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There's a rather popular group of AH scenarios with PODs based on some favored faction magically gaining hindsight from years in the future and thus gaining an advantage. At its most extreme, this hindsight from the future is provided by actual time travelers, with less ASB versions relying on Gary Stu self-inserts or extreme eureka moments.

One popular version of this is giving this hindsight to (insert Gary Stu or actual Japanese officer here) and having that officer gain undue influence over Japanese decision making before the Pacific War. Common things that then happen, are the Yamatos being canceled in favor of more carriers, getting rid of the old battleships, revamping pilot training, heavy research being pumped into radar and more advanced aircraft, building a lot more merchants and tankers, etc. Doctrine also changes with much greater focus on commerce warfare, logistics, and hindsight powered political and diplomatic behavior. Then inevitably, the Japanese fleet of 10 or more fast carriers with fully developed fleet train and experience in underway replenishment still ends up showing up on December 7, 1941 to attack a U.S. Pacific Fleet with 8 old battleships and 3 carriers based in Hawaii.

My question is what changes in the other powers can be expected from these massive and sweeping changes starting in the mid 30s? What would the U.S.. Britain, and others make of Japan scrapping its battlefleet in favor of lots of carriers and would this change their pre-WWII naval thinking and buildup? Can Japan hide its sudden investment into invariably fruitful lines of research and training and what would the other powers make of it if not? And just how much magic is needed to invest the Gary Stu with this much authority and how will the other elements of the Japanese power structure react to these changes?
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