Pound per pound and tonnage of steel indicates to us that the Imperial Navy could have defeated the United States Navy had they both fought in tactical gunwarfare. The Imperial Japanese Naval Command thought that the war between America and the Japanese Empire would be through battleship warfare. As this was the battle plan tactic by the naval high command, which explains Japanese heavy naval buildup years prior to the war.
The Japanese Navy, during the starting of the war, had the largest aircraft carrier force seen in the world.
Had Japan invaded America instead of stopping at Hawaii, it could have effectively put the war in American Soil, and allowed the Japanese Warmachine to consolidate its possessions in Asia and the oil rich Dutch Malaccas as well as take advantage of the raw natural resources of South East Asia and in Machuria and Korea.
Japan's tactical downfall was fighting in defense. Japan could have won the war had she taken the offensive after her attack on Pearl Harbor. Instead of steaming the Combined Imperial Japanese Fleet away towards Marshall Islands, Admiral Yamamoto should have invaded Hawaii and consolidated the resources there as the American forces in Hawaii were numerically undermanned. After the invasion of Hawaii, the Japanese should have bombed Panama Canal, thereby preventing further American naval forces to rushing to the east and thus giving Japan time to consolidate her military prowess.
Japan, during this time of war, had a military force that numbered over 5 million enlisted men.
The United States during the beginning of the war had an elisted men of no more than 200,000.
Japan could have won this war had she continued to be on the offensive.
As they say, offense is the best defense.
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Topic: DOGFIGHTS in LEYTE GULF (WW II) (Read 716 times)