What if the Americans never made any mistakes in their procurement decisions.

XBe02Drvr · Mar 22, 2020

Reluctant Poster said:
The Japanese didn't realize how useless the US torpedoes were

The Japanese had an obsession with torpedoes, and developed the best in the world.

swampyankee · Mar 22, 2020

XBe02Drvr said:
The Japanese had an obsession with torpedoes, and developed the best in the world.

They may have had an obsession, but just about everybody did better with the torpedoes than did the USN.

Reluctant Poster · Mar 26, 2020

tomo pauk said:
Zeroes need to come low in so their cannons can be re-armed.
US aviators all coming at 15000 ft and higher also means F4Fs can provide more meaningful cover, all while US bomber force is up in numbers by 25%+-?

The USN at Midway proved to be incapable of coordinating strikes so I'm not sure the fighter cover would have been better. As to the increased numbers again it depends on timing. If they all come at once they can overwhelm the defense but the US was very poor at coordination at that time

jetcal1 · Mar 26, 2020

Reluctant Poster said:
The USN at Midway proved to be incapable of coordinating strikes so I'm not sure the fighter cover would have been better. As to the increased numbers again it depends on timing. If they all come at once they can overwhelm the defense but the US was very poor at coordination at that time

Even Stanhope Ring might take issue with that comment.

tomo pauk · Mar 26, 2020

Reluctant Poster said:
The USN at Midway proved to be incapable of coordinating strikes so I'm not sure the fighter cover would have been better. As to the increased numbers again it depends on timing. If they all come at once they can overwhelm the defense but the US was very poor at coordination at that time

Without torpedo bombers in the picture, there is only a need to escort dive bombers that were flying typically at same speed and at same altitude. When one not that good in doing something, having a bit easier job might help.

XBe02Drvr · Mar 26, 2020

Reluctant Poster said:
The USN at Midway proved to be incapable of coordinating strikes so I'm not sure the fighter cover would have been better.

This was, above all an issue of doctrine and command and control. The very concept of a large, multi carrier task force was kind of a new thing to USN, whose carriers had always operated in single carrier task groups.
Two task forces, commanded by two admirals, with one only nominally in charge, and air groups that had almost no experience (and no doctrine for) working together, kinda like the wild, wild west. We had no right to win that one, but the stars aligned in our favor.
Cheers,
Wes

jetcal1 · Mar 26, 2020

XBe02Drvr said:
This was, above all an issue of doctrine and command and control. The very concept of a large, multi carrier task force was kind of a new thing to USN, whose carriers had always operated in single carrier task groups.
Two task forces, commanded by two admirals, with one only nominally in charge, and air groups that had almost no experience (and no doctrine for) working together, kinda like the wild, wild west. We had no right to win that one, but the stars aligned in our favor.
Cheers,
Wes

But, first ya' gotta get it right.
Mitscher and the Mystery of Midway
Mitscher and Ring do not suffer scrutiny well.

Admiral Beez · Apr 16, 2020

Kevin J said:
The only possible mistake that I can see is:-
1. Not making any F5F Skyrockets.
2. Building the Buccaneer / Bermuda.
The only problem here is that if Skyrocket production is subcontracted to Brewster, its sure to be a failure.
3. Not enough Dominators built. I'd have used R-2800s without turbo superchargers to power it.

Any more ideas, guys?

I don't see these as mistakes, but mere rungs on the ladder. The F5F demonstrated what was possible for high rate of climb fighters, like Grumman's F8F.

SaparotRob · Apr 18, 2020

Shortround6 said:
Somethings aren't any easier in a dictatorship either. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.

Hundreds more O-52s
View attachment 571501
A few squadrons of B-21s?
View attachment 571502
More P-35s?
View attachment 571503

Simply throwing money at some problems doesn't always speed up the progress that much.
Sometimes the underlying knowledge takes time.

The world would be a better place if there were more P-35's.

SaparotRob · Apr 18, 2020

Procuring a lot more live torpedoes and actually test a few. Better to find out they don't work before hostilities than what did happen.
That's a pretty simple change.

Kevin J · Apr 18, 2020

SaparotRob said:
The world would be a better place if there were more P-35's.

Maybe P-41's.

pinsog · Apr 19, 2020

Admiral Beez said:
I don't see these as mistakes, but mere rungs on the ladder. The F5F demonstrated what was possible for high rate of climb fighters, like Grumman's F8F.

I think you may have misread what he typed, I did the first time I read it. He is saying they made a mistake by not building the F5F Skyrocket, I agree with that as well.

What if the Americans never made any mistakes in their procurement decisions.

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XBe02Drvr

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SaparotRob

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