And don't forget that the Japanese were loading up scrap metal onto their freighters to take back home for their factories while their aircraft carriers were preparing to launch their torpedo bombers in 1941.
And don't forget that the Japanese were loading up scrap metal onto their freighters to take back home for their factories while their aircraft carriers were preparing to launch their torpedo bombers in 1941. Well, not quite. The cut off of scrap metal exports, and more importantly oil exports, to Japan was one of the factors which convinced the militarists to "go for broke", against the advice of their own admirals.