I’m still heavily occupied with places to go, people to meet and things to do, but I do want to acknowledge this anniversary of the Japanese attack on Wheeler Army Airfield and Pearl Harbor.
I remember standing in PT formation at Schofield Barracks on a similar December morning when our new Battalion Commander addressed us. He pointed out Kolekole Pass to our front where the dive bombers flew in from the west. We executed an about face and he point out their first target of Wheeler Army Airfield. We then did a right face as he pointed out Pearl Harbor, the scene of the Japanese main attack. We then executed another about face and set off on our morning run.
TTG
I think the IJN CVs were north of Kahuku and the attack was from the north and northeast. The first wave attack followed the north shore shoreline to Haleiwa/Waialua then turned south for Wheeler with some crossing over Kolekole to follow the Waianae coast around to Ewa Field and PH. That’s why the radar site at Opana was able to detect them. The dive bombers would have been over my house in Mililani en route to the harbor.
A few years ago Army created a walking tour on Wheeler with some plaques pointing out key details. Also the Navy did this on Ford Island which includes the USS Utah memorial on the Ewa side of the island. Finally on Hickam along what used to be the access road to “Alpha Docks” and now is a bike/walking path behind housing there is a little memorial for the USS Nevada (and a big one for airmen behind the “O” club).
BTW, there has been a lot of construction on Wheeler; you wouldn’t recognize the place.
scott s,
I first lived in Mililani, or Mililani Town when I was there, for the first two years I was there. It was a small town house community off Kipapa Drive close to a couple of small stores and the McDonalds. Looking at Google Maps, it looks like it expanded quite a bit since then. Then I moved into government housing on the crater rim of Red Hill. That housing was new at the time, but it’s gone now.
When I ran the Recondo School, we had a perfect view of Kolekole Pass, Schofield Barracks and Wheeler and could see Pearl Harbor in the distance. We hosted a contingent from the Japanese Self Defense Force Commando School for two days. At one point in the initial tour, one of my instructor NCOs pointed out the landmarks telling them about how their planes strafed and bombed the airfield before turning south and attacked our ships. Another of my NCOs translated. We couldn’t help noticing that the Japanese seemed proud as the tale was retold. The Division left them with us for much of their visit since we had the only translator which surprised me given our Pacific focus. All in all, it was a good visit.
I wonder why this didn’t keep in the public mind over the years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niihau_incident
Fred,
This is the first I’ve heard of the incident.
The Biden administration is openly threateningAmericans over Ukraine.
In a classified briefing in the House yesterday defense secretary Austin informed members that if they don’t appropriate more money for Zelinsky,
” we’ll send your uncles, cousind and sons to fight Russia”.
aleksandar,
I see it more as a warning than a threat, although I doubt Russia will be in any shape to invade any other country in Europe even if she defeats Ukraine. It will take years to rebuild her forces. I also doubt Russia is too eager to put the NATO Article V to the test. In the meantime, Poland, Finland and Romania are modernizing and strengthening their forces.
aleksandar – what he was saying is what Biden and Kirby seem to be saying. That if the Ukrainian war is lost the Russians will move on to attack NATO countries. That could involve the deployment of American troops. Austin is only looking at that post war scenario. He’s not saying that the US will deploy forces in Ukraine. That would be WW3 and neither side wants that.
In fact Russia doesn’t want to attack us in Europe. Maybe they’d move if Kaliningrad became an issue, but otherwise attacking Europe isn’t in their mind. Too much fuss and expense, for a start, and the BRICS would look askance at such a move.
The Europeans, my country with them, seem to believe they are a great prize and a prize worth taking, Nonsense. No significant natural resources, semi-derelict economies, and anyone conquering it or any part of it would have to keep it fed and supplied with fuel, Borrell’s “Garden in the Jungle”, as he characterises Europe, would require a lot of upkeep. Why would the Russians want to make themselves responsible for that? Besides the East Europeans, if not the rest, have some fight in them and would require a lot of effort to keep conquered,
What we are seeing in such statements is partly blame game. When the war’s over everyone will be blaming everyone else and we’ve seen this blame game developing for some time. All wish to say to their political opponents “If only you’d done this or that we’d have won!”
But only partly that. We need to keep Russia as an enemy, especially in Europe, in order to justify the defence expenditure that will be needed for Cold War II. For the Americans it’s not that important. “The Chinese are coming” will serve that purpose. But the Europeans aren’t that interested in tackling the Chinese so “The Russians are coming” will do for them.
“But only partly that. We need to keep Russia as an enemy, especially in Europe, in order to justify the defence expenditure.”
No EO, they want that so people will continue have fear and obey.
So they can implement their agenda : destroy european sovereign states and democracy.
aleksandar – there are so many views on the causes of the fiasco. The historians will be debating those causes for ever. I think the Scholz/Stoltenberg dream of a Festung Europa, with a 300,000 strong Rapid Response Force and, more importantly, joint European defence contracts to match, is still in the minds of the EU and UK politicians.
That’s been apparent at least since the 2019 Munich Security Conference. HMG’s hopes shown here:-
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-munich-security-conference
Lot of people have noticed the step-change in rhetoric from the admin.
Hawaii was the 2nd Japanese Attack of at least six attacks all within a seven hour period that day. Khota Bharu in Malaya was first about an hour & 20 minutes prior. Then Pearl/Wheeler/Kaneohe/Hickam/Barber’s Point/Bellows Field/Ewa Field. Thanks to Nagumo’s wariness the submarine pens, dry dock, shipyard, maintenance facilities fuel & torpedo storage, power station, and headquarters were spared. Or perhaps it was the IJN pilots focus on destroying battleships and aircraft and not Nagumo that allowed those critical targets to stay untouched?
Third attack that day was on the Philippines than three & a half hours after the Oahu strike. Then Guam a half hour after the Philippine strikes. Then Hong Kong and Wake Island about seven hours after the start. Helluva accomplishment for Japan that just 80 plus years previous was purely feudal and agricultural. We did it to ourselves by Perry opening Japan to Western trade and industry. Nixon never should have gone to China. Opening that country up to trade is going to bite us in the arse. Guaranteed.
Lieth,
IIRC, nearly a third of the planes in both waves were designated to take out the carriers, which by sheer luck weren’t there. It’s an interesting alternative history narrative if they had managed to take out half the US carrier fleet that day as well, for sure. So the first wave was torpedo-heavy as hell. Not going to hit anything on land with those things. The second wave was also told to go for ships and land based aircraft in fear of a counter strike.
Moreover, oil tanks and buildings are quickly replaced, as opposed to battleships and carriers. No fleet to defend them? They are harmless and easy pickings to be dealt with at leisure.
Mark – You are right about the US carriers. Not knowing where they were is what made Admiral Nagumo nervous enough to forfeit a planned third wave.
The tank farms, containing 140 million gallons of fuel, were not hit. That much fuel would not have been quickly replaced. It would have taken hundreds of trips by tankers. The large tankers were not available yet. Without that ready fuel for the carriers and their escorts Midway probably would not have happened, and the long range sub patrols would not have happened until a year or so later. The submarines and more importantly the submarine pens at Pearl were critical to the war effort. 200 IJN warships including eight aircraft carriers, a battleship & 11 cruisers were sunk by US subs. Also sunk were ~ 1,300 merchant ships many carrying troops, weapons and fuel as well as provisions.
Of the eight battlewagons that were bombed or torpedoed six returned to service. Three were back in service in just a few months thanks to the shipyard, the drydocks & maintenance facilities/crews at Pearl. The other three were refloated, patched, made seaworthy at Pearl and then sent to Puget Sound Navy Shipyard for modernization and were back in service at Leyte, Iwo, Okinawa, and one was at D-Day in Normandy.
It was a bad strategic mistake for Nagumo or Yamamoto to only go after capital ships and aircraft. They could easily have crippled Pacific Fleet logistics.
Lieth,
True, but IMO they would’ve gotten around to the oil farm in the third or fourth raid. The mistake was, as the location of the carriers was critical, not setting up a way of verifying that. No problem getting spies in Pearl during peacetime.
Does China now have even half the carriers in number that Japan had then?
Nevermind. 34 Japanese carriers in total during WW2. 4 at Pearl Harbor. Why can’t old style very comparitively inexpensive carriers be built now for vertical takeoff jets? Probably because they’re too easy to sink.
https://naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/japan/ijn-aircraft-carriers.php
December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) possessed the second largest carrier fleet worldwide, with 9 of these in service, IJN Hosho, Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu, Ryujo, Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Zuiho. This represented 212 330 tonnes. It must be compared to the Royal Navy’s 12 carriers (Argus, Eagle, Hermes, Furious, Glorious & Courageous, Ark Royal, Illustrious, Victorious, Formidable, Indomitable, and Audacity) representing all together 239,450 tonnes, and the US Navy’s eight carriers (Langley, Lexington & Saratoga, Ranger, Yorktown, Hornet & Enterprise, Wasp) so “only” 177,100 tonnes. So not only the IJN carrier force was 1/3 larger than the US Navy’s but Japanese pilots were among the best experienced and trained of all belligerents with an ongoing campaign in China since 1937, and had another ace of their sleeves, the best naval fighter of its time, the Mitsubishi A6M “Zero”. It’s then not a surprise the IJN did so well until mid-1942, and also how much the USN effort to resist the onslaught until that point was meritorious.
I read this in Strategy & Tactics magazine, like, 3 decades ago? 5 decades ago? Just as invigorating as in the original.
Never a dull moment with Mo Ning Joe. I saw, because I scrolled, a pic of Haunter with his wife Melissa Cohen. So far he’s been hit with a gun charge regarding a weapon he ditched which reportedly caused the secret service some trouble. So a pardon is likely, according to more than one writer. In case of a shared cell, does Donald or Hunter take the top bunk? Regarding Mo Ning or More Ning, the translate bots gave me “rather” and “peaceful” for the Ning ideogram 宁. Interestingly the Xi ideogram 西 translates as “West.” All joking aside, does anyone care about these troubles with Hunter other than gossip columnists and twitteratti?
Mo meanings for Ning – there’s lemon, congeal, pinch and several regional names.
https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php?define=ning
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Trump-appointed judge will oversee Hunter Biden’s tax evasion case: First Son faces 17 YEARS in jail for four-year $1.4m tax evasion scheme and is accused of spending millions on ‘drugs, hookers and fast cars’ instead
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/us-politics/article-12839961/DOJ-files-new-criminal-charges-against-Hunter-Biden.html
TTG
As military matters go, they have a lot to be proud of.
Kidō Butai was pretty bad ass at the time. The rest of the Japanese forces were also very capable. The way they swept away the US & UK forces in the initial phase of the fighting was impressive.
Had you been born a Japanese and not an American you would have been proud as well.
Small Japan sweeping away giants (they demolished the Russian far east fleet as well in ’05).
Too bad about their atrocious conduct towards POWs and the civilians (especially the Chinese). Their vengeance for the Doolittle raid alone, cost the Chinese some quarter-million lives, by some estimations.
Zhukov repaid them in spades for Tsushima at Khalkhin Gol, an event that probably led to Pearl Harbor and not a war with the Soviet Union.
PW
Khalkhin Gol was an indication that the Soviets would not be a pushover but I doubt it was a deciding factor. The Japanese Army was not gonna win over the Navy when it comes to defining priorities.
The trashing of the Kwantung army in ’45 was definitely impressive.
Wiz –
I’m with Pete Williams on this one. Zhukov’s victory at Khalkhin Gol led to the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact, which allowed Stalin to use Siberian troops against Hitler. That pact opened up the Pacific Corridor where about half of US war aid to the Soviets, 17.5 million tons, was delivered.
Historian David Glantz’s book agrees with you about Manchuria; as well as Inner Mongolia, Korea, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Although he also states that the quality of the Kwantung Army had deteriorated previously “as all the best men and materiel were siphoned off for use in other theaters. These forces were replaced by militia, draft levies, reservists, and cannibalized smaller units, all equipped with woefully outdated equipment.”
https://www.amazon.com/Soviet-Strategic-Offensive-Manchuria-1945-ebook/dp/B000Q66JCG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3OJCX2CD6764&keywords=The+Soviet+Strategic+Offensive+in+Manchuria%2C+1945&qid=1702055164&sprefix=the+soviet+strategic+offensive+in+manchuria%2C+1945%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1
leith
UK at the time was considered a naval superpower with a vast globe spanning empire and the US a geographically unassailable economic and industrial colosus with a strong navy itself.
You’re saying that the Japanese were so afraid of the USSR, that was in the process of being overrun by the Germans that instead they decided to go for the US & UK ?
All because of a battle of Khalkin Gol in which the Soviets themselves suffered a considerable amount of casualties in manpower and equipment ?
You quote Glanz claiming that the Kwantug army had been weakened and stripped of its best assets.
You don’t do that if you are afraid of the Red Army coming to get you.
IMO the battle was a factor in a Japanese decision making but not a deciding one.
After the US sanctions against Japan, their course of action was pretty much set.
One of Our Closest Friends Allen Howland Was a Gunner on The Yorktown..
.During the Japanese Attack of the Yorktown Allen Was the Only Survivor on His Gun Crew.. he was a Pearl Harbor Survivor…A Very Good Kind and Gentle Man…
His wife Peggy Assisted My Wife in Going To the University of Colorado for
Her Degree in Teaching Here For Head Start..My Wife was Also a Red Cross Volunteer on the Local Navy Base and a 20 Year Counselor for Crisis Clinic..
Also Finally…Our Embassy in Baghdad Was Attacked today…along with TEN other
Attacks on Varios American Targets…I Strongly Suspect We Will LOSE our
Embassy in Iraq…Soon..Since We Had Irans only Enemy Saddam Hung..and
we are Facing another Beruit Embassy Event Soon..Sadly
Jim
“Lawmakers nix proposal to create military cyber intelligence capability”
https://defensescoop.com/2023/12/07/congress-nixes-proposal-to-create-military-cyber-intelligence-capability/
How many separate organizations are needed in DoD?
A good question.
I don’t know the pros and cons of this one.
Keith Harbaugh,
I don’t see the necessity of creating a dedicated cyber intelligence capability beyond the CYBERCOM J2. As the article states, the J2 has to fully articulate its intelligence requirements. At that point both DIA and NSA can develop the needed collection and analytical elements to address those requirements. Before 2000 the SPACECOM J2, who handled the cyber mission at that time, laid out some requirements. I developed a collection capability to address those requirements. There was a substantial analysis shop in DIA dedicated to cyber and IO. A lot of intel agencies and other government agencies all contributed to filling SPACECOM requirements. The communication and cooperation among all these elements was excellent. I don’t think a dedicated cyber intel capability or center would improve this model. It would create more bureaucracy.
I don’t know the solution here.
But, to state an issue clearly, I want to quote an excerpt from the article:
The analogy that comes to mind is DARPA.
There mainline DoD (Army research , Navy research, AF research) recognized that some issues were out of its/their depth, and it/they needed help.
The current questions are:
How deep are the cybersecurity issues?
And how should they be addressed?
I don’t know.
I am merely raising the issue.
Keith Harbaugh,
The real sources of that kind of intelligence lie with those who build and maintain the internet, those who sit deep in the data centers looking for and fixing problems as they arise. They all talk among themselves. You can recruit some, but there will never be enough willing to be managed as controlled assets. Nor will you be able to entice many of them to work for the government. I think we need is a better way to tap into that community as willing partners. The FBI had a smart SA who realized this and established the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance to partner with those in the real techno-world as equals rather than handling them as confidential sources. We need a lot more of that rather than a new cyber center or cyber service.
We also need to harness some of the AI that’s being developed to live on the internet and report back developing anomalies. They exist. I worked with one about 15 years ago to help target for my cyber-HUMINT detachment. I know that AI is still out there and is even more capable than when I worked with it. My cyber-HUMINT detachment also demonstrated how difficult it was to get the needed skill sets into a government organization. I had a mere handful of people capable of talking and writing malicious code, skilled in elicitation and maintaining cover and able to do all this in Russian, Chinese and Arabic. There’s not near enough individuals like this willing to work in the government.
Here’s an older article on the NCFTA. It’s still there.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/04/26/the-fbi-workaround-for-private-companies-to-share-information-with-law-enforcement-without-cispa/?sh=3abce3695009
Thanks for the info, and the interesting, informative link.
BTW, DoD has made effects to work with hackers: Google
DoD hackers
or
DoD hackathon
or
hack a sat
Not sure how much was learned.
Thinking about it,
an obvious solution is to establish J2 and J3 organizations within CYBERCOM.
I don’t know how well this would satisfy the issues that some see.
Keith Harbaugh,
CYBERCOM has always had a J2 and J3 just as every other command does.
I have tried to raise the issue of how much
our totally unnecessary involvements in foreign countries have cost the U.S.
(e g., Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine).
But was there a real cost?
See:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/10/gigantic-new-icbm-will-take-us-nuclear-missiles-out-of-cold-war-era-add-21st-century-risks.html
But why was that schedule compressed?
Because in earlier years the U.S. has been so distracted by all these foreign wars,
that have been pushed.
Should we ask who has been pushing them?
Of course we should.
Wars to insure Israel has no strong adversary,
and to advance an apparently incurable inability to recognize Russia’s legitimate security interests
(e.g., adversion to Ukraine joining NATO).
In case anyone missed this – December 4, 2023
Ambassador to Bolivia, Victor Manuel Rocha. He’s being charged with acting as a foreign agent for Cuba.
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1731787437125324978
Working for Cuba since 1981… yikes!
kj
and one more, came out December 11, 2023.
“Jack Teixeira’s Commanding Officer Removed from Post
…at least 15 soldiers received some form of discipline over the Teixeira leaks. ”
https://twitter.com/KyleAnzalone_/status/1734305019736781278
kj
More detail on the Jack Teixeira situation:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/11/air-force-punishes-15-service-members-wake-of-teixeira-leak-massachusetts-guard-base.html
KH
Air Force Probe Concludes Pentagon Leak Suspect Acted Alone, Still Reprimands 15 Others For ‘Dereliction Of Duty’
‘ “The 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group was taken off mission when Teixeira was discovered as the source of the unauthorized disclosures. The group’s mission remains reassigned to other organizations within the Air Force,” the military posted.’
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/air-force-probe-concludes-pentagon-leak-suspect-acted-alone-still-reprimands-15-others-for-dereliction-of-duty/
I understand that although Teixeira plead ‘not guilty’ he still faces a trail (upcoming) – this is not over…
kj