What I meant to say is japan couldn’t possibly outbuild the US, US became the largest ship building nation during the war... for every battleship japan could put down, US could field 10 at that same time... this is why they resorted to building two of the mightiest the world has ever seen... when their carriers sank at midway, they cancelled the Yamato class project and turned the hull of the third into an aircraft carrier... the largest of its kind... but they lacked the professional manpower and so it served a secondary role until sunk...
Not to mention, although prior to entry in the war their aviation technology was superior to that of the Americans lack of resources proved to be the nail in the coffin for their naval aviation... they also lacked behind in tank engineering, even though they built world class battleships... it’s said they ordered a tiger 1 for purposes of research but the tanks never reached japan. One unit was leased back to German army and the other was sunk
You have valid points on the subject that it was impossible to win over the USA in the long run when it is bestowed with natural resources and intelligent human power. Japan tried to outbid this prospect by capturing countries like Indonesia or Malaysia where it could harness natural resources to feed its home industries.
Now, enjoy reading a prediction by a wartime Japanese Admiral Yamamoto. However, I must repeat that Japan was already highly developed in terms of industrialization. Even in WWl it was a superpower and it was the only Asian country to sit in and sign Versailles Treaty documents. Read on this Treaty.
"The
Treaty of
Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, by 66 representatives from 32 different countries. The countries
were split into three parties, which
were led by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers of
Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States".
How was Admiral Yamamoto so accurate at predicting the events of WWII ("awaken sleeping giant")?
Gary Zhang
·
Updated September 13, 2018
Psychopathic Genocidal Destroyer of Reality
One thing that made Yamamoto different from the other Japanese flag officers was that unlike them, he was familiar with the Americans on a personal level. He studied at Harvard University and was fluent at speaking English. While in America, he traveled extensively, and taught himself American culture and customs.
Yamamoto with Americans
This made him unique among the higher ranking Japanese, because he understood and respected the Americans, and was well aware of what they were capable of(as demonstrated in the war). He opposed Japanese plans of war against the Americans, because of these reasons. He knew that the Japanese simply were unable to win against the Americans, especially in a protracted war.
This is the context behind his quote:
In the first 6 to 12 months of a war with the United States and Great Britain, I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success
Yamamoto was accurate at predicting the events of WW2 because he knew the Americans well, and was aware of their capabilities. Due to this, he wasn’t possessed by the often blind arrogance that other Japanese Generals displayed. Furthermore, due to his past experiences in the Navy(he fought at the Battle of Tsushima against the Russians), he was much more accomplished and capable and could make incredibly exact predictions, based on those past experiences.
He wasn’t wrong when he stated his quote. It was so prophetic it hurt.