Pearl Harbor Defense

Joe Osman wrote:

"Mike Dargan" wrote in message
news:eqM2d.452184$%_6.9665@attbi_s01...

Ragnar wrote:

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...


"Mike Dargan" wrote in message
news:lyr2d.206258$Fg5.67066@attbi_s53...



The Pearl Harbor debacle is often blamed on lack of resources caused by
inadequate support from the politicians. Wrong. Short and Kimmel had
both quantitative and qualitative superiority but were hopelessly

inept.

While agreeing on the ineptitiude its clear that the IJN had a clear
superiority in terms of modern fighter aircraft.

Dig out Gordon Prange's book and do the numbers. P40s were adequate
against the Japanese in China, thousands of miles from their supply
depots. Why wouldn't they bave been adequate over Oahu?

Also, why wasn't Kimmel running patrols? He didn't have resources to
cover 360 degrees, but he certainly could have covered the NW quadrant
for a couple of hundred miles. Washington had been bombing him with
warnings for weeks. Geez. Couldn't he have just read the newspapers?

Cheers

--mike



It wasn't Kimmel's job to run patrols.

Then what were all those PBYs for?

The Air Corps/USAAF got the sole
responsiblity for the aerial defense of the US in 1935. This allowed them to
get more long range bombers. They didn't take the coastal defense
responsibility seriously. Their pilots were very poor at navigation and
didn't like to fly over water.

No kidding. Maybe they should have hired a bunch of nannies to hold
their hands.

Cheers

--mike


Joe



They also had better ships in many cases.








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