It's quite clear that Americans were gonna win the Pacific War. Still, I think it's interesting to think what could they have done wrong. So, your challenge is to screw American war efforts in some way in that front. It should be something realistic and something the USA could have done but didn't. We aren't searching for something which means a victory for Japan but just something which will be later remembered as a mistake by Americans which shouldn't have been done.
AHC: The Biggest Possible Screw Up in the Pacific War by Americans
- Thread starter General Tirpitz
- Start date
Attacking France in 1945 when trying to defeat Japan would have been a rather bad move by Americans.
Willmatron
Banned
Letting McArthur get captured would lower morale a lot. Maybe skipping island hopping for a more direct attack against Japan. Maybe that's too ASB.
Wouldn't getting MacArthur captured improve the war effort?
Seriously, though, I can think of these ones...
1. Coral Sea: a) some bad decision on Fletcher's part could've doomed the American fleet and allow IJN to press home with the Port Moresby invasion fleet, and b) the Yorktown could've been lost
2. Midway: IOTL McClosky turned in the right direction which led him right to the IJN carriers. A wrong turn and he'd have to retire, leaving the Japanese fleet intact and possibly dooming TF 16 and 17. Now I don't think that'll be enough to knock the US out, but the morale loss would be significant
3. Guadalcanal: I'm no expert on this one, but AIUI the 1st Marine Division's position on the island was incredibly tenuous, and some misshap could really screw things up for them
4. Formosa: I believe there were plans to invade the island (which were eventually scrapped for reasons I don't remember
). If that went through that'd be... troublesome, shall we sayMarc A
It would shorten the Pacific War a minimum of 8mo, & might shorten the European War a couple, too, by making more shipping & LC available...Alternate History Geek said:
It's pretty hard to find places the U.S. really could screw up badly.
Fletcher pursuing Nagumo at Midway is the biggie.
It risked putting his CVs into contact with Yamamoto's heavies in the dark, when Fletcher's escort had no hope of defending successfully. Pulling back from cover at Guadalcanal earlier? (Fletcher pulled back, but might have sooner.) Not putting enough men ashore would have been the big mistake.
Spruance chasing the CVs at Saipan? (Have I got my location right?
It's something he was criticised for not doing, & IMO he was right.)Didn't MacArthur propose a major attack on Rabaul very early in the war? That could have been a disaster.
Sending more subs to Australia or the Aleutians would've been stupid, but I doubt anybody thought to do it. Detailing more to supply runs for the P.I. would've been, too. (There were enough wasted patrols in the Aleutians & P.I. supply ops as it was.
)Despite being spotted by a patrol boat, Admiral Halsey and General Doolittle decide not to launch early and press onward with the attack. The task force is then intercepted and ingloriously sunk. Also, Halsey makes it back alive.
The Battle of the Coral Sea goes roughly as OTL. Lexington sunk, Yorktown crippled, Shokaku and Zuikaku out of action for months.
To make up for the losses, the USS Wasp, USS Washington, and USS Ranger are pulled from the Atlantic.
When the Battle of Midway rolls around, the Yorktown isn't fully repaired. Instead, the USS Saratoga, USS Wasp, and USS Ranger are committed to battle. It goes poorly. The USS Saratoga, as in all timelines, is a torpedo magnet, and a Japanese sub disables her. The sub reports the location to the Kido Butai. Airstrikes result in a two-for-two exchange: The Wasp and Ranger are crippled, as are the Amagi and Kaga. Halsey, humiliated by the disaster of the Dootlittle Raid, has tried to tough out his illness aboard the USS Washington. The sickness and desire for redemption lead to the...questionable...decision to accept a night time surface battle. That goes about as well as you can expect, and the next day the Japanese forces mop up American cripples and tow their own to safety.
The USS Yorktown is returned to service and sent to Guadalcanal. A carrier battle, roughly equivalent to the Eastern Solomons is fought. USS Yorktown is sunk, but for the moment, all Japanese carriers are out of action. The US cruisers suffer their lopsided historical losses, and the new USS South Dakota is, as OTL, committed as their replacement. Unfortunately, she suffers her historical electrical failure. Without USS Washington (sunk at Midway) to bail her out, the most advanced and modern US fast battleship is subjected to the disgracing fate of being sunk by a WWI battlecruiser. The US fails to take Guadalcanal.
By this time, the Japanese carriers have been repaired and the US leadership is desperate for a victory. General MacAuthur's plans are endorsed instead of the failed USN strategy. He is given control over the green USS Essex and USS Independence. Needless to say, this is a horrible idea, and MacArthur inexplicably manages to get them sunk by land based aircraft.
At this point, the pilot situation is reversed compared to OTL, as the Americans throw increasingly inexperienced pilots into combat against the battle hardened Japanese. After a couple more carriers are sunk as the USN is forced to throw them away to satisfy political pressure, MacArthur is even more inexplicably, given comprehensive control over the Pacific War.
In 1952 MacArthur is elected on the basis of his 1947 victory over Japan on the platform of "nuking the commies is the right think to do." Global nuclear holocaust in 1953.
Also, Halsey makes it back alive.The Battle of the Coral Sea goes roughly as OTL. Lexington sunk, Yorktown crippled, Shokaku and Zuikaku out of action for months.
To make up for the losses, the USS Wasp, USS Washington, and USS Ranger are pulled from the Atlantic.
When the Battle of Midway rolls around, the Yorktown isn't fully repaired. Instead, the USS Saratoga, USS Wasp, and USS Ranger are committed to battle. It goes poorly. The USS Saratoga, as in all timelines, is a torpedo magnet, and a Japanese sub disables her. The sub reports the location to the Kido Butai. Airstrikes result in a two-for-two exchange: The Wasp and Ranger are crippled, as are the Amagi and Kaga. Halsey, humiliated by the disaster of the Dootlittle Raid, has tried to tough out his illness aboard the USS Washington. The sickness and desire for redemption lead to the...questionable...decision to accept a night time surface battle. That goes about as well as you can expect, and the next day the Japanese forces mop up American cripples and tow their own to safety.
The USS Yorktown is returned to service and sent to Guadalcanal. A carrier battle, roughly equivalent to the Eastern Solomons is fought. USS Yorktown is sunk, but for the moment, all Japanese carriers are out of action. The US cruisers suffer their lopsided historical losses, and the new USS South Dakota is, as OTL, committed as their replacement. Unfortunately, she suffers her historical electrical failure. Without USS Washington (sunk at Midway) to bail her out, the most advanced and modern US fast battleship is subjected to the disgracing fate of being sunk by a WWI battlecruiser. The US fails to take Guadalcanal.
By this time, the Japanese carriers have been repaired and the US leadership is desperate for a victory. General MacAuthur's plans are endorsed instead of the failed USN strategy. He is given control over the green USS Essex and USS Independence. Needless to say, this is a horrible idea, and MacArthur inexplicably manages to get them sunk by land based aircraft.
At this point, the pilot situation is reversed compared to OTL, as the Americans throw increasingly inexperienced pilots into combat against the battle hardened Japanese. After a couple more carriers are sunk as the USN is forced to throw them away to satisfy political pressure, MacArthur is even more inexplicably, given comprehensive control over the Pacific War.
In 1952 MacArthur is elected on the basis of his 1947 victory over Japan on the platform of "nuking the commies is the right think to do." Global nuclear holocaust in 1953.
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Imagine them failing the Doolittle raid and getting the USS Hornet sunk before any planes even make it off the deck.
ouch.
NothingNow
Banned
Ignore Roebling's Alligator, and thus go without the LVT series.
Seriously, the logistical and operational constraints that'd put in place would make a good number of pacific operations impossible.
Alternately, do that and deploy Ranger to the Dutch East Indies, and give the Langley a squadron of N-3PBs serving as fighter bombers.
EDIT: Seriously, I'm trying to think of a worse combination, and it's the worst thing I can think of that someone might actually try. Although an N-3PB with a more powerful version of the R-1820 would actually make for a pretty solid torpedo bomber in the Dutch East Indies.
Seriously, the logistical and operational constraints that'd put in place would make a good number of pacific operations impossible.
Alternately, do that and deploy Ranger to the Dutch East Indies, and give the Langley a squadron of N-3PBs serving as fighter bombers.
EDIT: Seriously, I'm trying to think of a worse combination, and it's the worst thing I can think of that someone might actually try. Although an N-3PB with a more powerful version of the R-1820 would actually make for a pretty solid torpedo bomber in the Dutch East Indies.
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You mean, stumbling into range of the battleships?It would shorten the Pacific War a minimum of 8mo, & might shorten the European War a couple, too, by making more shipping & LC available...
It's pretty hard to find places the U.S. really could screw up badly.
Fletcher pursuing Nagumo at Midway is the biggie.
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Even if McClosky had been forced to return Yorktowns squadron would show up and achive complete surprise of their own and taking out Soryu at least. Since McCloskys wing were able to take out two japanese carriers then Yorktowns squadrons could have taken out two also.
Wouldnt the bigest screw up beeing Halsey trying to find the japanese carriers post ww2 along with Lexington and Yorktown as three separate groups and the japanese also sinks the carriers on dec 7?