George Welch Pearl Harbour Ace.

[mik]

Just read the post where someone wanted a card for a P26 for a what if Pearl Harbour scenario. My scenario would be the Americans used there radar and scrambled to intercept. I did research it but never tried to play it, never had a good enough set of rules till now.

Pearl Harbour.

Many years ago I was offered a book from the book club which I did not buy. The book claimed to be able to prove the Americans new Pearl Harbour was about to happen and did nothing because Roosevelt needed an excuse to get into the war. Well he sure got one. If you to stood up in an American bar and make such a statement your next of kin would likely inherit your estate. However it could be the starting point for a scenario/campaign. It IS possible the Americans new it was coming, they certainly new something was about to happen perhaps not where. If this book is right and I very much doubt it, the Americans got a much bigger hiding than they expected. The only thing which might give such a book credence was the carriers were not there, just luck I recon.

Those of you watching Tora Tora Tora might be forgiven for thinking Holywood is re-writing history again BUT
George Welch was credited with 5 kills at Pearl Harbour. He was the test pilot for the F 86 Sabre, and was killed when tail flutter caused him to bail out when testing the Super Sabre (he was hit by wreckage).

The national sterio type for Japanese was short sighted buck toothed people who were incapable of independent design.

I hope this info helps/inspires some game play.

Mik the stick.

[csadn]

The book claimed to be able to prove the Americans new Pearl Harbour was about to happen and did nothing because Roosevelt needed an excuse to get into the war. Well he sure got one. If you to stood up in an American bar and make such a statement your next of kin would likely inherit your estate.

Not in any of the ones I frequent -- in fact, quite the opposite reaction will result. (Recommended reading: _The New Dealers' War_ by Thomas Fleming.)

[Jager]

This conspiracy theory has been around quite a while. There is, of course, no proof to it.
Karl

[mik]

I had never heard of this conspiracy theory until offered the book ( about 1985 I think) and have never heard of it anywhere again. My personal view is if the radar contact had been followed up George and his pals would have changed history. Admiral Nagumo was right to be nervous about where the enemy carriers were, but it was a bit un-Japanese not to continue the attack with a third wave. I think the Japanese lost about 36 planes, quite a lot considering the situation. I also think that admiral King was made scapegoat for the disaster, ok he was in charge, but I think defeat under the circumstances if that's what you call it hardly puts the blame on one man. The only disgrace attached to Pearl harbour is that admiral King should be blamed, and perhaps Admiral Nagumo should have had a severe talking to for not finishing the job. In spite of Pearl harbour we (the British) didn't fare any better against them at the start.

I have not forgotten the 2000 American casualties. If this book were true then politicians were to blame. You could say politicians were to blame anyway, war is after all conducted to achieve political aims when peaceful means have failed.

mik the stick

[Flying Officer Kyte]

The only thing that I had heard was that British Intelligence had informed Roosevelt about the strike some days before from information obtained from messages between Berlin and Tokyo, decoded at Bletchley Park, but that no one knew where it was going in.
Rob.

[Jager]

The only thing that I had heard was that British Intelligence had informed Roosevelt about the strike some days before from information obtained from messages between Berlin and Tokyo, decoded at Bletchley Park, but that no one knew where it was going in.
Rob.

That's the thing; it was known in the higher circles that the Japanese were going to strike somewhere; who and exactly where was not known. Pearl Harbor was a serious misjudgment on the part of the US command.
MacArthur getting caught the next day was criminal
Karl