Pearl Harbor also shows how an operationally brilliant plan can become a strategic disaster. The Japanese operation was well planned and well done. But because of circumstances they couldn’t account for it ended up being a strategic mistake for the Empire.
The aircraft carriers were not there. Of course no one really recognized how important they would turn out to be during the pacific war just yet. But the failure to plan for the American aircraft carriers not being there ended up being the biggest blunder the Japanese empire ever made. Had they been able to sink the US pacific carrier fleets that would have been disastrous for us at battles like the Coral Sea and Midway. The Essex class ships weren’t in service until 1943. We were relying on our pre war carriers until the Essexes entered service.
Not only that but their strategic planning didn’t account for the American people and our culture and how we would respond to being sneak attacked. They thought they could repeat Port Arthur. One big punch and we would agree to enter peace negotiations with them.
They never anticipated the American people coming out and saying “we are going to kill every single one of those bastards for this. And we will spend every bit of blood and sweat and tears we have to make sure that happens.”
Well a few Japanese officers kind of expected it to turn out like it did. The Ones who had served as exchange officers in the 1920s and 30s and got a chance to live among Americans for a few years. Those guys knew it was dumb and if the plan failed they would lose to our combination of American rage and our unmatched economic output. They just couldn’t convince anyone of their viewpoint. So the plan went ahead.
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