I’ve always wondered why the Japanese didn’t land troops during the Pearl Harbor attack. Hawaii is made up of 8 main islands. Hawaiʻi, Maui, Oʻahu, Kahoʻolawe, Lanaʻi, Molokaʻi, Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. Nearly all US forces were on Oahu. The other islands would have been easily over run by Japanese troops. Based on the battle in the Philippines, I doubt the forces on Oahu would have held out long.
Anyone with a map knows the U.S. couldn’t wage a Pacific War from the California coast. The distances were too great. To fight Japan, we needed bases in Hawaii, Midway, and ultimately Okinawa.
Has historical research on the Pearl Harbor battle revealed why Japanese troops didn’t invade when the islands were unprepared?
From my perspective, I’m glad they made this blunder. But, I’m curious why they wasted such an opportunity.
This is interesting… I didn’t realize Battle of Wake Island started simultaneously with the Attack on Pearl Harbor. That base was heavily fortified and it fell in 16 days.
So, strange they pass up an opportunity to invade Hawaii, and instead focus on Wake Island.
Read one of those what if novels, sorry do not remember the title. It was based on the attack of Pearl followed by an invasion. Much like the attack on Midway using two fleets. One being the carriers followed by the invasion fleet with the big guns.
The author did admit that he over looked two things.
First in the attack of Pearl the Japaneese’s biggest worry was being spotted before the attack, with two large fleets so far away from home they would had agreater chance of being spotted. And second was Bull Halsey was in the area and he would have known where to look for the Jap fleet. As is he did not want to go back to Pearl he was chomping at the bit to locate the Jap fleet and started looking. He was ordered back to Pearl.
Too far away, really. Hard to hold, harder still to supply. On top of that, no reason to invade. The Japanese wanted the US to surrender so they could do their “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” thing, not to conquer US territory outside Asia.
Then add in the fact that most of the Japanese Army was involved in the Philippines and China. They were kinda busy already.
Snnipe - the novels were probably Harry Turtledove’s Days of Infamy and The End of the Beginning.
Wake Island is a lot closser to the home Islands. The Japaneese did not want a us base that close and needed to eleminate it. Also there are many who believe that if Wake Island had been resupplied it would not have fallen or would have stood much longer. But their resupplies were turned around.
The lines of supplies to Hawaii from Japan would have been open. Wake and Midway would have to be eliminated in short order.
That sound about right.
I also read another book about the war with Japan that was interesting. It started with Japan eliminating the Panama Canal. Interesting book because it did follow some what did really happen. That book was written in 1929.
The Invasion of the Philippines began the day after Pearl Harbor. That would have been delayed if they had invaded Hawaii instead. Apparently the Japanese Military saw the Philippines as a more important objective.
The big reason why the Japanese went for the Philippines were related to the reason why the launched the War. Their primary objective was securing the Dutch East Indies and their ample supply of oil. The Philippines lay directly across the supply line the Japanese needed to move the oil back to the Home Islands and China.
Attack at range to cripple America’s naval and air power at their primary projection base, while almost simultaneously assaulting their more forward bases (closer to Japan), which then will be in no position to be resupplied or reinforced from Pearl.
Remember that at the time, a Transpacific flight (other than by Zeppelin) was impossible – planes could fly approximately 40%, maybe 50% with no margin of error, of the way across before refueling. Midway was very close to midway between San Francisco and Tokyo; Wake, about 68% of the way there.
Japan did not have clearly enunciated war aims; they were, inchoately, (1) take as much area with natural resources (particularly oil and rubber) as possible; and (2) knock America out of the war pre-emptively, by destroying its capability to wage aggressive war and its control of much of the Pacific.
Taking Wake, along with Hong Kong, Singapore, Indochina, the Philippines, and the Dutch colonies, which were under way at the same time as Pearl Harbor, gave them effective control of the Eastern Pacific. Only Hawaii stood between them and control of the Western Pacific; Midway, at the eastern end of the chain, was a necessary first step in neutralizing Hawaii. The Battle of Midway was the attempt to soften up the garrison there by bombardment and raids before taking the atoll; with that in place, they could then invade and conquer the eight main islands – or actually Oahu; with it gone, the others would be all but defenseless.
The Japanese were way overextended as it was. The only reason they were able to make inroads in places like the DEI (Dutch East Indies) and Burma was the locals hated the colonial rulers. The Dutch and French had only small forces and their home governments were overrun. The British had only a strong point in Singapore but it was only strong if attacked by sea, which the Japanese overcame by coming in through land via Burma.
The Japanese only managed to hang on to the urban areas of China, and were fighting tooth and nail there for the whole war.
The biggest problem was oil. The only near place to Japan with oil was the DEI. And that supply line had a dagger pointed at it named Manilla.
The Japanese knew they couldn’t hold Hawaii, or even take it. All they could do is invade it. Big deal eventually in a few weeks they’d be kicked off. It wasn’t worth the loss of men.
The Japanese were in a much worse position than the Germans at the start of WWII in terms of resources. So while the 'What ifs" are fun, the only real thing the Japanese or even Germans, could hope to gain by attcking the USA would be to demoralize the home front.
As it was seen in the UK and the Soviet Union attacking a civilian population only makes the more resistant, UNLESS that attack is overwhelming right from the start and can instill as sense of futility, as the Germans did in France.
So while the Japanese and Germans made token efforts to hit the US (the Japanese sent balloons that killed people in Oregon), they knew since they couldn’t hit a knockout blow, why bother?
Remember the Japanese plan to “Win” their was was to grab as much land as possible and then wait for the Allies and Germany to beat each other up and then make peace and try to keep most of their new conquests.
Hawaii may be a long way from California but it’s even farther from Japan. And the Japanese would have had a much harder time keeping a Hawaiian garrison supplied. In addition to the distance, they had fewer support ships, they would have had a hostile population, and their supply lines would have gone past American bases like Midway. Japan probably could have captured Hawaii in 1941 but they would have lost it within a year.
Halsey sailing off to battle helped morale in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. But it would have been a disaster if he had actually succeeded in finding the Japanese fleet. Let’s face facts: Halsey would have been outnumbered about five to one. All he would have accomplished would have been to give Japan a second major victory.
Thank you for the cite. I’ll have to order a copy of *Hawaii Under the Rising Sun: Japan’s Plans for Conquest After Pearl Harbor *.
Yamamoto was a smart guy. It would have been almost impossible to run a Pacific War from California. Our long range bombers (in 1940) needed somewhere to refuel. I guess we could have sent battle ships and carriers to try and oust the Japanese from Hawaii. It would have been tough with no where to dock and refuel. Damaged ships would have a long, long journey back to get repairs.
None of that would have mattered once we got the A Bomb. Assuming we could have found some place to launch the bombers.
Another important factor is that the attack on Pearl Harbor was an Imperial Japanese Navy operation, which meant that the Japanese Army, who would have supplied the troops, couldn’t be bothered with it.
No, they landed the same day. The Philippines are on the other side of the International Date Line. So, for the Philippines, Pearl Harbor happened on December 8[sup]th[/sup].
They could overrun it pretty quickly, but I don’t think that the population there would accept occupation willingly. Maybe some of the Japanese-Americans would have assisted the Japanese forces, but there’s be stiff resistance from Hawaiians of other ethnicities.
I agree with you on this I always thought it was good that the Japanese fleet retired. If Halsey found them it could have been bad. If Halsey had suprised the Jap fleet and sink a few carriers in the first attack then he might survive. Other wise it would take extream luck for it not to be a disaster.
