jungle
The various secondary storylines are fascinating . . . from the debate on who gets credit to the cover story concocted so the Japs wouldn’t suspect code breaking.
A true American Hero story
Oh yeah. Imagine being in a POS slow twin-engine bomber and getting pounced on by by 4 qty P-38’s with their cannon fire & .50 cals. You’d be perforated with extreme prejudice in a hurry. The planning of the mission was very clever.
http://www.charleslindbergh.com/wwii/
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Possible related interest to the few..........???
Dick Gaines: AMERICAN!/aka: Gunny G
RED: Retired, Extreme, Deplorable!
@ Planet WTF!
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>>Never heard this interesting story before.
I read the book that describes the mission and the preparation (which included Charles Lindbergh coaching the pilots on long-distance flying and over water long distance navigation) when I was a teenager in the 1970s. I don’t know if its still available, but “Get Yamamoto” is a good read.
It’s sad reading through the comments of all the Nervous Nancys who are splitting hairs on the word “assassination”. Lanphier and Barber thought it was an assassination, and the MEN of the time would all gladly assassinate Hitler, Tojo, Rommel, Goering, Yamamoto, etc and not feel bad about it.