DBWI: American disaster at Pearl Harbor

Most of the ships that bit it were second-rate (ie, battleships) anyway, and with the infrastructure still intact, Japan basically screwed up the one chance they had of keeping the Americans out of the pacific.

OOC: I realize that but it was still a disaster, that it could have been even worse doesn't mean it wasn't. Even a best case scenario doesn't save Japan as it is screwed no matter what. By the fall of 1943 the US breaks even in AC and planes. Considering that the US planes by that time were better it goes quickly downhill after that, if not before.
 
The people were the worst loss, the rest of it... just an expensive lesson in the qualities of the carrier. Also, if the fleet carriers are lost, expect more light/escort carrier to be churned out. Also, expect some proposals to come out for turning the Missouri and Wisconsin into carriers.
 
If we did get hit hard at Pearl, and did not have the National Rearmament Act of 1939, with most if not all obsolete fighters being sent to countries needing it, then we would have probably launched an attack on Japan with aircraft carriers. The USS Enterprise, which was flagship of the fleet, surviving almost nearly every battle would have probably carried the B-25B Warthog, an impressive medium-bomber/heavy fighter to hit Japan with the Hornet to escort her probably. The Yorktown if you recall at the time was still heavily damaged in the Battle of Wake Island, and took four months to fully repair her.
True, and the Rearmament Act of 1939 also helped by improving air cover of the DEI resulting in heavier Japanese losses than there otherwise would have been. Buffaloes may have been crappy planes but they were still considerably better than the BIPLANES the Dutch were using before!:eek:
 
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