“AFTER ALL, HOW MUCH DAMAGE COULD PUNY LITTLE JAPAN DO?”
They knew after the Russo-Japanese War that they could fight; they knew from the war in China that they would. They just left the obsolete ships as bait.
They knew after the Russo-Japanese War that they could fight; they knew from the war in China that they would. They just left the obsolete ships as bait.
Exactly. One has to look at what Japan gained from the attack. Virtually nothing. They sank battleships which were no longer really viable with the advent of the aircraft carrier and relatively useless fighter planes.
They didn’t get any carriers or fuel reserves. From a strategic standpoint it was a victory, minus the loss of life. Actually, genius, considering the results.
Leads to speculation as to why exactly did the carries sail hours before the attack?