ZebraUp wrote:
[NLR] McFate wrote: "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." - Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
He understood that sneaking, then camping and spawnkilling was a bad idea in the long run.
Actually the Japanese sneak attack was quite brilliant in both planning and execution. The problem was that they didn't take advantage of their initial success and invade Hawaii so they would have a base to strike at the continental USA.. therefore they soon lost their advantage from that initial strike and also didn't take into account our ability to quickly start producing war machinery and as well as training the citizens that quickly stepped up to join the military services.
As a U.S. Navy veteran, and a student of warfare it's always been my opinion that a Japanese invasion on Hawaii, would have been successful, but the outcome of the war would've ultimately been the same.
However, an invasion of the United States mainland would've been a disaster. The success of any invading army depends on its ability to manage the civilian population. The Japanese certainly would've been able to conquer us militarily, at least partially in late 1941 or early 1942, but did not, as best I can see, because of the resolve and fortitude of our civilian population.
First to consider, is our right to keep and bear arms. It's said that if the Japanese had invaded that they would have reached Texas or the Midwest before we could stop them. Again militarily, that's probably true. However, around every street corner, every road, and every field that would've been US civilians waiting with firearms and plenty of ammo.
Second to consider is public relations. Every island, and country that the Japanese invaded was inhabited by a weak and/or poor rural population that was just downright scared shitless of the Japanese Imperial Army. They were frightened in no small part due to if state control radio broadcasts, broadcast out of Japan, and the propaganda they carried. China, the Philippines, and other Pacific island nations had little to no independent media. Thanks to The infrastructure put in place by the new deal, President Roosevelt's fireside chats, and a pretty good literacy rate for the time we just weren't buying what the Japanese were selling.
The Japanese could have never, and could never conquer a nations such as the US. They lacked the population, and the industrial might. The only thing they did have going for them was thier shear will, and commitment to total victory. While hindsight is always 2020, had they made some different choices, they could've prolonged the inevitable and made it a lot more difficult on us. The Japanese were pretty much doomed from the start, after their attack on Pearl. I think on some level, they knew this, especially in a ground war on our turf, and that's why there was never any serious thought or planning put into doing so.
However, how did Germans not re nigged, on The deal they had with the Russians, they may have had a chance. I read somewhere that they tried to negotiate with Mexico and alliance by which Mexico would regain control of Texas New Mexico Arizona and California, after a successful invasion of the United States by combined forces of the third Reich and Mexico.