4 ms·

Naval aviation was a huge part of the pacific conflict and strategic bombers did win the war against Japan.

• paganel 4y ago
  I honestly don’t see how the US could have conquered both Japan and Japan-controlled Manchuria (or Taiwan, for that matter) with aviation and the navy alone, that’s where the Manhattan Project came along well. Which gets us back to the article itself, as I don’t see the current US MIC being able to replicate a project like the one that gave the Americans the atomic bomb anytime soon, if ever.
• jcranmer 4y ago
  > strategic bombers did win the war against Japan. Only after the Japanese navy had been almost completely sunk, the Japanese merchant marine even more thoroughly sunk. And even then, it's not clear if the atomic bombs or the Soviet entry into the war against Japan (threatening to roll up the Japanese position in China as completely as the above) played the bigger role in compelling Japanese surrender. (And this is the best example anyone can give of strategic airpower achieving victory).
  • kasey_junk 4y ago
    The Japanese navy was largely sunk via air power though.
    • greedo 4y ago
      No, submarines sank 200 IJN warships and aircraft and surface ships claimed another 134. While aircraft sank some of the more important ships (carriers), subs were really responsible for the defeat of the IJN. Also, mines were responsible for a huge percentage of shipping losses.
      • nradov 4y ago
        Many of those mines were laid by strategic bombers. Subs played the largest role but aircraft were also important. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1959/november/japans-nightmare-mine-blockade https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1959/november/jap...