Japan Happy Times 1942- Why Not?

[nirwana]

Originally Posted by Task Force

Looks as if the japs didnt notice how victorious the US subs were, If they didnt, they were blind.

Hmm victorious in what way ? Cant remember any story, any historic report of it during WW2.

[BasilY]

Come to think of think of it, Japan never learned the convoy tactics used some well by the Brits.

[predavolk]

It has been said that perhaps the most shocking oversight in all of WW2 was how Japan, an empire built on naval shipping, failed to develop an effective counter to the most potent threat to naval shipping- subs. Japanese ASW was anemic. True, the sub service was the most dangerous job in the USN, but it was hardly anything compared to what the Germans faced against the allied ASW. Without arguing about who's subs were better, I think the entire American sub fleet could've been quickly wiped out by a determined ASW effort.

Japan's failure to understand the danger of subs, and its failure to use them offensively against US shipping, was quite possibly the biggest reason why they lost the war. Or at least failed to achieve the necessary time to solidify their situation. Had they stopped US subs and kept up their shipping, their production would've been much greater. Had they attacked US West Coast shipping, they would have slightly reduced US production and more importantly, diverted much of the naval production away from carriers and big ships towards ASW ships (perhaps jeep carriers).

A raid on the American homeland, perhaps against Alaska in some force, would have made a great suicide mission that surely would have tied up plenty of other resources. Essentially, Japan was best on the attack, but they lost that advantage almost immediately after Pearl Harbor (due to code breaking and the survival of American carriers). By switching to the defensive, they allowed the Americans to build up the momentum they needed to roll over Japan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure glad they did, but as an armchair admiral, this one still has me scratching my head. It would be offensive, attacking, and less shameful than using subs as transports.

[U-46 Commander]

I am continually amazed at how stupid the Japaneze destroyers are in SH4. I can sail through an entire convoy (underwater) and they won't detect me!

[GerritJ9]

The IJN did run a few anti-merchant campaigns in 1941-42, nost notably against shipping in the NEI and later in the Indian Ocean, but they were limited affairs. One gets the impression that Allied naval vessels were the intended targets and merchants attacked "only because there is nothing else". Even against the shipping in the NEI which was, largely, unescorted and unarmed due to lack of escorts and guns to arm merchants, their lack of success was spectacular; at the same time, a few U-Boote were wreaking havoc on the US East Coast. In all, IJN subs sank only some 180 Allied merchants during WW2. Certainly they could have done much more damage in the first half of 1942 at the very least; that they did not is something to be thankful for.