WI Japan Launches Pearl Harbor- On Canada

The US attacking Canada would make more sense. Even if the Japs would have created a beachhead in Canada, the US would have crossed to help out the Canadians. The British would have joined in as well. Japan was ambitious and power hungry but not crazy.
 

The Vulture

Banned
Completely exhausting your resources to attack a target with no strategic value isn't really sound military doctrine.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
They can, it just would require more fuel ships to accompany them.

No, they can't. Not if they intend to actually make their move to the Southern Resource Area (which was rather the entire point of the exercise). The made it to Pearl by DECK LOADING fuel drums on most of the ships, including a couple of the carriers, while all the ships had fuel oil loaded into their bilges to to provide storage. The Kido Butai could reach the West Coast of North America, it just couldn't get home.

This also ignores the simple fact that sending your primary striking force into the lion's den for no reason whatsoever is, well, stupid. The Japanese were completely unaware of the enemy they getting involved with at Pearl, but they were not utterly stupid.
 
The Japanese were completely unaware of the enemy they getting involved with at Pearl, but they were not utterly stupid.
Most of them weren't aware, Yamamoto was though, he'd been to Harvard in 1919, so he'd almost certainly seen the sort of industry the US could put up. That may have been why he spoke out against Japanese expansion in China and joining the pact with Germany and Italy, he didn't under any circumstances want to annoy the Americans.
 
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