did you know the A5M and Ki-27 were the same aircraft?

[Zipper730]

"Chennault is an egotistical maverick alarmist, and obsessed with the Orient!"

I just figured he was known as a guy who was a blunt and forceful individual who felt fighters should be king, not bombers (I'm not sure how much finesse he had). That said, if I recall, he was pretty astute about matters regarding Asia, as was Admiral Richardson.

"He thinks the Japs can walk on water."

I don't think he felt they could walk on water, so much, as he was concerned of what they could do to us.

"Everybody knows those little yellow monkeys with their coke bottle glasses and their wood and fabric biplanes can't build a modern warplane!"

Because they were ignoring anybody who said otherwise...

"If we wind up fighting the little yellow bastards, we'll have the biggest turkey shoot we've ever seen!"

Not at first, anyway...

 

[XBe02Drvr]

he was pretty astute about matters regarding Asia,

Which made him and others of his ilk "a bunch of naïve Japo-Chinko-philes and yellow-worshippers" as far as any patriotic right-thinking American was concerned.

I don't think he felt they could walk on water, so much, as he was concerned of what they could do to us.

"Those myopic little yellow monkeys? If it comes down to it, they can't touch us! We'll show them what's what."

Not at first, anyway.

But at first it was, and guess who the turkeys were?

 

[Zipper730]

Which made him and others of his ilk "a bunch of naïve Japo-Chinko-philes and yellow-worshippers"

So, they saw him as disloyal rather than identifying a real threat

But at first it was, and guess who the turkeys were?

I think I know the answer, Wes.

 

[Admiral Beez]

But at first it was, and guess who the turkeys were?

Did the IJN or IJAF ever have it over the USN or USAAF? It seems that within six month of Pearl Harbour most of the 1st line IJN air power was destroyed, never to recover. When did the Japanese enjoy a turkey shoot period over the US? I suppose flying the TB Devastators low, slow and level at Midway was a turkey shoot.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Did the IJN or IJAF ever have it over the USN or USAAF? It seems that within six month of Pearl Harbour most of the 1st line IJN air power was destroyed, never to recover.

In the Philippines, Wake, Guam, Netherlands East Indies, Malaya, Hong Kong, Burma, Ceylon, New Guinea, Kiska, Attu, and Dutch Harbor the IJNAF and the IJAAF swept allied air power before them, inflicting huge losses, albeit at the cost of gradual attrition of their irreplaceable core of experienced and seasoned aircrews and support personnel. By the time of Coral Sea and Midway, the Allies were beginning to learn how to fight the Japanese, and the rate of attrition began to accelerate, culminating in the losses during the failed seven month defense of Guadalcanal. After that, supply shortcomings and deteriorating personnel quality prevented Japanese air power from ever again achieving its former glory.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[GreenKnight121]

By the time of Coral Sea and Midway, the Allies were beginning to learn how to fight the Japanese, and the rate of attrition began to accelerate, culminating in the losses during the failed seven month defense of Guadalcanal. After that, supply shortcomings and deteriorating personnel quality prevented Japanese air power from ever again achieving its former glory.
Cheers,
Wes

Their myopic training scheme did as much as anything else to ensure their decline in quality.

Instead of cycling experienced pilots back to teach trainees (as the US & the UK/Commonwealth did), they used those rated as unfit for combat as instructors, which ensured that the new pilots reaching combat squadrons were completely unprepared for combat.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Their myopic training scheme did as much as anything else to ensure their decline in quality.

Their entire military philosophy and organizational structure was predicated on a short war won by a single decisive battle, as had worked so well for them in the Sino and Russo Japanese Wars and was in keeping with the samurai struggles of their military tradition. A blitzkrieg war rather than an attrition war.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[MiTasol]

But yes, the government, that controls the purse strings and contracts must force cooperation.

Hell even the current US military still fight over anything and everything when they can and agree to disagree whenever allowed. As an example the government has forced them to standardize manuals where ever possible but each service has its own number for the same manual and the distribution of those manuals is totally different in each service.
Example

Navy
USAF
Army
The US military was lucky it was just building up with new equipment in 1940 and that the powers that be (Congress) enforced a lot of cooperation on them. The Japanese military had been active for much of the time since ww1 and had developed a strong rivalry because their powers that be did not enforce cooperation.

 

[MiTasol]

..... under rating the opponent isn't poor research, it's arrogance. A "mongrel airforce"? Hardly.

or was it brainwashing/conditioning to make our people think they had a chance against a force that had been wrecking havoc in China for years and to fight on regardless.

Dad said even fifty years after the war he still remembered much of the brainwashing he went through and still he had trouble accepting the Japanese as people, even though my sister is married to a Japanese.

 

[swampyankee]

"Chennault is an egotistical maverick alarmist, and obsessed with the Orient!"
"He thinks the Japs can walk on water."
"Everybody knows those little yellow monkeys with their coke bottle glasses and their wood and fabric biplanes can't build a modern warplane!"
"If we wind up fighting the little yellow bastards, we'll have the biggest turkey shoot we've ever seen!"

It's always easy to discount reports which disagree with one's prejudices; the Japanese made the same sorts of errors with regards to the US. Indeed, one could probably compile volumes about errors leading to military quagmires based on making conclusions based on information devalued because of ideological or racist assumptions. Cemeteries are filled with the results.

 

[GreenKnight121]

It's always easy to discount reports which disagree with one's prejudices; the Japanese made the same sorts of errors with regards to the US.

"The Americans have no counterpart to our warrior (Samauri) traditions, and if they are punched in the nose hard they will negotiate for peace."

"The Americans are soft, and have no appetite for war. One or two defeats and they will give up."

 

[Shinpachi]

I still believe that "most" Americans are soft and peace lovers.
Some people who can't live without conflicts are everywhere.
Same.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

The Japanese military had been active for much of the time since ww1 and had developed a strong rivalry because their powers that be did not enforce cooperation.

What "powers that be"? In the Japanese cabinet the Army and the Navy were the two most powerful entities, and they effectively ruled the roost. Either one could thwart any measure they didn't like by recalling their cabinet minister, thus bringing down the government. In an extreme case they could block the formation of a new cabinet by refusing to appoint a new minister. The Japanese Constitution at the time didn't allow the government to function with one of the primary cabinet seats unfilled. Some of this is hard for western minds to comprehend, since our governments tend to work a little differently.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[Barrett]

Recognition sidebar:

I was fortunate to know BGEN John Kinney, USMC (Ret) who wrote an intriguing memoir, Wake Island Pilot. He said that during the runup to Wake, the Enterprise intel shop gave a briefing on Japanese aircraft, complete with silhouettes. John said "One of them resembled a Curtiss Pusher."

John was an exceptional man. Kept the remaining F4Fs going with almost zero resources, and built a radio in POW camp. He became a postwar helo aviator.

 

[swampyankee]

What "powers that be"? In the Japanese cabinet the Army and the Navy were the two most powerful entities, and they effectively ruled the roost. Either one could thwart any measure they didn't like by recalling their cabinet minister, thus bringing down the government. In an extreme case they could block the formation of a new cabinet by refusing to appoint a new minister. The Japanese Constitution at the time didn't allow the government to function with one of the primary cabinet seats unfilled. Some of this is hard for western minds to comprehend, since our governments tend to work a little differently.
Cheers,
Wes

If I recall what I've read, under the Japanese constitution of the era, the armed forces' actions where not subject to parliamentary review or judicial in any manner. They weren't so much a tool of the country as a sort of domestic equivalent of an occupation force.

 

[Glider]

Their myopic training scheme did as much as anything else to ensure their decline in quality.

Instead of cycling experienced pilots back to teach trainees (as the US & the UK/Commonwealth did), they used those rated as unfit for combat as instructors, which ensured that the new pilots reaching combat squadrons were completely unprepared for combat.

I think that was the general approach used by the Luftwaffe as well. Maybe not as rigorous in its application but generally German pilots flew until they were lost. Obviously they had leave but a transfer for a long period in training wasn't very common.