Why did the US not expect the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Because American military leaders were not expecting an attack so close to home, the naval facilities at Pearl Harbor were relatively undefended. Almost the entire Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the harbor, and hundreds of airplanes were squeezed onto adjacent airfields.

Could Japan have won WWII?

It could have happened. Key point: Japan could never have crushed U.S. maritime forces in the Pacific and imposed terms on Washington. Imperial Japan stood next to no chance of winning a fight to the finish against the United States. …

Why didn’t the Japanese ever use planes to attack Pearl Harbor?

Their planes could not fly far enough to drop an airborne division on Pearl Harbor from Japan. They’d have had to build forward air bases to make such an airborne attack even possible. As they didn’t have any territory on which to build forward bases, they’d have had to invade and take islands to build them.

What were the logistic problems of a paratroop assault after Pearl Harbor?

The logistic problems to any follow-up parachute assault after the Pearl Harbor attack (if it succeeded) were numerous. Two prime ones are: Their planes could not fly far enough to drop an airborne division on Pearl Harbor from Japan. They’d have had to build forward air bases to make such an airborne attack even possible.

What would happen if the base at Pearl Harbor was destroyed?

Destroying the Base at Pearl Harbor Would Mean Japan Controlled the Pacific. In May 1940, the United States had made Pearl Harbor the main base for its Pacific Fleet.

Was Yamamoto right or wrong at Pearl Harbor?

Events bore out Yamamoto’s prophecy once that force arrived on scene—and began overpowering Imperial Japanese Navy defenders. So Yamamoto was right: Japan had to win quickly or not at all. But he was also wrong: by executing his plan to strike Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese Navy guaranteed there would be no quick win.