Posted on 11/04/2022 8:41:00 AM PDT by C19fan
Japan had the same problem the US did — tanks had to be transportable on standard gauge rail lines, and lifted aboard ships by available dockyard cranes. These limitations prevented the US Army from fielding a true heavy tank until spring 1945.
Hard to believe but correct. Combatant countries had to have an automobile industry to produce large numbers of tanks. Germany, Britain & the US had pre-war automobile & truck industries. Russia’s rapid industrialization left it with numerous farm tractor & factories to build their tanks.
The Japanese would also have needed a new armor doctrine, supporting vehicles and trained manpower. Tanks are only part of an efficient armored force.
Interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
Strange but true. It’s been written about elsewhere...they could build the mammoth Yamatos, but couldn’t build reliable small engines for patrol boats, or decent antiaircraft guns for their ships.
Interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
Mark Felton videos are always interesting. I keep thinking I knew everything about WW2 then I watch his videos.
They never developed them themselves, but they did manage to reverse-engineer captured American and British weapons, including bazookas. See the link at Post 16.
These monster ships and most of their aircraft carriers were built in the years right before Pearl Harbor (in violation of international treaties) when they were still flush with resources and had unimpeded production. That is how they were able to make such rapid gains early in the war. They weren't banking on the US making such a rapid and determined come-back and after Midway, they were mainly just delaying the inevitable. Admiral Yamamoto, of course, called this even before Pearl Harbor.
One item that really could have helped the Japanese in jungle warfare is to reverse engineer and mass produce a submachine gun. They did have a submachine gun but never mass produced it.
They did reverse engineer the Garand rifle but WW2 ended before it could be used.
Same with their own primitive antitank weapon that they used early on against the Russians. It worked, but it was extremely complicated and took a crew of four to operate it.
After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, maybe not.
“Skwew Joh Wayne!”
The Japanese army and navy hated each other. They acted independently. The Navy had an army and the army had a navy. They didn’t even share equipment designs and manufacturing. The Germans tried to get them to attack Russia, but the Navy’s plan won out.
Oooh RAH!
“Admiral Yamamoto, of course, called this even before Pearl Harbor.”
Yep.
Yamamoto predicted he could run wild for six months, if he took out all US aircraft carriers, but then the jig would be up. He had visited the US and was well aware of US production capabilities.
The Japanese Navy hit Pearl Harbor and then sent those aircraft carriers to chase around some old British ships in the Indian Ocean for a few months.
They were not good at adjusting their plans.
Exactly. After they invaded Indochina and set in motion the attack on Pearl Harbor, the die was cast. That, and the Army/Navy rivalry, was their undoing.
Admiral Yamamoto told the Emperor and Army/Navy Staff he witnessed more Bulldozers, scrapers, and heavy equipment in Orange County than were in all of Japan and China. They dismissed his warnings.
They should have listened. The man knew what he was talking about and had a realistic view of Japan’s strengths and weaknesses. He had also seen the mines and oil fields that would power the American war effort and the farms and fields that would feed it.
Japan was doomed and he knew it.
Paging Mr. Molotov, please pick up the red courtesy phone in the lobby.
5.56mm
The biggest deficiency the Japanese had in this area (as well as air-to-air gunnery) is that most of the Japanese military had no experience with leading a target (as is learned when hunting fowl or shooting target clays) unlike their American counterparts.
They never really mastered the concept or learned how to train for it until after the war.
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