Despite the fact, that prior to World War II (and during the first five months of WWII) Japan was the second strongest power of the fascist bloc, her quality and performance of ships closely matched that of the US, and Japanese strategy, doctrine, and tactics produced a fighting force that could quickly strike ; Japan still had various inconsistencies arising from poor planning and financial/logistical crises. Consequently, it can be argued that the mistakes and inadequacies in Japanese pre-war planning were the main contributor to the ultimate achievement of the US national policy objectives in the Pacific during World War II. These mistakes and inadequacies in pre-war planning can be interlinked to the operational and technological inferiority …show more content…
Inadequacies in the Japanese pre-war planning is also seen in the failure to plan and develop the airfield construction techniques and equipment, as well as the units necessary to build air bases, maintenance, supply and dispersal facilities which would have given a land-based air war. This would consist of capturing an island, building an airfield and using that base to gain control over the surrounding waters. Deficiencies in Japanese decision making further contributed to additional shortfalls. A good example is the lack of planning and coordination with the rising air losses in the Solomons. Here, the navy requested that the army bring in aircrafts but without a clear long-range plan or doctrine of what to do, and with no arrangement for the necessary logistical support. Lack of cooperation between the Japanese army and navy further stretched the limited Japanese resources with army aircraft on New Guinea having to fly 1,500 miles to Manila for engine changes even though the navy had closer major maintenance assets as close as Rabaul. Lack of foresight in Japan’s prewar military budgets also affected tactics, as Japanese frontline aircraft were vulnerable to attack on the ground as the Japanese had no mechanized construction assets …show more content…
The allied forces' began advancing from island to island as they sought to close on Japan. This strategy allowed them to bypass Japanese strong points while securing bases across the Pacific. Despite the fact that allied losses was huge in some battles, through strong supply lines and reserves, the Allies were able to continue their decisive advance against the Japanese. After the Battle of Midway, the Allies had also regained their air and sea superiority. The Battle of Okinawa on 1 April 1945 was the last major battle of the war in the Asia Pacific, which is considered as the largest land-sea-air battle in history with Japan suffering devastating losses leaving a large impact on Japan. This played a prominent role in paving the way to defeating Japan in World War II as the Allied forces were considered too strong compared to Japan’s opera. A further characteristic which made the US stronger and victorious over Japan was the tactical priorities taken by Admiral Nimitz who led the US navy, and Macarthur who was in charge of the US army. Their approaches was to first established and protect lines of communication across the south pacific from the US to Australia, with Australia being used as home base for the actions. The control of sea lanes between US and Australia was essential and ensured lines of communication and a secure
In Cooper’s response, he outlines the clear-cut advantage of resources as being the greatest factor in Allied victory. The basis of this argument certainly captures the essence of Allied victory, as the addition of the United States along with Axis limitations tilted the balance of resources on the Allied favour. Much like Germany was not able to properly restock their armament deficiencies across Europe and northern Africa, Imperial Japan also struggled in their rearmament agenda throughout their invasion of Asia. Since Japan had already serious constraints of natural resources, United States’ oil embargo crippled Japan’s ability to prolong the war, which then prompted Japan to recklessly attack Pearl Harbour, and once the United States entered the war, the battle of Midway proved to be the apex of the Asian-Pacific War, as Japan could not compete against the United States’ overwhelming rearmament
The United States’ role in World War II began primarily in the Pacific, between Japan and the West Coast. Here, we were instrumental in the Battle of the Coral Sea, where a Japanese fleet was turned back from attacking Australia. The Battle of Midway Island was another victory for America against the Japanese navy, and marked the turning point of the Pacific naval war.
It was also believed that if the Japanese were able to complete this airfield that it would be too advantageous for them and would also aid in invading Port Moresby on the Western coast of New Guinea.
Despite all the success Japan had early in the war, they did not do as much damage to the United States Pacific fleet as they would have like to have done. This gave America a false sense of security at the time when Japan was preparing to take stronger action. Rear Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s plan was to draw in the remaining American ships into an area where they could be attacked and destroyed by a much greater number of Japanese vessels. Admiral Yamamoto thought that if Japan captured valuable territory like the Midway Islands that the United States could not afford to give up, he could destroy the remaining American ships with ease because the Americans would have no supply chain.
The Battle of Midway is often called the turning point in the war. Had Nimitz not been warned of the Imperial Navy’s plans, the Americans would have surely been wiped out by Yamamoto’s superior numbers, ending the American threat to the Japanese Empire in World War II. The day after the Battle of the Coral Sea, Rochefort’s team began to get hints of the IJN’s intentions in the central Pacific. Lewin notes in his book that Yamamoto’s full plan was not uncovered at once. It was a very gradual process, “Yet at every stage of the developing picture – and here we observe the contrast with the period preceding Pearl Harbor – Admiral Nimitz was immediately supplied with JN25 intelligence on the basis of which … he could build his counter measures.”
The Battle of Midway dealt a devastating catastrophe for the Japanese naval and air capabilities with destroying four carriers, one heavy cruiser, 248 aircraft, and 3,057 personnel. The Americans lost one aircraft carrier, one destroyer, 150 aircraft, and 307 personnel. Historically, Midway has been considered the turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II. Japan's shipbuilding and pilot training programs were unable to keep pace in replacing their losses, while the U.S. steadily increased its output in both areas that inevitably led denying Japan the ability to achieve its limited policy objective: to destroy the American carrier force in the Pacific and use the Aleutians and Midway Island as stepping stones for a Japanese
to stay at equal footing with world powers such as Germany and Japan, they needed to expand their influence into the Pacific. Only then, as is mentioned, would the U.S. be able to respond to other nations with its great sea power.
Typical of Japanese naval planning during the Second World War, Yamamoto's battle plan was quite complex.[15] Additionally, his designs were predicated on optimistic intelligence information suggesting USS Enterprise and USS Hornet, forming Task Force 16, were the only carriers available to the U.S. Pacific Fleet at the time. USS Lexington had been sunk and USS Yorktown severely damaged (and believed by the Japanese to have been sunk) at the Battle of the Coral Sea just a month earlier. The Japanese were also aware that USS Saratoga was undergoing repairs on the West Coast after taking torpedo damage from a submarine.
World War II (WWII) had an immense effect on the United States; culturally, economically, and industrially. Although no battles were fought on American soil, the war affected all phases of American life. Among the infinite of changes experienced by Americans during this time, there was a big shift in the industrial complex, a re-imagining of the role of women in society, and economic boost. Social shifts began to shape a new national identity which would change the country forever.
Japan hoped it would take America so long to rebuild, by the time she was able to return in force in the Pacific, she would consider the new balance of power and negotiate a peace. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor failed to destroy the crucial targets aircraft carriers and, most crucially for Japan's ability to hold island bases, submarines and ignored others oil tank farms, power station, thus the U.S. Navy was not weakened enough to force withdrawal. The psychological effect also caused the U.S. population and armed forces to fully mobilize for war. South-East Asia was quickly conquered Philippines, Indochina, Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies. After Japan's vital aircraft carrier force was destroyed in the Battle of Midway, the Japanese
By the end of 1941 Japan had control of most of the Pacific theater. It was not until after the attack on Pearl Harbor that the United States formally declared war on the Axis Powers. By the beginning of 1942, the United States Navy, switched from being in a defensive position to an offensive position and took the fight to the Japanese military in the Pacific. The Battle of Midway is considered the turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. However, the Battle of Midway may not have happened as it did if it were not for the men who tirelessly worked to break the Japanese JN-25 code. The ability to decipher the encrypted Japanese messages gave the United States Navy the upper hand in the Pacific theater and by the end of the war the Japanese
Why was the battle of Midway so crucial? On the 4th of June in 1942 started the victorious win of the Americans that was soon to begin World War II! It was quite an amazing battle because the Japanese should have won, but the Americans out smarted them, hacking naval codes, being ready, and being where they needed to be at the right time. The Americans took down the Japanese keeping control of Midway. The battle of Midway between the Americans and the Japanese was the most decisive naval battle in history it was the turning point because it brought the Americans into the forefront of the war that eventually helped defeat Hitler.
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the end of Japanese competiveness in the air. This Battle gave way to the United States’ ability to project its military power further into the heart of Japan with little to no resistance from the Japanese Fleet in the form of aerial warfare. It also left the Japanese desperate to find new ways of fighting American naval forces in ways other than the standard convention. The Battle of the Philippine Sea was “not the decisive battle in World War II”7; however, it did help accelerate the United States’ takeover of the auxiliary islands with the destruction of Japanese conventional air warfare.
Although the United States had begun a late rearming in the 1930s, the Japanese remained convinced that in a naval battle, their ships, planes and personnel were just as modern and plentiful, if not better than what the United States had
It contained a peculiar amalgam of medieval attitudes and modern material, for the Army still followed the code of Bushido which upheld the virtues of man-to-man combat in a machine age, and demanded that the Japanese soldier die rather than surrender. The political influence of the Japanese Army had substantially increased in the years between the two world wars. The Army saw Japan’s salvation in China: Japan should secure the vast resources of the Asian mainland by carving out for herself a continental empire. The Army consequently viewed the Soviet Union as Japan’s most dangerous enemy – a power which had traditional interests in North China. The Navy looked to the Pacific Ocean, and particularly in the South West Pacific, with the richest prize of Malaya and the Dutch East Indies as the means by which the resources vital to the maintenance of Japan as a great power could be seized. The Navy, therefore, regarded the world’s two greatest naval powers, Great Britain and the United States, as Japan’s most deadly enemies. It was no coincidence that the two services shaped Japan’s strategy to suit the exclusive capacity of either the Army or the Navy. Before 1941 the army had most of its’ own