Quote:
Originally Posted by WernherVonTrapp
I have to respectfully disagree here, admiral. The advent of technology involving the application of radar and inflexibility of protocol/tactics is what doomed the Japanese Navy. However, I do agree that the IJN was far superior than the USN, up until the Solomons campaign. I believe it was during the battle of Vella Gulf (for one example), where 6 American Destroyers took on 4 IJN Destroyers (an American disadvantage in numbers up until this point) in a torpedo attack which left 3 IJN destroyers sunk at no loss to the Americans....
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Another area in which the Japanese Navy was subpar was in anti-aircraft defense. Japanese AA fire control was lousy throughout the war. The Japanese started the war with the Type 94 director for heavy antiaircraft, which proved much too slow for tracking dive bombers. After the disaster at Midway the Japanese Navy rushed development of the Type 3 director, but the prototype was never completed. The Type 95 director for light antiaircraft was available only for triple 25mm mounts, all others having to rely on simple open ring sights. The low quality of Japanese antiaircraft fire control was pretty apparent at the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, when only 18 Allied aircraft were shot down out of hundreds attacking a Japanese task force (which included the monster BBs Yamato and Musashi) carrying literally hundreds of antiaircraft barrels