"dabrob" <dabrob@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
- "a425couple" wrote:
-To a425couple, welcome back. Its been a while
-since you posted to one of my threads.
Why, , thank you very much for the very kind words.
Yeah, I consider myself very lucky with quite a few
interesting and rewarding ways to spend my time.
And yeah, sometimes in considering the
irritation / reward ratios, posting is fairly low on
the scale. Thanks again for 'inviting me' back.
-> > Before you ask, no, this is not intended as a suicide mission.
-> It is certainly an almost total 'loss' mission for equipment.
-> Certainly a very high loss figure mission for the personnel!
-> Consider what they accomplished sticking to more
-> conventional battle planning. (snipped)
-Please recall that my "no, this is not intended as a suicide
-mission." refered only to the initial mission scenario ---
Fine.
I guess one of my 'discomforts' with your series of
threads, and with many responses, is it falls into
the common American memory/viewpoint of the start
of our WWII war - as being very "Pearl Harbor centric".
I know you, and most responders are very well read,
and are aware of the other real major campaigns that
started on that same dawn that was PH's Dec. 7.
The bulk of the effort, and the real goals were elsewhere
(P.I., Malaya, Hong Kong, DEI, Wake I. & New Guinea,
while still fighting in China).
I'm also confident you are aware of the needed
'reductions' done in logistics and combat planning
(i.e. % down for major overhaul, training, last second
problems etc.)
But I'll mention another type of 'asset' - planning ability.
It is limited!
An aside to show point I'm trying to make-
I was lucky and fortunate to spend a year filling a
Major's billet on a Commanding General's staff
((or for my detractors, they were so foolish as to have
decided that I had some useful traits that would be worth
having around, and specificly targeted me and gave
me an "invite" that I didn't turn down!)).
We were in the middle of a quite long "up tempo"
intense period, preparing plans.
One night near midnight the bird Colonel came around.
And also, one Saturday around 6:00 PM.
He stated in summary,
"I've seen it in your eyes, and in your work.
Every one of you (Majors, Capt.s, Lt.s) are working
very hard to make this go right.
After 'x' weeks of 7 day a week, 18+ hour a day
effort, we have passed the point of 'dimini****ng returns'.
Remember KISS!
Leave the work areas, go get a good relaxed meal,
relax around the club etc., tomorrow sleep in, exercise
and rest."
IMHO, a very wise and competent man!
Face it, probably around 75% of the product of
a major operation plan becomes 'moot' when
you first make contact with the enemy
(problem is, you can't ahead of time figure out
what is the good 25% - and what is 'wasted' 75%).
There is a point when not worth more effort on
the 'spit ****ne' (especially when detract from other work!)
But it is easy afterwards (and granted - interesting also),
for people to look back in a historical microscope,
and see some areas that "might have" gone otherwise.
What Ifs - that seem easy in hindsight, are often
really improbable/impactical at the time.
Note - a few months after PH, they put a considerable
effort into a bombing raid on PH, , note that it had
virtually no good product, and might in fact of
really hurt them in long run.
-How we got from Oahu to bubonic plague in
-Wa****ngton, DC. I not quite sure of ...
Agree.
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