"BOB URZ" wrote in message
...
I have often wondered. Given a 24 hour advanced notice that an attack
was eminent in 72 hours or less, what would have been the outcome at
Pearl Harbor? Say on dec 6, Pearl was given intel that an attack would
come anytime in the next 72 hours.

Depends on if it was clear the attack was by air instead of clandestine.
The area commanders were preparing for sabotage which had the
effect of creating excellent targets. Convince them the attack was
coming from carrier aircraft and lots changes.

What could have been done differently to affect the outcome?

Disperse the air assets, fly CAP, sortie the fleet and have AAA
emplacements set, armed and manned. PAY ATTENTION to the
radar crew.
There are other things you would do, such as moving the army into
defensive positions, that as history played out wouldn't have meant
much but could have under different circumstances.

Granted at that point in the war, some of the hardware was not up
to snuff with the Japanese. With a 24 hour warning, how many fighter
aircraft could have been prepared, armed, and either flying or on
alert? What (if any) could have been used for night operations?

Catalinas for patrol, nobody was going to attack Pearl at night in '41:
that would have required night carrier ops.

What would have been the likely outcome of an even plane
dogfight scenario?

Given the 24 hour warning time, where would you position the
carriers that were out at sea and why? Offensive or defensive?

With as many other surface combatants as I could round up.
If I then have time to position that group I'ld try for a place off
to the side of the expected approach so as to be able to trail
enemy planes back to their fleet.
As I recall it, one of the carriers was coming back from a delivery
run dropping off aircraft at Wake(?); that ship would need fighter
flown out to it.

What about the surface ships in the harbor. In or out?

Out, moving targets are harder to hit -if they can be found at all-,
have freer use of their AA guns and they can try to intercept the
Japanese fleet.

Was there better way to position them against air attack?

What combination of aircraft could have been marshalled for an
offensive strike against the carrier group at the range they
were at? Were there enough trained aviators to even attempt this
at this time? Were the Japanese aviators better trained and equipped
at this point in the war?

Would the crude land based radar have been any major help with the
advanced warning and defensive attack ?

The radar historically picked up the inbound attack flight and the
information was called in to head quarters, it was dismissed.
Acted on in real history a lot more American fighters could have
been gotten into the air which would have decreased the efficiency of
the attack. An effective defense could have been attempted. Given a
24 or more hours of head start the US fleet would have taken
trivial losses compared to reality; perhaps the USS Arizona could
have sailed to Coregidor before it fell.

Would the US fleet have attempted to put to sea to go after the Japanese
task force, or stay close in for the defense against the possible
invasion of Hawaii? Was the fleet safer at sea knowing the
japs were coming, or safer in the harbor?

They would likely have attempted to engage the op fleet but not chased
them more than a day or two. 24 hours is short notice to provision
the entire Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor and concern for undetected
invasion fleets would be in everybodys' mind.