Why did we not have a boat potraling the Hawian Islands like about 50 miles west in the pacific conserding we did not trust our radar. Did we just think that we as Amercians were to strong and nobody dare to attack us. Well it happened and instead of being prepared we relied on tech. to much. Like we do today.
I would think that it was more along the thinking that it would be illogical to attack a base so far away when there was a chain (Midway, Phillipines, Wake) of American bases closer to Japan. I am willing to bet that the leadership at the time were expecting the attack to be solely aimed at the Phillipines. Pearl Harbor had a very shallow bay which was thought to have been torpedo proof. Now we know better. It was a master stroke tactically for the Japanese but strategically a failure.
Good posting PzJgr and I agree with you. Also its probably due to the political situation of the times and our hoping to stay isolated from world events too. Too bad it didnt work in ww1
They did it because they wanted to destroy all the fleet in an anchour. But they missed three small details: The carriers. So it was a failure. But they stroke the Amerikans were they felt safe. And it was indeed too well planned. But Nagumo was worried about the USA carriers, so they could be behind him and he was without aeroplanes to face them, therefore he did not attack as he should have to.
Quite welcome PzJgr. Friedrich--they did that mainly because of lack of oil for their ships. The whole thing started because of oil and raw material shortages--like tin-copper-etc. Now if they had been smart--they should have attacked russia at the same time as Hitler did. The fronts would be something like 6,000 miles apart.
Yes, I know it was for the implications of the petrol matter... They would have been at war sooner or later, like Germany and the Soviet Union. The Axis performed the best defense: attacking first.
I agree and making this note on the E.T.O. Had Hitler not attacked Russia--we now definately know that Stalin would have done so first.
Of course, my dear Carl. Georgi Zhukov and Simeon Timoschenko had told Stalin that they should have attacked Germany by the summer of 1942, maybe 1943 as a preventive measure, when the red army would have been equiped and trained rightly.
Thats true Friedrich but, stalin was not a good listener either which is partly to blame for the near destruction of the Soviet forces in June of 1941.
I THINK ALL YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT IN EVERYTHING YOU SAID, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD WHAT MIGHT BE PART OF IT. THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING OUT A COMPREMISE WITH JAPAN. WE BELIVED THAT IT VERY WELL MAY WORK OUT, BUT ALL UNITS IN THE PACIFIC WERE ON ALERT...JUST IN CASE. I BELIVE, AT PEARL, THE REAL DANGER WAS THOUGHT TO BE SABBOTOGE. MOST EVERYBODY IN THE MILITARY AND THE WAR DEPARTMENT FELT, THAT IF THE BLOW DID FALL, IT WOULD BE IN THE PHILLIPINES, FOR IF THE JAPANESE CONTROLED THESE ISLANDS, THEY COULD MOVE UNHINDERED FROM THE HOME ISLAND ALL THE WAY TO JAVA. ( THIS OF COURSE IS ONLY IF THEY HIT SINGAPORE TO ! )....A NEAT STORY...THE 147TH FIELD ARTILLERY (NORTH OR SOUTH DAKOTA N.G.) LEFT PEARL ON THE 6TH OF DEC. 1941.....HEADING FOR THE PHILIPINNES. THEY WERE PART OF THE OVERALL BUILD UP.....THE POINT TO ALL THIS IS TO ME , THAT THIS IS THE PROOF THAT WE DID NOT BELIVE THAT PEARL WAS THE TARGET FOR ALL THE REASONS YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT.....SO WHY SEND PATROLS DEEP INTO THE "EMPTY PACIFIC".....BY THE WAY, THE 147TH WAS REROUTED TO THE LAND DOWNUNDER, AND WAS LATER PART OF THE DRIVE FOR NEW GUINIA......AS YOU ALL KNOW, "SPELLIN", IS A STRUGGLE FOR ME. PLEASE BARE WITH, AND I WONT MENTION IT AGAIN...LATER...WALT
hmmm i dunno what else to add. I think we simply didn't have picket ships out there because the US felt the defenses were sufficient and that chances of attack were low anyway. (hence the term hindsight is always 20/20) Besides There were even US carrier groups in the area...One i believe around enterprise...and the other with hornet or yorktown or both...ANYWAY one group was delivering planes to Wake and another was delivering planes to midway. But anyway, my point is there were US warships in the area...much more than just a picket...a whole fleet!(luckily we DIDN'T find them though...that's just what the Japanese wanted afterall...to destroy our carriers. But yeah to repeat, i personally feel the only reason we didn't have pickets off the coast was that the US felt defences in Hawaii were enough and that attack though maybe likely in the phillipines or someplace deep in the pacific was not very likely in Hawaii (thus the sabatoge defense) What i wanna know...is why McArthur had his planes in the Phillipines all lined up?! now THAT was stupid! I mean in that case an attack, if one came, was quite likely! sheesh
