What if Japan won Midway?

Midway allowed the U.S. to project power throughout the Central Pacific, by offering anchorage to its submarines and aircraft carriers. If the island were to fall to Japan, the Imperial Navy and Air Force could turn that projection around, towards Hawaii and the U.S. western coast.

What would happen if Japan took control of Midway?

With a victory at Midway, the Japanese could have halted operations in the Pacific and focused on building defenses on Pacific islands that would bog down the American counterattack in mid-1943 in island-to-island fighting, with a vast Japanese fleet to challenge the landing party.

Could the Japanese won at Midway?

The US produced more carriers in 1942 than Japan during the entire war. The sinking of every American carrier at Midway would mean that the US would not reach parity in carriers until mid 1943, which is just a speedbump to American goals. Japan could not defeat the US under any circumstances.

What if the Japanese won at Coral Sea?

Had the US Navy been defeated at the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese invasion plans for Port Moresby, New Guinea, would have probably been successful. Japanese control of Port Moresby would have both strengthened their hold on the Pacific and directly threatened Australia.

What impact would a Japanese victory at Midway have on the war in the Pacific?

As a result of the battle, Japan lost most of its best naval pilots and first-line aircaft carriers and, in consequence, its ability to wage an offensive war in the Pacific.

What if Japan Won the Battle of Midway?

Did any pilots survive Midway?

Of the 99 men in the 42 torpedo planes that were lost, only three survived the battle.

What if Japan lost at Pearl Harbor?

At the most extreme, no attack on Pearl Harbor could have meant no US entering the war, no ships of soldiers pouring over the Atlantic, and no D-Day, all putting 'victory in Europe' in doubt. On the other side of the world, it could have meant no Pacific Theatre and no use of the atomic bomb.

Could Japan have won against the US?

Key point: Japan could never have crushed U.S. maritime forces in the Pacific and imposed terms on Washington. That doesn't mean it couldn't have won World War II. Let's face it. Imperial Japan stood next to no chance of winning a fight to the finish against the United States.

Does Japan have a claim to the South China Sea?

Japan is not a direct party to any of the disputes in the South China Sea. It does not have territorial claims in the area. Nor does it have any claim to an exclusive economic zone. Nonetheless, Japan does have vital interests in the area.

Did the U.S. get lucky at Midway?

In the final analysis, the American victory at Midway was both brilliant and lucky. The Japanese made many mistakes. A major one was having a plan that violated many principles of war.

What would happen if China sunk a U.S. carrier?

In a non-nuclear strike, such an awful scenario is unlikely. Even if China managed to successfully attack and sink an American aircraft carrier, past military action suggests much of the stricken carrier's crew and air wing would likely survive.

Why didn t Japan send the third wave?

Admiral Nagumo had a long list of reasons for not launching a third wave, but the primary one was that he did not know where the American carriers were and he assumed (erroneously) that we knew where he was, which made him feel acutely vulnerable to surprise attack by the American carriers.

What if Japan never attacked the Allies?

Even if the reduced Allied forces managed to claim some territories back from the retreating Germans, the majority of Europe would turn red under Soviet control. There would be no East and West Germany, just Soviet-occupied Germany. The map of Europe would look vastly different than it does today.

What was Japan's biggest mistake in the Battle of Midway?

Another major flaw in Japan's Midway strategy was the attitude of the Japanese Navy planners. Believing that Japan was invincible in war, the Japanese planners made the fatal mistake of underrating American military capabilities and response.

Did the US punish Japan after WW2?

The first phase, roughly from the end of the war in 1945 through 1947, involved the most fundamental changes for the Japanese Government and society. The Allies punished Japan for its past militarism and expansion by convening war crimes trials in Tokyo.

Is the US still obligated to defend Japan?

Article 5 commits the United States to defend Japan if it is attacked by a third party. Article 6 explicitly grants the United States the right to base troops on Japanese soil, subject to a detailed "Administrative Agreement" negotiated separately.

Is Japan America's strongest ally?

US government officials generally consider Japan to be one of its closest allies and partners.

Is Japan protected by the US military?

For over 60 years the United States-Japan Alliance has served as the cornerstone of peace, stability, and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. commitment to Japan's defense under the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty of 1960 is unwavering.

Did Japan ever apologize for Pearl Harbor?

Emperor Hirohito let it be known to General MacArthur that he was prepared to apologize formally to General MacArthur for Japan's actions during World War II—including an apology for the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

Did Japan regret attacking Pearl Harbor?

Abe's Pearl Harbor speech has been well received in Japan, where most people expressed the opinion that it struck the right balance of regret that the Pacific war occurred, but offered no apologies.

Did Japan make a mistake in bombing Pearl Harbor?

One of the biggest mistakes the Japanese made was not destroying the smallest American ships in Pearl: our submarines. They survived and put to sea to destroy more Japanese tonnage during the war than the Americans lost at Pearl Harbor. And the biggest mistake of all? Underestimating the American public.

Did Japanese throw prisoners overboard?

After interrogation, and when it was clear that the Japanese had suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Midway, O'Flaherty and Gaido were murdered by the angry and vindictive Japanese. The two unfortunate American airmen were bound with ropes, tied to weighted fuel cans, and then thrown overboard to drown.

Was Pearl Harbor a war crime?

Because the attack happened without a declaration of war and without explicit warning, the attack on Pearl Harbor was later judged in the Tokyo Trials to be a war crime.

What was the fatal five minutes at Midway?

Midway was the decisive battle in the Pacific War. And it is quite literally true that the turning-point in this epic three-and-a-half-year struggle to dominate the greatest battle-space on Earth was the 'fatal five minutes' of Lieutenant-Commander McClusky's 17-plane attack on Admiral Nagumo's carrier fleet.