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Background,
The imperial navy attacked nearly simultaneously Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, Malaya, Thailand, Honk Kong, Wake, etc,
The Pearl harbor attack damaged the 8 battleships, a few cruisers and destroyers. It failed to damage the invaluable carriers, fuel tanks, submarine piers, torpedo depots, repair docks, etc, but succeeded in infuriating the American public and bringing the US into the war, with its huge oil reserves, industry and potentially huge armed forces, thus dooming the axis. Yamamoto told them there was no hope of defeating the Americans in a long war.


Japan Strikes in the Indian Ocean

On May 25, 1940 Japan invades poorly defended Ceylon, Aden, Madagascar and Abadan, dealing Britain the death blow and securing invaluable oil for the axis. Japanese planes sink most of the British warships and capture hundreds of merchant ships in the Indian Ocean.

The disaster confirms Lindbergh's and governor Kennedy's public statements to the effect that Britain has lost and that it is pointless to sacrifice American men and to ruin the American economy helping it. The isolationist movement in the US is extremely strong and becoming more so as Britain became weaker.

Although Roosevelt tries desperately to convince congress of the need to declare war on the axis nations, he fails completely. There is no way an unthreatened America is going to join a loser to fight several victorious nations.

In one stroke the British are excluded from the Indian Ocean and deprived of Persian oil, Indian troops, access to Egypt and Palestine from the east, etc,

A massive uprising in India cannot be put down, since British ships and planes are excluded form the area. In response to the uprising, some Indian troops in the Middle East, Burma, Malaya, etc, also revolt.

Mussolini is emboldened by Britain's plight and Italy allies itself with Germany and Japan, planning a combined operation to seize Malta and Tunisia on June 10, 1940. Japan can now use the Italian ports in the red Sea for its long range submarines to attack British ships in Alexandria, etc, and the Italian navy can use Japanese Aden to get supplies from the east for Germany and Italy. Italian troops with Japanese planes and naval support attack Egypt from the wast. German and Italian troops capture Yunisia and Malta, where their planes bar the British access to Alexandria from Gibraltar. The Italian forces backed by German planes, armor, etc, attack Egypt from Libya.

The British people are shocked (including their leaders). The people lose all confidence in their government after the fiascos in Norway, France and the east. They demand immediate peace negotiations, before Britian itself is lost.

Churchill has long known that the British navy simply cannot oppose the navies of Germany, Italy and Japan simultaneously, but he never suspected that his ships, including his carriers and their planes were so utterly vulnerable to the Japanese naval planes, submarines and even to their surface ships.

Japan urges India, Burma, Indochina, Malaya, Hong Kong, the Dutch Indies, etc, to fight for their independence quoting its slogan "Asian for the Asians", and in so doing even gains good press in America and secures cheap rubber, tin, rice, cheap labor, troops, etc, for the axis.

When France capitulates on June 24, 1940, Britain also has to agree to a costly peace, it is forced to recognize the independence of and to abandon its bases in India, Malaya, Egypt, Malta and Burma. It also has to relinquish all its planes, tanks, etc, and half of the remaining warships.
Australia, South Africa and NZ also capitulate before the Japanese invade them. Left alone, Canada also has to Capitulate, as does the independent Indian government.
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