My Thoughts on the Doolittle Raid

What brought this post about was the death of the final "Doolittle Raider" Colonel Cole joined the rest of his squadron.  it was a sad day for us as a Nation.  I had used the quote "Ordinary men stepped up and did Extraordinary things during Extraordinary times".  I had posted this following post on a friends Facebook post., but I decided to repost it here.  The Pics are compliments of "Sarge"

B25's strapped on deck, really good pic btw, and looks like there are a few SPD's mixed in with them.

FDR wanted a "Morale Raid" to show that the Americans can strike back against the Japanese Juggernaut. After the litany of bad news from the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Java Sea, the loss of the Prince of Wales and Repulse, the surrender of Singapore. The fear that the American public of invasion was real. FDR had the American government intern all the people of Japanese ancestry. But in retrospect, it probably saved the lives of some of them because the fear was so real, reprisals were possible. The raid effect was all out of proportion to its actual damage caused. Yes a bomb did hit a Japanese light carrier the Ryuho, but if the ship was to be used in the battle of the coral sea I don't know. The effect on the Japanese psyche can't be measured. Until the attack in April of 1942, Japan has never been attacked by a foreign power, it totally rattled the Japanese and raised doubts about the direction of the war. It also greenlighted Admiral Yamamoto's plan to attack Midway and the Aleutians. The general staff comprised of both Army and Navy and they had to come to a consensus on the future prosecution of the war effort against the Americans. The General Staff had different priorities, the Navy viewed the Americans as the main threat, whereas the Japanese Army viewed the Russians as the main threat. The attack broke the deadlock on the General Staff and they gave Admiral Yamamoto approval for the Midway operation upon the completion of the Port Moresby operation which turned into the battle of the Coral Sea. Admiral Yamamoto continued with his "Operation MI" to catch the American carriers at sea and destroy them which would force the Americans to sue for peace leaving the Japanese with the land and resources that they captured. Then the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity sphere" would have been a reality. Instead the Americans surprised the Japanese with better intelligence and luck, and defeated the Japanese with 4 first line carriers sunk along with the myth of Japanese invincibility. The Doolittle Raid set the pins in motion that eventually defeated the Japanese, but it took about 3.5 years to do it.

  From left: Lt. Henry Potter, navigator; Lt. Col. James Doolittle, pilot; Staff Sgt. Fred Braemer, bombardier; Lt. Richard Cole, co-pilot; and Staff Sgt. Paul Leonard, engineer/gunner.

That being said, what those men did can't be discounted. They volunteered for a mission with a high risk factor going up against a nation that has defeated us several times already and they were willing to fly a medium bomber off a pitching carrier in the Pacific ocean, bomb a nation at the height of their power and then go for landing in China after overflying the huge alerted Japanese army in China. It took huge brass ones to do what they did. They inspired us when we needed it most. It brought hope to a battered nation. We are lessened by their passing.

 Archived Movie released to American Theaters during WWII

Short Post...well kinda...short anyway...

I will be doing a short post...

  I had ordered my gun socks from Amazon, got them for $7.00 apiece.. and got them in the mail last night..

 I was happy since I would not have to deal with "Sportsman guide" and break my self imposed ban.  Like I said, I and many other gun owners remembered how we were treated after Sandy Hook by them.  I understand that it was all business and I get that...but I also remembered a quote from the book "The GodFather" by Mario Puzo  "Sure you can say that it is all business and nothing is personal, but when it comes to business it is all personal."  When you have a business relationship with someone or a company, there is an equal exchange for goods and service, you develop a business relationship and there is a certain loyalty that goes into the business relationship and the loyalty is a 2 way street. 
     Well anyway my O3, My Mosin and 2 of my .22LR rifles are now happy.  They are all gunsocked, LOL.
     I was loaned a book by a friend of mine from work, it talks about the battle of Midway from the Japanese perspective....and it is a different point of view..

I knew from past books and other articles that I have read, the Japanese Army and the Japanese Navy really didn't get along....we talk about the Army/Navy rivalry  that the United States had...we still have it to a certain extent.  I remember reading in a book called "Prodigal Soldiers"

"Documenting the transformation of the U.S. military from Vietnam to the Gulf War, a history of a generation of officers examines changing ideas about war, ending the draft, reducing racial tensions, and integrating women into the ranks."

       Yep that book, I remembered buying a copy of the book in the late 90's and I was mesmerized because I lived through the story from my time in the service to going to the Gulf War.  I remember seeing how my Dad was treated after Vietnam and how the Military was portrayed as the "Bad guys" in all the movies and TV shows to the debacle of "Desert One".  The soldiers were afraid to wear their uniforms off post because how they would be treated.  To the time in the early 1980's when President Reagan showed unabashed pride in being an American and it filtered down.  From our first forays in Grenada in 1983, I remembered the commercials changing from "The Army wants to join you" to "Be all you can be" and the difference several years made as the United States Military transformed itself from the nightmare that Vietnam created to the force that crushed Saddam Hussain.
     But I digressed...I remembered reading about the group called "The Iron Majors" whose sole function was to make sure that their own service got all it could, even at the expense of the other service and the country..Well Japan had it far worse than we ever could.  In the book I read that the Japanese Military was focused on 2 foes, the Japanese Army focused on Russia and the Japanese Navy focused on the United States and the 2 worked at cross purpose to each other.  The Japanese Army was hungry for war, they have been fighting in China since 1937 but the Navy was far less interested in getting into a fight.  Their squabbles went all the way up to the imperial staff that advised the emperor Hirohito.  
     The book also explained that the attack in Pearl Harbor was an attack to keep the United Stated from interfering with the seizures of the Dutch East Indies and all their rich resources.  I already knew that from my other reads but it was interesting reading it from their perspective.  The book explained the Japanese philosophy of attack and defense and it is a very good read.  I am half way through the book and hope to have it done in a day or so...depending on what else is going on. 

"Operation Vengence", the intercept of Admiral Yamamoto

Not only did the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7^th, 1941 deal a devastating blow to the United States’ Navy and draw the nation into World War II, but it also gave the Japanese Imperial Navy some six months to further their control of the Pacific without U.S. interference. This was, of course, the plan.
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the architect of the Pearl Harbor pre-emptive assault. So when U.S. Naval Intelligence initiative code-named “Magic” intercepted communications that Yamamoto would be doing an inspection tour of his forces on the Solomon Islands, the U.S. seized the opportunity for vengeance.
“Get Yamamoto,” commanded President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Operation Vengeance was a go.

Magic had long since broken the cipher of the Japanese navy, JN-25D, which had reaped a lot of disaster upon their fight in the Pacific. This was through the efforts of Navy cryptographers and Japanese-Americans translating the complicated and very context-based language.
On April 14, 1943, messages detailing Yamamoto’s tour of the Solomon Islands were intercepted.

Admiral Yamamoto saluting troops shorty before being shot down in Operation Vengeance.

Eighteen P-38G Lightnings of the 339^th Fighter Squadron, 347^th Fighter group, were chosen as the aircraft for the mission. They would be flying out of Guadalcanal, South and West of the Solomon Islands and rounding back Northeast again to intercept Yamamoto flying from Rabaul to Bougainville.

A Lockheed P-38G Lighting.

The mission would be about 1,000 miles round trip with more fuel expended in the firefight with the two Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers and six Mitsubishi A6M Zero Navy fighters. Only the P-38G’s, equipped with drop tanks with extra fuel could make the trip.
The mission would have to be flown in radio silence, to avoid detection. Major John W. Mitchell, therefore, requested that each plane was outfitted with a ship’s compass to navigate. At 7:25 in the morning on April 18, the Lightnings took off for two hours of silent flight, 50 feet above the waves to avoid radar detection.
Two of 18 did not go on the mission; on take-off, McLanahan caught a tire on runway matting and Moore had fuel transfer problems and another lightning turned back due to engine problems.

Odd as it may sound, the man they were going to shoot down was one of Japan’s most outspoken opponents of war with the U.S.

A Mitsubishi G4M Betty Bomber

In fact, Yamamoto had spent many years in the country he was now fighting, including for two years as a naval attache in Washington, from 1926-28. He was critical of Japan’s ongoing war with China and with the drive to engage in combat with the U.S., a stance that lead to powerful pro-war interests in Japan calling for his head. Admiral Yonai Mitsumasa, in an effort to save Yamamoto’s life, promoted him to commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet and sent him out to sea in 1939.
Yamamoto had also warned the Japanese government that war with the U.S. could only be successful for six months to a year before the tides turned, but he was given no choice, the Japanese Emperor had instructed him to plan the mission.
He planned the Pearl Harbor attack to bide time for Japan to wrest control of the Pacific before drawing the U.S. Navy into a decisive battle that would force them to negotiate for peace.

Lt. Rex Barber received a Navy Cross, along with Lt. Thomas G. Lanphier, Jr. (not pictured)

Yamamoto convinced the Naval General Staff to move for this great battle after the Doolittle Raid of April 1942 struck Tokyo. He sailed for Midway Island with four aircraft carriers. However, by this point, the U.S. had broken the Japanese cipher and, with a force of three aircraft carriers, counter-attacked and sunk all four of the Japanese ships. The tides in the Pacific had already taken a massive turn.

At the time Operation Vengeance was set in motion, Yamamoto had been trying, and slowly failing to control the Solomon Islands. After landing troops on Guadalcanal, he was met by US forces landing in August 1942 in what would be a long and very costly battle, ending in a U.S. victory in February the next year. Thus, in April 1943, the inspection tour of forces on the Solomon Islands was planned to invoke a very much needed morale boost.
At 9:34 a.m. on April 18^th, after two hours of navigating by flight plan and, as Mitchell puts it, “dead reckoning,” the 18 P-38Gs spotted Yamamoto’s transport and escorts. The planes jettisoned their extra fuel tanks and tore into a power climb to engage the enemy.

The wreckage of Yamamoto’s Mitsubishi G4M Betty Bomber on Bougainville Island

The “killer flight” group, Lt. Thomas G. Lanphier, Jr., Lt. Rex T. Barber, Lt. Besby F. Holmes, and Lt. Raymond K. Hine headed for the bombers.
Holmes’ auxiliary fuel tanks didn’t detach, and he had to draw back. Lanphier turned to engage the escort Zero fighters diving to defend Yamamoto and his staff while Barber chased down the bombers. As Barber came around, he fired his .50-caliber machine guns into the right engine, fuselage, and tail assembly of the bomber Yamamoto was flying in, which crashed into the jungle. Barber also hit the second bomber, which crash-landed in the water. Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki and two others in the second bomber survived.
According to the search and rescue party who found Yamamoto, his body had been thrown from the plane, still in his seat, his hand on his katana and two bullet holes in his shoulder and head.

Yamamoto’s ashes return to Japan at Kisarazu aboard battleship Musashi on May 23, 1943.

Operation Vengeance was the longest fighter-intercept mission of the war. Lt. Hine lost his life when his plane was shot down by a Japanese Zero. It is well agreed, now, that Lt. Barber is credited with shooting down Yamamoto, but Lanphier claimed it was he until the day he died. This discrepancy was fought over between the two for many years.
Forensic evidence of bullet trajectory in the wreckage of Yamamoto’s downed bomber concur with Barber’s account.

The Doolittle Raid

Last week I had visited Eglin AFB and Checked Out the Armaments museum and they had a B25B in the mockup of the B25B that bombed Tokyo, so I decided to do a bit of research on the raid, I already knew a bunch about the raid because the Doolittle raid pushed the events that lead to the Battle of Midway that ended the dreams of Japanese domination in the Pacific War.

The Doolittle raid is one of the most famous air attacks of WWII. The first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, it was achieved through careful planning. Although its practical impact was minimal, it was a powerful symbolic moment that boosted American morale and shook the Japanese.
On December 21, 1941, two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt told the American chiefs of staff he wanted Japan bombed as soon as possible. Following the shock of Pearl Harbor, American morale needed a boost. It would also be good to shake the Japanese faith in their leaders’ ability to protect them. In January, Captain Francis Low came up with the concept for what would become the Doolittle Raid. Having observed Army bombers, he believed they could be launched from aircraft carriers. It would enable a bomb load to reach Japan from a long distance away from the American fleet.

The raid was planned and led by Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle. A pioneering aviator, Doolittle had made tremendous contributions to instrument-based flying. He instigated moving away from the limitations imposed by using human senses in high-speed aerial combat.

 Another one of my Pics, That airplane was "Skinny" and wasn't as big as I thought.  For the first time I really noticed the size of the airplane.
This from Wiki
TB-25J-25-NC Mitchell, 44-30854, the last B-25 in the USAF inventory, assigned at March AFB, California as of March 1960, was flown to Eglin AFB, Florida, from Turner Air Force Base, Georgia, on 21 May 1960, the last flight by a USAF B-25, and presented by Brigadier General A. J. Russell, Commander of SAC's 822d Air Division at Turner AFB, to the Air Proving Ground Center Commander, Brigadier General Robert H. Warren, who in turn presented the bomber to Valparaiso, Florida Mayor Randall Roberts on behalf of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce. Four of the original Tokyo Raiders were present for the ceremony, Colonel (later Major General) David Jones, Colonel Jack Simms, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Manske, and retired Master Sergeant Edwin W. Horton. It was donated back to the Air Force Armament Museum c. 1974 and marked as Doolittle's 40-2344

The B-25B Mitchell medium bomber was chosen for the mission. The best aircraft for the job, the B-25B needed to be fitted with extra fuel tanks for the unusual long-range mission. Other modifications included removing a gun turret, adding de-icers for the long high-altitude flight, and adding extra blast plates.

Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle wires a Japanese medal to a bomb, for “return” to its originators.

On April 1, the 16 modified bombers, each with a five-man crew, and their support staff were loaded on board the USS Hornet. The next day, the Hornet and its accompanying task-force set out. On the 17^th, the ships received the last load of fuel from slow tankers, then raced west at 20 knots toward their launch point in enemy-controlled waters.
On the morning of the 18^th, a Japanese picket boat spotted the American task force and radioed an attack warning. The American ships quickly destroyed the vessel.
Rather than let the Japanese make use of their warning, Doolittle decided to launch the raid ten hours early. It meant flying an extra 170 nautical miles.

The planes had never taken off from a ship before, but every pilot succeeded. By 0920, all 16 were in the air.
Flying first in groups, then individually and low over the sea to avoid detection, the planes sped toward Japan.

Orders in hand, Navy Capt. Marc A. Mitscher, skipper of the USS Hornet (CV-8) chats with Lt. Col. James Doolittle, leader of the Army Air Forces attack group. This group of fliers carried the battle of the Pacific to the heart of the Japanese empire with a daring raid on military targets in major Japanese cities. It was the result of coordination between the two services. The USS Hornet carried the 16 North American B-25 bombers to within take-off distances of the Japanese Islands. (U.S.Navy photo)

The Attack
It was noon in Tokyo when the planes arrived. Although the Japanese had carried out air raid drills, they had never been seriously threatened by Chinese planes in a decade of sporadic war. That was about to change.
Anti-aircraft fire and fighter planes greeted the bombers. However, the aerial defenses of Tokyo were light, and the city was unprepared for a real attack. The crew of the B-25 Whirling Dervish shot down one fighter. The crew of the Hari Kari-er got two more. Some of the weaponry had been removed from the planes to make them lighter, but they had fake guns in the tail cones, which dissuaded the Japanese from attacking them from below.

 The Fake guns on the B25B, This was my pic from last week

One B-25 received slight damage from anti-aircraft fire. Another dropped its bombs early to avoid being hit. None of them were shot down.
The bombers dropped their loads on 16 industrial and military targets, most of them in Tokyo. They also used their guns to strafe military positions.

A U.S. Army Air Forces North American B-25B Mitchell bomber takes off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) during the “Doolittle Raid”.

Leaving Japan
Having dropped their bombs, the planes were to fly southwest, toward landing fields in China. There, they were to refuel before heading home.
One of the planes was too low on fuel. Instead, it headed for the Soviet Union and landed at an air base 40 miles from Vladivostok. The Russians were not at war with the Japanese. Under the terms of their neutrality pact, the Russians were obliged to intern the American crew. They were imprisoned near the Iranian border. Eventually, they bribed a smuggler to get them out and across the border, reaching the British consulate in May 1943. It later emerged that their escape had been engineered by the Russians to get around an awkward diplomatic issue.
The other 15 planes headed for China as planned. The early launch of the mission had also left them low on fuel. As bad weather descended, it became evident they would not make it to their landing fields before they ran out of fuel. They would have to abandon their planes when they reached the coast of China.
All fifteen crew members successfully abandoned their aircraft. Three of the B-25s were ditched at sea. The rest crashed on land. Only three men died in the crashes.
Japanese troops captured eight of the crewmen. Of them, three were executed, and one died in captivity. The rest escaped, with the help of Chinese soldiers and civilians. Many of the civilians risked their lives to do it and were punished by the occupying Japanese.

Chinese troops evacuating downed Doolittle Raiders, somewhere on the Chinese coast, April 1942.

Doolittle expected to get into trouble for the outcome of the attack. Although they had reached Tokyo, he had lost 16 valuable planes in the process.
The public reaction, however, proved that for Americans, the outcome was worth the cost. The Doolittle Raid was a huge boost to public morale. Doolittle was promoted straight to brigadier general, skipping the rank of colonel. Every man who took part in the raid was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Doolittle was given the Medal of Honor.
The raid killed 87 people in Tokyo and injured 462. Some of the casualties were children, enraging the Japanese public.
Fearful of another strike against their cities, the Japanese determined to seize Midway Island. They were defeated.
The Doolittle raid had done its job. American spirits had been lifted. Japanese nerves were shaken. The Empire of Japan lay vulnerable at last.

Intro to the Movie "Midway" that showed the Doolittle Raid

The Kamikaze

I had done a post on the Wildcat and earlier I have completed several post about the Invasion of Japan and the resulting fanaticism of the Japanese, their total resistance and willingness to die for the Emperor.  I honestly believed that this fanaticism was part of the reason for the dropping of the Atom bomb.  When allied planners predicted 1,000,000 allied casualties for the invasion of Japan and the eradication of the Japanese culture to get them to quit.



“Transcend life and death. Eliminate all thoughts about your life and your death. Only then you will disregard your earthly life totally. You will be empowered to focus your attention on eradicating your enemy with unwavering determination. In the meantime, reinforce your excellence in flight skills.”
Text from the manual of the Kamikaze pilots, located in their cockpits.

The Mongols invaded Japan in 1281. The powerful warlord Kublai Khan led the attack. Just when the Mongols were on the verge of defeating the Japanese, a destructive typhoon swept through the land. This typhoon, named Kamikaze (Divine Wind) by the Japanese, eliminated the whole Mongol army.

After the fall of Saipan (July 1944), the Japanese restored the memory of Kamikaze by ascribing it to the suicide attack missions of their air force. The commander of Japan’s First Air Fleet in the Philippine Islands, Vice Admiral Takashiro Ohnishi, had pointed out that the best way to inflict maximum damage on the warships of the Allies was to deliberately crash aircraft into them.

Lt Yoshinori Yamaguchi’s Yokosuka D4Y3 (Type 33 Suisei) “Judy” in a suicide dive against USS Essex.

He also pointed out that one plane crash targeting a ship could cause more destruction than 10 planes firing relentlessly at it. Based on this combat observation, it was decided that pilots would deliberately crash their planes into the warships of the Allies.

St Lo attacked by kamikazes, 25 October 1944

In the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Philippines, the Kamikaze Special Attack Force began the first of its suicide missions. On October 25^th, 1944, 5 Zero airplanes were escorted to the target by the top Japanese pilot Hiroyoshi Nishizawa. USS St. Lo, an escort carrier, was the first important warship that was sunk by a Kamikaze attack.
The Kamikaze strike resulted in massive fires that led to an explosion in the ship’s bomb magazine. The carrier sunk within an hour. Kamikaze pilots scored several direct hits that day. They caused severe damage to other warships of the Allies as well.

Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa, who flew his aircraft into the USS Bunker Hill

                 

The average Kamikaze pilot was a university student. Loyalty to the Japanese Emperor, family, and nation were his key motivations. He was in his early 20s and pursuing science. He prepared for his worthy destiny by writing farewell poems and letters to his loved ones, receiving a 1000-stitch sash, and taking part in a final ceremony.

The 1000-stitch sash was a garment in which thousand different women put in one symbolic stitch each. The final ceremony included a drink of spiritual concoction that’d ensure success in the mission. Then, he’d wedge himself between 500-pound bombs.

USS Bunker Hill hit by two Kamikazes in 30 seconds on 11 May 1945 off Kyushu. Dead – 372. Wounded – 264.

The Kamikaze artists were told that they’d be fighting for God, their Emperor. And their supreme act would bring deliverance to Imperial Japan as it’d done in the 13^th century.
Calls for Kamikaze pilots received a great response. For every available Japanese plane, there were three applicants. Experienced pilots were refused the chance to become Kamikaze pilots because they were needed to train the raw volunteers.

Like other regular military personnel, the Kamikaze pilots were also indoctrinated with the following oath:

• Loyalty is your obligation.
• Propriety is your way of life.
• You must esteem military valor highly.
• You must have the highest regard for righteousness.
• You must live a simple life.

The Mitsubishi A6M2, nicknamed the Zero, was the Kamikaze pilot’s premium machine. Its range was a decent 1,930 miles. The Zero could hit a maximum speed of 332 mph. This flying coffin was almost 30 feet long, and its wingspan was about 39 feet. The Japanese modified this aircraft to accommodate one 500-pound bomb.
The Zero had been the main strike plane during the Pearl Harbor attack. But other sophisticated planes forced the Zero to this humble role. And you can take many Pearl Harbor tours that show the destruct the Kamikaze attacks can truly cause.

April 6, 1945, is perhaps, the biggest day in terms of Kamikaze attacks in WWII. Over 350 Kamikaze aircraft made a desperate dive at the Allied fleet in the crucial Battle for Okinawa. This simultaneous Kamikaze wave drove several Allied sailors almost insane.
Twenty Kamikaze aircraft made a simultaneous lunge toward USS Laffey. Her gunners took out nine within seconds, but six rammed into her. Fortunately, the USS Laffey had a world-class Commanding Officer. The ship came back to fight in the Korean War.

USS Laffey Kamakaze attacks featured on The History

channel "Dogfights"

The USS Laffey is in Charleston South Carolina

at Patriots Point as a Museum ship

Although Kamikaze attacks dominated the final Japanese defense of Okinawa, the Allies gained victory at a heavy price. The Allies lost almost 13,000 personnel but killed 110,000 Japanese in this operation. Imperial Japan had set aside several thousand Kamikaze planes in the event of an attack on the Japanese mainland.
Little Boy (Hiroshima) and Big Man (Nagasaki) ensured that this wouldn’t be necessary. Kamikaze pilot trainees are alive even today 70 years after the war to tell the tale.

How Imperial Japan could have won the war against the Allies

I cribbed this on the internet and added some pictures and some of my comments to the article.  This is a "What If" kinda thing.

There was no possible way for Japan to compete against the US in WWII. As long as the US didn’t lose their will to fight and pushed their leaders to push to victory, Washington would claim a mandate that authorized them to use the industry available in the US to turn out a nearly limitless supply of ships, tanks, planes and weapons. Japan simply had no way to keep up with their economy about one-tenth of the US economy.

But that doesn’t mean that Japan could not have won the war. Sometimes the weaker party wins the fight. The legendary strategist Carl von Clausewitz notes that it can make sense for the weaker party to initiate the fight. If they believe that their chances of winning are only going to decrease over time then why not take action?

Von Clausewitz tells of three ways to win a war. First, you can destroy the enemy’s forces and enforce your will upon them. Second, you can make the cost of winning more than your enemy is willing to pay. In other words, figure out how many lives, weapons, and how much money the other side finds acceptable in order to defeat you and then make it cost more than that by taking action that raises the cost or dragging the conflict out until he no longer can afford to stay in. Third, you can convince him that he will never accomplish his goal and make him lose heart.
If you can dishearten him or make the war too expensive for him, he is likely to cut you a deal just to get out of it.
Since Tokyo had no chance at the first option, they needed to aim for one of the next two possibilities. If they had managed their resources better, they could have narrowed the gap between the two sides. Failing that, they could have inflicted such heavy damage that the Americans would lose their appetite for the fight. Or, they could have opted to not confront the US directly and possibly kept them from joining the fight at all.
It’s probably true to say that that there was no single course of action that was going to lead to a Japanese victory. Their military leaders needed to act more strategically and less tactically.
What follows are five possible ways Japan could have won World War II. They are not exclusive. Actually, Japan’s best chances lay in adopting all five strategies. True, some of them are a lot more obvious in hindsight than they would have been to Japan’s leaders at the time, but we can debate their plausibility later.

Wage One War At A Time

It is important for small countries to avoid taking on every other country at once. But Japan’s government was not established in such a way to allow civilian oversight over the military. Patterned after the German Imperial government, the power was entirely between the Japanese Army and Navy.

Without a strong emperor, the military branches were unmoderated in their jostling for power, constantly one-upping each other. The army was focused on conquering Manchuria in mainland China. The Navy was pushing to grab resources in Southeast Asia. By attempting both contradictory goals, Japan managed to surround itself with enemies. The Japanese government should have had set priorities. Then, it may have been able to achieve at least some of its goals.

Listen To Yamamoto

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is alleged to have warned his superiors that Japan had to win quickly and decisively to avoid waking the “sleeping giant” in America. He predicted that the Navy had six months to a year to impose its will before the Americans achieved full power in the Pacific. In that span, Japan needed to force the US into a compromise peace agreement that partitioned off the Pacific, giving Japan time to improve its defenses around their territories in the Pacific. If they failed, the US industry would crank out weapons in massive amounts while new ships would begin arriving in the Pacific. Yamamoto knew the American ability to behave against expectations and warned his superiors not to assume they knew how the US would act.

Don’t Listen To Yamamoto

While Yamamoto was proven correct in his strategic advice, he wasn’t as wise on the operational level. The way he saw to approach the problem of the superior US industry was to hit them in the core of their power – their naval fleet. The Japanese military leaders had long pictured themselves using “interceptive operations” to slow the US fleet as it headed to the Pacific, most likely to the aid of the Philippines.

Using planes and submarines, the Japanese Navy would reduce the size of the US operational fleet and the Japanese fleet would then engage in the ultimate battle. Yamamoto, however, convinced them to change the plans and strike a sudden blow at Pearl Harbor. His miscalculation was that the core power of the US fleet was not at Pearl Harbor but in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. All that Yamamoto’s actions could do, then, was delay the US entry into the war until 1943. The original plan appears to have had a better chance at success.

Concentrate Resources Instead Of Dispersing Them

Similar to the way the Japanese could not seem to be content with fighting one war at a time, they couldn’t seem to stop themselves from multiplying their active operations and combat theaters. In 1942 alone, the Navy attacked the British Eastern Fleet off Ceylon in the Indian Ocean. They assaulted the Aleutian Islands. They opened a new theater in the Solomon Islands, which required defending a vast amount of ocean. Japan raised the cost of the war for itself when it had the fewer resources available, The National Interest reported.

Wage Unrestricted Submarine Warfare

For some reason, the Japanese navy did not instruct their submarines to attack any enemy vessel on the open seas between the US and the South Pacific. They should have realized that the US fleet had to protect an enormous amount of water just to reach the South Pacific. Japanese submarines were every bit as good as the Americans’.
They could have used them to make the Pacific shipping lanes impassable to US transports. It was the most direct way the Japanese could have exacted the heavy toll necessary to make the US consider withdrawing from the war.

 The United States Navy did wage unrestricted warfare against the Japanese merchant fleet and this was done to starve the many garrisons that the Japanese had spread out in the pacific as part of the "whither on the vine".  The Japanese had won tactical victories like at Pearl Harbor, but they were strategic failures.  The Japanese were at the beginning of the war, far better trained and than we were, but that pendulum swung the other way the longer the war lasted.  At the end of the war, the Japanese were sending barely trained pilots and crew against the battle hardened and experienced American Navy and Army.