[Salvavida]

I'm aware of the history. Admiral Fletcher eliminated two IJN carriers that could not participate in Midway. The Yorktown was able to answer the bell with her air component, and that was the difference. The IJN never recovers from Midway.

But we could have let Guadalcanal alone and let the Aussies man up and deal with the Jap army. Maybe they'd have something in their culture to point to that underscores the necessity of an armed citizenry. Their legacy is a poorly led and equipped national defense. So the US taxpayer shoulders the burden.

[jmacusa]

The Aussies had taken a beating from the Japs in Burma and else where in Asia. They weren’t in any real shape to fend of the Japanese. As for Guadalcanal I think the intell was faulty. The Army and Navy thought there was a strong Japanese garrison there.