Re: What IF: ... Japan had more Oilers for Dec.7'41 ?

On Aug 28, 8:16=A0pm, David Johnson  wrote:

> > Why do the Philipines really need to be taken at all ?
>
> Because until they are they are essentially a 300,000 square kilometer
> combined aircraft carrier and naval base, sitting right smack in the
> middle of *all* the Japanese ****pping lanes to that oil they needed -
and
> started the war for.
>
> They have no way of blocking the entire island complex from American
> planes landing (and taking off) there - to say nothing of stopping small
> torpedo boats or subs from basing there - unless they basically have
> boots on the ground all over the islands. And they know this.

I suggest that LBA out of Formosa and Jollo could have done that. The
Formosa crowd sure cleaned out Doug's air force in a hurry
historically. They have several months to do so before the NEI oil
will start flowing to Japan any way.

> Even if "broken," the U.S. can still move small quantities of aircraft
> and ****ps and supplies to the islands as long as they're still held by
> the U.S.

From where ? Tiny quantities maybe but tiny quantities aren't going to
allow regular combat operations against new Japanese tanker traffic
****pping routes hundreds of miles to the west.

>>And even if they have a *hideously* bad success rate at sinking
>>tankers, well, it doesn't take a *lot* of sinkings when your tanker
fleet
>>is as small as Japan's was to muck up their plans big time.

I point ouit that before you can sink them, you have to be able to
find them.