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ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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ť Topic: July 4th & Pearl Harbor Myths
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First I want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe 4th of July. Lets all never forget what this day is meant to remember, celebrate and honor. Take a moment to look back at all the sacrifices those before us made to get us to where we are today and hopefully remain.

On a different topic a bit off the PT subject, I am finishing up a book that came out last year that analyzes the Pearl Harbor attack from a different point of view. "Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deception" is an amazing study on the Japanese war doctrine and how the attack was planned. It explains just how poorly the attack was executed and in great detail explains the "flying circus" they performed while achieving only 25 to 30% of what they could have. All command and control was lost even before the first AP bomb hit (remember, the torpedo planes were to attack the harbor first) and every plane was basically on its own to seek out a target following the prioritization requirements of the attack. This is by far the best book I have ever read about that fateful day and really makes me thankful it didn't turn out the way it could have. It also has an entire chapter dedicated to that 5th mini-sub and that now famous photo of all those torpedos heading towards Battleship Row.

God Bless America

Posted By: Roy Forbes | Posted on: Jul 3, 2015 - 7:52am
Total Posts: 371 | Joined: Sep 5, 2012 - 4:57pm

Roy;
Thanks for the info, yes they could have done more, militarily speaking Admiral Nagumo should have listened to the pleas of Fuchida and Genda and rolled the dice again and sent the third wave, yes they would have lost a few more planes, but they could have inflicted considerably more damage, such as hitting the fuel oil storage tanks near the sub base. But U.S. planners realized just how lucky they were and as a result built the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility starting in 1942,
Take care,
TED
P.S. any new photos of your base?

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Jul 3, 2015 - 11:53am
Total Posts: 3071 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

Hi, Roy-
Happy Independence Day to you and yours as well! Sounds like a very interesting book- I'll have to look for it at my local Barnes and Noble. I wondered why the attackers never hit the fueling station, or sought to destroy ammunition dumps and repair facilities.
Hitting the fueling station alone would have restricted the Pacific Fleet's movements for weeks if not months. Also, the fact that the submarine base was left untouched meant that USN planners could (and did) launch a submarine-based, long range counteroffensive within days of the attack.

Thanks again!

Randy

Posted By: Deep Vee Forever | Posted on: Jul 4, 2015 - 9:27am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered

Hi Randy, the book looks at all of that and also goes very deeply into all of Fuchida's
mistakes and misrepresentaions in BDA and his (untrue) account of being onboard the Missouri for the signing. Also examines "what if" the fleet had only 40 minutes warning of the approaching planes and how this would have caused a catastrophic loss of Japanese aircraft and maybe prevented the Oklahoma from capsizing. This book was fascinating !! I got mine on e-bay brand new for $8.00.

Posted By: Roy Forbes | Posted on: Jul 4, 2015 - 3:45pm
Total Posts: 371 | Joined: Sep 5, 2012 - 4:57pm