The might-have-beens of Pearl Harbor (Military History Quarterly)

Autumn 1991, volume 4#1: The writer says that the war with Japan was inevitable, and that the Pearl Harbor attack was inevitable. He says that there was no intelligence information that indicated the timing of the attack.

He notes differences that could have happened.

U.S. planes could have been on patrol, spotted the Japanese fleet and given the base enough time to get planes in the air and mount at least some kind of defense.

The bases defenses could have been better.

Torpedo nets should have been put out instead of not used.

There should not have been as much emphasis on sabotage, as this led to the U.S. putting its planes together and making them a very easy target for the Japanese pilots.

The carriers could have been there, been sunk, and thus changed the course of the war.

The Japanese could have made follow-up attacks.

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