What if Japan destroyed carriers at Pearl Harbor?
What if Japan destroyed carriers at Pearl Harbor?
In the end, it is unlikely that the destruction of two carriers at Pearl would have turned the tide of war. The massive fleet of carriers that the United States built by 1944 would have overwhelmed the prewar Imperial Japanese Navy, even without the losses at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal.
What two mistakes did the Japanese make in attacking Pearl Harbor?
Zimm, Japanese Captain Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, made a critical mistake by firing two flares, which signaled to his aviators that they had not caught the Americans by surprise. As a result, they used more cautious tactics and inflicted far less damage than they might have.
How many aircraft carriers lost at Pearl Harbor?
six aircraft carriers
The base was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft (including fighters, level and dive bombers, and torpedo bombers) in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. Of the eight U.S. Navy battleships present, all were damaged, with four sunk….Attack on Pearl Harbor.
| Date | December 7, 1941 |
|---|---|
| Location | Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, U.S. |
Did the Japanese regret Pearl Harbor?
Abe’s Pearl Harbor speech has been well received in Japan, where most people expressed the opinion that it struck the right balance of regret that the Pacific war occurred, but offered no apologies.
How much of the navy was lost at Pearl Harbor?
The attack killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including 68 civilians, and destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships, including 8 battleships.
Why did the Japanese fail to attack Pearl Harbor?
Ironically, by refusing to run such an operational risk, they wound up taking an even larger strategic risk, for the attack on Pearl Harbor was premised on the highly tenuous assumption of a short war with the United States followed by a negotiated peace that would allow Japan to keep its territorial gains.
What would happen if you dropped a bomb on Pearl Harbor?
At Pearl Harbor, dropping a bomb on 4.5 million gallons would’ve certainly started a spark. Without a doubt, the oil tanks would have gone up in flames, starting a terrible flame that would have been difficult to put out – especially when so many men are injured, attending to the injured or simply trying to fight back.
What happened to the oil tanks at Pearl Harbor?
The oil tank area was south of Hickam Field. Although the flames might not have affected Pearl Harbor itself, they would have almost certainly started fires in the nearby forests. According to aerial photos of Pearl Harbor, the oil tanks were nearly surrounded by trees, which would’ve caught fire easily.
Why didn’t Nagumo’s Task Force execute the Pearl Harbor raid?
To top it off, Nagumo’s task force was already operating at the very edge of its fuel supply in executing the Pearl Harbor strike and lacked the logistics to tarry much longer so deep in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, far from reinforcements. The Japanese had thought that the Pearl Harbor raid might easily cost them two aircraft carriers.