What was a Japanese submarine doing at Pearl Harbour?

 Pearl Harbour

War in the Pacific

While December 7th, 1941 will be recalled as "The day of Infamy," the deaths at Pearl Harbour were not the first deaths in the War in the Pacific.

Three days before the attack, a Naval Lieutenant went missing during a walk around the hills, the previous week, on his return to base, he had reported to the medical corps with a dislocated shoulder. Did he come across a Japanese watching station?

The first shots fired in the war in the Pacific were from a US vessel which sank a submarine of the IJN, Imperial Japanese Navy, the question we have to ask is what was a Japanese submarine doing at periscope depth near a US naval base, when they were not "officially" at war?

Also, two civillian aeroplanes were shot down minutes before the attack began, so they could not relay the information of the incoming raids.

At the time of the attack, there was an argument in the IJN, as to should a third wave be sent to attack. The officer in charge of the aircraft was in favor of the third wave, but General Yamamoto, who had been in the United States of America before the war, said the fuel used in the third raid should be kept to fuel the air defence on the return to Japan. Yamamoto realised the third wave would be blinded by the smoke, flames, and thick oil blown into the air, so the pilots would be bombing blind.

I did question Japanese intelligence reports for several years, how could they have NOT known the carriers were on exercise, and not in the harbour?

When the intel was sent, they ships were probably in the docks, but by the time the IJN got to Pearl, they ships had left on exercise. You have the issue of the intel being sent to Japan before being resent to the navy, would it have changed plans? I doubt it, Japan was intent on a war with the USA, their intent was not to attack the USA, but to stop the USA from supporting the British forces in the Pacific as they expanded.

                                             

The case of the Missing Lieutenant

 Pearl Harbour

                                          The Japanese Error

Several years ago, I came across an intriguimg missing person case involving the attack on Pearl Harbour.

The case centers on the disappearance of a Naval Lieutenant. 

Timeline

27th, November, 1941, after returning from his daily walk along the hills around Pearl Harbour, he reported to the doctor "claiming" he'd slipped, and injured his arm. The doctor put his arm in a sling, and excused him duties for the rest of the week.

December 4th, 1941, the officer, now fit, went for his regular walk, but never returned to base. The world knows what happened a few days later, a date known as The Day of Infamy.

We have two scenarios here

A - He went for a walk, and had another accident which left him unable to return.

B - He came across a Japanese spotter crew whose task was to guide the planes for the attack the next day. 

You could make a valid argument for either scenario, yet, one thing remains fact - his body was not found.

I go for scenario B, if he'd had the accident, his body would have turned up at some time.

Other than the attack what was their error?

Despite the superior knowledge of Japanese Intelleince networks, the news that the 7th Fleet was on an exercise, and not at harbour, was ignored.

After the attack, there was an argument between the Air Commander, and the Naval Commander of the force.

The Air Commander wanted an immediate second raid to hit the US twice, and hopefully cripple the oil supply needed for the ships coming back.

The Naval Commander argued he'd need every ounce of fuel for his planes to give air cover on their return to Japan. The Naval Commander was correct. Hitting the base a second time so soon would have been suicidal; the raid worked because of its surprise, now the US Forces would be ready, and the loss of aircrews would be horrorific. Not only that, the second wave would be flying into the fires, and fuel explosions from the opening raid.

As was proved later, getting good pilots for the Japanese air force was to be an impossible task during the War in the Pacific.

Later in World War 2, the USAAF were to experience the same dilemna when attacking Schienfurt, Germany. The first raid went well with heavy damage to the ball bearing factories, however, the raid the following week, was as the US would say a "turkey shoot." On their return, the Americans found the site proyected by flak guns, some on rails, and gunners capable of inflicting heavy losses

Japan were doomed

 Pearl Harbour

War in the Pacific

                                       The Land of the Rising Sun

From the moment Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, they were doomed. Admiral Yamamoto who planned the raid gave them only six months, before their success ended.

Many people say they wanted to occupy the Pacific Coast, but they didn't have the men, machines or fuel to do such a huge task.

Take the scenario on. Japan keeps Malaya for rubber, Indonesia for oil, how do they plan to carry the goods back to Japan, and keep the Allies at bay?

The logistics of such a plan are too immense for a small country like Japan to consider. Once the USA entered the war in strength, Japan was losing planes and ships three times as fast as they could build them, and pilot training takes years.

Okay, the beat Russia in 1904, and hit PH, but they were suprise attacks, they struggled to hold both later. 

The first shot in the War in the Pacific was fired by the USA, but, you have to ask, what was a Japanese submarine doing sneaking around PH, hours before Japan declared war?

Alaska would have been an intersting battle, if Japan had invaded, Japanese are used to jungle fighting, not Arctic warfare.

The lines of supply you'd need to protect would have proved impossible, which is why most Empires fail. The Romans couldn't keep England, Hitler found Russia too hard, and the Britih Empire collapsed, all for one reason. They are too costly to run