Japanese expansion towards the Dutch East Indies and the oil reserves there were always going to bring America into the war.
The Philippines which were an American colony and the Cavite naval base were always going to be a thorn in the side of the Japanese.
They therefore had to eliminate the Philippines as a threat and to attack there meant that the powerful Pacific fleet would move in to support the Asiatic fleet and therefore the Pacific fleet needed to be eliminated too–all at the same time.
A very ambitious plan indeed.

However you box it up though, the Japanese were going to lose. It might not have been 1945 or 46 or 47 but they would have eventually lost.
Even if the line of furthest advance had been San Diego they would have still lost. They just were not powerful enough to beat the USA outright.
The lesson here is ‘before you start a war, make sure you’ve got what you need to finish it.’ I think Yamamoto knew this all along. He promissed he could play hell in the Pacific for a year but couldn’t promise anything after that.
Cheers
Andy

Even if the very worst thing that could have gone wrong at Midway had happened and that would have been the loss of the three Yorktown Class Carriers, USS Yorktown, Enterprise and Hornet it wouldn’t have meant final victory for the Japanese. Yes, it would have been a setback for the Americans–a very big setback but still only that. They still had USS Saratoga, USS Wasp and at a push the smaller USS Ranger. The first of the much bigger Essex class carriers were well on the way to completion and the conversion of the CVL Independence class from cruiser hulls were also underway. The number of escort carriers building were also enormous.

The real battle in many respects that decided the Pacific war was the long drawn out battle of Guadalcanal.
Here carriers weren’t so important as land based aircraft were the real force to be reckoned with on both sides. The attrition that both sides suffered here over six months in cruisers, destroyers and battleships was very great. Thing was again the Americans were always replacing losses with new ships and better ships–The Japanese just couldn’t build at that speed or incorporate new technology (like gun laying radar) into their designs. So once the pre-war excellently trained Imperial Japanese Navy crews were lost there were no replacements in ships or quality men.

Thing is from the moment that the first shot was fired at Pearl Harbour the Japanese had really lost. It just took thousands and thousands of lives before they were convinced.
What a waste!!

Try this….

Right
it’s Saturday night , there’s nothing on the tele and for once we’re staying in. So, I reckon it’s a Consolidated PB2Y-5R Coronado.
One of the 218 PB2Y’s built at Consolidated’s plant at San Diego Ca.
The UK link is that 10 of these aircraft were supplied under Lend-Lease and used by the RAF as transports.
As far as CM’s family goes I haven’t a clue but suspect an older Rohr might have had some connection.
Any good??
Andy.

Enough nubile totty and the eyes don’t see so far!

Melv
it was probably the thought of nubile totty that ruined your eyes in the first place 😀 😀 😉 😀

A challenge!
Who can tell me what not-to-be-missed aviation-related event is happening at Bournemouth University on Thursday 28th October.

Janie
is it a memorial lecture on ‘How I Spent Four Years in a Hampshire Cowshed’
or ‘Rearwin Restoration Made Easy’

by that famous 47 year old Guitar playing Basingrad resident?
His name escapes at present–Melvis Hancock I think it is. 😀 😀
Cheers
Andy

This year has cetainly seen some very nice aircraft make first flights after long restorations. This is another.
Long may it continue.
Cheers
Andy

Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947 in the Bell X-1–an aircraft copied from a British design (Miles M-52) which was cancelled by the very silly British Government (Ho-Hum)
Cheers
Andy