# Pearl Harbor attack - was it Japan's wisest course of action?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pearl-harbor-attack-was-it-japans-wisest-course-of-action/774187>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [December 8, 2016, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pearl-harbor-attack-was-it-japans-wisest-course-of-action/774187 "2016-12-08T09:33:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 8

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pearl-harbor-attack-was-it-japans-wisest-course-of-action/774187/141 "2016-12-20T17:57:08Z")

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> [@Corry\_El](#):
>
> Technically possible to do at first, or it can’t be conclusively shown it wasn’t.
> 
> But, not possible to do while also conquering in the other places the Japanese did on the same schedule. That’s the logistical constraint, as opposed to total lack of logistical capability to support, initially, an invasion of Hawaii.
> 
> But, strong statements that US forces in the HI in 1941 would have crushed such an attempt must rely on assuming some level of readiness and immediate capability.  
> But if it was 100% obvious the US defenses in Hawaii were sufficient to doom any Japanese invasion, then presumably it was foolish to greatly strengthen them thereafter as happened (way past replacing what was lost in the PH raid). Some of that was bureaucratic inertia (eg. making two of USS Arizona’s turrets into coast defense emplacements, a project not completed til 1945 by which time it was obviously superfluous), but probably not all of it.
> 
> So the basic question is why the Japanese would do this, and while the answer isn’t because it was absolutely impossible as a military operation, there’s no good answer IMO why they would…

Yes. Possible but a logistic nitemare. And impossible given the other targets.

Gen Short was a bumbler of the first degree. Our troops were green and with WWI equipment.

So yes, our defenses and troops in 1941 would not have stopped the Japanese. But they didnt have much in the way of oilers or transports. It would have taken a mighty effort, the gain would have been tiny, and the troops would not have been supportable.

Pearl harbor was a foolish idea, politically, even tho it worked tactically. An invasion, altho just possible, would have been a failure on all other levels.

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**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pearl-harbor-attack-was-it-japans-wisest-course-of-action/774187/142 "2016-12-21T00:30:28Z")

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> [@Latro](#):
>
> The article takes a win at Midway as a basis, by which time the island was heavily reinforced and Japan had incurred considerable losses.
> 
> My ‘what if’ is about 1941. What if the Japanese had come with a full invasion force. They would have had the time for good planning and the element of surprise.

Stroll down on the article. It gives the answer as to why it’s not possible for an invasion in 1941 in part two.

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