Pearl Harbour

What would have happened? 

What happened on December 7th, 1941 has gone into the history books as "The day of Infamy."

To my mind, the Japanese excuse about forgetting about the International Date Line ranks among the feeblest of excuses for anything; of course they knew about the IDL, Lord knows most junior schoolchildren can tell you about it.

Minutes after the attack there was a heated discussion about what to do. The Air Force Commander wanted to push home a second attack, but he was beaten by the logic of General Yamamto - Naval OIC - who said "We'll need the fuel to defend the ships on our return; another reason not to lauch the second attack is that the pilots would not be able to see through the columns of oil ablaze from the air strike minutes before. 

Ten days before the attack, a Naval Lieutenant who used to walk in the hills around the base, reported sick looking as if he'd been in a fight. Three days before the attack, he went on one of his walks and went MIA.

He could have had an accident, and got badly injured, but my theory going on the evidence is he came across a Japanese listening post, and was killed before he could warn the base of the attack.

What would have happened if he had set up the warning?

Would the exercise that saved the fleet been cancelled to protect the base?

If the Japanese had hit, and crippled the fleet; then been able to land on the base, what would they have done?

Here they are as close to the USA as they could dream of being, while at the same time being on an island thousands of miles from home, and days from re-enforcement if needed; with the possibility of being cut-off more than likely.

I always wondered what Japan hoped to gain by the attack?

Why bring the most powerful nation into combat?

True, they were supplying the UK, but at the time there was a large proportion of Americans who were not for joining another "European War," so soon after World War 1.

If Japapn hadn't attacked, the Germans would probably have won the Ardennes Offensive, as the main force in the Battle of the Bulge were the Americans.

If the USA hadn't come in, Europe would have fallen; of that I have no doubt, as they took heavy casualties all the way through D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and all the way to the final battle in Berlin.

In short, Japan attacking the USA cost Hitler the war, as much as Operation Barbarossa, and the attack on Russia during 1941.